Instructions for Sewing the Liturgical Colors Set

for the Orthodox Christian

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd church school curriculum

Making this set will enhance the objectives in the "Liturgical Colors" lesson and give the children an almost identical representation of the real vestments they see in church. This is a "confident beginner" sewing project to outfit your church or school's atrium with a set of six miniature, Byzantine style phelonia (priest's outer vestments). We have a full kit to make this complete set, which you can find here. If you want a different style of fabric, or a different type of fabric, you can purchase directly from Spoonflower here.

Materials

• Liturgical Colors Kit: includes fabric and trim for all six phelonia, gold & silver thread, and six wood display stands, all in a durable storage box.
• Fabric Only: you may purchase fabric directly from Spoonflower in the style and substrate of your choice.

Equipment

• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Turning tool
• Hand sewing needle
• Glue stick

Sewing Instructions

Prepare & Cut the Fabric

1. It is not necessary to wash the fabric before sewing it, but if you do: machine wash warm or cool with phosphate-free detergent on a gentle or delicate cycle; machine dry on a low heat setting.
2. Iron the fabric on the reverse side with a hot iron; the fabric included in the kit is 100% cotton sateen.
3. Cut out the 12 vestment pieces along the edge of the pattern/solid color.

Sew Shoulder Darts

1. Fold the shoulders so the black "L" becomes a horizontal line with the fabric folded at the corner (right sides together) and pin.   
2. The dart can be sewn on or below the black line...the more the dart stitching is angled, the rounder the shoulder will be. The wood stands included with the kit from our shop have a fairly square shoulder, so it does not need to be very rounded. Sew the dart at a slight angle, starting at the inside end of the line and sew just below the black line to the edge of the fold. Backstitch start and end. Dart the shoulders in both the outer and lining for all six sets. (You can see where I sewed my first attempt at the dart on the liner...that was too far below the black line!)       

Join Outer Shell and Liner

1. Match the outer shell and liner with right sides facing and pin. Mark a turning hole at the bottom of the vestment that is about 2" wide. Pin the shoulder darts going toward the center on the outer layer, and away from center on the liner layer, so that the seams will nest and not cause a lot of bulk at the shoulder.
2. Starting at the left side of the turning hole, sew around the entire edge with a 1/2” seam allowance.
3. When you get to the shoulder dart try not to sew over it...try to sew next to the end of the dart, smoothing the shoulders as you go. Continue around the neck, past the other shoulder dart, and back around to the right side of the turning hole.                  
4. Clip the 90* corners perpendicular to the corner and make snips into the seam allowance of the curves.
5. Turn the vestment right side out and gently poke out the corners. Iron the seams flat, especially at the turning hole and around the neckline and shoulders.
   
6. Hand sew the front closed with a whip stitch in the lining fabric. The vestments are only displayed, not used, so you do not need to leave an opening for a head to go through, nor a workable closure at the neck. If a child wants to put these phelonia on the 12" manikin that comes with the "Vestments Set" in our shop, then the hole will be large enough to fit over the manikin's head as sewn here.   

Attach Trim & Cross

1. Note about trim colors: we recommend using gold on the three warm colors and silver on the three cool colors, but there is no rule.
2. Note about thread colors: we include gold and silver thread for attaching the trim, which match the lining color on those phelonia, but will not color match the lining on the red, green, blue, and purple phelonia. You could match the lining color from thread in your stash, or allow the gold and silver threads to show on the liner as a sort of trim effect.
3. Start attaching trim at the base of the back of the vestment (where the turning hole is). Lay the trim flush with the edge of the fabric and sew it on with matching thread. Don't measure the vestment and cut the trim, just leave the trim whole until you're back around to the start.   
4. Attach the trim all the way around and back to the starting point. Overlap just slightly, cut the trim, and secure the end with a backstitch.      
5. For the neck: start about 1/3 down from the neck on one side of the join (backstitch well on the start of the trim). When you get to the corner, bend the trim 90* and continue around the neck. Bend the trim again when you get back to the front. Sew the trim down to where the beginning is, cut the trim flush with the starting point, and backstitch well at the end.                 
6. For the cross on the back: cut two pieces of trim 1 1/2" long. Align the vertical bar using the pattern on the back, and use a dab of glue stick to keep the trim in place. Sew the vertical piece onto the back of the vestment, backstitching well at the top and bottom, and making sure the front of the vestment is out of the way when you're sewing. Repeat for the horizontal bar.
   

Done! Enjoy the fruits of your labor for the children of your parish or school! Please feel free to reach out to us using our contact link at the bottom of the page if you have any feedback on the kit, the fabric, these instructions, or the finished product.