Chasuble Commission

The Sewing Shop regularly accept commission work for both individuals and business. This is one piece we have created. This chasuble was made as a surprise for the recipient. We were supplied with a three-quarter length photo of the person and their height and that they were ordained at Peterborough Cathedral. We were instructed to make a very contemporary. Personal and unique chasuble with a matching stole. We checked the design details with the church of England.

The main fabric and lining were agreed were easily purchased. The trim on the stole was difficult to source because of the colour. The trim was finally sourced from a company in the US at £75 per meter. The gold thread for the embroidery was sourced from India. We obtained permission from Peterborough Cathedral to use its image. The image was produced by a very well known designer named John (who sadly died in 2009. We do not have his Estates permission to use his surname)

An image of Peterborough Cathedral forms part of the cross. The Cathedral image was embroidered using gold thread. The cross was created using gold beads of varying sizes.

The cross on the back is left open with ends so as to welcome all into the folds of the church, the circle representing the church. The circle and the cross were created using gold beads of varying sizes. The stole has a curved neckline so that it sits flat on the back of the neck. It was trimmed with a matching antique trim. Finding the matching trim was a challenge in itself. It was sourced from a textile dealer in the U.S. There was just enough trim to fit the stole. The stole and the chasuble were lined with gold satin. There were no other embellishments on the stole or the chasuble.

The completed Chasuble took over 100 hours to make. It was worn once and then stripped of all its gold and beadwork. The £75 per meter trim was replaced with a nylon 45p per meter trim. The length of the chasuble was cut in half – which does not comply with church of England guidelines.

The chasuble was made for Reverend Patrick McKee, who it appears did not like his gift!

An Unusual Commission

A customer wanted privacy in his garden without having to build a 12ft wall. We designed and made him some awnings to hang from scaffolding poles!

Pizza bag zip fix

A design fault in pizza bags - they damage easily and were difficult to handle. So we re-designed it and made it more secure and easier to use and they will last much longer.

Suit for a bride

We were approached by one of the brides for a same sex wedding.

One bride wore a traditional white gown. The other bride did not want to wear a traditional gown but also did not want to wear a masculine suit, so she designed the suit (as shown in the picture) and commissioned us to make it.