Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Reversible altar cloth for retreats, home churches, small groups & more

I am fairly often looking for ways to easily make a space feel holy, or to engage people in tactile ways of praying for the world. I designed a fabric for sewing into a round tablecloth/altar cloth for use in retreats, small groups, home prayer or house churches or whatever. I designed it with an image of planet earth on one side, and the pattern of the Chartres labyrinth on the other--it ends up as a circle approximately 28" in diameter. In the space leftover in the fabric, I also included two pieces that can be sewn into a small table runner or antependium, with a reversible green or white Celtic cross design. (This piece is about 7.5" x 27", depending on your seam allowances...)

I imagine you could use these in a multitude of interactive ways--pinning prayers onto the earth, tracing the labyrinth with your finger, touching and holding and adding to them. Or, you could simply use them as an image for visual focus. 

I designed them to fill one yard of the linen-cotton fabric that a Spoonflower offers--the fabric is extra-wide to accommodate the design, and the weight is substantial and elegant. 

Like my stole designs, the fabric is available for sale thorough Spoonflower--they handle the order and print and ship the fabric. It's up to you to cut and sew it, if you'd like to do so. :) I didn't write instructions for sewing in this fabric, as it seems pretty simple; I just cut the two circles and sewed them, right sides together.

(I basted a section about 10" long, then sewed about halfway around. Then, I turned and pressed that half; after pressing, I removed the basting, and sewed the rest of the way around, back to the point where I'd started basting. Then I turned it all right side out, pressing the rest of the way around. Finally, I hand sewed the previously basted and pressed section closed. The basting and pressing made it easier to keep a smooth, even curve all the way around.)

The Circle Cloth is available now--I'd love to know how you use it!!

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