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2005 Doe Martin |
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...the stole is a symbol of the humble servant |
My mother taught me how to sew (on a sewing machine) when I was ten years old. For the past thirty years I have done much of my sewing on a c.a. 1910 Singer treadle sewing machine that my dad bought for me when I was about fifteen. I made my first liturgical stole in 1991 as a gift for my husband when he graduated from seminary. In 1996 I took some of my stoles to the Montreat Book Store in Montreat, North Carolina --a presbyterian retreat center. The manager of the store at that time happened to be the maker of the "Moderator's Stole" --the stole that the moderator of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A wears and passes on to the next elected moderator each year. She liked my work and advised me about making some improvements. I am very grateful to her for her advice and for giving me the opportunity to sell my stoles. I am always conscious of producing as little waste as possible while producing stoles. I will often incorporate what would otherwise be wasted materials into new designs. This prompts me to be creative on many different levels which, in turn, keeps me "on my toes" and my work ever-changing. I love the spiritual and symbolic aspects of making stoles. I try to put together designs that are beautiful and meaningful ever-mindful that they will be used in a worship setting. <*}}}>< |
About Doe Martin Stoles |
close-up of a portion of a mosaic stole |
Me sewing |
The stoles that I make are individually handcrafted. I do use sewing machines but each stole is cut out by hand -- each piece is individually sewn to the stole body and each stole is sewn to its lining fabric on a (c.a. 1910) treadle sewing machine. My stoles are made with a mitred corner at the neck and the finished size is approximately 4" wide and 48" long from the inside of the mitred corner. Generally, I use either cotton or silk fabric for the main body of the stole and heavy weight faille for the lining. Appliqué fabrics vary from silks to cottons to velvets and various others. Please note that fabrics may vary due to availability. |
A bit more if you're interested |