Making shell gold

Over the years I saved up lots of scraps of gold that I had left over from water gilding projects. I wanted to use these to make shell gold. This was really important to me to use the waste gold because there is a powerful symbolism there about taking the left over remains that nobody wants and turning them into something beautiful for the glory of God.

I carefully scraped all the little pieces of gold into a small glass dish and with a tiny dribble of honey I patted it into a small paste with my fingertip. I kept going for another 10 minutes and then began to grind it with my finger in a circular motion. I did this for over an hour.

This circular motion was deeply meditative and enjoyable. I reflected on ideas of bringing something into creation – strength, resilience, love, fertility and eternity.

Once the gold beneath my fingers felt sufficiently smooth I washed the gold off my fingers with spring water. I then passed the gold through a piece of habotai silk cloth. This drained off the water and separated the gold from any impurities. I then collected the shell gold and placed it into anther dish. When I am ready I will then combine this with a binder and be able to use this to paint with. Shell gold works very well for the highlights of a garment on an icon or for other fine details in manuscript illuminations. It can also be burnished to give a variety of textures from a soft delicate matt to a shiny and polished look. 

St. Brigid's Day Craft

A selection of crosses and other Christian symbols made with rushes collected from bogland near Lough Derg, Co. Donegal.

Sposi Novelli blessing

My husband and I went to Rome for our honeymoon. The highlight for us was to receive the Sposi Novelli blessing (Italian for “newlyweds”). The Pope gives the blessing in Latin during the General Audience every Wednesday morning in the Audience Hall. Couples are expected to arrive in wedding attire within 2 months of the marriage. We were seated at the front with lots other brides and grooms. This was a once in a lifetime experience that we won’t forget.  

My Wedding at St James's Church, Spanish Place on Saturday 16th December 2023

The livestream of our wedding can be seen from the folowing link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZosYPl7dLH4

Order of Service 

Entrance of the Bride

Trumpet Voluntary    John Stanley (1712 – 1786) 

Introduction and Welcome 

Opening Carol

Once in Royal David’s City   

Opening Prayer 

First Reading

A reading from the Book of Ruth 1: 1-22

Psalm

Ecce sic benedicetur                    Cristóbal de Morales (1500 – 1553)

Ecce sic benedicetur omnis homo qui timet Dominum:
et videas filios filiorum tuorum.
Pax super Israel.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord:
May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Second Reading

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 12:31-13:8

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia

Exsultate justi in Domino            Lodovico da Viadana (1560 – 1627)

Exsultate justi in Domino, rectos decet collaudatio.

Confitemini Domino, in cithara; in psalterio decem chordarum psallite illi.

Cantate ei canticum novum: bene psallite ei in vociferatione. 

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just; praise befits the upright.
Give praise to the Lord, on the harp; sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings.
Sing to him a new canticle, sing well unto him with a loud noise.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 2:1-11

Homily 

The Rite of Marriage

Exchange of Vows

Blessing and exchange of rings 

Bidding Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

Soloist

Ave Maria Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Nuptial Blessing

Final Blessing 

Recessional Hymn

Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven

Signing of the Register 

Gaude Virgo Maria                       Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 - 1611)  

Exit of the Bride and Groom 

Toccata from Symphony No.5 in F Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)

Traditional Carpet Weaving - using a tufted pile

Prayer carpets draw our attention towards God. As I was weaving this rug I meditated on my own prayer,

Crucify my feet Lord, so that I shall only walk Your path,

Crucify my hands Lord, so that I only do Your work,

Crucify my head Lord, so that my thoughts are only of You,

Crucify my heart Lord, so that all that I do is in You.

I used traditional Persian/ Kurdish carpet weaving tools and methods of working. I set up a warp on a small loom and created a tufted pile using what is commonly referred to as a Turkish knot.  I used a combing tool for beating down the woven rows - which also helps to secure the knots in place. The cutting knife is used to cut the wool to continue tying knots. It also had a small hook on the end for passing the wool through the warp. The scissors had an angular bend to enable the excess wool to be trimmed off and to cut the carpet pile down to the required height.  I used lambs wool to symbolise Christ, the Lamb of God.

(4 x 4 inches + fringe)

Making Brown Scapulars of Mount Carmel

Using 100% pure lambs wool, dyed brown with brown tapes. Made with hand sewn images the sacread heart and cross (to hang over the front of chest and back).

Weaving your heart out

Here is my first attempt at making a flat woven carpet. I used cotton thread for the warp (vertical) and wool for the weft (horizontal). For my next project I am going to take Pictish key and step patterns and translate them into my weaving using the hand-dyed thread that I made a few months ago. I liked using this table top loom as it made it achievable in a couple of days.

Making a Christian Head Covering

Taking a piece of fabric, roughly 12 x 18 inches, tapering two sides for the ties and a straight hem on the square piece at both ends. I pleated each end of the square piece and slotted them into the ties and sewed together to secure in place. I envisioned what I wanted to create from a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, A Study of a woman’s head (c.1490) and I drew my own version of it in Silverpoint.

Egg painting crafts for Easter

Goose eggs painted with water colour and Christian symbols.

Folklore, craft and traditions for the Feast of St. Brigid

Traditionally, on the eve of the Feast of St. Brigid, the man of the house would go out collecting the rushes and bring them back before the sun had set on the 31st January. He would announce three times an invocation to St. Brigid and the family would respond. The youngest child would carry them into the house.

Once the crosses were made they were left by the window for St. Brigid to bless, along with a blue cloth and red piece of material. Miracle cures of the blue cloth include taking splinters out, saving people from drowning and healings. The red cloth has been said to cure sore tooth’s and headaches. The St. Brigid crosses were kept in the house throughout the year as a protection for the family and to ward off the devil.

Children used to dress up and house call saying, “give us some money to honour the night”, singing songs and wearing white gowns with red crosses painted on their faces.

Relief carving of St. Brigid milking a cow are often seen near farms as she is said to be particularly effective in ensuring a good churn.

Visiting neighbours especially on this night was common. Baking cakes or buns in the shape of a cross were also common ways of honouring the feast.

Holy water collected from St. Brigid Well was also sprinkled around the home and on the perimeter of the field for protection and to keep evil spirits away.

Below is a folk song by Catherine Ann Cullen that’s easy for children to learn,

The Story of Brigid’s Cloak

There was a wise woman, we’re all agreed,
some call her Brigid, some call her Bríd.
She grew up kind and she liked a joke
and she always wore a wee small cloak.

About fifteen hundred years ago,
this strong woman to Kildare did go,
She grew up kind and she liked a joke
and she always wore a wee small cloak.

Now the King of Leinster had fields galore,
So Brigid went knocking on his castle door,
“Would you give us a field by the old oak tree,
to build a church for my friends and me?”

Well the mean old king he gave a roar,
saying, “What kind of fool do you take me for?
‘cos nobody gets as rich as me,
by giving their fields to the poor for free!”

So Brigid smiled “Would you grant instead,
the land as far as my cloak will spread?”
The king laughed loudly at her joke,
‘cos she wouldn’t cover much with her wee small cloak.

To see how far the cloak would reach,
Her four best friends took a corner each.
When she shouted, “Go!” they all set forth,
waking east and west and south and north.

The king was so mad he began to choke,
and out of his ears came puffs of smoke.
His mean old heart it nearly broke,
when he saw the measure of Brigid’s cloak.

But his heart was changed by Brigid’s power,
And his men built her chapel with a tall bell tower.
Now they call it Cill Dara, the church of the oak,
On the land that was covered by Brigid’s cloak.