Red Velvet & English Medieval Embroidery, Opus Anglicanum

While I’m not “done” with the sort of weavings and paintings I showed in my thesis exhibition, I’m already researching and sketching for a new project-liturgical banners. I don’t recall when these little flag like things with “Happy Spring” or Santa Claus or whatever started sprouting up on suburban lawns-it was probably while I was living in NYC. Since moving to Easton, they seem only to be multiplying-along with the tribe affiliation lawn signs, flags and banners. I had the idea of using the same hardware as most folks use for their seasonal banners or flags, but making, and displaying in the appropriate season, liturgical banners. 
My husband’s Christmas gift of the book “English Medieval Embroidery; Opus Anglicanum” is a gold mine for my research. As some of you might know, I’m a huge fan of deep reds, and reds often play key roles in my painting, dyeing and weaving, have ever since I started making paintings. To my surprise and delight, this book has a huge amount of embroidery on deep red velvet-it is on the cover, it dominates the background for embroideries throughout the book. I was so inspired I ordered silk velvet-suitably to dye-along with embroidery threads, also ready to dye. 
Yesterday at church, the priest held up the church copy of the book of gospels, which had repoussé metal on the corners and a medallion on the center of the cover, over a background of-you guessed it-of deep red velvet. Then he pointed to the metal cross that was on a background of brocade fabric and asked if I could replace the current fabric with red velvet! Mind you, I had already ordered silk velvet, and had intended to try both Madder root and cochineal to dye it red. So marvelously enough, it looks like I’m actually going to be doing a real liturgical textile project before I even start on my liturgical banners for the house project!