Do You Know: The origin of the stole

The stole was first known as orarium a term derived from the Latin oro or "to pray." The change in name from orarion to stola took place in the ninth century but it wasn't until the 12th century that the new name "stole" became generally used. By the 16th century the stole had become a badge of the bishops, priest and deacons each of whom wore it over the shoulder in their own distinctive way.

The orarium was originally nine or ten feel long and a uniform two to three inches wide. We often worry about clergy that order Carrot Top Studio stoles that seem to be really long for fear that they'll trip going up the chancel steps. How did they walk while wearing these long stoles in the 12th century? In later years stoles were of a tapered shape and were sometimes finished with fringe or little bells. Pope Innocent III gave a religious significance to the stole, which was originally a secular garment, by calling it the "easy yoke of Christ."

At the end of the Middle Ages, the stole became altered to a shorter, wider shape with an excessive splaying at the ends. Today's trend of a narrower stole became current in the early part of the twentieth century. 

Today, in our studio, we see the stole to be a visual link to the Word. We thoughtfully move through the design process of choosing colors and symbols that might assist your ministry. And as the stole in throughout the ages, our stoles (and photography skills!) have evolved over the years. 

Left to right: Our first stole sold on eBay,
one of our first commissioned stoles, and the newest stole on our website.

*Thanks to Textile Art in the Church by Marion P. Ireland for this history

Rhythm: On the Ice and In Worship

I was recently with a friend in a store and we stumbled upon a toy zamboni. I recalled how when we moved to Pittsburgh and for the first time ever experienced life in a "hockey town." My son quickly fell in love with watching the work of the zamboni as it resurfaced the ice. I relayed the story and was thinking my precious child was unique. But my companion exclaimed, "who doesn't love the zamboni?!"

This caused me to reflect why? Time and time again the ritual is the same as the ice is scraped and then refreshed with clean water. We know what's going to happen. We understand the importance of the task so the skating can go on. Isn't this like worship? The rhythm imprints itself on us. We work at it over and over again. It allows us to be active with God. We are cleansed. We need it to happen.

I am thankful for the rhythm and ritual that God has modeled for us and called us to participate in. And therefore we enjoy creating products that honor the liturgical calendar. Rooted in history we cycle through the ritual of recalling and celebrating Jesus' life. There is a time for every season and this allows us the structure to honor our Lord and be refreshed in the rhythm over and over again. And like the zamboni we are all able to love this! Thank goodness.

Visual Art in Worship

Byzantine Icon of the Cursing of the Fig Tree

Reportedly 40-60% of people learn visually. Several Sunday's ago I saw this live out in worship. My home congregation sometimes uses fine art on the bulletin cover to connect to the liturgy of the day. We happened to sit down behind a family with two young boys. As we all got situated, I realized the mother and one son were talking about the bulletin cover art. It took everything in me for my former art educator soul not to squeal with delight. Inside the cover is a brief description of the art. This was not written for a five year old but the mother was breaking it apart and the son was pointing out components of the visual and asking questions. 

Worship commenced and we all settled into the rhythm. But then the visual made a connection to the Word! The gospel was being read and the child in front of me heard the words "fig tree" and despite his wiggling and seemingly not paying attention he was making a connection and nudged his mother to affirm that he knew!  I wanted to do cartwheels down he aisle! Hooray for these parents for bringing their children to church. God bless them for not dumbing the experience down and including them as best as they could.  And thank you God for showing us in your Word many examples of visuals, color, and textiles being used to help teach us your story.

I have always maintained that visuals like the work we do at Carrot Top Studio aren't essential for a relationship with our Lord or for worship. But I am thankful we have them. 

Sharing: A New Commissioned Stole Is Complete!

We recently completed a stole for a seminarian preparing for Ordination. She sought a piece that would reflect where she lived and served in Peurto Rico.It was fun to start with her own sketch and photos. When I work on a stole like this it makes me appreciate the many years as a young woman that I studied watercolor painting. As a general rule when you use watercolors you start with what is furthest in the background and work your way forward. This is because once the paint is down it can't be removed and it is not easily gone over. The commissioned stoles that we do that are like "story stoles" with a lot of appliqued pieces need to be figured out in this logical type of sequencing. It's a bit of a puzzle in the beginning but with careful planning it comes together nicely. Interesting how one opportunity from your past prepares you for the future! We've just completed the sketch for another story stole. You'll hear more about that this summer. #PCUSA #GA222 (spoiler alert :))

*Note 1-we love learning new things (especially about plants and food) and were pleased to be introduced to the seagrapes that are the large leaf plant with the interesting, clustered fruit. 

*Note 2-we had special permission to use the PCUSA seal, this one time

Visual Connections in Worship: Using Art on Transfiguration Sunday

There are so many ways to make visual connections in worship. There are the traditional methods such as the details in architecture, vestments, textiles and floral arrangements. And then there are the more contemporary such as the use of multimedia on the big screen, eNewsletters, and worship bulletin covers. Why not combine historical art into the more contemporary and incorporate images that are strong and relevant onto the big screen in worship, on the church website, or in social media? There are many wonderful resources such as Textweek that provide an outlet for images and inspiration. For example, if you are preparing a Transfiguration message this work by a Russian artist who painted in the Neoclassical style and was as renowned for his sketches as well as his paintings might be a worthy visual.

Transfiguration by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, 1824

Questions for thinking about Transfiguration: 

• What do you see?
• What colors are used? Are they warm or cool? How do they make you feel?
• Do you see any shapes emerge based upon how the artist positioned the main characters? Might this be intentional? What does it mean for the story?
• Is every part of the Biblical transfiguration story told in this painting?
• If you could rename this painting what would you call it?
• If you were the artist how would you have painted the story of the Transfiguration?
• How does this painting relate to you?

The possibilities are really endless once you get into the habit of using images that go beyond clipart. Here's an example of a writer infusing art into their blog post. And an example from my friend Pastor Dave who places his sermons online in a blog after they are preached. The illustrations on the blog are the images he uses on the big screen in worship.

**Note-Just please remember to give the historical artist credit even if it is art of the public domain. If you are using work that is contemporary art make sure you have permission to share.

Worship Can Be Foreign

I've always enjoyed worshiping in communities and churches that were not my home base. As you may know, my family (and studio)  moved from Pittsburgh to the Detroit area this summer. This has allowed a "season" of such visiting. There is much goodwill in Michigan and every single church we have worshiped in we have felt welcomed. Despite that through this process I've once again realized that sometimes you are a foreigner to the special rhythm, ritual, and even language of worship. We have experienced several things that have stood out in mind:

• a parishioner patting my hand when I did something out of order in worship. It was the type of touch that reminded me that I was welcomed.
• explanations as to how Communion elements would be served and why it was done that way.
• description of the worship music printed in the bulletin prior to the order of worship....enlightening the reader to the history, meaning of the music and words and why they were relevant to this day.
• lastly, yesterday prior to worship we experienced a verbal explanation of the music that would be included in worship. The anthem was later referred to in the sermon as to why it enhanced the meaning of the message. (BTW this is the song that was used and it was not only pleasing musically but the visual that it conjured up made it more powerful...."Stained Glass" by Joseph Martin and Heather Sorenson may be read about and heard here.).

Why do we write about this today? It makes me wonder how and when the visual messages of things like ministry stoles are included. Sometimes the message is very clear. But there are other instances when if you don't know the meaning of the symbol or for example why the sanctuary is decked in blue during Advent it's not going to help make an association to deepen our worshiping of the Lord.  I encourage you to incorporate the how and why of the visual cues of worship via the written or the spoken word. May the visual connection not be foreign!

FAQ's

Maybe these frequently asked questions and their answers will better help you to get to know Carrot Top Studio, the way we work, and our products! 

How long does it take to receive a stole?

• If you see it on the website it is in stock unless otherwise noted. We ship via USPS

  

  A new Advent limited
  edition stole. See it here.

  Priority mail within 24 hrs. of receiving your order. Delivery takes 2-3 business days.You will be notified of the tracking information so you can follow your shipment!

What if I need the stole sooner than that?

• Email us or call (412-480-4193) and we'll invoice you if overnight shipping is available to your address. And then we'll get the shipment on its way!

Who makes these unique ministry stoles?

• Jenny Gallo is the artist/designer/seamstress. It's basically a one woman show with occasional assistance from another person that sews or assists with shipping. 

Can I change something about a stole I see on the website?

• We usually don't modify our in stock inventory. At times we can hem a stole to make it shorter if needed. This is dependent upon the stole's design and there is a small fee for this service.

How do I measure for a stole?

• We measure from the middle back of the neck to the edge of the hem. 

• If this is a gift think about the height of the person receiving the stole and about whether they will wear a robe or not. The stole looks best if it doesn't hang below the hem of the robe. Lastly, if the pastor, priest, minister, or wedding officiant will be walking up and down steps in the place that they lead in (like from the sanctuary floor up steps to the chancel) then a too long stole can be tripped upon.

Why can't I find the stole I saw on your website last week?

• Our work is created in limited editions of 1-10 stoles per design. If we are selling a prototype we try to make note that this is one-of-a-kind. Therefore if you're interested you should know not to hesitate too long. Our busiest months are generally October, February, and May....these are times you shouldn't hesitate either as the inventory can change swiftly. With that said if you are seriously interested but your finances aren't ready please let us know and we'd be willing to hold a stole for you for a reasonable amount of time.

Do you accept commissions?

• Occasionally we do accept commissions. It is mostly dependent upon the schedule if this is possible. Don't hesitate to float an idea past us. Sometimes your ideas can translate well into a limited edition. We find that you have good ideas and if you're willing to share the idea then we will put it into the limited edition line up when possible. 

Why are you called Carrot Top Studio?

• Orange hair since birth + being called a "carrot top" during school years = the name for the studio. We've learned to embrace the teasing that used to make us blush!