Caring for Fabric for the Liturgy

Liturgical Ministries Liturgical Environment Caring for Fabric for the Liturgy Jakob K. Rinderknecht Fabric is everywhere in the liturgical environment. It is used in vestments, altar cloths, banners, and other means of dressing the space for the liturgical assembly. Those responsible for liturgical environment should have a general understanding of how fabric is made, used, and cared for. The material a fabric is made from and the way in which that material is turned into fabric determine how the fabric can be used. The current General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) does not stipulate what materials should be used for altar cloths or other items. It does specify that altar cloths should be “in keeping with the altar’s shape, size, and structure,” and that the top of the altar (called the mensa) should be covered in a white cloth placed over any other colored materials (GIRM, 304). It also states that vestments may be made from “natural fabrics proper to each region . [or] artificial fabrics that are in keeping with the dignity of the sacred action and the person wearing them” (GIRM, 343). CARE OF FABRIC ITEMS Many items come with care labels. When these are present, of John Zich John course, their guidance should always be followed. But, it is not © uncommon, especially in the parish setting, to find garments or Photo banners that were made by members of the parish and that do A wide varieties of silks are used in liturgical pieces. not have instructions for care. In these cases, the first step is to determine what they are made of. Oftentimes, vestments use dif- also made of linen. Linen, especially when it is new, will take and ferent kinds of fabrics; for example, a wool chasuble may have hold wrinkles easily, requiring frequent ironing. Repeated wash- silk details on it. In these cases, the safest thing to do is to dry or ing can soften linen, making this less of a problem. Linen should spot clean them, so as to prevent the two materials from shrink- not be cleaned with bleach, as this will destroy it. The fabric also is ing differently (cf. Matthew 9:16 for advise on this!). very malleable when wet, so take care not to wring it or hang it to Storage of fabric is something that many parishes can dry in a way that it could warp into a different shape. It may improve. Ideally, fabric should be stored flat and in dry, dark shrink significantly if dried on high heat, so it’s best to lightly dry places. Many sacristies have long, shallow drawers for precisely (or hang), and then iron it. When properly cared for, linen can last this purpose. If possible, hang only the vestments in use for the for years and be a good choice in many situations. current season. This will help them to last longer and not stretch out at the shoulders. Cotton Cotton fabric is ubiquitous in contemporary life. It is suitable to TYPES OF FIBER many uses, comes in a variety of weights, and is easy to main- The varied materials from which fabric is made have different tain. Because cotton is so common, it does not necessarily dem- strengths and weaknesses, making them better suited to differ- onstrate “beauty and nobility,” although the right cotton can be ent uses. Attending to these differences is not only important in both. Often, altar linens and, especially purificators, are made of caring for existing pieces, but in designing new ones so that “the a heavy woven cotton, precisely because it launders so well. Albs beauty and nobility of each vestment derive . from the mate- are often made of a cotton blend because it breathes well and rial that is used and from the design” (GIRM, 344). doesn’t hold wrinkles like linen. Linen Wool Linen is a very traditional fabric for use in the liturgy. Altar cloths Wool is another fabric that has been used for millennia. Though are often called “linens,” and historically, albs and surplices were considered heavy, some wool is a lighter weight (a so-called “suit 10 July | August 2016 Liturgical Environment Liturgical Ministries Manmade Fabrics and Blends A variety of fibers have been created by chemists in the last sev- eral decades, often from oil and oil byproducts. These fabrics are durable, easy to care for, and can have useful properties like stretchiness or a resistance to wrinkles. These fibers are often blended with natural fabrics to contribute some of these properties or to reduce cost. Polyester, for example, is often blended into cotton or linen so that it is less likely to wrinkle. For blends and artificial fabrics, always follow the care instructions found on the label or on the original bolt of fabric. Construction: Woven vs. Knit Another thing that affects how fabrics perform and the uses for which they are suitable is how the fibers are turned into fabric. Two major processes have been used in making fabric for at least three millennia: knitting and weaving. John Zich John © Photo Photo Woven Fabric Hanging only the vestments worn during that season will help preserve them. Weaving has gone on for at least five thousand years. In this pro- cess, threads are stretched on a loom (called the “warp”), and other threads are woven through them perpendicularly (the “weft” or “woof”). This gives a great number of variations as to how these threads relate to each other, allowing for much of the variety we see in fabric. Because of this construction, woven fabric tends to not stretch in the direction of either the warp or the weft, but will stretch at 45 degrees to them—called the “bias.” This stability makes it a good choice for banners, vestments, and altar cloths. Knitted Fabric Knitting is a somewhat newer technique, being only three or four millennia old. It uses a single thread, which is looped through itself by means of sticks or hooks, and which produces a John Zich John © fabric that stretches in the vertical direction, but is more stable Photo Photo in the horizontal. Machine knitting has allowed very fine knit- Long, shallow drawers provide dry, dark spaces for storage. ted fabrics to be commonly available (such as cotton t-shirt fabric). Generally, knits are less suitable to use in the liturgy because weight”). Wool breathes well and often hangs beautifully. It can of their tendency to stretch, although parishes successfully use be washed (cold), but it is better to wash by hand or dry clean, as them in situations where a fabric is desired that will stretch and the combination of agitation, warmth, and soap can shrink wool hang, such as when swaths of fabric are draped to provide bands fabrics and turn them into felt. of color. Fabrics can provide color, depth, and movement to the Silk liturgical environment. Choosing appropriate fabrics and caring There are a wide variety of silk fabrics available. So-called “raw for them appropriately can help to make them last, and support silk” or “silk noil” has a rougher texture and low sheen. It works the celebration of the liturgy by underlining the “dignity of the beautifully for liturgical use and is easily cared for. Silks that are sacred action” (GIRM, 343). more processed have a sheen, and are woven in a variety of ways. “Dupioni” silks (fabrics with fine silk running vertically and a heavier, uneven or “slubbed” silk running horizontally, often JAKOB K. RINDERKNECHT, PHD, is the director of the Pastoral Institute differently dyed) and “Shantung” (fabrics made from one kind of at the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio. He holds a slubbed thread) are frequently used in liturgical fabrics because doctorate from Marquette University, a master’s degree from Saint the texture in the fabric makes them work well for these kinds of John’s University, and a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University. uses. It can be washed (cold) and dried (low heat) or hung to dry. His research focuses on the ways in which ritual, language, and Many people always dry clean silk. culture mediate meaning for theology. PastoralLiturgy.org 11.

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