December 2002: Winter-white South African polished cotton damask

Roll over the image for a closer look at the fabric.

Although we already had a white set of paraments, they were a natural or cream-color. This set is cold white, thin cotton damask with a polished surface. It was made in South Africa, and when I brought it home, I noticed that there were tiny fleks of red caught into the fabric, as if red lint left-over from a previous job, was still flying around the looms when the white was woven. Since the red did not show unless the fabric was examined closely, I decided not to pick it out, but to let it represent the blood shed in the battle against Apartheid.

I tried using both sides of the damask weave, one side for the main part of the pieces, and the other side for the wide bindings that finish the edges. Each side reflects light differently, and I hoped this difference would show up as a subtle contrast. However, in the diffuse light of a white sanctuary, the contrast is not noticable. The resulting simplicity still serves us well in the Christmas season when there are many other decorations in the church.