Beginning in 1985, I served the Episcopal Diocese of Albany for twelve years as the Diocesan Altar Guild Directress.  As it is the perogative of the diocesan Bishop to oversee the ministry of the Diocesan Altar Guild, the Bishop established our ministry and asked me to carry it out.  My ministry was to re-establish the crafts of vestment construction and linen construction within the Diocese of Albany.  I did this by offering classes, all materials and support.  This project was very well received and we soon had Sewing Groups that met every month established in each of our seven deaneries.  I did quite a lot of driving during those years!

Perhaps you don't understand that, by 1985 the crafts of linen and vestment construction for our churches had been lost.  How that happened is a long story.  When i started out, I had no patterns, no instructions, no nice person to guide me.  It was my ministry to reclaim all that information. That's continued to be my ministry all these years.  

At first I carried out this ministry within the context of our diocese.  And then, following the publishing of my book, Sewing Church Linens, the ministry became national.  While I (somehow!) did not anticipate this consequence at the time I wrote the book, the experience has been a very great blessing.

Although I am retired as the Diocesan Directress, I have continued the ministry here.  I've chosen to continue this ministry for a couple of reasons: First, because the people I work with are such a joy.  

The second reason I've continued this ministry is that I believe in good stewardship. I believe that giving of our time and talent is as important as giving of our treasure. I believe that the ministry of the Church is to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. I believe that our Church could perform this ministry more effectively if we would spend less money purchasing expensive linens and vestments that we could just as well make ourselves. I believe that almost every parish has people who are competent sewers, who are perfectly capable of making handsome linens and vestments – if only they had access to proper, reasonably priced materials, instructions and patterns. I believe that these people would gladly give of their time and their talent – if only they had a bit of guidance and support. I believe my ministry is to these people; to provide materials, instructions and patterns and to give guidance and support.  I am an outstanding problem solver! 

I believed this when I began this ministry in 1985.  I believed it in 1997 when I opened this website.  I believe it today in 2010 as I celebrate my 71st birthday and my 30th year of this graceful and grace-filled ministry.  

The thing I would like you to know about this website is that a great many people have contributed a great deal of information.  I do a lot of emailing and talking on the phone.  What's happened is that this website has become a, sort of, 'central clearing house' for information.  When I get a new piece of information, I pass it along or knit it into my instruction booklets or use it to correct or enlarge a pattern.  I keep hoping that, before I die, I will have managed to put together all the bits and pieces of information we lost during the middle decades of the 20th century - as well as the new methods and techniques we've developed since then!

I hope you enjoy this site.  I hope you find it interesting and useful.  I hope you use it to make beautiful vestments and linens for your churches!

June 18, 2010 - I need to tell you something: I am incapable of explaining to you the immensity of the blessing this ministry has been to me all these years.  I am equally incapable of explaining how much it means to me to work with people like you.  Even if I went on and on and on and on, I just couldn't explain it.

And, much as I love this ministry and all of you, I am blessed to have other loves too: My children, my grandchildren, my beloved friends.  My darling daughter particularly keeps me hopping.  Kelly has a mind that will not quit.  She's constantly into theology, philosophy, history and politics - I have trouble keeping up with her!  I love, love, love my garden and escape into it at the smallest provocation.  I raise butterflies in the summertime - something that fascinates me.  I read a lot.  I write A LOT!!  I'm active in the Altar Guild of my parish and I make quite a lot of linens and vestments.

In short, I have another life outside of Church Linens.

Here's the problem: I'm the only one here.  If I don't do it, it doesn't get done. Terry is good about making the runs to the Post Office for me and that's a big help.  But, not infrequently, my other life takes precedence over my Church Linens life.  It's not unusual for my customers to find me slow to get orders out - simply because I've got myself up to my eyes with the garden or the grandchildren or a new batch of caterpillars (at this very moment in time, I have a box with 200 tiny, baby cecropia caterpillars here beside me on my desk).  

Sometimes I think it's my age - I'm 71.  But, I don't think that's it.  It's that I really enjoy doing ............. other stuff too!  And, I think you understand this. 

I'm not being unattentive.  I won't cash your checks until I've sent off your orders.  I will not deposit your credit card or PayPal payments until your order is sent out.  Just don't be too surprised if I'm a bit slow - for which I apologize before-hand.

You've asked me to put up a photograph.  Here it is.  That's me standing in the M.Perkins & Son showroom with my dear friend, Peter Doneux.  He's particularly tall (6'6").  I'm particularly short (5'1 1/2").  I hope it gives you a chuckle!

In Christ's Love,
Elizabeth Morgan

We are not human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience.

July 29, 2010 - Just after I wrote that, I had a very difficult task descend upon me - one of 'those things' that had to be tended to.  I've been working on it for a full six weeks.  Thanks be to God, it is now in the hands of others.  I've been particularly slow during these six weeks but, now that I'm free of that nasty task, I am putting my much neglected life - and Church Linens - back together again.  I have 170 emails in my 'In Box'.  I'm going to get through them as quickly as I can!  If you've emailed me with a question or an order, now would be a good time to send it again! 

8 new Monarch butterflies this morning!  Yippee!!! A little later this morning, I'll take them out into the garden and release them. They are so very beautiful! 

Thanks for your patience with me!

Love,

Elizabeth