St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Nantucket, Massachusetts
2023 Installation by Christina Laberge
The Beginning
Located on an island of extraordinary natural beauty, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church features exquisite Tiffany windows depicting the flora of Nantucket. From my first visit, I was inspired to create textiles that reflect both the landscape and the spiritual life of this community.
Inspiration from the Windows
The windows became a visual language for the project, with native flowers rendered in light and color. These forms guided the palette, movement, and symbolism of the textiles.
The Installation
This installation reflects the deep connection to their island home and their commitment to caring for all of God's creation. I fashioned a "basket" out of the green bias to hold a bounty of blooms: iris, daisies, day lilies, beach roses, daffodils, cattails, and passion flowers.
These flowers were drawn and cut by hand and attached as appliqué to the face fabric. Freehand thread painting gives each flower its details of veins and stamens.
“Our congregation is inspired by the unique beauty of Christina’s creations.”
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Nantucket MA
Vestments
The Paraments
Appliqué & Thread Painting Details
Symbolism & Meaning
The vestments were intentionally simplified to balance the frontal. Twining vines and leaves are centered around a Trinity symbol drawn from a stained-glass panel at the rear of the church.
Bring Your Church’s Story to Life
Each installation begins with listening to your space, your traditions, and the rhythms of your worship.
Whether your church is shaped by light through stained glass, local landscape, or long-held symbolism, the work grows from what is already meaningful to your community.
The result is not just a set of textiles, but a cohesive visual language that supports worship and reflects the identity of your space.