How to sew a baptismal towel with your own hands?

The rite of baptism is a sacrament, which every Orthodox person must pass through. It is necessary to prepare for it in advance. There are necessary attributes that must be present without fail: a cross, a baptismal towel, a candle and an icon. Without them, not a single rite is complete.

Why do I need a baptismal towel?

Baptismal towel (kryzhma, or garment) - white diaper or cloth, which wraps the child after dipping into the font. It must necessarily be light tones, since it means purity and steadfastness before God.

As a rule, the baptismal towel is brought to the temple by the future godmother and presents it as a gift. In modern society, a tradition to buy kryzhma in the store. But earlier it was believed that it should be done by yourself. Then the bright thoughts of the godmother passed into her. Embroidery was an obligatory decoration. These were soft ornaments on religious themes (a cross, an angel, a temple and others).

The main condition was that the future godmother, and not her mother, sewed the carpet. The people said that from a strong love for his child, his own mother could jinx the baby. Therefore, she was not present in the church during the rite.

Choose the right fabric

If you decide to sew a baptismal towel with your own hands, first of all you need to choose the right fabric. The most common option is flax and cotton. These fabrics are practical, absorb moisture well, look great, it's easy to embroider a pattern on them.

If the ceremony takes place in the cold season, it is advisable to choose a mahr, and make a towel with a hood (a special pocket for the child's head). Such a kryzhma will absorb moisture well, the child will not freeze in it. The only nuance - toweling towel will have to be decorated with additional elements. These can be special patches in the form of crosses, guardian angels and others. Embroider ornaments on such a fabric will not succeed.

Also popular is the atlas. Choosing it, it is worth knowing that it practically does not absorb water and has a cooling effect. The child in such a cot, most likely, will freeze even in the summer. If you really want a rhinestone made of satin, you need to take care of the inner layer of cotton fabric.

The main rule when choosing a fabric for a baptismal towel is to take into account the time of the year. For the summer months, cotton, linen, cotton will be ideal. For cold weather, a mahr is suitable.

Sewing the cage alone

To sew a toweling towel, you will need:

• The right fabric;
• meter;
• Ruler;
• pencil;
• sewing machine.

Now the main thing is to decide on the size. If the baby is a newborn, 75 x 75 cm will be enough to cover, 100 x 100 cm for adult children.

Cut out the square based on the above parameters. Do not forget to make an allowance on each side. One centimeter will suffice.

If you decide to make a baptismal towel with a corner, you need to make a rounding on one side. Normal disk will do. Attach it to the lid and circle. Cut out the contour, sweep the previously made corner. In order not to see the seams, along the perimeter sew the tape.

Doing baptismal towels for boys, it is better to use the corners of blue. Such a rattle will stand out and look beautiful in photos.

Decoration

When decorating towels for baptism, it is important to remember that they should contain discreet church ornaments, do not be too nameless and pretentious. Recently, baptismal towels with embroidery are popular. As a rule, they are made with threads of gold or silver color.

If there is no possibility to make embroidery, it is recommended to buy ready-made appliqués and badges, which are sold in hardware stores. They are fastened quite simply, with the help of an adhesive gun or a hot iron.

The fashion includes decoration with pearls, rhinestones, beads. But it's worth remembering the safety of a baby who can swallow a bead. Therefore, it is better not to use such an ornament.

Interesting Facts

During the ceremony the priest consecrates the kryzhma, and after the child is taken out of the font, wrapped in it. There are several beliefs associated with the baptismal towel:

1. It is not recommended to wash it. The fact is that during the rite of baptism the priest smears the forehead of the world to the infant. This is done once in a lifetime. It is believed that droplets fall on the roof, so it has great power. It must be preserved throughout life.
2. During illness the child needs to be wrapped or covered with a lid. Many people say that it helps to cope with the disease. Use it as a regular towel is not allowed.

As a conclusion

When preparing for the rite of baptism, once again pay attention to the important points:

1. The size of the cap should not be less than 75 x 75 cm.
2. Choose only light shades. Ideally, a white color is suitable.
3. A baptismal towel with a name is an excellent gift from godparents.
4. Before the rite, do not forget to wash the garment.
5. After the anointing, it is not recommended to wash the kryzhma.
6. The decoration of the baptismal towel should be not bright, the ornament - not nalyapistym.
7. If you embroider the cross yourself, pay special attention to it being canonical.

The rite of baptism is a sacrament, to which one must respond responsibly. Do not forget about the required attributes: the cross, the carpet, the candles, the icon.