Cassocks, Icons and Pascha Jammies

Sadly, I forgot my camera when we went to get a guardrail for my four-year-old's bed, so my "Wow: doesn't Target sell atrocious clothing for little girls?!" post is going to have to wait...

In the meantime, some musings about iconography and cassock-making. And a picture of the cassock I made for Josh when he was made a subdeacon:

Walking to our respective destinations this morning (the girls and I to a prenatal appointment; Josh to work), I told Josh that cassock-making seems so much more profane than iconography. When he asked me why, the best answer I could come up with was that, whereas the cassock is a mere garment, an icon is supposed to be a "window into heaven." But then, expanding on this, I ran into some trouble. "A cassock," I suggested, "is supposed to veil or hide the man behind it. An icon," I continued, "is supposed to... point to something other than itself." The more I thought about it, the more I realized the two had some underlying similarities: vestments veil the priest, and show forth Christ through him; icons themselves are mere paint and wood, and show forth Christ by drawing the viewer's attention beyond themselves.

Well, there you have it: cassocks and icons. And, while I'm flaunting my sewing projects, here's some clothing for little girls that I don't deem atrocious--their "Pascha jammies," as we call them (made for last year's Paschal Liturgy, when all us crazy Orthodox parents drag our kids to church in the middle of the night!)