“How Great Thou Art” is listed as the second most popular hymn in the United States (behind “Amazing Grace”) by Christianity Today and England’s most popular hymn according to BBC One’s 2013 national survey.

Originally written as a poem by Carl Gustav Broberg, a Swedish Baptist in the midst of persecution. Broberg was inspired while admiring the “awesome wonder” of the Lord’s handiwork observing a storm and its dissipation.  The lyrics were translated into German and then Russian, when it became a hymn. English missionary to Russia Stuart K. Hine translated the song into his native tongue and added two verses to create the popular version.

The hymn is one of the most recorded songs in history, with over seventeen hundred documented recordings. The hymn has been featured by many popular artists. Elvis Presley posthumously received six Grammy’s; however, he won four Grammy’s during his lifetime. Half of them are for this song and the album “How Great Thou Art.” George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows sang the song during the Billy Graham crusades. Recently, Pentatonix, Jennifer Hudson, and Carrie Underwood (in a duet with Vince Gill, seen below) have all recorded successful versions of the song that largely glorifies God.

Praise Hymn Fashions invites you to watch Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill sing the song and consider the greatness of God.

It's Thanksgiving on Thursday and Praise Hymn Fashions invites you to "Count Your Blessings" alongside us while listening to this favorite hymn.


John Oatman, Jr., the author of "Count Your Blessings," followed in his father's footsteps and was a junior partner in the mercantile, John Oatman & Son. After his father died, John then successfully led a life insurance business in Mt. Holly, NJ.  Some of his well know hymns are "Count Your Blessings," "Higher Ground," and "No, Not One!"

John always wanted to serve the Lord. Early in his life, John longed to serve through song, like his father, but lacked the talent. Then he wanted to preach, became licensed by the Methodist Church, and soon realized that was not his purpose as well. Finally, John Oatman, Jr. began to share hymns he had written and their popularity grew. He had found his purpose at 36 and, three decades later, approximately 5,000 of his hymns were published. 

Today, are you counting your blessings? Take a few minutes and count them "one-by-one." The Praise Hymn Fashion's team is counting alongside you and encourage you, this Thanksgiving season, to practice gratefulness.

Knit Fabrics
Knit fabrics will stretch, are generally simple to wash, and available in a wide array of colors (see the Fabric and Color Chart in this Ebook), and are very popular. Praise Hymn Fashions’ most popular knit fabric is ITY as featured in the 635 jacket. This style may be constructed from glitter knits and micro sequin fabrics as well.

Woven Fabrics
Woven fabrics do not stretch and may require dry-cleaning; however, most of the timeless styles (tuxedos, concert dresses, etc.) are constructed from woven fabrics. Woven fabrics are very versatile in color, sheen, and range in transparency. 

Hymns of the faith travel around the world and are used to encourage believers, increase fellowship, and ultimately praise Jesus. Fanny Crosby is one famous American hymn writer who is credited with over 9,000 hymns.

Most of Fanny's hymns are about Christ; however, this hymn praises God for His gift of Christ and for His creative works.  Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this hymn is that it was popular in England for almost 50 years before "To God be the Glory" was featured by Cliff Barrows in the 1954 Billy Graham crusade. The pair learned the hymn two years prior at the British crusade. Until the crusade, the hymn was not really sung in the United States.

This Lord's day, Praise Hymn Fashions encourages you to give God glory and sing along with us. We discovered the following video produced by the Fountainview Academy in Lillooett, British Columbia playing and singing the hymn. Solo Deo gloria!

To keep your group style looking good for years to come, two factors are to be considered: care and protection.

1. Care
Always follow the care instructions of your fabric. This may seem elementary, but we sometimes have reorders we receive due to improper care of the garment. If the fabric is dry clean only, do not wash it. In addition, attempt to dry clean all the garments at the same time. This will ensure that the pieces maintain the same color over time. For example, if one choir member dry cleans her garment after each use and another does so after every third use, the colors will fade at different rates over time. In addition, using the same dry cleaners is recommended for the entire group to ensure the same chemicals are utilized.

Today's blog post is an excerpt from our "Building Your Look" eBook. Download your copy today!

Churches, schools, and many other groups often choose timeless styles. A notched lapel tuxedo and simple A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline have endured the test of time and are here to stay.

Show Choirs should choose contemporary styles as often as the budget will allow to keep with the latest trends. Glitter knits and micro sequin fabrics add sparkle in the bright lights.

Today's blog post is an excerpt from the recently release "Building Your Look" eBook. If you have not done so already, download your free copy today.

"Just As I Am" was written by Charlotte Elliot in 1835, first appearing in the Christian Remembrancer, of which Elliott became the editor in 1836. The final verse is taken from Elliott's Hours of Sorrow Cheered and Comforted (1836).

Charlotte Elliot wrote this song about how to find salvation through Christ. It has been used by many as the call to the altar at the close of services, as it brings a quite simple message of sin, forgiveness, and salvation to all that turn from sin and trust in Jesus.

Charlotte spent the first 32 years of her life in Clapham, England. As a young woman, she was gifted as a portrait artist and a writer of humorous verse. Then, in her early thirties, she suffered a serious illness that left her weak and depressed. She was an invalid and suffered much during the last 50 years of her life. In 1823, she moved to Brighton. She was a member of the Church of England. Charlotte was confined to her home and unable to attend church services.

During her illness, a well-known preacher, Cesar Malan of Switzerland, came to visit her. He asked her if she had peace with God. She was facing many inner struggles because of feeling useless, and she resented the question. She refused to talk about it that day, but a few days later called Dr. Malan and apologized. She said she wanted to clean up her life before becoming a Christian. Malan answered, "Come just as you are." She gave her life to Christ that day. Some years later at age 45, Charlotte remembered those five words and began to write the seven verses of "Just As I Am" in 1834. In spite of being raised in a Christian home, she reflected on her conflicts and doubts and was unsure of her relationship with Christ. So she penned her words of assurance about Jesus loving her just as she was. William B. Bradbury composed music for her lyrics and published the song in 1849. This hymn has been translated into many languages all over the world. Tens of thousands of people have committed their lives to Christ during the playing of this hymn.

Miss Elliott wrote about 150 hymns and many poems, some of which were printed anonymously, with Just As I Am probably the best-known. Dr. Billy Graham wrote that the Graham team used this hymn in almost every one of their crusades. He said it presented "the strongest possible Biblical basis for the call of Christ." Hymnody historian Kenneth Osbeck wrote that "Just As I Am" had "touched more hearts and influenced more people for Christ than any other song ever written." Christian writer Lorella Rouster wrote, "The hymn is an amazing legacy for an invalid woman who suffered from depression and felt useless to God's service."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_As_I_Am_(hymn)

Release your inner artist on Doodle Day, a celebration of all those idle sketches you make while on the phone, or in boring meetings. These scrappy drawings are recognized each year on their very own day of celebration, so free your creative spirit and take a sketchpad to your next meeting!

Doodle Day became a worldwide event in 2004 to raise awareness and funds for epilepsy research and support. The tagline ‘Drawing a line through epilepsy’ heads the campaign, and participants take part by submitting their doodle, along with a small donation. The Doodle Day team then judges the doodles and awards prizes accordingly.

At Praise Hymn Fashions, we treasure the doodles of our late co-founder, Ginger Clark, who died in 2013. With a degree in fashion design, Ginger would draw on paper the designs that would later become our styles. Many of these "doodles" are kept today and the resulting styles are still in production.  

In honor of Doodle Day and Ginger, we will post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter doodles from our staff throughout the day.  Also, please feel free to add your own doodles and tag Praise Hymn Fashions. Be sure to follow us to see our masterpieces! (Links in footer)

Weirdo | /'wirdÖ/ | noun | informal | a person whose dress or behavior seems strange or eccentric

Yes...today is Wonderful Weirdos Day and...well...we want to help. The definition of a weirdo is a person whose dress (or behavior...) is a little strange or eccentric. In the case of the picture above, this man must be a weirdo for both reasons. His sweater and behavior appear a little...odd.

We are not certain what behavior could classify one as "weird." (We probably do not want to know because we would find ourselves classified in the company of wonderful weirdos!) Nevertheless, if you are trying to get your group out of the "weirdo" status and behavior is your problem, we cannot help (sorry...).

However, if your behavior is just fine, but your dress is a little off, we CAN help. We ARE a fashion company after all! Simply browse our styles and improve the weirdo status by ordering custom apparel for your group.  

A little secret though...we think weirdos are wonderful too!