More recent First Communion Dresses

 Just a smattering of the First Communion Dresses I've made more recently.

For Lily

For Martha

Martha wanted a "Mrs Bridges" apron to go over her dress,
 so she could help serve out teas and coffees after Mass!

Margaret Mary's dress.

Scotch Bonnets

I heard that there were chili peppers named Scotch Bonnets, but I'd never seen a pepper that looked similar to that item of headgear, and scoffed at the idea that they might, until I came across this image online. 

Having been asked to make a few tartan items for a couple of lads, of Scottish roots, I now have to agree that it is an aptly named fruit (vegetable?)

Tartan waistcoats, and bonnets were the order of the day, for a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old. I decided on a typical country gent's cap for the older one, but couldn't resist the fun of (spending hours) working out where to place the pattern pieces for a true Scots bonnet, wherein all the patterns would match around a centre. It turned out well, methinks.

The lads seem really chuffed with their new outfits!

 

Fortunately, there's a younger baby brother to pass them on to, when they grow out of them!
 

Charming "New" Tradition!

I was recently commissioned by a Godmother to be, to make an outfit for a baby's Baptism. I was told that a splendid gown, with a bonnet and a hanky were to be required. A hanky? Whilst the Godmother was in the UK the parents and child were in Poland, and the Godmother had been told that this was necessary. After a bit of research, I realised that what the Polish folk did was to place a lovely embroidered hanky over the baby, presumably at the moment of the Baptism where we would (in a Traditional Catholic ceremony in the UK) place a white shawl around the child. So although it's a Polish tradition, it was a new one on me. I had to do a bit of searching around before I could get the necessary Polish lettering onto my embroidery software, but with the help of some experts in embroidery digitizing, it turned out well. The edging lace, of which I had just enough to complete the outfit, was antique, and very dainty, so hard to find these days!

 The choice of fabric was to be an embroidered cotton, and pure white linen. However, the mother of the child expressed some concern about her little one freezing to death in the Polish winter in a cotton frock! So, as I didn't want to make the dress itself too warm, since it may well be used for future siblings in the broiling heat of Summer (if God so wills) I thought it best to make a little quilted jacket to match. I thought the bonnet could be quilted too, and if they need a Summer weight one in the future, I still have bonnet-sized pieces of the fabric left over!

A Priest once bemoaned the fact that it was oft times tricky to reach the infant's chest for anointing, due to the fact that Baptismal gowns usually opened down the back. So I designed openable shoulder seams with some delicate glass buttons, for ease of access to the baby's front. I must ask the Godmother how they worked (or if they were necessary at all?)

Detail of the embroidered motifs which were chosen in consultation with the Godmother. The embroidered panel was of pure linen, and the sleeves were also.

The bonnet and jacket had layers of wadding between the outer cotton and inner linen layers, and were quilted with decorative stitches.

I think Baby must have been nice and cosy in the outfit whilst being welcomed into new life in Christ!

Two types of Frontal

Why am I always completing tasks in a rush?

Two weeks ago I was asked, if it were at all possible, and if I didn't have too much on, if I could make some Baptismal Bibs for a set of quads who were to be Baptised today, Low Sunday. I had lots of other things to do, not to mention trying to prepare spiritually for Easter, but being a sucker for babies I couldn't help but push them to the top of the queue. I kept them simple with a Baptismal Shell and 3 drops of water plus the name of each child. Made from fine cotton lawn with a woven sateen stripe through it, interlined with towelling, and backed with soft cotton Tee shirting, they should hopefully provide the Godparents with plenty of stuff to mop up any tears/dribbles of joy on the big day!

Those were one type of frontal...
Having moved most of our house just before the Easter break, I am now stuck between two residences, one in Shropshire, the other in Oxfordshire, where my husband's job is. My main sewing equipment is in Shropshire, but we were going to be attending the Triduum at our parish in Reading, so when our Parish Priest came up to me with a hopeful look in his eye, at the beginning of Holy Week and said "The fabrics we ordered for the altar frontals have arrived" and plonked them in my arms .... since I knew that it wasn't his fault that the supplier had taken soooo long to send the silks from Spain, (he had hoped for a Lenten set) …. how could I refuse to at least attempt to make a new Tabernacle veil and Frontal by Easter? One main problem was that all my liturgical trims and backing linens were now in Shropshire. My poor long-suffering husband offered to drive me back up there so I could get the things made. (I was trying to get another Priest's lacey alb restored too, so I thought if I sat in the back of the car I'd be able to spend the journey time hand-stitching it...a most headache-inducing experience..)To my horror, once we had arrived, and I'd sorted out the trims, and backing cloth, I couldn't find the frontal fabric anywhere.  That was because it was sitting in the boot of my car on the drive in Oxfordshire. So, with no time to relax, and having reminded my dear husband that his suffering was no-where near what Our Lord had to suffer for us (even though my dearest was probably thinking, at least Jesus didn't have to put up with a dumbo wife...) we made sure I had everything I needed to complete the sewing, and set back down South. At least the Oxfordshire house is now almost empty, so plenty of floor-space to lay out altar frontals, although trying to sew large items at a very small kitchen table was a bit of a challenge.
It was worth it when I managed to get them to the Church on Holy Saturday afternoon to try them on, seeing the chuffed look on the PP's face when he noticed it after coming out of the Confessional!

I'll have to tweak the bottom right corner before I take some better photos, where the tabernacle veil can be seen too, but it certainly added to the beauty of the Liturgy at this most Holy time of the Year!

Resurrexit, Sicut Dixit! Alleluia!

Now the Purple one can wait for a bit, but I've got no excuse to not get the red set ready by Pentecost...apart from that Wedding dress I should be getting on with....

And They lived Happily ever After!

Some folk think I just make First Holy Communion dresses. It's not true! Here is the latest silk and lace wedding dress and pure silk veil, made for a fairytale princess (as she laughingly told me that's how the receptionists at her block of flats used to think of her..)

I don't know, I think they might be right!

(photo stolen from one of the guests fb page!)

(Anna Pimenta Photography)

Unusual Teal Mantillas for sale

Someone asked me to make them a teal mantilla. It's quite hard to find nice teal coloured lace (at a reasonable price!) There is also rather a large range of colours labeled "teal" out there! However I did find two quite different laces in nice colours.

Infinity veil with roll hem edging
£35.00

Infinity veil with scalloped edge
£30.00

The first is quite a delicate lace, and was only wide enough to make two infinity veils. One has a scalloped outer edge, the other is straight. As they say in the shops, once they're gone, they're gone! (I bought the last length of that lace that was available.)

Infinity veil

It was hard to get a good colour rendition of this lace. It is more blue than the other, it is also thicker, and has a lovely cotton-y feel to it. There's more of this, so it can be made into a mantilla or infinity veil, at the customer's request.

Summer Sunflowers

My Super Model decided she wanted a "Sunflower" dress, and so I ventured forth to find suitable sunflower fabric. There was quite a lot of quilting fabric, (which is not usually suitable for clothes) but not much dressmaking fabric around. Eventually, after much scouring of the internet, I came across some delightful sunny stuff at a reasonable price in my local fabric shop; such is the way of the world!  Having got the young lady's measurements I proceeded to make a "muslin" as it is known. This is basically the dress made up in a cheap fabric in the required size which is then fitted to the person, before using the "real" fabric.

The only snag was that my model kept moving around the country, so after the first trial muslin was sent to her, and photos and said muslin were duly returned, it was obvious that it would have to be re-cut and re-shaped to get a perfect fit. This is not an easy task when one doesn't have one's model to hand. A second muslin was made up and sent off, but the ensuing photos still didn't quite come up to the mark, although it was much closer than the first one - everyone's body-shape is so different, this is why buying off the peg only works for a few! However, we had dithered long enough, and as I was never going to pin this model down in my vicinity, I decided to take the plunge and make the adjustments by eye, and get the dress made up and sent off.

I was relieved to hear that it was a perfect fit - she had specified certain features, the neckline, the sleeves (which got changed half way through to a style I'd never made before, but which turned out really well) and the skirt shape. I had suggested princess seams for the bodice, as they create such a flattering line, and she ended up delighted with it.

Doesn't she look lovely, and she's even found a stylish pair of shoes to go with it!

 

Lenten Array

Haven't had much time for posting lately, as I've just finished a wedding dress, and then was asked to make a Lenten Chasuble and Dalmatic in time for Ash Wednesday. I didn't get a single photo of the wedding dress, so I'm hoping I'll get some from the Bride once she's settled in to married life!

I made sure I got some of the Lenten Array. It is quite unusual in Catholic Churches these days, but apparently it was an old English tradition to have very plain vestments from the beginning of Lent, then changing to violet for Passiontide.

I availed myself of my new "studio" cutting floor. It's great to have a large space to lay out swathes of pure Irish linen, and wonderful silk when making large items.

Although the linen is plain, with the red lining, and orphrey bands it does look quite striking.

Maniple burse and veil.

 Father asked for a Gothic style Chasuble, which is appropriate to the architectural style of his Church. This is the Church interior with its Lenten hangings for Altar and Tabernacle in place.

As Father offers Mass in both the Usus Antiquior, and the Novus Ordo, he needed a Dalmatic for the Deacon who assists on Sundays.

It was quite a tall order, since I only had about 3 weeks to get the fabric ordered, and make everything up - the hardest thing being that I needed to make up all the orphrey bands by cutting strips from the red silk lining fabric, and attaching the dice braid down each side - very time-consuming! Needless to say I was hand-finishing the items right up to Shrove Tuesday evening!

  Father Reads the Gospel on Ash Wednesday

Father descends the Altar at the end of Mass.

Now I've just got 2 chasubles to restore/make, three altar frontals, and two tabernacle veils, plus another wedding dress ... won't have much time to post for the near future!