Bouncing Ballet Bonnet and Baby Dress

I have a dear customer in Australia, who likes to order special gifts for any friends who are having babies. The input from said customer is always interesting, and a starting point for what I am going to put as decorative motifs on the outfits. This time it was for the baby of a former ballerina, so the Swan Lake motifs seemed highly appropriate. 

Made from a delicate Cotton Lawn, with specially designed embroideries, 

hand appliqued into place, and with cotton lace insertions.

Bonnet with a fun scalloped brim.

Details of bonnet, & front yoke embroideries.

Detail of front hem Swans motif, 

and Insertion laces.

Detail of button back and appliqued embroideries.

 

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....

Baptismal Gown for a Summer Baby

I made a First Communion dress for a little girl last year, and her mother is now expecting a new little one, so she came back to me for a Baptismal gown.

This is the first one I've made since I desperately tried to finish my son's before his Baptism - nearly 19 years ago now! (Which you can see in the Header photo of the blog, next to St Zelie!)

The mum had several ideas of what she wanted, so using those, and my own finds - a fantastic lightweight cotton lawn with woven satin stripes and tiny lozenge-embroidered stripes - some lovely soft cotton Nottingham lace, and several specially digitized embroidery designs, it came out beautifully. 

The only problem with sending it to the USA was that the tracking number went dead after it was logged as having got on a plane at Heathrow, so there was a rather nail biting week or two where I hoped and prayed that it was still in transit - and eventually it did turn up - in plenty of time, since baby is due in June!

I was very pleased with the way it turned out but it was time-consuming to make, it took just as long as a first Communion dress!

Detail of the baptismal shells

an IHS cross

and some wheat and grape vines

The fabric is light as gossamer,

and has a cotton lawn lining

Had to wait for an obliging gust of wind to show it off!

A simple button fastening at the back

And of course, there has to be a matching bonnet with embroideries

And the expectant mum is very happy with it too, DG!