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!
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| Detail of the baptismal shells |
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| an IHS cross |
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| and some wheat and grape vines |
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The fabric is light as gossamer,
and has a cotton lawn lining
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| Had to wait for an obliging gust of wind to show it off! |
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| A simple button fastening at the back |
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| And of course, there has to be a matching bonnet with embroideries |
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| And the expectant mum is very happy with it too, DG! |
Such a stunning heirloom
ReplyDeleteThank you Lucy! X
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading about your projects - from refinishing holy statues to making tea cosies. We seem to be kindred spirits. Many years ago - over forty to be more precise - I made a christening gown for my baby daughter. She was premature, and under five pounds, and I couldn't seem to find anything that would fit her. My mother suggested getting a doll's dress pattern and modifying it and I did, adding embroidery and special touches. I made a matching doll's bonnet as well. She was in her hospital for a month before she was allowed to come home, so this gave me something happy to concentrate on. Thirty years later she had her own baby daughter, but alas Emily's own gown was far too tiny, so my granddaughter wore another family heirloom. I also made my God-daughter's christening gown, but somehow nothing will ever be as special as that tiny set I made so many years ago.
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