Sunday, December 18, 2011

Christening gown for my baby

We had our baby girl's Christening this morning. It went really well and I feel like I can relax now - so much work for such a little person!

Most of that work has been sewing. I made Baby A's Christening gown and while I'm really happy with it, it was a lot of work, especially while juggling a baby, 2yo and 3yo. It's made from satin and lined with silk. I'm looking forward to never working with satin again. That fabric has a mind of its own.

The pattern is a modified Oliver + S bubble dress. I didn't sew the bubble, instead opting to lengthen the skirt and lining to create a long dress and pettiskirt. I edged both skirts in a gorgeous tatted lace. The bodice was also finished with the same lace, and I had a ribbon sash at the back.

We incorporated a little history with some 100 year old lace sewn into the sash at the back (from Baby A's great grandmother's Christening gown). The buttons were from Baby A's paternal grandmother's stash (she died before Baby A was born and left me her buttons and sewing machine) and I also made little mock bows to cover the buttons. Baby A wore her great-grandmother's 100 year old crocheted bonnet.

I also made a little pair of shoes for her. The Ottobre Tepsukka pattern, but with the pintucks omitted.

The kicker - I had to do all of this twice, as I also made a dress and shoes for my niece (kind of) who was also Christened today. Early to bed for me tonight!


The finished dress


Front bodice. Love those cap sleeves and am looking forward to making the bubble dress in cotton.


Love this lace


Mock bows on the back bodice...


... covering the buttons


I omitted the pintucks and used the lace instead. Finished with a pearly snap.


Dresses x2 (headaches x 10)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Everything old is new again

I developed a bit of an obsession a few months ago for vintage sheets. The colours and designs really appeal to me - some of them are so ugly they're beautiful!

I started collecting them a few months ago and after my baby girl was born started a vintage sheet quilt for her (which I really need to bind). I am particularly in love with one of the designs, from an old pillowcase, so decided to use the leftover fabric to make baby A a little romper for Summer.

The pattern is Kwik Sew 3776. The sizing is spot on and it looks cute, but the construction left me scratching my head at times. Next time I will make a few changes to make it a bit neater, both inside and out.

All in all I'm happy with it. Baby A looks so cute in it - just like the little ray of sunshine that she is. And at $2 for the pillowcase, it's super cheap an original.


The front. It has a crotch opening for nappy changes.


Simple placket at the back.


Oh how I love these thighs!