Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christening Outfit Final

Final pictures of the Christening Outfit are below:


 dress and jacket

 close-up of the bodice

 bibs and ballet slippers

leather ballet slippers purchased from Macy's


Statistics:
Pattern: 
Simplicity 7488 - Out of print Baby Gowns


Fabric:
2 yards rayon/silk satin
1.5 yards lace


Notions:
2 yards pearl piping
2 yards 1" lace
Cotton batiste for lining
2 large snaps


Construction:
I ended up not sewing the pearls to the empire bodice of the dress.


I ended up adding snaps to the back of the dress instead of the buttons and buttonholes.  I just couldn't take more small sewing.


I hand-stitched the sleeves into the jacket.  Again I just couldn't take trying to sew one small circle into another.  So I used small stitches and stitched them together.  It held just fine.  I mean people use to hand sew garments all the time right?!


I didn't make a bonnet.  Her mother decided that she would use a lace headband instead and it actually worked out really well.


I spent at least 20 hours on this outfit and it was worth it but I won't be making another one of these any time soon.  *LOL*  The pressure of making "the perfect dress" for such an important event is not how I like to sew.  To me sewing is about relaxation and exploring my creativity and pushing the boundaries.  This was pressure.  I'm just glad that I was up to the task! 


Next up is some scarves for Christmas gift giving...eventually I will get back to sewing for me...eventually!


...as always, more later!



39 comments:

  1. A gift of love and beauty--simply stunning, Carolyn!

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  2. It is beautiful, Carolyn! And I know what you mean about the pressure of making "the perfect dress." When I was making my niece's gown, I was in tears half of the time because of the little mistakes (that no one saw) I made while making it.

    It is bee-you-tee-ful!

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  3. The outfit is beautiful! I love the little ballet slippers.

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  4. I'm just starting Claire Schaeffer's Couture Sewing and she seems to recommend hand-sewing for almost everything. So this gown is totally haute couture. The little one will undoubtedly be the only baby in church in a a haute couture christening gown. ;)

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  5. That is so beautiful! I'm sure it'll be an heirloom!

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  6. It's beautiful and it's done! Time to sew something festive for you. Seriously, it's a labor of love and it came out so nice.

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  7. It's absolutely beautiful. You are a good friend to do this. g

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  8. Beautifully made and will be so treasured I am sure!

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  9. It's stunning! You have made a new family heirloom. I hope the little one has a great day.

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  10. So pretty! A beautiful gift.

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  11. Very pretty, Caroline and the love shows. I can just see this little angel with her headband.

    FWIW, 95% of the time I sew these tiny sleeves in the flat, not the round. Then I bind them into the lining. Those little circles are difficult!

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  12. So so so so so precious, Carolyn! A very loving gesture!

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  13. Beautiful gown for a special little one

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  14. You did a beautiful job on this!

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  15. Maybe pressure filled but it turned out lovely. The headband idea sounds perfect.

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  16. Just absolutely beautiful Carolyn!

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  17. lovely, simpley lovely, good job

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  18. Absolutely gorgeous!
    Re: those teeny sleeves. Not that I've done these in a while, but I do recall always putting in the sleeves before doing up the side seams - you're then not dealing with teeny round openings. Should you ever be repeating such sewing ...

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  19. you did a really nice job on it.

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  20. Beautiful, Ms. Carolyn. A family heirloom.

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  21. It's so pretty, Carolyn! I made my DD2's christening gown - my first attempt at smocking - from Vogue pattern. It was a lot of fun to make.

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  22. So beautiful and made with love,
    just wonderful.

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  23. So lovely and those shoes are perfect!

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  24. This is such a lovely and well made outfit. It's perfect.

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  25. It's too precious. I'm sure the baby look adorable in it.

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  26. It turned out lovely. I'm sure the family will treasure it always. It's not like it's going to be worn every day... so yes... hand stitching works just great!

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  27. The christening outfit is absolutely beautiful!

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  28. Beautiful! Gorgeous! This will surely be a family heirloom handed down for generations!

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  29. What a lovely dress for a special occasion, and to have as a keepsake. Your hours of work certainly show!

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