Beautiful Wedding Gown transformed into Beautiful Christening Gown

This picture simply does not do this gown justice.  It must have weighed 30 pounds.  It was pure silk, even the lining was silk.  And the lining's lining.  The scalloped hem is re-embroidered lace hand sewn onto the hem of the gown and covered with seed beads, pearls, sequins and bugle beads.  Mother wanted this particular feature included on the hem of Baby's gown.  I was happy to oblige.  With a hem this ornate (and heavy) the rest of Baby's gown needed to be classic and simple. 

Here's a close-up of the scalloped hem after becoming Baby's Gown.  I have it hanging in the window so you can really see the detail.

The design of this Christening Gown is very classic and simple.  The bodice (no decoration needed) is attached to the skirt which is very full and gathered.  The sleeves are simple cap sleeves. 

The dress closes at the back with buttons (no zippers on Christening gowns!).  The covered buttons came from Mother's gown.

For a Girl's Christening Gown I include a slip.  In this case, it's made from the lining of the wedding gown.  It's silk as well.  It's very dainty as this baby is only three weeks old!  I embroidered baby's monogram with a pale pink thread, outlined by a dainty heart.  I added tee-tiny imported French lace to the slip.

The finished Christening Gown is beautiful and classic.

Sweet, itty-bitty shoes.  The embellishment on top is some of the trimmed lace motifs from the bodice of the gown.

On the soles of the shoes I embroidered Baby's first and middle name.

Bonnet detail, showing seed pearls on bonnet ties.



The bonnet brim features lace from the wedding gown bodice.

Crystals and Embroidery featured prominently in Baby's Christening Gown

Here's the little angel on her christening day.

Closeup of the bonnet which features the heavy embroidery and beadwork.

Here's a close up of the sleeve and bodice of the baby's gown.  In this particular instance, the wedding gown featured embroidery, beads, and sequins which I incorporated into the baby's dress.  The fabric is called bridal satin.  Because the bodice and bonnet feature such intricate detail, the remainder of the dress needed to be simpler.

In the picture below, I've cut apart the bodice of the wedding gown and placed the pattern piece for the baby's gown bodice on top to get an idea of the perfect placement.

Here's the wedding gown before it was cut up.  Very pretty, but not much fabric to work with, as it was an a-line style with a short chapel train.

Baby Boy's Bubble

This Baby Boy's Bubble is made from Mother's satin wedding gown which featured quite a lot of lace, sequins and seed pearls.  I added just a touch of the lace to the collar of the bubble.  I used some of the seed pearls from Mother's gown to accent the cap's ties.  Mother wanted a little blue color so I used blue silk satin ribbon for the cap's ties.  I embroidered Baby's name and baptism date on the inside of the cap.  Baby was being baptized in August, so short pants were in order. 

 Mother wanted a bow tie so I  used wide white silk ribbon to make the bow tie.  Mother's dress did not have any covered buttons so I used store-bought buttons.  Even a little Boy's Bubble can have a little lace to dress it up.

Baby Boy Christening Outfits - Made From Mother's Wedding Gown

Little Boy's Christening Outfits generally have tucks and pleats as opposed to gathers and ruffles, which are usually seen in girl's outfits.  Some parents want a traditional gown for their little boy while others prefer a bubble with long or short pants.  The tuxedo style is very popular also.  In the pictures below, I've created a boy's bubble with short sleeves and long pants.  The sleeves feature a cuff and the collar is pointed.  The shirt has pintucks down the front.  The covered buttons on the tuxedo front, at the ankle closures and on his little shoes are from the back/train of his Mother's wedding gown. 

I was in a hurry to get this outfit in the mail and therefore didn't do a good job taking photos so disregard the poor setup! In the pic below you can see the button from Mother's train which accentuates the ankle. This is just the appearance of a closure - the pants actually snap/hook at the crotch for easy diaper changes!  This bubble opens at the back as well.  The tuxedo front is just for visual appeal. 

I like to embroider the baby's name and sometimes the baptism date on the soles of the little soft shoes that I include with the outfit.  In this particular case, Mother didn't want a cap for her Baby Boy, but a cap or bonnet is included if desired. 

Mother's dress was pure white silk duipioni and a pleasure to sew.  Thankfully duipioni is generally reversible because this dress was quite soiled and I had to work around dirty spots on the train.  I think little Avery's outfit turned out precious.