My favorite christening gown

A few months ago, I completed this beautiful christening gown. This is probably my most favorite christening gown - EVER. It is designed by Sarah Howard Stone and has 12 teardrop shaped panels - 6 are made of puffing, entredeaux and lace insertion; six are left plain to allow for hand embroidery if desired. It also features a round yoke with puffing, entredeaux and lace insertion. I made a bonnet to match using the same puffing, entredeaux and lace sequence as the gown. I remember looking at it on a hanger and thinking how beautiful it would be on the sweet baby who would later be wearing it. For some reason daygowns, christening gowns and baby things in general just don't look very pretty on a hanger.

Well, here he is - isn't he just precious!!

Thank Heaven for Little Girls . . .

I've been doing a LOT of baby sewing lately. Seems that my days (and sometimes nights) have been consumed with daygowns, christening gowns, sweet little bonnets and other baby stuff. This is just a sampling of some of the baby girl daygowns that I've finished lately. I love the basic front-button daygown - there are so many options for changing up the front. I love adding some simple pintucks and hand embroidery, but I also love the addition of lace insertion. Sleeves can be straight, have elastic added at the wrist, or (my personal favorite) smocked at the wrist. I always add an inverted center back pleat to give a little more fullness on this style of daygown.

Boy's Diaper Set

I guess that over the years I've grown so accustomed to making little "girly" things, that I just love the opportunity to do something for little boys. I'm always amazed at the cute things that can be done for little boys.

This was my "practice run" at this little diaper set. I paired the side/shoulder button shirt with a basic diaper cover. I think it turned out really nicely (don't look too closely though - the train doesn't have any wheels at this point!)

This was the final finished diaper set. I think the shirt looks a little neater after making a few minor adjustments to the shoulder and side button positions (and the train now has wheels!). Rather than the basic diaper cover, I think it looks rather nice with Creations by Michie's diaper cover with the side buttons.

Murphy's Laws of Sewing

I recently found this and thought it was so cute that I should share it:

• Fusible interfacings always fuse to the iron.

• If you need six matching buttons, you will find five in your button box.

• The seam you mean to rip out is invariably the other one.

• If you drop something out of your sewing basket, it will be your box of pins with the cover off.

• The magnitude of the goof is in direct proportion to the cost of the fabric.

• Your lost needle will be found by the person walking around barefoot.

• The steam iron only burps rusty water on white swiss batiste.

• Pinking shears get dull just by looking at them.

• Gathering threads always break in the middle.

• The scissors cut easiest past the buttonhole.

(Taken from 501 Sewing Secrets: Tips, Treasures & Trivia)

I just love white dresses on little girls . . .

My husband has always accused me of making "too many white dresses" for our daughters. Of all the dresses I've made for them over the years, white does seem to be the dominant color. There's just something about a crisp, clean white dress that I absolutely love!

In my last post, I think I referenced the dress I was working on at the time, a reproduction of a little dress from a French boutique. This sweet little dress features hand embroidery on the front yoke with a series of pintucks on either side of an embroidered insert. The little embroidered piece is inserted with entredeaux, and the neckline is finished with entredeaux and a tiny lace edging.

I always try to take pictures of my garments, but there is just something about seeing the finished garment on the child for whom it is intended. I hope you can see some of the detail in these photos.

Boy's Smocked Swimsuit

Well, summertime is officially here in Alabama. It is H-O-T!! I'm working on trying to get my three all into a good routine and still have somewhat of a routine for myself. I'm sure that by the time I get it all worked out, it will be "back to school" time again.

I'm working on a really cute little boy's diaper set (I can't wait to share this one!) and a reproduction of a dress from a French boutique. I hope to have them both finished really soon and I'll have the pictures up as soon as they're done.

In the meantime, I've decided to post a picture of a boys swimsuit with a smocked insert. This is so easy to do if you've just got a basic elastic waist shorts pattern. It also looks really cute to omit the smocked insert and add a 3 letter monogram to the leg instead.