This past weekend was my Sister’s Baby Shower! It was a lovely day and after months of planning and weeks of making, I was finally able to give my sister her handmade gift.
This little piece has quite a story and a bit of a journey that I am so excited to share.
When my sister got married, she decided to get the train of her dress hemmed off because she was just a little short for all that fabric. She asked me if I wanted the extra material and of course I said yes. I didn’t know what to do with it, since not every project calls for bridal fabric, so it sat for years. When my sister said she would be having a little girl, I thought it would be super special to make a christening gown with the fabric.
It took weeks to get the courage to cut into the material. And then another week to to actually start sewing the dress. I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous making a garment since I had such a limited amount of fabric to work with and it had to come out perfect.
I used the smaller sides (technically the center front) for the bodice pieces and the sleeves. The center back was used for the skirt.
After some gown research, I went with Simplicity 2457 view A for the final piece. I didn’t want something extremely frilly or vintage looking because that isn’t my sister’s style. I loved the small details on this pattern and I was able to customize with just a little bit of lace to compliment the fabric itself.
Funny story about the lace! I forgot to bring a swatch of fabric with me when buying the lace trim so I had to go based off memory. In the store there was a stark white and then there was an off white, then it went into some yellowish tones. I went with the off white and bought about 6 yards total. I brought it home and put it up to the fabric and it looked just like the stark white! So instead of going back to the store, I tea dyed the lace! I thought black tea would make it too dark so I soaked the pieces in chamomile tea and after 10 minutes, it was perfect! The work we put into a garment…haha
I wanted to keep the original hem so the bottom of my dress is different from the pattern but I did follow the pleats on the waist. I also had a set of vintage pink buttons in my stash and used them to close the back.
I am so proud of this piece and it is special garment for her new baby to treasure.
I also made my own dress and my sister’s dress!
This is beautiful! What a special gift. The tea dyeing was inspired and the little buttons are perfect.
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Thank you so much Jane!
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That’s adorable. It must become a family heirloom with that story behind it….
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Thank you!!
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What a sentimental gift, really special. It is funny to think about how much work we put into our sewing projects. Congrats on your sister’s baby shower! When is she due?
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Thank you! Yea, it’s amazing the amount of work that can go into something you really care about! She is due early October!
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That is very sweet of you to do that for your sister and the dress came out beautiful!! There was a reason why that fabric was cut off 🙂 Love it!
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Thank you! Yes, I knew it would one day go into something special…just took some time to figure out what.
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Such a beautiful little dress, and so special using the wedding dress cut off and that so much thought and love went in to making it.
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Thank you so much!
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