Handmade Christening Gown from Piece of Wedding Dress

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!