A reader's story of sewing, Grandmother's Hope Chest and a lil Faith

Today we feature a reader and fan who was taught to love sewing at an early age by a mother who is a fan of Martha Pullen's.  Below is Alena Dixon's story...

My mother has been a seamstress since about the age of 12, and has now been sewing for about some 30+ years.  She taught me the love of sewing and crafting, and how to take pride in the garments I have made. I wanted to share with Sew Beautiful the beautiful Christening gown my mother made for our "Christmas miracle, baby Faith." This gown was made using one of the Martha Pullen pattern books, Grandmother's Hope Chest.

Myself and my husband have been married 8 and 1/2 years (now 9) at the time, and for whatever unknown reason, we could not have children.  So in 2010, we decided to try adoption, but that is a very long and can be a heartbreaking/rewarding experience. After several times of getting excited about a potential match and even getting to meet one little girl, things just weren't working out. Each "possible"child fell through.  I was about to give up on ever being a mother.  I had just lost all Faith.  But my husband, Josh, decided to pray that he could witness a Christmas miracle, even if it was for someone else, and when he told me this, I was like Sarah, Abraham's wife, in the Bible, and felt like 'good luck with that.' Christmas 2011 came and went, and I forgot about Josh's prayer for a Christmas miracle, but 2 days after Christmas we got a phone call from our adoption worker, saying they had a baby girl for us if we were interested and her name was FAITH! So I'll be forever thankful that God heard our prayers even when all looked impossible!

*Photo credit: Sabrina Sifuentes, of Tallassee, Alabama. Sabrina Sifuentes Photography.

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Emeline's Diagonal Lace Christening Gown Dress

I was just thinking this morning that we could use something fresh and beautiful from a reader to share on the blog this week, when I returned from lunch to find this gem in my e-mail box! Cindy Farmer sent in these pictures of her size 3T daughter wearing this beautiful dress that Cindy made for her. What's really cool about this dress is that it's an adaptation of Martha's Diagonal Lace Christening Gown, which SB designer Wendy Schoen teaches as a Pre-Day class at our School of Art Fashion:

Cindy wrote, "Wendy thought it would be a good idea to make it into a dress to fit my daughter [...] The changes that I made to make it a toddler dress were simple. There is plenty of room in the dress, and I think Emeline will be able to wear it next year as well. This dress was so much fun to make. As always, Wendy was a really great teacher."

Want to take the "Martha's Diagonal Lace Christening Gown" Pre-Day class with Wendy Schoen? There are still spots open at next week's School of Art Fashion, both in Wendy's pre-day classes and her Baby School! We would love to see you there. Register to attend on our website or by calling 800-547-4176 ext. 4.

Thank you so much for sharing your work with us, Cindy! Don't forget that we are always looking for gorgeous samples from our readers to share on our blog. Send your masterpieces to blog@sewbeautifulmag.com for consideration.

Judy's Winter Christening Robe

We are in awe! Check out this gorgeous version of Kathy's Winter Christening Robe made and sent to us by reader Judy Italiano of Collie, Western Australia. Judy made this gown (pictured above) for her soon-to-arrive grandbaby, who is due in August of this year. Because it is rather hot in Australia, she used silk dupioni for the robe instead of Swiss flannel. She also chose to create a gathered ribbon trim instead of using ruched ribbon, which turned out beautifully. Judy says she is "so proud and pleased with the result," and she should be! The finished gown is a true masterpiece.

Sew Beautiful editor Kathy Barnard designed the original Winter Christening Robe, which was featured in issue #127 (November/December 2009). The gown pattern is offered free on the pullout centerfold of that issue. Back issues and all the supplies needed for this project are available from our webstore.

A True Family Heirloom

When Sew Beautiful reader Nicole Keating of Brookfield, CT shared a picture from the bodice of her family's heirloom Christening gown, I had to see more and share it on our blog. The gown has been worn by over two dozen members of the family over the last 100 years, including Nicole's grandmother and her 4 siblings, helping date the gown to 1907. Nicole and her family also know that someone in their family once made the gown, though sadly they don't know just who did. Regardless, it is a beautiful piece of history that has been (and we know will continue to be) cherished throughout the years.

Nicole noted that the gown is VERY long and made of two pieces including the dress and underdress, and is made of a a slightly stiff cotton. The underdress has a cord at the top waist that cinches to tighten, and there is room at the bottom of the bodice that allows for a wide ribbon to be woven through and tied (this can be seen on the left side of the waistband above).

I spoke with Amelia about the gown to get some further insight, since Amelia has helped write and edit several of our books on antique clothing, including the Martha Pullen Vintage Collection and Favorite Places Series. She told me:

The embroidery looks to be Aryshire, although I can’t tell for sure if it’s hand wrought without looking at the backside and comparing the stitch repetition. [...] What is most unusual is the plaid fabric. I’ve never seen an antique christening gown, particularly one with Aryshire work combined with a plaid like this. I’d say the embroidery may have been pulled from another garment, but if that were the case, it was still a baby garment as the shape of the yoke was designed specifically for a infant’s piece.

Below is a picture of Nicole (second from the left) and family at baby Liviya's baptism, where the gown was last worn, at Suffern Presbyterian Church in Suffern, NY. Liviya is one of 3 children born to Nicole's cousins, Jenny and Carl Whitlatch. Nicole tells us, "They actually live in the parsonage next to the church, so she was able to dress the baby and then walk across the lawn to the back door of the church!"

Thank you so much for sharing this piece of family history with us, Nicole!

Alana's Christening Gown

Remember Kathy's robed Christening gown that we included as a free pattern in our November/December 2009 issue? Well, in that same vein, we're excited to share this beautiful similarly-styled Christening gown with you sent to us by SB reader Heather Lirette of Handcrafts by Heather. Heather says:

At my client's request I had drawn up a sketch of a coat-style Christening dress using silk cotton broadcloth and embroidered netting and then not a week later as I was pondering exactly how to make it, issue 127 arrived with the gorgeous coat style gowns. Imagine my surprise and delight. Now I knew it could be done--and how to do it.

Using the Baby Gowns pattern from The Old Fashioned Baby, Heather used ivory embroidered organza fabric and edging (Lily of the Valley, 19T6748) purchased from Baltazor Fabric Boutique, LLC and silk broadcloth dress fabric purchased from Wendy Schoen Design. Heather also used our own Martha Pullen Vintage Baby CD I  to machine embroider the gown sleeves (design MPC1948; design was edited to remove cutwork).

One sweet detail of this dress is seen in the bodice trim. Heather used flowers from a coordinating hat and booties set that were purchased by her client, but then added yoyos made from dress fabric and overlay organza. Who knew that yoyo's could ever find their place on such an elegant garment, but they look right at home on Heather's gown.

Thanks again for sharing, Heather! You can see more of Heather's work on her website at www.handcraftsbyheather.com. Don't forget to share your own creations with us by sending your pictures to blog@sewbeautifulmag.com.