Heirloom Treasures

My sister and I both love heirloom sewing.  We have attended Martha Pullen’s School of Art Fashion a number of times together and have created many lovely things (some of which are still unfinished in my closet).  My sister has always had the dream of making a grandchild’s christening gown, and, with the birth of her first granddaughter last August, it seemed likely this dream would come true. 

A date was set for the christening and Jane got to work on the gown.  She had a head start as some of the elements of the gown had been completed previously at a Martha Pullen school.  Jane has also been spending a lot of time recently caring for my elderly parents (and did I mention she broke her leg in September and has been recovering from that, too??).  As the date for the baptism drew ever nearer she was really working under the gun.  I offered to make the slip that would go under the gown to help clear off her plate a bit (and, as the mother of two boys, I don’t often have the chance to sew frilly little things anymore).

The slip and the gown are both based on the same Martha Pullen pattern, the Heirloom Party dress.  The gown, made from Swiss Nelona, has a high waist with Madeira appliqué scallops around the neckline, lace insertion, and gathered lace framing the rounded yoke.  The skirt features machine- embroidered motifs of ribbons and bows on each side of the central motif of entwined rings enclosing a cross, ribbons and bows.  Lace shaping and Madeira appliqué form the bottom of this panel.  An 8" ruffle with Madeira appliqué scallops outlined in featherstitch embroidery and finished with flat lace complete the bottom of the gown. Pin stitching was added to each side of the lace shaping and to the top edges of the Madeira appliqué.  The dress design is by Sue Pennington Stewart, as taught at Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion several years ago.

The slip is made from Victorian Batiste with a square yoke, gathered skirt and gathered self ruffle.  The hem is trimmed with French cotton lace (purchased at Hollin Hall Variety Store for the Virginia locals), and I machine stitched a shell stitch border around the neck and armholes.  I thought the slip needed “a little something” so I hand embroidered a dainty little floral spray at the center of the yoke just below the neckline.  The embroidery pattern I used was from Jeannie Baumeister’s Old Fashioned Baby line.  I really love doing delicate hand embroidery like this.  It works up SO fast and looks darling.  I think it really adds a nice touch to a baby’s garment.

It seems only fitting that I made this slip.  After all, my sister made the slip that my boys both wore when they were christened.  I had made a little white daygown at one of the Martha Pullen schools and Jane suggested I use that for my baby boy’s christening gown.  I had also made a pink slip to go with this dress but that really wouldn’t do (making a boy wear a dress to be baptized is one thing; making him wear a pink slip is another entirely).  So Jane stitched up a darling little blue slip and embroidered a favorite bible verse, baby’s name and birthdate on the skirt.

The Eyelet Daygown, designed by Connie Palmer, features machine-embroidered eyelets and pin-stitched lace shaping on the bodice and skirt.  The long sleeves are finished with beading and gathered lace and tied with silk ribbon.

The following pictures were all taken in July 2009 by Sally Brewer of Sally Brewer Photography.  We spent a fantastic morning with Sally and she captured pictures of our family that we will treasure always.  I asked her to get some special shots of my littlest guy in the gown.  You can also see the blue slip that Jane made.

So much love has gone into each of these garments.  I love how this story blends generations of my family with the love we all have for creating beautiful things.  My sister was 15 when I was born and helped care for and raise me as a baby.  Her daughter was born when I was only 10 so I grew up alongside of her children.  Now her grandchildren and my children have come into the world and are growing up together.  Sometimes it gets a little confusing figuring out how each player is related to the next but it forms a lovely woven tapestry of family love.