Vintage Christening Gown

Bodice of Vintage Christening Gown.

A friend brought this beautiful Christening Gown  to my home for me to see.  She brought another one and you can see the post about it HERE.  It was even more amazing!

This was a Christening Set. There is  a matching slip and bonnet.

Everything is entirely hand stitched.

The lace at the hem of the gown.

The hem was edged with lace insertion.  Matching Lace Edging was sewn to either side of it.

You can see that the same technique was used on the lace embellishing the front of the gown.

It was made by Best and Co.  I have seen the adds from this company in vintage magazines!

Matching Bonnet.

The fabric on the gown and bonnet are a soft organdy.

The same Lace Insertion/Lace Edging technique as used on the gown.

Lovely embroidery is flowing down the front of the gown. It looks similar to a design I have used, inspired by an old baby garment. You will find that parts of the same designs flow from antique garment to antique garment , don't they?

Even the sleeves have embroidery on them.  And the workmanship is fine!

More from the other Christening Gown about the history  HERE.

"I am reading: Isaiah 53:6

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

This is my White Wednesday for April 13, 2011!!

Join me with Faded Charm.

All Designs Are Copyright Protected copyright 2010 Jeannie Baumeister

White Wednesday - Hand Made Christening Gown.

Christening Gown belongs to my friend Myra

This lovely Christening Gown Set was hand made by May Landry Richard in 1949.  I love the old fashioned look of it and the wonderful softness that is characteristic of baby clothes stitched by hand. 

Click to enlarge for more detail.

This Yoke is beautiful and features lots and lots of tiny Pintucks with embroidery between the sets.  Each set has 6 tucks.  When someone tells you that tucks must be stitched  in uneven sets - well, here is proof that there really are no rules to that effect!

May lived in South Louisiana. French Acadian country.

I love the scalloped collar!  It really sets this gown apart with this collar.  One more special thing about it.

Notice, the back was gathered for extra fullness.

Here you can see that the collar is only one layer of fabric.  It was rolled and whipped and then the lace was attached.

Believe it or not, the hem of the slip is just as fancy!

The pretty hem  has lace  inserted into it and embroidery.  It is edged in lace insertion as well and finished with gathered baby lace.

Little sleeve has lace insertion and edging just like the hem.  I love the dainty lace.

Matching Bonnet.

This would be an easy bonnet to reproduce.  I would use OFB Baby Bonnets 2 to copy it.

Close up of the Bonnet Brim.

I love the Featherstitching, of course.  Very tiny and neat!

Even the Bonnet Crown is embroidered with  Featherstitching and Granitos. And edged with that dainty lace.

I like the fabric ties, edged with lace too!

This is the top of the slip.  The hem of the slip was embellished like the Gown.  There is something extra special about having the Gown, Slip and Bonnet match!!  I can imagine May stitching on this little set as she was waiting for Baby Myra to arrive!

Another French Acadian treasure!

This is my White Post for the week. I am joining Faded Charm!

All Designs Are Copyright Protected copyright 2010 Jeannie Baumeister

Exquisite Embroidery and History

More details from the Antique Christening Gown featured in the last post.

While there was a wide frilled panel that went from the bodice to the hem in the front of the Antique Christening Gown, the rest of the gown was still magnificent!  This is part of the embellishment that went all around the Christening Gown.   All Hand stitched.  Perfect Featherstitching!

The fabric was sheer and fine but closely woven.

I had to show you the two different rows of Featherstitching again.  I think it is my favorite part.

The eyelets are finely stitched and the padded satin is perfect!  Every stitch you see here..worked by hand!

There is a little shirt that appears to go with the gown.  It has the same lace  on it.  There was also a silk slip that looked to belong.

Close up of the monogram on the little shirt.

Notice the name at the top.  The initials PA are a match!!

Hope you enjoyed seeing this gown as much as I have.  

All Designs Are Copyright Protected copyright 2010 Jeannie Baumeister

White Wednesday -Amazing Antique Christening Gown

This is the most  amazing Gown!  The design is beautiful.  The materials fine.  The workmanship of the embroidery is such as it would be neigh impossible to find a handful of women in the world today who could come close to matching it.  And I am not one of them.

This Christening Gown was made for a baby who wore it in 1853.

A friend brought this gown to my house for me to see.  It is her Son In Law's  family Christening Gown and my friend has been given charge over it to prepare for the new baby to wear it on Christening Day.  Lucky for her it is in perfect condition.  1853! Imagine!

Bodice of the Gown.

Every stitch is by hand and the embroidery is exquisite!  

Back Bodice of the Gown.

Please notice the fabric covered buttons.   And there are ties in specific places so that it can be pulled in to fit a smaller baby.

Detail under the arm.

There is tiny Featherstitching everywhere!  Even hidden under the arm.  And see the tiny, tiny piping that is used to set in the sleeve.

The photograph of the full view of the gown is , sadly, not very good.  I am sorry you can not see it better.  There are ruffles of lace from the top of the skirt all the way to the hem in the front.

Breathtaking.

A close up of one of the ruffles.

And the Featherstitching, my very favorite thing, is unbelievable!!

Notice the tie that is running through a casing in the bodice.  To pull it up to fit better.

Here is the inside of the gown where the skirt is attached to the bodice.  This stitch looks like Gauging.  Gauging was used when there was a great deal of fullness that had to be pulled up into a smaller area, such as this bodice.  The stitches are something like uneven Running Stitches.  A large stitch is taken on one side of the garment and a small stitch on the other.    This causes more of the fabric (pleats) to be on the wrong side of the fabric.  Then it is stitched to the bodice.

I love the history of the stitches.  I love seeing these wonderful stitches on old garments.

I will show you some close ups of this garment in my next post!

This is my White Wednesday post for this week!  Join Faded Charm for more!

All Designs Are Copyright Protected copyright 2010 Jeannie Baumeister