In the last year, I've gotten a little bit more serious with my sewing. By that I mean I've moved on from hemming pants and making table runners on a hand-me-down sewing machine that chewed my fabric 96% of the time. At the time, I was happy to have any machine, but needless (or should I say, needle-less? #momjoke) to say, it was high time to get a new one!
So, I finally got my own sewing machine. I chose the Singer Heavy Duty machine, based on price and reviews, and so far I am very pleased with it. I love that the bobbin just drops in, and that its cover is clear - genius! You can actually monitor your thread supply, instead of being surprised when it runs out. The automatic 1-step buttonhole feature is also fantastic - it really does make the process of adding buttons to your garments super simple... I promise!
Up until this project, I had sewn a few things here and there -- a few headbands and a summer dress for M, all of which turned out pretty well (I attribute this in part to a new machine). Once we finally had a date for our little one's baptism, I naturally (read: immediately) started the search for a beautiful baptismal gown... I'm not going to pretend that I wasn't excited about dressing her up in a fancy gown! That search however, was disappointing. Now don't get me wrong - there are plenty of stunning christening gowns out there. But the really gorgeous ones, the ones that are made of natural, soft fabrics, cost a small fortune. Quite frankly, there was no way I was willing to spend $200+ on a gown she was going to wear for an hour, tops! No way. The alternative however, was equally disappointing: cheaper gowns are of course available too, but they're made of sad polyester and other itchy, scratchy fabrics that I don't like wearing myself, so I couldn't fathom putting M into one of those, either. All that to say, I decided to make a gown myself. The more I thought about it, the more determined I became; I knew the gown would be even more special if it was handmade by me for M, and potentially our future babies!
So. If you're thinking of making your own gown too, hopefully this post will help! :)
1. Establish a vision
During my initial search, I found a gown I absolutely loved... only it was out of my budget. If this happens to you, too - GREAT! This can now be your inspiration dress. It'll make finding a pattern (or designing one yourself), much easier. If you're curious, this Isabel Garreton was my inspiration dress. I love its classic and feminine style. It helped me know what features I wanted to find in a pattern: a Peter Pan collar, a high waist, and an A-line skirt.
2. Find a pattern
There are lots of places online that offer sewing patterns, for all levels of expertise. Although I did a fair amount of looking and pinning, ultimately I found the pattern I loved most, on Etsy. I had purchased a few patterns through Etsy before, and they were all great. The one I chose was Fly Away Dress by Puperita because it had everything I was looking for. An option for a full length, A-line skirt, an option for a high waist, and even an option for a Peter Pan collar. And I actually loved the little puffy sleeves...they are so incredibly sweet!
3. Buy your fabric (and other elements i.e. thread, buttons, zippers, snaps)
Do not buy your fabric before you buy the pattern. I learned this the hard way, during another project. Most (if not all) patterns will provide a guideline of how much fabric you will need - depending on the sizing and components of the garment. For example, I knew I wanted to use lightweight, natural fabrics and so I knew I'd probably need to include a lining in the skirt. The pattern I purchased outlined how much extra fabric I would need, in this scenario. Moral of the story: you'll save yourself extra trips to the fabric store, and extra work, if you buy enough the first time around.
If you don't know what kind of fabric to buy (there are so many!), go back to your vision gown and find out what fabrics were used to make it. This will be a good start. If you're still stuck, talk to the fabric store salespeople - they know what they're doing and can give you a hand in selecting the right fabrics for your project.
My main fabric (for the skirt and collar) was an embroidered lightweight 100% cotton; the bodice was a 97% rayon 3% spandex stretch poplin. The skirt lining was 100% rayon - it was so incredibly soft and lightweight.
4. Read, print + cut the pattern
Make sure you follow the instructions for printing and assembling your pattern. Read through the instructions and guides first, to know what you'll need to print for your size/components. My printer defaulted to a printing setting of 95%, and this would have messed up my pattern if I hadn't changed it to 100% - be mindful of that before you hit print!
5. Pre-wash, dry and iron your fabric
This is important! You are about to invest many hours of precious 'free time' to this project... you don't want your fabric shrinking AFTER you've finished the gown, only to find it is no longer the right size for your little one. Besides, this will give you clean and fresh-smelling material to work with (I'm a sucker for the smell of baby detergent), and that's a bonus, too.
6. Start sewing (the fun part!)
If you're a beginner like me, know that the project might take longer than you think. And that's ok! Just give yourself lots of time ahead of schedule... I don't recommend starting the project a week before the big day. You'll likely end up feeling stressed and frustrated with the detail work - which will be no bueno for your gown. I started about a month before her baptism. This gave me loads of time to step away from the project when I was frustrated, or needed a break. I'm also a "have 10 projects on the go at one time" kind of gal, so I enjoy being able to dabble at different projects here and there, instead of being tied to one for a week straight. Lastly, you never know how your week is going to go, with a baby!
YouTube is a saviour, when it comes to tricky parts that just don't make sense! Although the pattern instructions were clear and simple for the most part, there were a few steps that I just couldn't make sense of. Enter YouTube. For instance, when I was working on the sleeves (definitely the most labour-intensive part), I had never heard of/done an understitch before. This YouTube video solved that problem and my result was excellent. I had also never made buttonholes before, and even though my machine does this "automatically" I actually didn't know how to set it up. Watching someone do it, helped me do so with confidence.
I had so much fun sewing this gown, and I was really pleased with how it turned out. M looked so sweet, and best of all, she was so comfortable. The button opening in the back made it easy to slip on and off without any yanking or pulling. For reference, I used the 12 month old measurements, as M was 11 months at the time and the sizing worked perfectly.
If you're sewing your own gown too, I wish you the best of luck!
