Hand Embroidered First Communion Dress
Here are some up-close photos of my niece's hand-embroidered First Communion dress. Embroidery on children's clothing, especially for special occasions, is no new thing, really, so although you will see a beautiful dress here, it isn't a "novel" idea! There are still plenty of people out there who make their own children's clothes and embellish them, too... but I have to wonder if it's kind of a dying art?
The Victorians were avid embellishers of children's clothing - fine embroidered baby items were worked with loving hands (or by hired hands) to dress up the baby for grand occasions, and even for every day. With the advent of cotton mills and of mercerized cotton, fine items could be made for a lot less money, making fancy work more accessible to those other than the very rich.
Momentous occasions were celebrated with fine clothing - whether christening gowns, First Communion dresses, graduations, or marriages. Dresses and gowns were passed down from child to child, carefully packed away after the event, to resurface again for cleaning and pressing when the time came for the next in line to wear the piece.
Have we lost these traditions a bit, with the "ready-made" Instant Society we live in? Overall, I think we have. But not everywhere, with everyone. Certainly, companies like Wendy Schoen, Martha Pullen, and Country Bumpkin (with their smocking and christening gown angle) attest to a remaining thread of interest in hand-made, special occasion clothing.
If you'll allow me to brag a bit about my sister, I'll say I'm glad to see that these traditions continue in her family, just as they did in our family. We all (seven of us!) wore the same christening gown and the same First Communion dress, and my older sister has managed the same with her own girls.
She made this at the beginnings of her ventures into heirloom sewing, and it has withstood the test of time - worn this year for the sixth time, over 16 years of use, and looking just as perfect as when it was new!
So that's the history, and here are the photos:
The dress is made of Swiss batiste, with inset lace on the bodice, the skirt, and the sleeves.
The embroidery design is made up of white roses in bullion stitch and a pale green vine and leaves, highlighted with tiny pearls.
The embroidery motif can be found on the back of the shoulders, too...
...and is even repeated on the covered buttons down the back of the dress.
This is the lower part of the front of the skirt, situated between scallops formed by inlaid lace.
Somehow, it loses a bit, looking at it like this on a hanger! The sash is not original - this is a substituted organdy and satin ribbon. Originally, it was a plain white satin ribbon, I think.
This is the front of the bodice. The batiste, you can see, is pretty sheer.
A close-up on the above - the vines are worked in stem stitch and the leaves in satin stitch. All the stitching is done with floche.
And that's the center of the front of the bodice.
Ain't it perty?
My sister's my hero! Golly.
Do you have any clothing traditions in your family? Do you think hand-making special occasion clothing is a dying tradition? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
The Victorians were avid embellishers of children's clothing - fine embroidered baby items were worked with loving hands (or by hired hands) to dress up the baby for grand occasions, and even for every day. With the advent of cotton mills and of mercerized cotton, fine items could be made for a lot less money, making fancy work more accessible to those other than the very rich.
Momentous occasions were celebrated with fine clothing - whether christening gowns, First Communion dresses, graduations, or marriages. Dresses and gowns were passed down from child to child, carefully packed away after the event, to resurface again for cleaning and pressing when the time came for the next in line to wear the piece.
Have we lost these traditions a bit, with the "ready-made" Instant Society we live in? Overall, I think we have. But not everywhere, with everyone. Certainly, companies like Wendy Schoen, Martha Pullen, and Country Bumpkin (with their smocking and christening gown angle) attest to a remaining thread of interest in hand-made, special occasion clothing.
If you'll allow me to brag a bit about my sister, I'll say I'm glad to see that these traditions continue in her family, just as they did in our family. We all (seven of us!) wore the same christening gown and the same First Communion dress, and my older sister has managed the same with her own girls.
She made this at the beginnings of her ventures into heirloom sewing, and it has withstood the test of time - worn this year for the sixth time, over 16 years of use, and looking just as perfect as when it was new!
So that's the history, and here are the photos:
The dress is made of Swiss batiste, with inset lace on the bodice, the skirt, and the sleeves.
The embroidery design is made up of white roses in bullion stitch and a pale green vine and leaves, highlighted with tiny pearls.
The embroidery motif can be found on the back of the shoulders, too...
...and is even repeated on the covered buttons down the back of the dress.
This is the lower part of the front of the skirt, situated between scallops formed by inlaid lace.
Somehow, it loses a bit, looking at it like this on a hanger! The sash is not original - this is a substituted organdy and satin ribbon. Originally, it was a plain white satin ribbon, I think.
This is the front of the bodice. The batiste, you can see, is pretty sheer.
A close-up on the above - the vines are worked in stem stitch and the leaves in satin stitch. All the stitching is done with floche.
And that's the center of the front of the bodice.
Ain't it perty?
My sister's my hero! Golly.
Do you have any clothing traditions in your family? Do you think hand-making special occasion clothing is a dying tradition? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Labels: embroidered clothes, heirloom sewing, needlework pictures, personal, pictures
Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, May 10, 2008
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7 Comments:
Wow! That's a work of art. What a treasure for her daughters. Will she hand it down to them? With that many, it might be hard to decide which one!
Your sister is very talented! Would love to see the christening gown.
On reading the history and seeing the photographs, the combination of how strikingly beautiful the dress is and the wave of nostalgia that washed over me made me cry. Just altogether a lovely thing you've shared here. Thank you.
When I was a very young girl I remember my mother telling me that all young ladies should know how to use a needle and thread. And sitting by her side I did learn a few sewing basics. She taught me how to stem stitch, backstitch, satin stitch, and how to create lazy daisies and French knots; how to mend a seam and how to sew a button on.
Other than finishing the small crewel kit that my mother gave me at this time, which she had framed and kept over all the years, and mending a few seams, attaching a few buttons here and there along the road, I've never, until recently, done anything creative or useful with needle'n thread. Still, I'm so grateful for the rudimentary sewing skills I learned, and I cherish the memories that my mother created while she taught them to me.
Maybe I'm just being cynical, and I hope I'm wrong, but I don't imagine as many mothers nowadays tell their daughters that all young ladies should know how to use a needle and thread. Somehow I get the feeling people have decided that saying something like that wouldn't be politically correct. And aside from that, people would probably say there isn't enough time in the day for things like teaching or learning how to sew. More is the pity and I don't think either of those things is true.
If my mom, an attentive mother of five, fulltime working nurse, strongly independent and resourceful woman, had time to teach her girls a little bit about sewing, surely there's still time in the day to pass this kind of knowledge on.
Said in my best Tyra Banks: My mother was fierce! America's Next Top Model, now there's some politically incorrect shiznit, sending a bad message, if you ask me. But people don't seem to mind. And I'd bet there is plenty of mother and daughter time shared watching it every week. What the heck?
Ack! Sorry for the tangent, Mary! I'm going to go sit with my coffee and quilt blocks and wait to be beamed up! LOL! - Jeannine
Hi Mary
As the grandmother of 6 - 5 boys and 1 girl I too made their Christening outfits. I made a boys smocked romper and bonnet for the first boy and then a christening gown for his sister. His little brother wore the same romper when he came along.
My daughter has 3 boys so a similar romper minus hat (she didn't want a hat) was made and as each boy wore it I embroidered their initials and date on the back belt. The funny one was when her last son was born and ready for his christening he was so fat she couldn't get his arms in the romper so down to Florida she mailed it and I had to open up the armband and put a gusset in each sleeve so he could use it. I brought it back to Chicago in time for the event.
In her husband's family they have a tradition and it is a baby scale that has been used by their parents and now by all the nieces and nephews. It gets mailed to whoever has a new baby. Little different but nice.
Have a great day and love your blog.
Hugs
FredaB
Mary, the dress is so sweet-looking with the tiny pearls and delicate colors. I love and appreciate the close-up photos that you post. They are tremendously helpful in understanding the stitch and "feeling" the piece. And yes, I agree that heirloom stitching is dying out. Many mothers of girls seem delighted at it but I think that most women feel it is so very beyond their abilities and probably price range to make or order a dress with hand details.
Wow, that is a beautiful dress! Thanks for sharing.
Hello Mary!
The story by the grandmother who's one grandson was too big for the Christening outfit was familiar.
When I first got married and was expecting my first child I decided I wanted to make the Christening gown. I happened to go into the needle shop that my aunt frequented and saw a pattern for a smocked ensemble. I was nineteen almost 20. The only sewing I had ever done was really in Home-Ec and doll clothes. But I LOVED the smocking. So I thought, "I can learn to do that." And I taught myself on that first Christening gown.
I knew nothing about fine fabrics and laces. I knew nothing about smocking. I chose whatever 100% cotton that Hancocks carried, and whatever lace that was the designated size that they carried.
It was bleached muslin I chose! And polyester laces.
Well, like I said, I taught myself to smock - rather tight stitching...but luckily the baby was early and tiny - a 5 pounder. And the next 3 after that were also in the 5-6 lb range. In the meantime, I learned so much about heirloom sewing and smocking and fabrics and drooled at the thought of making a proper Christening gown out of SWISS BATISTE, of all things and french laces, etc. Well, when #5 was born - the first boy - he was a whopping 71/2 pounder and I couldn't get his fists in the sleeves! I just cut up the seem, for a temporary fix.
Then a couple at our church had a very premature baby who didn't live, and they didn't really have the means for a nice gown and asked if I had anything at all they could use to bury their baby in. I gave them my gown with the intention of making the exact same set in the proper fabric and laces with the proper tensions and everything else. Which is good because the rest of the babies have all been in the 7 lb range and would not have fit in that first attempt at heirloom sewing!
I love your site. I hope to get to spend a bit more time on handwork in the future - you are so inspiring!
Thank you, Mary. I'll be saving this post for future reference. The dress is magnificent. What a loving job your sister did on it.
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