Natalie's Blessing Dress

     I need someone to remind me to take a before picture!!!! This is my sister-in-law's wedding dress.  My newest Niece is getting blessed soon and I didn't ever make time before she was born to make her something, so I took this opportunity to make myself useful. :)

        In my earlier post  I used my own wedding dress to make a blessing dress for my daughter, I used the same pattern for this dress. We both agreed that this pattern was just perfect. ( McCall's pattern M4865) My whole idea for this was to make a Mini wedding dress, and I think it's pretty spot on.

   When I started cutting this dress out I was a little nervous about it looking right.  The top of the dress had darts in it and things to fit the bust of a woman, so I had to take the seams apart and sew them back together with smaller seams to make the top lay flat.  HOPEFULLY no one will notice. :) 

   This dress wen't super fast because I used the whole sleeve of the original dress, binding and all and just shrunk it to fit.  It saved a lot of time! That was not even my intention. The bow was on the original dress, so I shrunk it and sewed it in place.  

   The hem was not done by hand on this one.  I started and it was turning out really crooked and I was feeling impatient and had mom duties to attend to. so...I took great care in measuring and pressing the bottom, then machine stitched it. 

   

The back was even fast because I had done it before and it was like muscle memory took over. 

I wanted to make a little headband too, so I used ruffle elastic stretchy stuff, stitched it and then... ruffled some satin and stitched it in a spiral on some interfacing.  I took a beaded applique off of the sleeve fabric left over and hand stitched it on top where the end was and stitching showed.  Then, I sewed a left over button from the back of the dress on top. Then, you just hot glue it on! :) you can glue a piece of felt, fleece or fabric to the back if you want to make it soft for baby's head, but if it isn't super bumpy and stuff, you don't even need it.   it turned out cute!!!! 

Here is a picture of my daughter wearing it. 

Also, if anyone is wondering, I have washed both dresses by hand and in my washing machine (top loader -front loaders beat clothes up more I think) on hand wash cycle. They come out looking totally fine and no damage done.  I then press them with my iron on the silk setting.  perfect!!! 

Newborn Blessing Dress

made from OLD wedding dress

It still needs a wash and press and some pretty buttons on the back, but it's done and so PRETTY!!!

For this dress, I used McCall's pattern M4865.  I am in love with the pattern it's self, but VERY disappointed in the instructions.  There were TWO times I was so confused and left not knowing what the heck to do. Luckily I pulled out a simplicity pattern (4709) that had the same things going on and the instructions were SO DETAILED in comparison. 

         For example: McCall's - On skirt back - step 3: Open out slashed edges of back. baste right side of contiunous lap to wrong side of back, placing reinforcement stitching on back along the remaining 1/4" seamiline on lap, matching circles. STITCH. ( the pictures also left me clueless- and I sew a lot)

      Simplicity-  Spread slashed edges of skirt apart so that they form a straight line. Baste right side of cintinuous lap to wrong side of slashed edges, matching stitching lines and small dots.  Stitch along stitching line. ... after that I was like... Oooohhhh!

          ....and when I was doing the binding on the sleeve, the instructions were less that informative, so I eventually cut new sleeve pieces and binding pieces and went ahead like it was blanket binding. I would have thought that in the first place, but for me, the instructions made it sound like you did it a completely different way.

I love how the inside of the dress is lined and all sewn in by hand. it took all day, but it looks nice!

On the dress pattern pieces, it has the length an extra foot longer than I made it.  I wanted it shorter than my first daughter's dress but ended up the same length. (I wanted her cute little shoes to show -silly right?)

          no, I did not do beading on it myself, it's just part of the wedding dress beading. I did however break a needle on one, after that I was super careful! :)

     I did not do lace on the bottom like the instructions talk about, I just did a regular hem and stitched it by hand! :) All in all, I finished this dress in a day and a half.  I had interruptions and at night I just called it quits because I was so frustrated with the instructions! :) VERY happy with the outcome though!