swiss flannel
delicious. seriously, this stuff is a very lightweight, heirloom quality flannel that is a dream to sew.
the pattern
this stunning gown is easier to put together than you may think, and join me in the sew along as I walk you through the process. The pattern runs a tiny bit big on fresh babies, but still beautiful. You could sub the French insertion lace for lace tape to create a budget-friendly option. You can also forgo the hand embroidery and still come out with a classically gorgeous gown for your sweet baby.
5/8" insertion lace
Lily of the Valley French Maline insertion lace. it’s beautiful! but a pretty penny, so if it’s not in the cards, no worries, just use lace tape, or a more affordable French lace (not maline). I used this 5/8” size for the mitered T part - goes from under the yoke, miters to turn the corner, and then down the length of the side fronts of the gown.
7/8" insertion lace
I used this as an optional embellishment across the side front skirt panels.
1/2" edging lace
I used this around the neckline of the gown. If you went the budget-friendly route of lace tape, you could simply use a 2” wide bias band folded lengthwise to sew around the neckline to finish that raw edge instead.
1 7/8" edging lace
I used this lace to finish the edges around the sleeves as well as the hem. It’s so pretty!
fine thread for lace work
madeira or aurifil 80 weight thread will both work wonderfully for the lace work (or lace tape). chose a color that matches your lace.
stabilizer for lace work
you’ll need some stabilizer for the lace work. I used stitch in the ditch, but I think they are having supply issues with the current covid-19 state, not sure? anywho, water-soluble stabilizer or heat dissolvable will work as well.
lace tape
if you’d like to go this route to make that T insertion on your gown, make sure both sides of the lace tape are flat (no edging). this option is about ranges from $2.35 to $3.41 per yard depending on color (they are all roughly the same size).
3/8" mother of pearl button
I used one 3/8” mother of pearl button at the top of the gown.
handsewn snaps
I find it much easier to get a garment on a wiggly baby with snaps than buttons. So I sew a snap to hold the garment together, and then I’ll put a button on top of that if I want the look of a button.
snap/button combo
handsewn snap does the heavy lifting, and the mother of pearl button is just pretty ;-)