Heirloom Christening Gowns From Wedding Dresses

Making a christening gown from a wedding dress is a long standing tradition in many faiths and cultures. It is also a way to tie generations together and it is one of the heirloom services I offer.

My Christening gowns are custom made using as much useable fabric from the wedding dress as I can. A full Christening gown takes quite a bit of fabric so, if you want the entire gown made of only your garment, it needs to be a full length wedding dress. If you don't mind my augmenting your fabric with some of my own supplies of satins, linens and appropriate fabrics, then I can work with shorter dresses and use as much useable fabric as possible.

Where necessary, I will augment with matching or complimentary fabrics to ensure a beautiful, heirloom quality gown. I try to work embelishments from the original wedding dress into the christening gown where possible.

I offer four sizes:

Newborn (weight 8-12lbs, height 18-24")
Small (weight 13-15 lbs, height 25-26")
Medium (weight 16-18 lbs, height 27-28")
Large (weight 19-21 lbs, height 29-30")

I can make a girl's gown, a boy's gown or jumper and/or a unisex gown.

I charge:

$85 (plus shipping) to make a custom gown or jumper
$45 (plus shipping) to make a custom bonnet
$35 (plus shipping) to make a custom slip
Ground Shipping (with insurance) runs $15 for the first item and $3 per each additional item. I am located in Dayton, Ohio (3943 Old Troy Pike, Dayton, OH 45404).

Reservations need to be made in advance because this is a hobby (I work on them in my spare time in evenings and weekends).

The fabric needs to be in good enough condition to sew. Satin can degrade over time and get very fragile. I will not do anything to an heirloom garment unless I believe the material will work for the project.

If you are interested in having a wedding dress turned into a christening gown, you can contact me at: Liane@fairygodmothercreations.com to discuss what kind of dress you want used and to make a reservation. Because christenings are usually on a specific time frame, I will need to know the date you would need the finished gown by.

For some reason, AOL doesn't always allow my emails through. If you have emailed me and don't receive a response within 24 hours, it means I either didn't get your email, or my response did not make it to you. You can also call me at 937-235-5050 during normal work hours (this is my real job phone number but feel free to leave a message if I'm not there when you call and I will call you back).

	Bodice and waist details include appliques made of lace from the wedding dress bodice. Skirt overlay included cut-out lace applique made from deconstructed lace of the wedding dress bodice and sleeve.
	Jumper was made from the wedding dress skirt. I augmented the fabric with some white satin to give more texture and contrast. Jumper has easy snap leg access and button back closures. I used buttons from the wedding dress cuffs as accent on the faux vest.
The dress fabric was simple but the client wanted a very feminine gown made. With her permission, I added eyelet lace trim to give this polyester white fabric a youthful look. I also was able to use the butterfly appliques.

FAQ

What Sizes do you offer? I have patterns for four sizes:

Newborn (weight 8-12lbs, height 18-24")
Small (weight 13-15 lbs, height 25-26")
Medium (weight 16-18 lbs, height 27-28")
Large (weight 19-21 lbs, height 29-30")

My wedding dress is stained, will you clean it? Unfortunately, I'm not able to offer cleaning services. If I receive a dress with stains, I try to work around any stained areas.

How long are the gowns ? The length varies depending on the amount of useable fabric I can get from the dress. Unless someone specifies a classic length (which would hang an inch or so longer than the infant's feet) I try to get a longer, modern length (32"-36") if the fabric is available to do so.

Do you make gowns for boys ? I do. Instead of a lacy collar, I use more of a "tuxedo"look with an over vest.. I also make a boy's jumper instead of a gown.

How long can I expect to wait before my gown arrives? Most orders take about two to three weeks from the day I receive the materials to the day I ship it out. It really depends on what I have going on. Since this is a hobby, I use my evenings and weekend time. I do try to email updates along the way. If you have a specific date you need the garment by, I will not accept the order unless I believe I can get it to you in time.