Who would think that a baby baptism could bring about so many sewing opportunities? Hey all you creative chicks out there! Last time we connected I was very pregnant and ready to have a baby. Now I’m happy to announce the birth of our baby boy, Koen Matthew, born March 27th. He was a whopping 10 lb. 3 oz. and 22″ long (that’s over 2/3 of a yard in sewing terms). Needless to say, I’m still recovering from that one!

We had Koen baptized June 1^st and with that came some sewing opportunities! My parents and uncle came out for the occasion and I had the opportunity to repair a pair of my uncle’s jeans that had torn. Yeah, okay, so that’s kinda boring, but more exciting was the really cool yard sale find he brought me…”The Complete Book of Sewing” from 1943! It gives instructions for practically everything from how to choose your style, draft patterns, sew plackets, and even hand-bind oilcloth curtains. It is certainly a treat to read various chapters and see how sewing has evolved over the years (and how much is still the same).

About the neatest sewing op that came out of the baby experience so far has to do with the christening gown Koen wore. “Now hold on a minute,” you say, “no boy should have to wear a dress!” Well, his father wore the same gown when he was baptized and is good and manly, so no worries there. This gown has actually been passed across the country for multiple baptisms over four generations. It originated in Germany in 1904. My husband’s grandma asked if I could replicate it. So I spent the good part of an hour making detailed drawings and taking tons of measurements and pictures. I plan to draft a pattern and create a duplicate gown…from the six tiny pin tucks around the hemline to the ever so narrow 1/4″ drawstring channels that create the back closure. If only I could find some of the hand-woven German linen and hand-drawn lace it was made with.

Oh yeah, and I still have to stitch up those cloth diapers! Now that Koen’s growing has evened out a bit I know what size to make that will keep him going for a while. Hopefully I can steal a sewing moment or two between bottle feedings and diaper changes! We’ll keep you posted on all that.

Until next time…happy sewing!

Gena K.