It was mentioned earlier that knitting was my first needleart. Actually, for many, many years, it was my only needleart. So when I was awaiting the birth of our first child, my knitting needles were going non-stop.
This christening gown was one of the first projects I began for our eagerly awaited baby. A delicate white knitted lace shawl was knitted immediately after the gown.
Unlike today, when this dress was made, expectant mothers rarely knew what gender their babies would be. For many readers, that dates this dress circa Cave Man Era. So when I decided—for whatever reason I don’t recall— to add lace with color, I purchased yardage in both pink and blue.
Days after our son was born, the blue lace was stitched in place. Four years later, when our daughter was born, the blue lace was removed and replaced with the pink trim which remains today.
We were living in Ottawa, Canada for the last several months of my pregnancy. The sun went into hibernation about two months before Ryan’s birth, bringing cold, harsh weather.  Having relocated there from sunny Florida, the gloomy days may have had some impact on my decision to add color to the gown. It looked too much like the snow piled up at our door.
Because this was created at least 6 years before I had ever heard of heirloom sewing, I would certainly do it differently today. The dress would be longer, the buttons would be mother of pearl, the lace would be cotton and instead of synthetic, crochet cotton would be knitted.  While this gown is not what I would want for my babies today, it was made with love and prayers for the health and happiness of our future children. It is what it is and will remain the same.
Knitting this special garment was a distraction from my lonely isolation. It was also a comforting reminder that soon we would be taking our baby to Florida at Christmas for his baptism in our own little hometown church.
Needlework so often soothes troubled souls. This brings to mind part of a passage from Shakespeare’s Macbeth that I was required to memorize in high school….”sweet sleep that knits the ravell’d sleeve of care. ”
For me, the reverse was true: sweet knitting that put to sleep my raveling cares.
Has sewing, knitting or any other needlework offered you comfort at a difficult time in your life?~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my White Wednesday post. When you have an extra moment, treat yourself to a a peek at some of the other White Wednesday posts. There are some spectacular things to see here.
13 responses to “Knitted Christening Gown”