The Wedding Gown

My friends, thank you for your patience while waiting for my post about the wedding gown. 
This project has been in the works since the week after the wedding and  I hope you find it worth the wait.
This slide show will take over twelve minutes, and you will want to have the audio turned on.
 

The Wedding Gown

by Sharon Castlebury

Why must you, Bride, put on this gown

On this, your wedding day?

Why go to all the effort, Dear,

And stitch our hearts away?

Although I'm sure you'd look quite smart

In some gown off the rack,

'Twould save us time and effort great

To choose that easy track.

I'll tell you Dear, this dress is more

Than just a wedding gown,

For in its folds a tale is told;

Your story in it is found.

The dress began when you were born,

For hopes and dreams inspired it.

Each pattern piece was alterred so

A robe of Heaven you'd fit.

The fabric was beyond compare-

Your heart was made clean and pure;

"Twas cut out very carefully;

God's trimming hand was sure.

The pieces we did pin and fit-

The pain you felt was real;

But as the stitches were put in

How humbly you did yield.

At time we made real mistakes

So we ripped out then re-sewed.

The new seam that we stitched back in

Was nobler far we know.

The lovely dress was almost done

Except for one more thing

To try it on . . . how does it fit?

Will it make His heart sing?

You tried it on, it fit you like

An angel had sewn for you!
It was a perfect picture frame

Of the woman God made-it's true!

As you wore it on your wedding day

It made me start to cry,

To know that every stitch we took

Was another step in your life.

So, Darling as we think upon 

the time that's traveled past,

The years we spent in joy and tears

Were fashioning you at last

To be the one to pass the torch
to daughters in your line.
My Dear, remember, construct her dress

With care as we did thine.

An Heirloom Baby Gown

 I have had the joy of  making baby day-gowns for several of  my babies. 
They attended their first church service in them, and several services (before growing out of them) thereafter.
It is my intention to make each of my children an heirloom day-gown for their children.
This spring/summer found me stitching away on one for Trevor and Thelma's babys.

 This was my first attempt at drawn thread work on anything so fine. 
The fabric is pima batiste.

 The gown was worked in a pattern of broderie anglaise, which  is synonymous with "eyelet". It is found in a leaflet by  "Belles and Beaus"

entitled "Primer Series Broderie Anglaise" 1985.

 The back is from the same leaflet.   I love working eyelet.  You don't have to count or do any thinking.

 The buttonholes are worked by hand.  Very enjoyable.

Little Isabella was the first to wear this gown.
She appeared at the wedding in it and looked so sweet and babyish. 
As the day wore on, her gown became wrinkled, but she wore them well.
She was as a long-ago babe in a vintage photograph