Christening Gowns & Heirloom Sewing

Satin Batiste Christening Gown

We are on a tear!  Is that a good way to explain what it is when you're madly going about doing what you love to do with ideas exploding in living color and the studio looking like a tornado hit it and all the while having a wonderful time?!?  I call that a 'tear'.  No, not the crying kind, unless we're talking about tears of joy!

The Mere and I have ramped it up a bit - it must be the sunshine - and we're completing project upon project of unique and beautiful things, just for you:-)  Designs that we have wanted to make for five years now.  Like the white eyelet dress with the pale pink ribbons running through!  What little girl wouldn't look like a Victorian doll in a dress like that!


 
 
 




And we've completed four new Christening gowns.  We wouldn't be "us" if we didn't have Mere's pearl smocked gown, which we make a little different each time so that each gown is unique!  The Satin Batiste gown is new and adorned with beautiful French lace 'oooh la la'!  We even designed a stunning gown from organic cotton.  Are we having fun?  Yes!

And, boy, are we happy baseball season is upon us.  Actually, you are happy too, you just don't know it.  And you're probably wondering why you're happy, why we're happy, and what baseball season (Go Giants!) has to do with our 'justbaby.us' designs.  Sweaters!  Lots and lots of new sweaters because what else does any self-respecting baby clothes designer do while watching a baseball game???  Knit!  Mindlessly.  Hurrah for extra innings!  Mere turned out a sweater in three days - the white one below.  Actually, the Masters might have helped her along, but still.  Three days!

 

Yup, we're happy and creatively bursting.  More to come...the next project has been a dream of Mere's to do.  Anyone who has been in our brick and mortar shop has seen my father's quilt hanging in the back.  It's a beautiful applique quilt of the ABC's.  I could have sold it 1,000 times, but never.  But... we have recreated the beautiful 1927 quilt and will be showing it off very shortly.  It's whimsical, colorful and gorgeous.  Coming soon!

 

In the meantime, happy Spring, happy family, happy life.

Jen

Smock It To Me, Smock It To Me, Smock It To Me

People are fascinated when they see our smocked baby clothes and even more fascinated when they watch mom smocking on a project.  Beautiful DMC threads, two at a time, taking quick, continuous tiny stitches and the pattern grows.

We do not create the pleats by hand, thank goodness.  Well, we do.  The hand turns the crank and guides the fabric on our magical Amanda Jane pleater, which we purchased from a company in Australia.  Australia, come to find out, is HUGE into smocked, traditional clothing for girls AND boys.  (Insert big sigh right here).  I wish more people in our own US of A were.  There is such a small time in life when babies are babies and there is nothing more precious than a little boy in a smocked jon-jon.  I know.  My little boys wore jon-jons and the pictures in the scrapbook are adorable!  But I digress.

Smocking began in England in the 13th or 14th century.  Linen fabric was gathered into pleats and then secured with embroidery stitches.  Clothing was smocked on the yoke and sleeves, creating an elastic band! (Who thought of this?)   With the use of machinery, the loose garments became impractical and dangerous to wear around moving parts, so smocking died out.

In the early 20th century, smocking began to decorate garments for women and children, which was both popular and fashionable.  But the two World Wars brought availability of cheaper mass produced clothing, rather than the labor-intensive hand-smocked clothes.  And it became less prevalent.

And then!  On to 2009 when Just Baby Gifts & Apparel set up shop and started making smocked clothing again!  We love making bishop dresses for the smaller set - newborn to one year.  The smocked bodice dresses are for 12-36 months.  And they often have ties on the side to make a big bow in the back, just like Mom used to make for me!  Each smocked outfit is unique.  Mom just waits for the fabric to talk to her and then she lets the pattern flow, like magic! 

Here's a beauty that she just finished for the holidays.  It's actually red, not orange (fire the photographer!)  Check out our shop at http://www.justbaby.us/ to see our current collection of smocked baby clothes.  But hurry because there's only one of each.

Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for upcoming sales, and Like us while you're there.  Thank you!