help on christening gown

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help on christening gown - 7/29/2011 11:00:08 AM

nanas needle

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I am making a christening gown with pointed hemline. 6 points around entire skirt and each point is 7 1/2 inches deep. I am putting a 3 inch Venice lace on the bottom of the hemline, and am about 1/2 yard short on the lace. It is not available now and would like some suggestions as to what I might do to make the lace I have work. It really needs this particular lace on the bottom to make the dress look right. Need suggestions badly.

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RE: help on christening gown - 7/29/2011 11:45:55 AM

KathyD

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Hmmm - well, if the skirt is an a-line shape and continues to get more full as you get further down the length of the gown, you could possibly shorten it to where the length would work. Or, you could place that lace higher up on the hem of the skirt and put a complimentary lace around the hem. If the skirt has the same amount of fullness, that won't work. I'll see if I can think of something else. Are you using a pattern or just doing your own design? If you're using a particular pattern, it would help to know which one for those of us that are more visual.

I'm sure that others will pop in with some suggestions as well.

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RE: help on christening gown - 7/29/2011 12:48:04 PM

nanas needle

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Kathy, the gown has a narrow square yoke, then smocking just below the yoke in "V" designs that is about 10" deep. Therefore, the skirt is the same width all the way down. This is my own design, so no actual pattern involved. I already had the entredeux sewn on the bottom of the gown, and thought I had enough lace to do the hem, so now need to try to come up with a solution that will salvage the bottom. Where I am located there are no shops that carry any good laces, and I have spent hours on the internet trying to find some that would work, but none that looks nearly as good as what I have.

Since the gown is quite long, I even wondered if there was something completely different that I could do in the very front (without this lace) maybe at the center point of the skirt, and then would have enough of the venice lace to do the rest. Right now I am drawing a complete blank on a solution. All help greatly appreciated.

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RE: help on christening gown - 7/29/2011 3:01:28 PM

ShirleyCalgary

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From: Calgary Area of Alberta
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OK Here is the first thing that came to me - does this dress have a slip yet? if not make the slip and MEASURE CAREFULLY how much lace you have - make the slip to coincide with the lace you have - shorten the dress if need be and let the slip with the lace show under the dress - continue with your idea of the points on the dress. So that's my 2cents worth of ideas.

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Shirley - Mom to Dickens (PuppyWuppy now known as Dicky Wicky)and Doyle (baby) and Baxter, Bella, Pistol, Cowboy, ChiChi at Rainbow Bridge
I sew on Janome 8000, 10001, 11000se, 12000, 350e, 300e, Janome 234d and Babylock Imagine

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RE: help on christening gown - 7/29/2011 3:36:12 PM

KathyD

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Martha Pullen has some pretty Venice laces in her online store - but I suppose you've already looked there and they weren't what you were looking for. I never choose Venice laces for Christening gowns, so I can't really recommend many specific sites for that. However, I do think it would be beautiful to just gather a pretty French lace and attach it to the entredeux - I always love that look.

You could also make a strip of your own laces to create a fancy band - perhaps a couple rows of insertion and then end it with an edging and attach that (not gathered, but flat) to the entredeux - you would need to mitre the corners at the points and peaks, but that would also be stunning. I don't have a picture of that, but I can certainly see that in my head.

Tatting sewn to the entredeux is always a pretty finish as well.

I think that since your Venice lace cannot be used because you don't have enough, you have to just come up with plan B and think about the hemline differently. There's really lots of possibilities.

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RE: help on christening gown - 7/29/2011 3:48:47 PM

nanas needle

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Thanks to all you ladies who offered help. I think I will put some french lace into a fairly narrow fancy band and onto the entredeux points, mitering the points, etc. then take Shirley's suggestion of putting the venice lace on the slip and having it show just below the points of the dress. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

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RE: help on christening gown - 7/30/2011 7:00:09 AM

Joanne

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Could you post a picture of the lace?

My JoAnn's carries some Venice lace. Maybe somebody has a piece that we could give you. Joanne

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RE: help on christening gown - 7/30/2011 7:14:11 AM

makettle

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I like the idea of the Venice lace on the slip. Think it will be beautiful. You can make the slip narrower with same number of points. Can you post a picture when done? I bet it will be gorgeous.

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RE: help on christening gown - 7/30/2011 9:18:07 AM

nanas needle

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I will post a picture when I get it completed. Will be a while as I have many projects in stages, and the baby is not here yet. Thanks again for all the suggestions

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RE: help on christening gown - 8/1/2011 11:24:14 AM

Linda S.

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Coming in late here, but if you feel you need to use the venice lace, would you have enough if you eliminated the points from the hemline? It takes less lace to go in a straight line than it does to go up and down around those points.

For my eye anyway, I think part of the beauty of a hem like you're planning to do is in the way it gracefully drapes. With Venice lace attached, it wouldn't be quite as graceful because this lace would keep it more stiff. I'm sure you could figure out a way to incorporate some of your venice lace near the hemline, and still use a softer lace (such as the ones Kathy chose) to go around the points. I would also figure out a way to incorporate the new lace in some other area (possibly around the neckline and/or sleeve cuff?) to tie it in with the rest.

I'm sure your gown will be lovely! With so many beautiful materials, how could it be anything else. Some of the projects I'm most proud of were the result of a "mistake" : )

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RE: help on christening gown - 8/2/2011 8:19:36 AM

Sparkle

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I like the idea of the points - post a picture of the lace and see if anybody has any - - - it's happened before!

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RE: help on christening gown - 8/2/2011 9:27:41 AM

midnightsewin

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Could you evenly split your lace and insert some batiste? Kind of hard to describe, but like cut your trim into 8" pieces and some batitste or comparable fabric into 4" pieces and finish the bottom edge of the batiste with lace to get it the same width as the trim, then stitch alternating a piece of trim, then a piece of batiste, until you have the length you need?

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