Welcome back!
Today, I am going to talk about the pattern I chose to make my daughter’s First Holy Communion and Confirmation gown.
Last summer, I decided that I would make my daughter’s First Communion gown out of my mother’s wedding gown that was handmade by my grandmother.
I am going to be honest. I was tempted to purchase one. I could not figure out what I was going to do with the particular style of my mother’s dress.
I found many gorgeous First Communion gowns online but this is why I didn’t purchase one.
So I started searching for the perfect pattern. While I no longer use printed paper patterns often, I checked out the Look Books from the Big Four as I hadn’t seen many formal styles that caught my eye lately in my sewing newsfeed. The Big Four formal patterns I found either seemed far too-challenging, or had potential fit issues. I knew that if I was going to brave enough to do this, I had to find a pattern by a designer I trusted (and of course, make a muslin!).
I have been addicted to mainly go to Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop when I am looking for a new pattern. I sewed my first PAB pattern about four years ago, and then did not sew very frequently until June 2014. I had a newborn baby and I could not keep her mitts on to keep her from scratching her face! I found the Lullaby Line Hat and Mitts and, well, the rest is history.
I had seen the Primrose Dress when it released and it finally hit me. The construction complemented the lace panels original to my mother’s dress!
See where I got the inspiration from? So, when I purchased the Primrose pattern, I knew I needed to make one to check fit and see if I liked it! I know this is not a full view of the dress, but I love how Middle Miss’ Birthday Dress turned out! I was able to showcase the “Happy Birthday!” Anna and Elsa Print right in the center of the panel.
I made the dress (and even got a ribbon for it at our county fair) and loved it. I cut out a second one in my oldest daughter’s size as a muslin and left it in my UFO pile to sew closer to the big date (in case there was a growth spurt).
About two months after I settled on the Primrose by PAB Pattern, there was a call for testers for a formal holiday dress with casual options. With three girls, dress patterns always catch my eye in testing calls, and this one was an elegant elbow-length sleeved number.
I was lucky enough to be chosen to test my eldest daughter’s size in the Very Merry Party Dress pattern. I made her the dressy variation in taffeta. Once I saw the perfect fit, and the elegant scooped back, I knew this would be the pattern I used for her First Communion gown.
I tested this dress at the end of October. I did not want to start sewing yet because kids grow quickly, and I wanted a great fit. But now that I knew what I was planning, I was able to start trying to mash the vision I had for her dress based on the Very Merry with the dress on the dress form.
I am almost done with the dress, but here is a transformation progress picture… Next week I will share some of the specific details of my sewing project including some trial and error, as well as a few tips for trying to make a gown out of a vintage or heirloom piece!
Disclosure: Post contains affiliate links. All of my honest opinions, reviews, and photos are my own!
I recently had the pleasure of testing a new pattern for Love Notions, the Octave…
Hello fabric friends!
I am thrilled to be included in another one of Sharon Holland…
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Felicia Balezentes | 27th Jan 16
Beautiful! I remember my First Communion (almost 40 years ago!). I had a borrowed dress – my friend attended the Catholic school and had hers one week before my CCD class had ours! And my veil was borrowed from another friend. Talk about economizing!
madebyeleri | 27th Jan 16
Felicia, that is a lovely story! I loaned my wedding veil (a simple economical choice from the Garment District in L.A.) to another bride about 3 months after my wedding. It felt really good to share and definitely economical. I looked at some bridal veils for more variety and inspiration and I had forgotten how expensive they are!
catholic4areason | 27th Jan 16
I can’t wait to see the finished product! I love how you just dive in and make it happen!
The Contrite Catholic | 27th Jan 16
I’m obsessed with this dress and your talent! Amazing!