Daddy Doesn't Want Frills on His Son's Christening Gown?

Spiritual - Before the day of our holy Baptism, we had only a human life.  Afterwards, we began to participate in the Divine life. We became incorporated in Christ as His members and received the Holy Spirit for the first time.  The Holy Spirit began to diffuse Christ's graces in us so that we could begin to live and walk in Christ.  This sacrament is the first; the other sacraments restore, root, invigorate and build up this divine life within us.  This gift, however, requires our cooperation.  "Every sin, fault, or voluntary negligence dishonors Christ and grieves the Holy Spirit who lives within us.  We cannot remain content to merely avoid sin; we must also strive to make Christ's life increase in us.  Without our cooperation, it is possible for this life to remain stationary in us for twenty, thirty, fifty years after our baptism, after hundreds of confessions and Holy communions.  We may be adult, or even aged in years, but children according to grace!"

Sewing - This is an interesting history of Christening gowns.

Simple & lovely.  This "boy" Christening gown was made using one of the patterns by Nancy Coburn from her series of books of baby & toddler's gowns, day dresses, and suits.  It was made using white Imperial batiste (blend, so won't need ironing), a simple sweet Swiss embroidery, entredeaux, and thread.  An intermediate beginner can make this gown.

Ginger Snaps Designs By Nancy Coburn.  Nancy has a series of these booklets which include the basic pattern and several variations of each gown.  SewHealing has several in the shop. 

The yoke has two sets of triple (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) pintucks that flank three machine embroidered cross-stitched crosses. The yoke is attached to the skirt with entredeaux.  The neck is finished with Swiss embroidery.

The band at the bottom of the gown is a simple repeat of the yoke.  There are two sets of the triple pintucks.  The machine embroidered cross-stitched crosses are placed evenly around the band between the sets of pintucks.

Triple pintucks and crosses are repeated on the lower sleeve. A sweet  Swiss embroidery embellishes the three-quarter length sleeve and the neck.  The sleeve is a set in sleeve and has no gathers at the shoulder.

Christening cap

Triple pintucks, crosses and Swiss embroidery are featured on the Christening cap.  

"Sit & Sew" Janice Savoy

Spiritual - During Lent, it is a good time to be reminded of the value of suffering.  If Jesus, the Teacher of truth, life, and our souls, commends suffering to us, it must be because it contains a great treasure.  Jesus, who willingly embraced suffering, offers it to us, and invites us to esteem and love it,  must have been obedient to it because of  a superior good that cannot be attained by any other means.  The sufferings of humanity is the direct outcome of original sin from the disobedience of our first parents and actual sins.  "Yet the Church chants: O happy fault!  Why?  ...because  the infinite love of God transforms everything and draws from the double evil of sin and suffering the great good of the redemption of the human race." As Christians we must not consider pain only as a disagreeable burden from which we naturally recoil, but must see in it much more - a means of redemption and sanctification.  Divine Intimacy

                                                                                Sewing -  Janice loves to sew, drive her convertible, and try new things - like flying lessons.  She also loves garage sales   She found a wonderful second hand Singer to keep at SewHealing for Tuesday nights for $25!  Sometimes she challenges me more than I  challenge her. She does not use only one pattern when she sews...she combines them or tries to copy pictures using several patterns from her stash. I'm biting my nails waiting to see what she'll bring each each week for us to work on. She is a hoot!  Janice has one thing in common with all of us...she loves her grandchildren and enjoys sewing for them.