The little white dress…

A vintage christening gown, made to measure….

For Munchkin’s christening a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to get one of our traditional family gowns altered to fit her, short enough so she could run around in and smart enough to suit such a special occasion.

Understandably, a couple of the dressmakers I approached initially said they wouldn’t take on the work. The dress is vintage and very delicate, made of the softest, lightest cotton and the more intricate of cotton lace at the front. Cutting it meant changing it forever and it was a big deal.

Luciky I eventually found Rhiannon at Forum Design, they mostly do interiors but specialise in alterations and dress-making too. Over the course of four months we worked on the dress together, deciding about the simplest way to adjust it without losing too much detail.

The bottom of the dress had some beautiful layering and detail so this was removed and turned into an underskirt. The front panel of the dress was entirely lace with nothing underneath so Rhiannon used some of the cotton from the rest of the dress to make a light bodice underneath.

Amazingly, despite this being a dress for a three month old baby, Munchkin still fitted into it, which meant we didn’t need to do too much in the way of adjusting the waist or sleeves. We added a few poppers in at the back, disguised as little pearlescent buttons, to hold it in place and that was all.

The finished result was really special. I feel very blessed we were able to create something so simple and unique for her christening. And something so personal too.