Hilary Wardhaugh Photography BLOG

I am sure you have seen Hilary Wardhaugh Photography BLOG on my " Blogs I read".Hillary is a Canberra , Australia based portrait and wedding photographer. I have been following her creative shots..... I have to say the one above is my favourite ! The older boy reminds me of my son, crossed arms are his signature posture....I was excited to read the following...

"...Today........ was also an excuse to capture some shots for my upcoming "Fathers and Sons" work to be exhibited at M16 Artspace from the 4th September this year during VIVID...."

if you are in Canberra for Fathers Day, why not make an effort and go to see Hillary' work first hand ?!?!

http://hwpblog.blogspot.com/

Ellie's Does Not Wisdom Call ? - Highly recommended

This morning I have come across the most inspiring blog. I highly recommend all of you to take a look at Ellie's Does Not Wisdom Call ? ! I have to admit, that my mind kept on wondering all day... Every time I sat down at the computer I just had to read through few more entries ! I have added a link to Ellie's site under "The blogs I read."


http://doesnotwisdomcall.blogspot.com/


Prayer makes a sour heart sweet,a sad heart merry,
a poor heart rich, a foolish heart wise,
a timid heart brave,a sick heart well,
a blind heart full of sight, a cold heart ardent.
It draws down the great God into the little heart;
it drives the hungry soul up into the fullness of God;
it brings together two lovers, God and the soul,
in a wondrous place where they speak much of love.

Baptism Christening poem verse

Please God...
Grant this little child
Your loveAs each new day appears,
Grant the parents guidance
And wisdom though out the years -
Smile down upon this christening
And in Your loving way
Let Your presence gently bless
This little one today.

I hope you will enjoy this poem...please feel free to leave a comment ....

Heirloom silk embroidered christening gown Lily

I love the detailed embroidery design in this gown. I have called it LILY. This One Off gown has been purchased by a young couple for the baptism of their first born daughter Lily.

Unique Christening Gowns - verse

Please God...
Grant this little child Your love
As each new day appears,
Grant the parents guidance
And wisdom though out the years
-Smile down upon this christening
And in Your loving wayLet
Your presence gently bless
This little one today.

another Baptism or Christening Poem

(John H. Gower)

We bring them Lord,
in thankful hands,
And yielding them up to Thee;
Joyful that we ourselves are Thine,
Thine let our off-spring be.

Visit http://www.dennydavis.net/poemfiles/relchild.htm

Christening Baptism poem verse

We bring them Lord,
in thankful hands,
And yielding them up to Thee;
Joyful that we ourselves are Thine,
Thine let our off-spring be.

John H. Gower

How to measure for Girl's Baptism Gown

A - from neck across the shoulder and down to the wrist

.

W - chest right around underneath the arms

.

L - gown length

How to measure for Boy's Christening wear

Hope this will be helpful for supplying measurement information for your chosen baby boy's christening outfit.

Unisex Baptism Gown - special order p 6

I love the delicate lace around the bonnet :-) Please pay special attention to the inside of the bonnet.... The panel of lining covers the bonnet's back seams. Lot's of TLC( tender love and care ) is paid to all my gowns, making them very unique - one of the kind- unique christening gowns......

The same soft, fine guipure lace trim was used around the sleeve's edge to soften the gowns look. Around the wrist, I have attached few 3mm white double sided ribbons to be used to tie up into a small bow .

This ensemble is finished. I am very happy with the final look. It is a very stylish unisex gown and I am sure the parents, who put the design together will be over the moon with their purchase.

Unisex Christening gown - special order p 5

Once the silk sleeve seams are overlocked I place a couple of small darts on either side of the shoulder seam. I makes it a much easier to carefully sew them into the arm hole opening.Next, the arm seams are finished off with bound seams. They prevent baby's skin irritation.

Unisex Baptism Gown- special order p 4

I thought you might like to see the close up photos of the gown so far...... Keep in mind this is a traditional style of the christening gown... it is longer than a modern baptismal gown. This design uses 250 cm of pure white silk to make up the fullness of the skirt in it. The gown is lined with 200cm width of white non-static lining which helps to achieve this unique look. This will be a truly unique heirloom christening gown ! It has been put together by the loving parents for their first born baby boy. I have been told it will become a family heirloom. The baby's grandmother will hand embroider each babies initials on the lining. How special is that going to be ?

Godparent themed quotes

I found these lovely godparent themed quotes...


Each time the world needs an extra touch of love and gentle caring,

God creates a Godmother.



To my Godchild:

May blessings come from heaven above and fill your life

with peace and love.


Godfathers are a special blessing from God.

Help to name my new unisex christening gown

Would I be able to get some suggestions re unisex baby names ?

I have a couple of new gown designs in my unisex christening gown range.

I would love to give them names.... thanks Dana

Unisex Baptism Gown - special order p 3

Once the lining has been stitched to the silk make small incisions right around the neck seams. Be careful though, not to cut right through the seam. I top stitch the narrow seam to the lining. It gives a nice and smooth neck finish.

I make my own piping using the same fabric. I tend to stitch the piping along the edge of the right side of the yoke.The gathered skirt is stitched to the lining of the yoke first and than the silk and piping seam is turned under and top- stitched along the edge of the piping. The perfect line of the silk piping guides me to get that stunning finish . Let me know if you will find it very easy to manage as well.

Unisex Baptism Gown - special order p2

Once I have attached the lining to the embroidered silk , I have overlocked all the seams right around both lining and the silk skirt. As you can see from the photos the embroidery design is very light . Both of the parents were very happy with it. The white guipure lace has been chosen by dad. Just one quick point here.... when you are attaching a long piece of lace ( 250 cm in this case) make sure you are not pulling on it. If you do it will create a waffle effect and no amount of steam ironing will get that pressed out.

Baptism or Christening poem

Baptism or Christening Poem

Blessings on the little children,
Sweet and fresh from Heaven above,
May their days be filled with beauty,
May they grow in truth and love.
Lord, bless this tiny infant
Who will make the world so fair -
Keep this precious little life
Forever in Your care.

Unisex Baptism Gown - special order

Do you recall me telling you about the couple choosing a gown for their son ? Well, they have compromised. Dad chose white silk fabric and the guipure / venise lace for the gown... from the original gown he liked. Mum piked the white silk thread heirloom embroidery and the traditional long gown design with a lovely matching bonnet.

As you can see from the photos I have finished the embroidery for the gown..... and my blood boiled ...... right there 12 cm above the hemline..... this massive fault in the silk. I have noticed it while ironing out the embroidery. Now, the spot it is in... I can't cut it, because the gown is to be traditional heirloom length....

I had to pack the whole thing and take it to my silk supplier. Let me tell you I was not impressed :) Mangit is great she took one look and lost it herself !!! Her importer swore by the quality of the silk. She exchanged the remainder of the silk ( over 20 meters ) for the brand new shipment. I must admit we ended up unrolling the new roll and checking its quality. I am very particular about the quality of my gowns. I pride myself on the perfect baptismal and christening gowns... I do not take short cuts or sell faulty outfits.

Christening Baptism quotes

I can't believe another day is gone ! Where "do" the hours go in a day ? There is never enough time in the day, don't you agree ?
Especially with a little baby. By the time the feeding, burping , nappy change etc. are done it is time to start the feeding time again ...
Well I have searched out some more lovely quotes for you, hope you will like them.


Children are sweet miracles
sent by God above
To fill the world with goodness
and the blessings of his love


A christening is the joyous beginning of a lifetime of loving and serving the Lord.

Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility. (Kate Douglas Wiggins)

Let the little children come to Me, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18:16)

Whoever welcomes a child in My name, welcomes Me. (Luke 9:46-48)

Unique. Christening gowns - Customer comments

I have been asked about customer comments re. my handmade christening wear.I have listed some of them below...

Hi Dana,
I am so glad I found you on the net. The christening gown is absolutely beautiful and I am thrilled with it. Just a quick question, do you leave the ribbons on the bonnet and bib long so I can cut them down to the right length?
Regards Caroline
Hi Dana,
Thanks for showing me all your beautiful gowns today.
I showed my husband the pictures on your website, and I'm pretty sure we will go with the "Ben" romper, I just want to show the Godparents first before ordering.
Thanks Lisa

Dana
I am so happy that you can ship to me...your rompers are great and I will spread the word!!! I am interested in the "ben" or "angel" model. I have a baby boy... I am not sure if you custom-make the embroidery...I really like "ben" but I love the God Bless on "angel"...but I am not sure if it is too girly. Do you do custom details? Either way you have the most unique outfits on the internet. I live all the way in the United States (chicago, IL) and have been searching for months...yours are the best!!!
Thanks so much Gina
(Sorry I wrote so early, isn't it like 7:00a.m. - it is 6:00p.m. here...WOW, you are on top of E-mails)

Hello Dana
The christening gown and bonnet are just so beautiful....thank you so much for the care and effort you took to create them. I just think they’re the sweetest things and I’m so appreciative that you made them up so quickly. I will take photos of Evangeline wearing her outfit on the day and with my brother and SIL’s permission, I’ll send you a copy. She’s such a little tom boy that I’m looking forward to seeing her in a pretty dress.Thank you once again !
Kindest regards Annie

Hi Dana
Finally picked up the stoles from our po box today, thank you so much, they are just beautiful, thanks again for your great assistance.
Kind regards, Coralee.

Unique Christening Gowns - Baptism verse

First came love
Then came marriage
Then came (name)
In a baby carriage
Now's the time
To make it all complete
And to hold the Christening
Of this child so sweet

Another lovely verse from http://www.imag-e-nation.com/

Christening baptism booties - cont.

When it comes to working with silk, you need to remember that it frays with ease. One more thing, I found that when the silk is pressed it doesn't get as many creased marks during the time it takes to put the garments together. I still press the seams as they are stitched, but the job is so much more easier to manage.... give it a try and let me know.

Technorati Profile

Christening baptism booties - Boy

Today was a very strange and "unproductive" day for me.... everything seemed to take forever . I am sure you get days like that. No matter what you touch, things just don't want to move along :)

However , I have managed to finish this pair of silk christening booties. When it comes to using piping in my sewing I like to match it up exactly. All of my piping is handmade by me. I am pedantic as to colour matches . Yes, I know it takes up some extra time but the effects are worth it..... in this case , the piping was made in navy satin as in the suit set. The soil of the shoe has an extra layer of heavy - stiff interfacing. It gives the booties a firm shoe look . Why don't you try it out ?

Christening photo

Few years ago,I have received this christening day photo from one of my customers. It has to be one of my favourite pictures :) I have been told, that the priest has complemented the parents on a well kept family heirloom gown. Imagine his surprise and disbelieve upon hearing that this unique silk gown has been hand made only few weeks prior to the little girl's baptism !!!

Baptism Christening Gift

A small child So precious and sweet,

Has come into your lives

To make them complete.

Today is so special

.

In every which way

Enjoy baby (name)'s Special Day.

.

.

.

I was cleaning out my portfolio today and I have come across this lovely baby boy christening baptism gift set. It was ordered by a family member for one very special little boy. Can you see the cross embroidery on the book cover ? Did you know that only a small number of customers will ask for a shade of baby blue colour to be added into their christening gown or romper ?

Christening Baptism Tradition

A child is a precious gift from God
And baptism is God's gift wrapping....


In the past 6 months or so , I have noticed that a lot of baby boys are being baptised in traditional silk christening gowns. Yes, long gowns ... it is so good to see young families are starting their own traditions of keepsake for generations to come.
This week , I had a pleasure of meeting one of the families in my showroom. Daddy loves the white embroidered unisex silk gown, mum on the other hand - an off white embroidered silk heirloom gown. We have dressed the baby in the gowns to see what suits the young man. Both are unique and both look absolutely stunning on him.... I suggested the parents think about it and come back in few days time to make their decision. They intend to baptise all their children in the same gown and than hand down the very beautiful gown for their grandchildren to be christened in. I will keep you posted as the the choice they make...... have a good weekend Dana

Unisex christening gown Sam - p 5

I have added the buttons and double sided satin ribbons to this brand new unisex christening gown called Sam. It looks absoulutely smashing ! It gives me a great buzz to see my unique designs come to life....

My search for today's quote lead me to ...

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

How true is it ???

Unisex christening gown - making p 4

Just finished the unisex embroidered silk bonnet for the new gown. The second picture was taken to show you the inside of the bonnet. The back panel is lined with a hidden seam, there is no threads or seams to rub against your baby's head. I am off the bound the arm seams ..... talk to you soon Dana

Unisex christening gown - making p3

I thought you might like to see the making of the silk matching bonnet. I decided to embroider the brim of the bonnet with the same delicate heirloom motif as on the christening gown's skirt. No, the bonnet will not have any matching lace panels. I think nice and soft around the face will be pleasing to the parents' eye.

Unisex christening gown -making p2

As you can see from today's pictures all the seams are hidden or bounded. In the yoke and the sleeve. I have decided to use the straight edge of the guipure / venise lace to finish off the sleeves in this unique unisex design of the christening gown. I think it is more suitable when it comes to the traditional baptismal gown for both boys and girls.

Unisex christening gown- making p1

Today I have started to design unisex christening gown. I have opted for heirloom guipure / venise lace with no flowers.It is an eye-catching trim, don't you agree ? I found this lovely delicate leaf branch motif in my embroideries. I think it suits the design perfectly.

I have started of with one layer of lace inserted about 20 cm from the hemline, but it didn't "grab" me once it was put together..... as you can see I have added the extra layer when the silk christening skirt of the new unique design was lined... Now I am happy with the skirt section. Tomorrow morning I will continue on with the yoke.....

Today's quote comes from Abraham Lincoln.....

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother"

Baby blanket - Irish prayer

I know I have promised you the pics of the finished heirloom gown today,but I just couldn't help myself !!!!!

I had so many people asking me about the new Irish Prayer baby blankets !!! Thank you for your lovely compliments. Here are two more for your eyes to feast on.... I believe this would be great for a baby shower gift. It is so thrilling to give a gift as precious as these !

I will leave you with a quote I have found today....

‘Making the decision to have a child - it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body’ - Elizabeth Shaw.

Christening Batism Candle

Unique Christening Gowns hand decorate personalised christening, baptismal candles. We purchase our white christening candles from a Melbourne candle maker. We are pretty flexible when it comes to the personalising them. We love our customers to have their choice when it comes to even the smallest details regarding the special occasion details.

Our candles measure 1950mm in height and 1700mm right around the base

A lot of parents seem to choose the phrase

Baptism

of

Alex

Mark (sample names used )

Please feel free to contact us at any time with any questions.

Christening romper & cape ZAK

We would like to show you Zak ,this stunning quality garment was designed with a traditional christening in mind.
White silk folds beautifully in the detachable cape. The cape is fully lined and 6 white plastic shank silk covered buttons are attached to the baptismal romper to keep the cape in place. The baptismal silk romper has a white crystal beaded silk panel across the front . As in all of our designs, this christening romper has two hidden invisible zips for easy access. The baptismal hat is fully lined and the elastic is used at the back of the hat to give it that extra stretch.

We would recommend the Tom silk booties from our christening accessories to compliment this unique baptismal garment.

Christening bootie - Unisex

Baptism and christening accessories

Unisex silk christening bootie is yet another style of easily fitted baptismal booties. It is adapted according to the ceremonial wear purchased for the church ceremony. The unisex bootie is made from doubled layer of the matching silk. All seams are concealed with hand stitching in the final stages of sewing.

The sample dispayed here has a matching guipure /venise lace to complement Amy Heirloom Christening Gown.

Baptism bootie - Baby

Christening - baptism accessories

Baby style booties are made to match the christening robes for both baby boys and girls. This is an open bootie design with a double sided satin ribbon used to tie up into a bow. The silk baptismal booties are lined with the same silk and bemsilk, all seam edges are concealed with a hand stitched finish. This Baby bootie has an heirloom embroidery , for the handbeaded gowns instead of the embroidery we would hand bead a pearl or crystal flower.

Christening booties - Tom

Matching silk christening , baptism booties are

a main aspect of christening accessories.

This is our baby boy christening shoe design. It is created with an easy fitting in mind by using fine elastic at the hill. This quality handmade silk bootie has all seam edges concealed. It is lined with the same silk and bemsilk lining. White plastic shank matching silk covered buttons are hand stitched on for decoration with a 7mm double sided satin ribbon used to tie a bow on the outer side.

Stole / sash - embroidery samples

These are some samples of confirmation stole's embroidery . Those designs are also available for your use on personalised baby christening/ baptismal bibs and christening stole / sash.

Please note : The sash / stole samples on display have been supplied by the customers. We have embroidered them as per customer's personalised orders.

Visit Unique Christening Gowns website for more information .

Christening stole/sash

Christening stole / sash is placed around the baby's neck during baptism ceremony. Personalised embroidery of the stole is optional. We have found , that majority of parents ask for the details to be embroidered with pink or baby blue silk threads. They are more visible, where as the off white / white silk threads seam to blend in too much with the silk's shade .

Please check out our display of the confirmation stoles for a wider choice of ceremony symbols.

Stole measuments Width 10 cm Length 110cm

visit Unique Christening Gowns website for further information.

Christening Day stories

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to everyone who is game enough to share their babies' christening day stories with us. A very wise man told me not too long ago that I should start writing some of mine.....well, where do I start ?

I think the most imprinted into my memory is the day I have met Melody.I believe she arrived from U.S.A. four days before her granddaughters' christening. She was stunned,when she realised the the christening gown she purchased for the event was missing from her luggage ! No, it wasn't stolen , she simply left it hanging in the window, back at home in U.S. She meant to pack it at the very last minute to minimize the creasing of the silk.

and this story

Few years back a very kind Nana wanted to keep her grandson calm during the baptism ceremony. She decided that a biscuit would do the trick.... well it sure did !!! She gave him a chocolate teddy bear , when the parents realised what was happening it was too late . The melting chocolate came dripping down the front of the white silk romper.

Baby blanket - irish prayer

This is the personalised baby blanket I mentioned in one of the previous posts. I have covered the family surname , the baby is still" being cooked" ....
I am sure you all know the Irish prayer
May God grant you always
A sunbeam to warm you
A moonbeam to charm you
A sheltering Angel
So nothing can harm you.....