I cut the bodice, front and back, from one layer of the lace appliquéd netting–fussy cutting the original gown so the floral motifs would be centered–and underlined it with Imperial batiste, machine basting the layers together around the edges. Like the bodice pieces, I fussy cut the sleeves from the lace appliquéd netting so that a floral motif would run the length. Unlike the bodice and skirt, I chose not to line the sleeves.
To prevent the netting fabric from scratching the baby where the sleeve was set into the gown, I sandwiched the shoulder seam between the outer bodice layer and the bodice lining. This not only protected the baby’s skin, but provided a very clean finish to the interior of the gown.
As with all the baby gowns I make, my finishing touch is to ensure that future generations never question the provenance of the special gown by hand embroidering the baby’s name and date of baptism on the center of the simple slip near the hemline.
