Heirloom Christening Gowns
And How To Care For Them

For many years heirloom christening gowns can be passed down through the family to become a part of that family's heritage.

The family member who first made the christening gown would have put a lot of care and detail into the design. Maybe bits have been added or changed over the years, lace applied, buttons or beads sewn on. No matter what, the traditional family christening gown would be passed down through the generations.

Handmade christening gowns are normally a garment of beauty, admired by the whole family. they would have lace, and they may be embroidered by hand.

If you are looking to make your own christening gown to become a family heirloom, then there are patterns out there should you care to search. Some may be found on the internet, Ebay would be a good place to start looking. Don't forget that you could search your local car boots, antique fairs and flea markets.

If you are looking for patterns, a good search start would be the old vintage patterns from McCall's, Simplicity or Butterick.

Then again any christening gown can become a family heirloom. If you pass it down to your children, and they pass it down to their children, this would be just the start.

There are also heirloom christening gowns available from some very famous designers. How wonderful would they be to pass down through your family.

Want to start your own traditional heirloom?

The hem, chest and sleeves are edged with beautiful scallop detail, and it has a Peter Pan neckline. This design boasts the mother of pearl 'Dior' plaque, so you know that you are getting true quality and wonderful design detail. The gown fastens down the back with 3 branded buttons, and it is fully lined.

If you want to start to your very own family heirloom christening gown, this is a fantastic way to do it. It will hold its quality and style for many years, becoming a heirloom that can be used again and again by many generations.

View the amazing Dior heirloom gown here.

The gowns below are just a small sample of what you could use to start your very own heirloom christening gowns tradition. All boasting delicate and stunning designs, and ranging in price, these gowns will delight family members, and are perfect for your baby's special day.

These are just small sample of the range available at The Children Salon, to view the full range of christening and baptism gowns and products available, click this link.

Caring for your heirloom christening gown

• Either wash (if the material allows this) or dry clean, silks and satins should be dry cleaned. If you are washing by hand thoroughly rinse the gown, do this several times and do not use fabric softener.

• Lay the gown flat and allow it to air dry naturally.

• Store the gown in a 100% cotton or muslin enclosure. Most christening stores will sell cotton or muslin bags, especially for your heirloom Christening gown. The fabric of your gown needs to breath and a specially made storage bag will allow for this to happen.

• Every few years, remove the gown, soak it in luke warm water. Dry carefully - Flat and air dry again, and then repack and store.

• Never iron your gown before storage, this is a common way to cause dry rot!

If you take care with your christening gown, it should last for many years - Hopefully a lot longer than we humans do! And it will see (and be worn at) many christenings in its lifetime.

Do you want a gown with a bit of Celtic tradition to it? Have a look at these Irish christening gowns.

Everyone likes a touch of silk! click here to see some beautiful silk christening gowns

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