To believe or not to believe in God, each person must decide for himself. However, regardless of what the answer is, baptism of children is currently a fairly popular and even fashionable procedure. However, not all parents understand the meaning of this sacrament. But they strive to do everything to ensure that it passes to the highest level. Many even prepare their own baptismal shirt for a boy. Therefore, the material presented below describes in detail how to sew this important thing with your own hands.
Pre-work stage
To ensure that nothing interferes with the creative process, it is important to carry out proper preparation. In this case, you need to collect the following set of tools:
- special pins to secure the material and prevent distortion of the pattern;
- convenient scissors for cutting;
- chalk for drawing patterns;
- a measuring tape to measure the baby’s parameters;
- pattern and long ruler - transfer the measurements taken to the fabric;
- sewing needle and thread - make a shirt;
- sewing machine - sew a product.
The tools needed to make a baby boy's christening shirt should be kept at hand. So that they can be used at any time.
Sewing moments
Ready embroidery for decoration.
Sew embroidery and lace onto the cut. We sew the raglan to make a whole neck.
We assemble the neck and edge it. We make the edging strip long enough for the ties.
Source
Material selection
Experienced craftsmen recommend paying special attention to the choice of fabric that we will use to create the pattern, cut and sew the product under study. Most beginning craftsmen prefer linen; some even work with silk or satin. Although both professional seamstresses and church ministers agree that the most suitable material for sewing a baptismal shirt for a boy, as well as a baptismal dress for a girl, is cotton. The most common white cotton. However, this does not mean that the finished product will be too simple and ordinary. With a creative approach, it will be possible to transform it into a true masterpiece. More on this later.
Terry cloth and towels
To give softness, fluffiness and volume to our terry products, we sew them only from double-sided fabric with a high loop.
We choose terry that is produced in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, because these countries traditionally produce cotton. It is thanks to their thickness and density that our towels and diapers are so cozy and fluffy.
We recently got terry towels from a Russian factory that uses Egyptian cotton yarn; they meet our requirements for softness, color and quality of tailoring. We use them as blanks for baptismal towels, and also embroider memorial inscriptions for godparents and godchildren.
The terry fabric of the selected suppliers has a composition of 100% cotton and the correct white color without any extraneous shades, so that the baptismal towels can be combined with linen and cotton shirts, creating a single set.
Features of taking measurements
Experienced needlewomen are convinced that even novice craftsmen can create a pattern for a boy’s baptismal shirt with their own hands. But in order not to make a mistake with the size of the product, it is important to measure the baby correctly. For this we need a measuring tape. You should also prepare a pencil and notepad to record all parameters. To make the work easier and not get confused in the measurements taken, it is better to draw (at least schematically) the desired product. In this case, a baptismal shirt. And then indicate all the parameters directly on it. Then it will be possible to create a pattern much easier and faster.
So, to bring your idea to life you need to measure:
- The expected length of a baptismal shirt for a boy is traditionally from the shoulder to the base of the calf. In rare cases, they sew a shirt that only reaches to the knees.
- Chest circumference is approximately at the level of the armpits.
- The circumference of the neck is at the base through the seventh vertebra.
- The length of the sleeves is most often from shoulder to elbow. But there are also variants of the studied products - both with sleeves up to the wrist and up to the middle of the forearm.
Duration of work
It is difficult for novice craftsmen to understand how to create a pattern for a baptismal shirt for a boy. Therefore, most of them suffer for a very long time over the implementation of their idea. But experienced needlewomen are convinced that with a competent approach, the work will take no more than one day. At the same time, most of it will be taken up by the design of the intended product with various details - ruffles, lace, bows, embroidery, appliqués and other decor. Cutting can be done very quickly if you prepare the material. The essence of this procedure is described below.
Preparatory stage
In order not to make a mistake with the size of fabric when purchasing, it is important to take your baby’s measurements in advance. We need a rectangle, the length of which is two shirt lengths, and the width is equal to the sum of the following parameters: two sleeve lengths + half the chest circumference. Craftsmen advise working with a well-steamed and ironed piece of fabric. Therefore, after purchasing, the first thing we do is perform these steps. Then we spread the material on a flat table or smooth floor - parquet, laminate, linoleum. Not on a carpet or rug, they are completely inconvenient to work on! Fold the large rectangle in half so that the fold line is at the top. Then we go over it with a hot iron to fix it. Fold a smaller rectangle in half and also iron it thoroughly. Then we fasten it with pins on all four sides. This is necessary to ensure that the material does not move when creating a pattern of a baptismal shirt for a boy with your own hands.
Choosing a style
If you have been asked to be a godmother, you will most likely have to make your own christening gown. And you will certainly think: what should it be like? This depends on several reasons:
From birth to one and a half years
If the child is small, the simplest style will do - a straight long dress made of thin white fabric, trimmed with soft lace or sewing. The pattern will be extremely simple, you don’t even need to look for it. It is enough to take a blouse or vest that is suitable in size and cut out the details according to it, making increases in the right places.
From one and a half years and older
In this case, an elegant dress, flared, with a high or low waist, is suitable. You can decorate it with embroidery, sewing, lace. It is sewn in the same way as any other summer children's clothing. The main thing is to choose the right fabric and finishing materials, and take into account that the style must certainly be correct - that is, the dress should not be too short, with a neckline and sleeves.
What should you give up?
The design of children's clothing differs from that of adults. Some materials should be discarded. Not suitable at all:
Important! In general, try to avoid anything that is too hard, or anything that could accidentally come off and cause harm to the baby.
Modeling a christening shirt
At the next stage, you need to take chalk, a pattern, a long ruler and a sheet of paper with the baby’s parameters. Then we start building the pattern. Since the length and width of the prepared segment are already equal to the required product, we only have to add two lines. From the fold line we set aside half the circumference of the neck + 2 cm. Using a pattern or by hand, we outline the collar line. On the other side, we lower ourselves by 15 cm. And draw a straight line equal to the length of the sleeve, thereby outlining this detail.
A little lower from the fold line we set aside half the chest circumference + an additional 7-10 cm to make the shirt loose. Use a rounded line to connect the sleeve and the notch, which determines the width of the shirt in the chest area. Now we make another notch on the bottom edge. We adjust its distance from the fold line ourselves. However, experienced craftsmen do not advise placing it too far, because we are sewing a shirt for a boy, and not a dress for a girl.
Traditionally, the edge matches the point at the base of the sleeve. Having determined the important nuance of the pattern, we connect the armhole line with the marked notch. Then we cut out the finished product. If desired, we lower the goal line a little lower in front, or leave it like that. That’s the whole peculiarity of constructing a pattern for a baptismal shirt for a boy. We offer a photo of the pattern and the finished result below.
Flannel
Flannel is a cotton fabric of plain or twill weave, with fluffy, evenly brushed on both sides.
This is a very soft, cozy material that perfectly absorbs moisture and retains heat. That is why we (and so far no one else but us) sew baptismal accessories from flannel for the little ones for the cold season.
We use flannel from Belarusian and Moldavian mills, because these factories provide consistently high quality and fluffiness.
Two-layer kryzhma diapers, made of high-density Moldavian flannel, have a thickness comparable to a flannelette blanket.
Belarusian flannel - with good pile, slightly milky in color. We use it to make shirts and diapers.
Due to its low quality, we use Russian flannel only for lining.
Decorating a shirt with decorative elements
Professional seamstresses advise beginning craftsmen to first sew on lace, appliqués, etc., and then begin assembling the product. Therefore, now we need to unfold the cut shirt. And attach various decorative elements to it using pins. The item of clothing under study, shown in the photo below, is decorated with lace. Which must be attached with pins from the lower edge of the back to the shoulder bend, and from there - to the lower edge of the front. And do the same manipulations, but if necessary, position the lace in a mirror image on the other side. Then check how symmetrical everything turned out. So that a possible error can be corrected. If everything is good, sew on the lace using a zigzag stitch. Each tape on both sides. Then we turn the product inside out and carefully use nail scissors to cut out the insert between the seams. At the same time, we try to position the scissors as close to the seam as possible without damaging it. Having completed the described manipulations, thoroughly iron the shirt.
Muslin, Baptiste, Frigate
Previously, baptismal clothes were made from cambric. This is a 100% cotton fabric made from very fine twisted plain weave yarn, making the cambric durable and at the same time soft, slightly silky.
In the USSR, it was produced according to GOST at many factories, and now in Russia there is only one enterprise left that produces cambric that is not inferior in quality to that produced according to Soviet GOST.
However, to harmoniously combine with woven lace and perform relief embroidery, cambric is too thin and transparent. Therefore, in sewing most of our cotton shirts, diapers and caps, we use two fabrics similar in structure to cambric, differing only in density.
Especially for us, the plant makes a fabric called Fregate - a high-density cambric, thanks to which embroidery looks good on it. The fabric is very soft to the touch, slightly fleecy. From Fregat we produce cotton shirts and diapers with embroidery.
Muslin is very similar in softness and delicacy to cambric, but the thread used for its production is a little thicker, making muslin seem a little denser than cambric, but thinner than Frigate. Muslin is made to order for us by a cotton mill in Moldova.
All these fabrics absorb moisture well, dry quickly, and are pleasant to the body. But it is precisely these qualities of the material that are so important during baptism.
Sew the product along the side seams
We are used to the fact that most products need to be turned inside out and stitched. However, experienced needlewomen, talking about how to sew a baptismal shirt for a boy, note that in this case the actions will be somewhat different. Let's try to find out what the difference is. Let's start by pinning the shirt together along the side seams. Then sew on a machine, but move the seam one and a half to two centimeters from the edge. Turn the shirt over with the front side down and, using nail scissors, carefully cut off some of the seam allowances. But only from the back! Then we wrap the wide allowances, iron them, and then bait them, hiding the cut inside. Then we sew the edge on a machine, placing the needle as close to the fold as possible. After this, carefully iron the seams from the wrong side.
What else do you need for a christening?
In addition to a dress or shirt, you will need other items:
Diaper
The mother wraps the baby in a baptismal swaddling cloth, which is called kryzhma, after he is dipped into the font. It is best to sew it from the same material as the dress or shirt. The ideal option is cambric, it is soft, absorbs water well and at the same time looks very beautiful and noble. Actually, this is a traditional material for baptismal accessories.
Important! If the fabric is 110 cm wide, you will need about half a meter. The traditional dimensions of the kryzhma are 74x44 cm, but it can be cut in any direction. You will need about 2.5 more meters of lace stitching or soft lace.
Here's how easy it is to sew such a trousseau:
Important! If you have a lace ribbon, you can first hem the edges of the edge, and then sew lace on the fold side.
Cap
You can cut it out by ripping out an existing cap of the required size - your future goddaughter will probably have more than one. In extreme cases, it will be possible to sew it again later. It consists of two parts:
Both the front part and the seam between the bottom and the main strip are trimmed with lace. Therefore, immediately prepare a piece that is approximately twice as long as the main part, and sweep it along the free edge, placing gathers or folds:
Gate decoration
Now we find the center of the gate and make a vertical cut 10 cm long. And from it, notches 5 mm in both directions. We take a satin ribbon or bias tape placed along the edge, carefully attach it and stitch it on a machine.
Take a second ribbon equal to the circumference of the neck + 20-30 cm. Sew along the collar line, hiding the ends of the bottom one. Then we tie it in a bow. Finally, we add lace to the bottom edge of the finished shirt. Then thoroughly boil the entire product again. And we finish the job.
That's the whole point of the work. As you can see, anyone can create a pattern, cut and sew a baptismal shirt for a boy with their own hands. The main thing is not to be afraid to try and follow the advice offered in the article.
Rhinestones, beads, beads
High-quality Czech (PRECIOSA) or Korean (DMC) rhinestones in moderate quantities, for example a few pieces in the center of a cross or in an ornament, look appropriate. The color of the rhinestones is matched to the embroidery or a neutral silver color is used.
Beads and beads fit organically into the patterns on the product, complementing the embroidery elements. Gold beads are used to decorate brooches and ring cushions. White pearl beads, cabochons and seed beads decorate dresses, caps, and booties.
