Maya’s Blessing Dress

Last week Chad blessed Maya at church. It was a wonderful day where we were surrounded by family and friends, and got to celebrate and our miracle baby. It’s amazing to me that she’s healthy, happy, and perfect in every way when there were so many things that could have gone wrong. I shared a little about her birth and why we chose her name previously, but I’m still pondering and feeling the amazement of the time surrounding her birth. Three and a half months later the whole thing is a bit surreal. So giving her a name and a blessing this past week has held a very special place in my heart.

She was a little cranky in this photo, but I love it nonetheless.

She looked so beautiful in her little dress–so peaceful and sweet. And she slept through the blessing like the angel baby she is.

And while a dress isn’t the highlight of the day, it (and creativity in general) is the reason you come to my blog. So I get to share.

I used the Geranium Dress pattern from Made By Rae for this dress. Maya is still small, so the 0-3 Month size (which is free!) was still a little bit big, but close enough that I was happy with the fit. I sewed up this dress a few weeks ago to see how it fit her, and was able to make a few modifications to size it down a bit.

Other than taking it in a bit, I made a few other changes. I wanted to add a little flutter sleeve and extend the skirt to be below her toes so it was a bit more formal. Of course, I got sewing in a hurry and forgot to put in the sleeves–only remembering after I’d trimmed the seam allowances to the lined bodice. And while attempting to somehow add the flutter after the fact, I sliced the bodice with my serger knife. So I had to cut a new bodice and lining and do it right the second time. And honestly, I’m glad I did because I’d hate to look back at this dress and wish I’d done everything right.

I also added the band around the bottom of the bodice for contrast and a little shine and finished it off with a burned-edge flower.

And we finished off the look with another flower on her headband since she’s rather bald on top. But can you see the red hair in the back? (LOVE!)

I also loved that it was a chance to get a family photo–the first one where we’re all in it! And while we were all hungry and ready to not be taking photos, they still turned out okay.

And I even got to spend a little time with Melanie from The Crafty Cupboard who was nearby for a wedding. I love it when things work out.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and Maya looked so sweet in her blessing dress. It was such a memorable day!