Made to measure Christening Gown Sussex

upcycled wedding dress into christening gown

I made a made to measure Christening Gown Sussex in ivory taffeta and beaded lace applique.

I was honoured to be asked to create a mini-me christening dress for Baby M, using fabrics and inspiration from her mother’s beautiful wedding dress. Creating a dress for a growing babe is a tricky business but I have years of experience (and three little ones of my own) in getting the timing just right.

before and after Made to measure Christening Gown Sussex

Francesca’s wedding dress was made in ivory taffeta with lace applique and a pleated sash detail and train with a cloud of pale gold silk for the skirt. The back closed with buttons and a long train had more applique all down it. We used all these elements to design baby’s dress using materials left over from work on the original wedding.

This dress was made only ankle length as baby was just beginning to try and toddle so mummy wanted her feet unimpeded! She got to wear her dress again on her first birthday too!

 

Made to measure Christening Gown Sussex for first birthday

Final fitting pictures for the made to measure Christening Gown Sussex

Francesca wrote…

…I just wanted to say a huge thank you for (…)’s gorgeous dress. It received so many compliments on the day and I loved seeing her wearing a part of my wedding dress to be christened in the same church where were married, it was very special.

Mini-me christening dress by Felicity Westmacott, made from mummy's wedding dress in ivory taffeta and beaded applique: design sketch

Original design sketch

Making Made to measure Christening Gown Sussex

Francesca’s dress was so beautiful it was hard to start the job of cutting it up. But with the result planned to be so special, it just had to be done.

These pictures show some ‘before’ images of the original dress and work in progress.

Mini-me christening dress by Felicity Westmacott, made from mummy's wedding dress in ivory taffeta and beaded applique: the dress before we cut it up: cutting out the skirt shapes
Mini-me christening dress by Felicity Westmacott, made from mummy's wedding dress in ivory taffeta and beaded applique: the dress before we cut it up: creating the bodice

If you would like to commission a made to measure Christening Gown Sussex you can get in touch here.

Another pretty christening dress I made is here, with beaded lace and puff sleeves

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Felicity Westmacott

I write about all aspects of weddings, dressmaking, fashion history, and the human relation to clothing. I welcome comments and debate.

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Especially if it's the bride's mother's wedding dress from the 80s, hand dyed to the perfect shade of warm pink, and restyled to evoke the iconic Vivienne Westwood. 

There's definitely a lot of happiness in that. 

#bespokeweddingdress #vintageweddingdress #weddingdressalterations #weddingdressrestyle  #bride2026
This wedding dress took the most paint I've ever used for one of my dip-dye creations. 

Victoria's wedding dress is beautiful in part because it's so full, and that fullness comes from layers. So before I could even get to the main event, I had two underlayers to spray, both with long trains.

When it comes to spraying, the best setup is one where you're away from everything else, with good ventilation. Where better than outside? That does mean dressing to keep warm, and in clothes you don't mind getting a bit painty.

But all that effort was so worth it. Victoria chose such a gorgeously unusual colour palette - deepening from lilac, through purple, into black. It's regal, gothic, and has a real fantasy feel. And I think dyeing the full-length lace sleeves to match really finishes off the look.

What do you think of this colour combination?
A bustle this pretty deserves a pretty name 🌸

If your wedding dress is floor length or longer, a bustle is not only a really practical feature to add, it can also transform your gown.

For Emily I did an overbustle with five points. These kinds of bustle usually go up to the waistline, but we brought it down, so if you want a 'proper' term, it would be a low five-point overbustle (or American bustle). 

But I like to simply call it a petal bustle - a much prettier name, and it's what it looks like.

You can tell it's going to move amazingly on the dancefloor 🪩 ✨ 

if you'd like to find out more about what's possible with your dress, the link to book a consultation is in my bio.
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in
from design to completionbespoke wedding dressesFelicity Westmacott
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in