Christening Gowns: How To Store A Christening Gown
Date: Monday June 15, 2009Posted in: Christening Gowns
Author: Mary Teresa Fowler
Christening gowns are precious treasures. Their delicate beauty and cherished symbolism enrich lives throughout the years. Their fine fabrics hold our memories. To ensure their continuity, Baptism dresses must be preserved in correct fashion.
How To Store A Christening Gown
Store A Spotless Gown
To survive throughout the years, gowns must be spotless before storage. Even colorless stains such as body oils or perspiration can cause damage over time. Satins and most silks require dry cleaning. Always inform the dry cleaner about the stain type. Water or sugar stains do not respond to normal dry cleaning methods. Such stains require the use of additional solvents.
Always check care labels before you attempt to clean a dress. When hand washing christening gowns, use lukewarm water and an enzymatic cleaner. Do not use fabric softener or starch. Then rinse, rinse, rinse with cool distilled water! All residue must be removed or it will harm the fabric.
Air Dry The Gown
Air drying is required for such delicate fabrics. Laying your gown flat while drying is the best method. Do not store a gown until it is completely dry to the touch. Never iron a dress before storing it. Ironing will remove moisture from the fabric.
Avoid Contact With Metal
Metal hangers are a gown’s worst nightmare. Use padded hangers. Avoid contact between a gown and any metals. They can corrode and cause damage upon contact.
Use Only Acid-Free Paper
Soft tissues are often used to stuff sleeves to help them keep their shape. They are also used to minimize folds (less folds, the better). Only acid-free tissue, however, should ever touch christening gowns. Scrapbooking stores are frequent suppliers of acid-free tissue. Online sites for preservation of vintage clothing also offer this type of tissue.
Cool blue or soft pink tissue looks pretty but instead always choose pure white. If colored tissue became wet, the color could transfer to the gown. Ordinary paper boxes can not be used to store dresses. Any type of paper around a gown must be an acid-free product.
Store In A Cotton Or Special Preservation Bag
Baptism dresses may be purchased and stored for a short period in vinyl garment bags. For long term storage, however, gowns must never be stored in vinyl or plastic. Contact with these materials can harm the dress over an extended period of time. Their presence can lead to discoloration and deterioration.
The dress needs to breathe to survive the years. If fabric can’t breathe, it will fade and turn yellow. All natural cotton creates the safest storage. No dyes or chemicals must ever be allowed to come in contact with a christening gown. Satin dresses (and others) which require dry cleaning may be packaged onsite by a preservation specialist.
Store In An Appropriate Size Garment Bag
Store dresses in garment bags appropriate for the individual gown. Garment bags come in different sizes. Christening celebrations can be held at different times in a baby’s life. Some christenings are held shortly after birth. Others are not held until months into the first year. Boys’ christening outfits will not require as roomy storage as the full folds of girls’ gowns.
A dress should never be squashed in a garment bag. The length of the dress and the folds need to fall naturally in place. If there is sufficient room, mementos of the christening – socks, blankets, or other keepsakes – can be stored at the bottom of the bag.
Store The Gown In A Cool, Dry Place
A hot attic or a damp basement should not be home for a christening gown. Heat and humidity are not kind to heirloom gowns. Sunlight may brighten our lives but extended exposure to sunlight will dull and yellow a dress.
The dress should be stored in a room with a consistent temperature. A dark, dry closet provides the perfect atmosphere. Don’t store other bags or boxes on top of the christening gown.
Don’t Forget The Gown
The adage – out of sight, out of mind – doesn’t apply to a christening gown. At least every few years, you need to check its condition. The fibers need to be rehydrated before further storage. Rehydration is a simple process.
Soak the dress in lukewarm water for a few hours. Air dry again and store in the garment bag. Wearing white gloves during this process will ensure against the transfer of body oils.
Store For Future Generations
Proper storage methods can’t provide an absolute guarantee of pristine condition. Yet correct storage significantly increases the chances of a perfect preservation. Some yellowing in gowns may occur over an extended period. This patina can even add to the appeal of a heirloom dress.
Even when a Baptism dress becomes so delicate that it is unwearable, it can still be preserved in a museum-mount frame. The christening gown will be able to touch lives even further into the future. You can still continue to store your treasured gown and your precious memories.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fashion-articles/christening-gowns-how-to-store-a-christening-gown-967477.html
About the Author:
Mary Teresa Fowler is a Canadian freelance writer. She writes articles, web content, press releases, newsletters, children’s personalized stories, and children’s general stories. She created the network – “KIND CLASSES” – Help Stop School Bullying!
This season, the Pink Princess basketball team starts off strong with a 3-1 score so far. They just played another Level I team that had a score of 3-0 as well so it was a battle of the undefeated. Team member Tony says “Regardless, no matter what the final outcome entails, as long as we lay it out on the court and play with passion, I think we’ll do just fine. Go Team Pink Princess!” 
While Tony was driving on the freeway, he happened to see a license plate “PKPRNSS”. I think it’s a sign for team victory! Now would could be driving this car around?
For anyone who wants to attend, here’s the basketball game schedule for this season.
Graduation Day – Find the Perfect Little Outfit!
Date: Monday June 8, 2009Posted in: Customer Service
Graduation day is here, don’t you feel like it was just yesterday the first day of class and your scholar didn’t want to go in to class. From this journey they have learned and achieved so much, make this graduation day a memorable day to enjoy. Let your graduate express his/her independence by choosing there own graduation dress for this special day. We are sure your graduate will stand and walk tall along with her/his fellow classmates. While you watch your young scholar be so happy and full of smiles.
The hard part is done, you are a proud parent of a soon to be graduate. Choosing the an appropriate outfit for your child will not be a problem. We specialize in formal dresses for special events, we have hundreds of little girl dresses and boy suits to choose from different styles, colors, and sizes. We are sure you will find something here that your scholar will love, you will approve of, and everyone else to be mesmerized.
Here are some ideas for little girl dresses:
- Create a dress. How about a dress with your child’s school colors? Select a plain white dress and match it with a navy, orange, or burgundy sash. What is so great about this style is you can always just change the sash (and flowers) to match any other future event. Saves you from having to buy another dress, but yet have a new look.
- Bright and Bold. Perfect for the season and you will definitely notice your little girl dress out of the crowd. All eyes will be on her. Most girl dresses in this category are turquoise, fuchsia, and yellow.
- Classy and simple. The biggest sellers are the white, ivory, and pink dresses. You can select from sleeveless to cap sleeve, a plain skirt with lace, embroidery, and pearls. A perfect graduation dress.
Let’s not forget the boys. Here are some great ideas for boys suits:
- Boy Suits. They are the most popular and always approved by the schools and church. You can choose from different styles 4-piece vest suit or the 5-piece suits (includes the coat). We have different colors and patterns black, gray, ivory, white, pin-striped, and much more. Boy suits are great for other events church, sport banquets, weddings, and for a numerous of other events. This graduation suit might be his first formal boy suit, he will be so happy and feel so grown up.
- Etons and Short Sets. This style is a great for this time of the season, especially for those events held outdoors. They are a mini version of boy suits and will keep your boy looking like a gentleman even under hot weather.
There are hundreds of beautiful little girl dresses and boy formal wear to fit your child’s personality and best of all they are all appropriate for any event.
With “My Communion Dress,” I hope to share some of my memories. Hopefully, you too will be reminded of beautiful memories and “your” communion dress. Sometimes these dresses even have shared memories attached to the organza and lace.
A mother’s wedding dress can receive a new life and be transformed into her daughter’s communion dress. First Communion dresses may also be passed down from mother to daughter. Within some families, dresses pass traditionally between sisters.
The celebration, however, is “your” special day. The dress and the day belong to you. The memories will stay with you forever. Everyone has a special memory – maybe funny, maybe inspiring, maybe sweet, but always at least one vivid recollection.
On that special day, memories seem to permeate every delicate stitch of the communion dress. Every little girl has been prepared for the celebration. The significance of the religious ceremony doesn’t escape them. Yet that dress also has that “little princess” appeal.
I still can remember my amazement at the incredibly light fabric. Tiny sparkling appliques remain bigger than life in my memory. The flowing veil and circle of flowers – and even more sparkles – made me feel like a “little princess” for a day. I had always played “princess” and this day was my chance to be one
I understood the religious importance of the day. I was also honored and pleased to be receiving the Eucharist. Yet for a little girl who liked to play princess, the dress itself made a very lasting impression.
I’m not alone, however, in having vivid memories of my communion dress. Numerous books, blogs, forums, and websites are devoted to the sole subject of First Communion. “Remembering your communion dress” is often a featured discussion topic in forums.
Mothers remember the joy and then share it again with their daughters. My dress was given to a family member sometime over the years. My daughter wore a “shared memory” dress from another family member. I added a few extra personal touches – including a white silk flower – to make it “her” dress.
Today’s communion dress retailers can help you create unique dresses. You can choose from several styles of dresses. You can then create an unique look by adding sashes and detachable flowers. Customized fashion is possible by choosing “Create Your Dress” options.
My communion dress, my daughter’s dress, and your dress made special memories. We received, however, something more special on that day – the Eucharist. “The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love, it signifies Love, it produces Love.” ~ St. Thomas Aquinas
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fashion-articles/my-communion-dress-942982.html
About the Author:
Mary Teresa Fowler is a Canadian freelance writer. She writes articles, web content, press releases, newsletters, children’s personalized stories, and children’s general stories. She created the network – “KIND CLASSES” – Help Stop School Bullying!