DIY christening shirt pattern. How to sew a kryzhma for baptism. What to give up
The baptism of a child is a very important event. In preparation for it, you need to prepare all the necessary attributes of the ritual. Particular attention should be paid to the baptismal shirt. The sacrament of baptism is a canonical rite, so you need to adhere to some rules when choosing clothes for baptism. This article describes in detail what a baptismal shirt for a boy should look like and how to make it yourself.
Features of clothing for baptism
An important criterion for choosing a baptismal shirt is the fabric from which the shirt is made. It must be natural. Cotton, cambric, thin linen are suitable. A shirt knitted with cotton threads will also work. The fabric should absorb water well, because this is the shirt the priest will put on the child after the bath.
The color of the shirt should be white. This symbolizes the purity of the newborn soul. It is allowed to embroider a cross on the chest or along the bottom of a boy’s baptismal shirt using blue, silver or gold silk threads. Also now a delicate blue color of the shirt is allowed, but it is better to ask the priest who will baptize the baby about this.
It is very important that the neck is wide enough. The head should pass through it easily and freely.
The baptismal shirt should be loose, not restrict movement, and not put pressure. The seams should be smooth and soft so as not to cause discomfort to the child.
The optimal length is below the knee, as the legs should be slightly open. At the end of the ceremony they will be anointed with Myrrh, so they need free access.
Clothing for baptism is considered elegant clothing and decorative decorations would be appropriate on it. However, we should not forget that even at this moment we need to show humility and avoid excesses. For very young children, decor with lace and embroidery is suitable. Despite all the beauty of a baptismal shirt, it needs to be simple. If the boy is not very small, then there is no need for lace. A laconic cross stitch on the chest and Christian symbols along the bottom will be enough.
Patterns and knitting patterns
Sewing a baptismal shirt with your own hands is not at all difficult. You need to correctly calculate the amount of fabric, create a simple pattern and make simple seams. The most convenient option would be a shirt with one-piece sleeves. After all, the seams will not press and it is very comfortable to wear such clothes.
A very simple shirt pattern is shown in the photo below. It is easy to sew different sizes using it; you just need to know the measurements of the neck, chest, arm circumferences and length. The cut is straight, but the bottom can be widened if desired.
The fabric for such shirts is folded in half lengthwise and widthwise. They have no shoulder seams.
When transferring the pattern to the fabric, you must remember to leave seam allowances of 1-1.5 cm. To ensure that the side seams are neat and not stiff, you need to do them correctly. The side cuts are sewn down. Then half the allowance on the back is cut off.
Then wrap the narrow one into the wide allowance and baste it to the shirt. And then sew the seam.
Fold all edges twice and stitch.
Knitted shirts are also great for baptisms. They are usually knitted with a fillet net with a pattern of Christian symbols. The yarn used is cotton. The thickness of the thread depends on the time of year when the baptism will take place. Thin threads are suitable for summer. Crochet 1-1.5. If the weather is cold, then knit with thicker threads, hook 2-3.
The mesh is knitted as one double crochet and one chain stitch.
The standard shirt knitting pattern can be used. There are fasteners on the back. You can use different patterns for patterns.
Simple option
A master class with step-by-step photos and a description of the manufacturing process will help you sew a simple and beautiful shirt.
You should prepare natural white fabric, threads, scissors, paper and a pencil for the pattern.
We build a pattern with our data using the above pattern. We fold the fabric 4 times. The photo shows the fold lines.
Transfer the pattern to the fabric. We chop off the layers of fabric with sewing pins.
Cut out the workpiece.
We lay out the workpiece.
In the middle of the neckline on the shelf, cut 10 cm (half the width of the neck).
The edges of the seam must be overlaid or processed in the manner described in the article above.
We process the edges, bending the cut twice.
We process the edge of the neck in the same way, only you need to bend it at the edge 3 mm, and then again 5 mm. Fasten the hem of the fabric.
We sew on a typewriter.
Now we cut 1-1.5 cm from the cut to the sides.
We cut the corners at an angle of 45°. We process the edges in the same way as cuts.
Didn't overheat the water
In the vat, chilled - as needed -
The priest who baptized me.
In a flat-bottomed wedding ladleM. Tsvetaeva
In every family where children are born, the important day of the baby's christening comes one day. All family members prepare for this holiday. And for the future godmother, the question of preparation arises christening shirt for baby. You can buy it at the church store. But it’s better to sew or knit a shirt with your own hands.
While preparing to become godmother to my great-nephew, I found out what a christening shirt for a boy should be. Firstly, it must be white, not short, and cover the knees. It is advisable that a cross is depicted on the shirt. And the shirt should also be quickly and comfortably put on the child, so that there are no long delays in the process of the sacrament of baptism. In addition to the christening shirt, a white towel is required. And for girls, a white cap is also needed.
To make the baptismal shirt elegant, I decided to use white stitching for sewing. I needed about 170 cm of 11 cm wide stitching, about 230 cm of 8 cm wide stitching and about 50 cm of 5 cm wide stitching.
Our baby turned 2 months old, and after taking his measurements, I drew a pattern that would be used to sew a shirt.
We cut the wide seam (11 cm) in half into two pieces. We lay these two pieces side by side, with the embroidered edges facing each other, with right sides on top.
They will make up the middle part of the front and back halves of the shirt.
There will be a fastener on the back half of the shirt. And the front half needs to be stitched. To do this, we sew a stitch, placing a little edge of the seam on top of each other. We sew the stitch only at half minus 4 cm (for the neckline) of the entire length of the stitching segments.
Next, cut pieces of the same length from the narrower seam (8 cm). And we sew these pieces on the sides of the middle part of the shirt. To do this, we place the embroidered edge of the narrow stitch on the raw edge of the wide stitch. In the middle of the segments (shoulder fold area), the seams should overlap each other by 4-5 cm. And to the edges of the segments (the bottom of the front and back halves of the shirt), the seams overlap each other only by 1 cm.
We turn our fabric over to the wrong side, turn in the raw edge of the seam and lay a second line, parallel to the first, so that everything looks neat on the wrong side.
We sew two pieces of stitching, 8 cm wide and 30 cm long each, to the middle (lengthwise) part of the shirt on both sides. These will be our sleeves.
The embroidered edge of the sleeve stitching should be located at the edge of the sleeve.
Fold the shirt blank in half along the shoulder folds.
On this blank we will draw and cut out the lines of the side seams, in accordance with the pattern.
Let's sew these side seams. You can make a double seam, first along the face and then along the back. Or you can lay one seam on the wrong side, and then finish it with an overcast stitch.
Fold the bottom of the shirt twice and stitch.
Now we make the neckline on the front and back halves of the shirt.
It can be processed in different ways.
I sewed a piece of narrow stitching (5 cm), placing folds on the wrong side of the shirt. I stitched, trimmed the seam allowance, folded the seam over to the right side of the shirt and stitched along the edge again.
And finally, I knitted a small cross from white threads with lurex using simple single crochets. And she sewed it onto her shirt.
3 buttons are sewn on the back for fastening.
The washed and ironed shirt is ready.
This christening shirt can be sewn in one day. And you don’t need to be a professional dressmaker to do this. And if you have to baptize a girl, then in addition to the shirt you can knit
It remains to add that christening shirt for baby kept throughout his life. It does not need to be washed after baptism, and it cannot be given to anyone.
And you, who baptized me
Savlova's frenzied water
(So Saul, raising his crutch,
Stopped the forgetful) -
Pray to forgive you -
God.
He will grow up and then decide for himself.
We will talk about this with you in one of our next articles.
Of course, you can buy a ready-made baptismal shirt, but you will agree that a handmade shirt is completely different.
The christening shirt pattern is suitable for both a boy and a girl, the difference will only be in the choice of color for processing.
In general, it is customary for babies to be baptized on the 40th day after birth, and we baptized our children at this exact age, so I made the pattern for this exact age. But this pattern is also suitable for a baby up to six months.
If your baby is older, it is not at all difficult to change the pattern, you just need to take a larger base, but more on that later.
For this baptismal kit you will need:
White thin fabric: 60-65 cm for a shirt and 90 cm for a diaper, bias binding - 70 cm, sewing: 1.2 m for a shirt and 3.6 m for a diaper.
So, the first thing we will do is build a pattern.
To do this you will need a regular A4 sheet. We build a pattern as shown in the photo.
Additional data:
Back sprout depth OA=2.25 cm, shelf sprout depth OB=8.25 cm, cutout OS=15 cm.
The pattern is already given with seam allowances; you don’t need to add anything when cutting.
The photo shows 2 neck lines: one for the back, the other for the front + slit.
Now about enlarging the pattern. For a larger size, take a sheet not of A4, but of a larger format, for example A3, and build a pattern in the same way, increasing the neckline, sleeve width and bottom width of the product.
Cut out the pattern.
To cut, fold the fabric in half and attach the paper pattern so that the shoulder seams are aligned with the fold of the fabric, trace.
Now turn the pattern over and trace the same piece symmetrically.
Thus, we will achieve with you that our shirt will only have side seams. We design the neck of the back.
We cut out our part without touching the neck.
On the reverse side we design the neck of the shelf and the cut.
As a result, we got this detail. (The shirt was photographed from bottom to top, so the image is slightly distorted. In fact, the front and back are exactly the same).
I offer you two options for processing the neck.
The first option is embroidery. If you have time and you know how to embroider at least a little, you can transfer this embroidery image onto a shirt and embroider it with satin stitch either by hand or on a machine. Click the left button to enlarge the image, then click the right button, select save as, save and print.
That is, you do not need to draw a neck line, but immediately transfer the embroidery pattern. And only when you have embroidered, can you carefully cut out the neckline close to the line. I embroidered with regular reinforced threads in 4 folds.
The second option is to process the neckline with bias tape. We will consider this option in detail.
Cut out the neck along the drawn line.
Sew on one side of the bias tape first, and then the other.
I usually sew the bias tape very carefully so that there is no movement when machine stitching.
As a result, we get a processed neck. Using the remnants of the bias tape, sew a cross onto the back.
Fold the shirt right side inward and sew the side seams.
And the baptismal shirt is ready.
If you noticed in the photo, I made a small mistake: when I sewed the cross on the back of the shirt, I did not change the bottom thread on the machine from red to white, and the red stitching is visible on the wrong side. Pay attention to this in your work!
In addition to the baptismal shirt, you can sew a special diaper in which you will receive the baby from the font. This is an ordinary diaper measuring 90x90 cm, the edges of which are also processed with the same sewing, and again we sew a cross in the center.
Now, it will depend only on you. The photo shows my first son's shirt, which I specially embroidered for him in my hands, since I had enough time.
For my second son I had to embroider on a machine because I had much less free time. And the last time, when I sewed christening shirts for my granddaughters, I used a simple processing of the neckline with bias tape (especially since I had to sew two shirts at once, since they are twins).
We will talk to you about how to use a baptismal shirt and what to do with it after baptism in one of our next articles.
If you have any questions, write in the comments.
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.
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.
Features of taking measurements
Experienced needlewomen are convinced that even novice craftsmen can create a pattern for a baptismal shirt for a boy 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 write down all the 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 shin. In rare cases, they sew a shirt that only reaches to the knees.
- Chest circumference is approximately at the level of the armpits.
- Neck circumference - 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 occupied 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. Afterwards, 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 so that the material does not move when creating a pattern of a baptismal shirt for a boy with your own hands.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In this master class you will learn how to sew a christening shirt for a boy and decorate it with an embroidered cross, lace stitching and how to edge the neckline using a piping foot.
You will need:
Fabric, thin soft fabric such as cambric or thin poplin is suitable.
Embroidery threads yellow or gold
Tear-off stabilizer, thin
Water-soluble stabilizer
Sewing threads
Ruffler foot
Edging foot
Ruler foot
Blind hem foot
Universal foot
Scissors
Pattern:
Measurements:
Bust
Shirt length (shirt length can be made just below the knees or to the toes)
The length of the sleeve
The pattern can be drawn directly on the fabric by folding it in half twice
Add a 1cm seam allowance and cut along the bottom of the shirt, sleeves and side. The pattern of the shirt is a cross (which corresponds to church canons).
Performing embroidery:
Iron on the adhesive tear-away stabilizer. Use a fabric marker to mark the center of the shirt. Hoop the fabric in a hoop (hoop size 130*180 mm)
Place a water-soluble stabilizer on top of the fabric (if the fabric is very thin). And start the embroidery process.
After the machine has sewn the design, remove the tear-away stabilizer.
Dissolve a water-soluble stabilizer in warm water and iron the embroidery on a terry towel folded in several layers.
Neck treatment:
Tuck ready-made satin bias binding or made from the same fabric as the shirt into the edging foot, and place the foot on the machine. You will learn how to work with the edging foot. Work the neckline cut first, and then the neckline itself with the ties.
Processing the edges of the sleeves:
Install a pleat foot on your sewing machine; you will learn how to work with this foot. And sew the border to the bottom of the sleeves. Settings for creating pleats: every 6 stitches, pleat depth 4.
Finish the edge with a serger and press the seam.
Topstitch to the edge using a blindstitch foot or a ruler foot.
At a distance of 3 and 7 cm from the bottom of the sleeves, mark the lines for sewing on the lace stitching. Pin it along the markings and sew a zig-zag stitch (stitch length 1.0 mm, stitch width 1.0 mm) on each side of the seam. Cut the fabric from the wrong side of the sleeves close to the stitching. This operation can be done before or after sewing on the lace border.
Making a sewing seam (from the inside of the shirt):
To perform a sewing seam on the wrong side, we carry out all operations on the wrong side, to perform a seam on the front side, respectively, on the front side.
Cut off the seam allowance on one side by 5mm. Sew along the side line with a straight stitch with a stitch length of 2.5-3 mm.
Make notches on the curves. Wrap the wider seam allowance around the narrower seam and pin or baste the seam.
Sew the seam to the edge using a blind hem foot or a ruler foot.
“American” seam or “Moscow” seam:
This seam is suitable for hemming the bottom of thin fabrics.
Press a 5mm seam allowance to the wrong side. Sew a stitch with a stitch length of 2.5-3 mm at a distance of 2-3 mm from the edge. Use a ruler foot to create an even seam.
Trim off the excess seam allowance with sharp scissors close to the stitching.
Fold inside out again and press the seam. Sew a stitch of the same stitch length exactly along the first seam.
The christening shirt is ready! It is suitable for children under one year of age.
