Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Story of the Dress

Several years ago, my mom, the world traveler, decided she wanted to take all of her kids on a special trip with her. She took Kathy to Greece, Sandy to Singapore, Dan and his family to Hilton Head and me to Europe. Sadly, Melanie never got her trip with mom. I will cherish the memories of my trip forever.

Mom and I spent 10 days visiting Germany, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic in the fall of 2000. We had a great time seeing the sights and SHOPPING! We were expert shoppers and had a to buy an extra suitcase to get all of our items home.

While in Vienna, we went into a Catholic store...of course, she was Linda Hof. She could find a way to make shopping a religious experience. I found the MOST BEAUTIFUL baptismal gown EVER! She was unaware that hubby and I were trying to get pregnant. I was looking for an excuse to buy the dress and hold onto it for the future. Instead, she bought it (not sure how that happened) and most of the grandkids have been baptized in it since.

The embroidery is unbelievable! (However, my photography stinks!) It was unlike anything I had ever seen. The red is really striking and the detail is fantastic.


Each child's name has been added.



There is PLENTY of room for many more generations to be added. I hope my children, nieces and nephews cherish it the way I do.

Here is the most recent addition...Lindie Jane, baptized this weekend.

Mom's gift to all of us.
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7 comments:

  1. Gina HartApril 29, 2009 at 2:39 PM

    This is by far the coolest baptismal gown I have seen. I love the idea of having all of the names sewn on. What a great tradition passed on by a remarkable woman. Thanks for sharing. (I didn't know your mom took you all on those trips - how cool is that?)

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  2. AnonymousApril 29, 2009 at 3:12 PM

    I so wish I could have been in town. I had no idea the names were being added to the bottom of the dress. How nice.

    Joe

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  3. Lisa TApril 29, 2009 at 4:39 PM

    What a beautiful story, memory and gown!! I was taken aback by the "Lydia Joan" on there as that is my Lydia's middle name too!!

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  4. stephApril 29, 2009 at 7:59 PM

    Wow! The dress was already gorgeous and the story makes it even more remarkable! I love the red "IHS"...And, of course, all of the names. A piece of your mom will forever be present at each child's baptism. What a neat tradition started by a beautiful wife, mother, and grandmother.

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  5. JenApril 30, 2009 at 6:35 AM

    Great post, Jen!

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  6. Made In The SouthApril 30, 2009 at 9:23 PM

    What a great family heirloom. Love the idea of the names being added..

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  7. Baptism Dress MomMay 1, 2009 at 5:26 PM

    What a unique Baptism dress!

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