Simplicity 2457 Baby's Christening Outfits: A Pattern Review

If you follow me on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, you may have seen the montage video of me working up this pattern. I've only made this pattern once, for my son (version C as we'll discuss below), but I have some important notes for anyone else looking to use this pattern.

A quick note that this is one of only three baptism patterns I was able to find that included rompers for the boys. The pattern from McCalls seems to have been discontinued, making the two Simplicity patterns the only easily accessible options for purchase.

I will also make a general note that I did not make the bonnet at my husband's request.

Total time to complete: About 2-3 hours to cut out the pieces, about 8-12 hours to sew it up, depending on sewing speed*.

*Note: I'm really ballparking this number as this was completed in chunks of stolen time while caring for my son over the last month of my maternity leave.

Materials:

• Fabric - fabric choices discussed below - amount varies a bit with size but you can safely purchase 2 yards and have a bit left over.

  • You will need a second fabric to make the slip for the dresses (version A and B) or to make the vest in version C (shown in my pictures)

• Snap tape

• Ribbon

• Elastic (for shoes)

• Bias tape (for inside of the collar)

• Buttons

• Middy braid (for versions C and D - I skipped this in favor of using an embroidery stitch in a contrasting thread)

• Sewing machine

• Universal sewing machine needle of a weight to match your fabric

• Matching thread

• Fabric scissors and snips (or a rotary cutter and mat, if that's what you prefer)

• Optional: Fabric marking tool for transferring the pattern - I use Saral transfer paper in various colors with a tracing wheel

• Optional: Fabric marking tool (chalk, pencil, pen, fabric marker) if you prefer to cut out your patterns and trace onto the fabric

• Optional: pattern weights

• Sewing pins or clips

• Ironing board and iron

READ THE PATTERN FIRST

I cannot stress this enough: whoever wrote the instructions for this pattern cared more about saving paper than making sense. Versions A and B go first and then the instructions for versions C and D refer you back to those instructions several times, but only for a few steps here and there and the referrals are in small print - easy to miss if you're not paying close attention.

So before you begin working, I HIGHLY recommend going through the entire pattern and highlighting anywhere it says "continue same as Dress A, B, see steps..." and then going into the instructions for versions A and B and circling or highlighting those steps. Look for this after steps 6, 19, and 26 in versions C and D.

I also recommend highlighting anywhere there is a 3/8 inch or 1/4 inch seam instead of the standard 5/8 inch used throughout the rest of the pattern.

Middy Braid

This is written into the pattern for both versions of the romper. However, you may notice it is not included in any of my photos. This is because I forgot to buy it, followed by a conscious decision to not include it because I didn't want to go to the store. Instead, I used an embroidery stitch on my sewing machine in a royal blue thread and I quite like the way it turned out. This is definitely an option if you also choose to forego the middy braid. Of course, you can also just skip the decoration altogether and opt for a cleaner look.

The Final Verdict

Would I recommend this pattern? Yes, with some qualifiers.

First, the way the pattern is written was confusing and I struggled to complete some of the steps. As such, I would not recommend this pattern to anyone who would self-identify as a beginner - either a beginner sewist or a beginner to using paper patterns.

Second, some of the techniques used are quite fiddly either because of the garment size or just in general. So again, if you have experience using paper patterns, following instructions, and sewing in general, you should be fine.

Third, this was literally one of two baptism patterns I was able to find that I could easily purchase that had a romper version. So while I'm still overall pleased with how it turned out, I can't say for certain that I would have picked it over other options.