Baby Blessing Dress and Bonnet
Kathleen Bateman Peterson (1951– )
- Medium
United States
ca. 2009
Bobbin lace- Merit Award
- Merit Award
"One grandmother made bobbin lace in Switzerland. Another grandmother made it in England. My family uses the old tradition of folding a lace-edged handkerchief into the bonnet in which a baby is blessed, and the handkerchief is later used as a wedding handkerchief. Because our children and now grandchildren are a great gift from God, I have looked forward to making lace for them also. This handkerchief is made from a Swiss point ground pattern, representing Swiss heritage. The dress is bobbin lace, made from a torchon pattern that represents English heritage. There will be only one dress, and each grandchild may be blessed in it. Each grandchild will have his or her own hankie-bonnet, so I am making a unique heirloom for each one. The dress took about 650 hours to make and the bonnet about 250 hours."