The shirts should have high necks and long sleeves, come well down over the hips and open all the way down the front. They should be of cotton and wool or silk and wool but not all wool as this is too warm. During very warm weather the shirts should be of thin cotton or silk. It is better to start with size 2 as the smaller size will soon be outgrown.
Fig. 18.—Pattern for baby’s petticoat (shown in C. Fig. [20]) requiring ¾ yard of material one yard wide. The cotton dress (A) and flannel nightgown (B) in Fig. [20], may be made from this pattern with the addition of straight sleeves.
The petticoat is a very important item in the baby’s wardrobe, for, helping as it does to keep his body evenly warm, it is worn constantly except during very warm weather. It should be a straight little slip, about 27 inches long, hanging from the shoulders, made entirely of flannel, without the broad cotton waistband that has tortured so many babies in days gone by.
The chief purpose of the dresses or slips is to keep the petticoats clean and add to the daintiness of the baby’s attire and they are made, therefore, of very thin, soft cotton or linen material. They are made from the same pattern as the petticoats, except that they have sleeves and these may be set in or cut out in one piece with the rest of the garment like kimono sleeves, as in Fig. [19].
Fig. 19—Pattern for kimono-style dress or nightgown, shown in E, Fig. [20], and requiring 1½ yards of material 27 inches wide.
The nightgowns are made like the slips, but of the same part wool flannel as that used for the petticoats.
The petticoats, slips and nightgowns should all open down the back and may be fastened with either tapes or buttons and buttonholes. These fastenings present about equal advantages but there is perhaps a slight preference for buttons as babies sometimes tangle their fingers in tapes or get them in their mouths.
