Vintage Baby Clothes, a Gift

I was recently gifted with these absolutely gorgeous baby clothes....they are so delicately beautiful.
So, you must hear the story!  I have a great friend, Susan, who grew up in the upper midwest.
She now lives in Little Rock.  Susan's best friend....her lifelong best friend, is Karen.  They went to school together....and have maintained a very special friendship all these years.  I say 'all these years' because all three of us are close in age.  Chronologically, we are on 'the older side' but in our minds we are still quite young.  On good days.  Well, Karen has moved to Little Rock too!  And, has joined our little monthly sewing/beading group.  She fits in very nicely!!

Are you seeing where I am going with this story?  I bet you are.  Karen told me she had baby clothes from her grandparents and asked me if I would be interested in having them.   (She had been told by Susan that I was 'into' that kind of thing.)  Of course, I said YES!  She explained to me that she had no children and was not 'into' the baby clothes thing, so she would love for me to have them.  OMG....was I all over that!  She also said they needed to be cleaned, but she had no idea how to do it.  Of course, she was thinking they were just so delicate, they must require great care in cleaning.    When I first saw them, I knew I could handle the cleaning and couldn't wait to do so.
Here's what I did:  I soaked them in water and liquid OxyClean for four days.  Not wringing at any time...just soaking, then rinsing well.  This little christening dress and slip were dingy, but not awfully dirty...and came out just sparkling white...and SO SWEET!!!  It is quite long, has beautiful lace, tiny tucks, and sweet little embroidered flowers here and there and also a full length slip too.  So very precious!

Here's a little peek at the little floral embroidery motifs 'here and there.'  So soft, so sweet....and so beautiful!

 The ruffled hem is quite wonderful......and this garment was stitched entirely by hand!  Oh, my!!!

Gorgeous little medallions of lace stitched on in Satin Stitch, then the back fabric removed...my oh my....with little flowers and leaves scattered here and there.  Simply divine!

Here's the back of the dress.  Look at all those tiny tucks across the top!!  

When my children were babies...I made much of their clothing.  Do you remember little batiste 'diaper shirts' and little 'morning dresses?'  So, I actually have sewn on tiny buttons such as these.
So dear.

Here is another little dress from Karen's collection.  This one was sewn on the machine and is much simpler than the previous dress, so I expect it was a dress worn often......but look at all the tucks...so very sweet!

 Love the yoke of this little dress.

And, all those little tucks around the skirt.  And, I remember when deep hems were just 'the thing.'   I had a couple of organdy pinafores myself, but have no clue whatever happened to them.

Well, of course, I've left off a photo!!!!  This garment is a little coat in a silky fabric (but I don't think it IS silk).   There is a FULL photo of it at the end of this post.  It is really, really special!!!!  When I first saw it, the color was kind of a peachy light brown.  But, I knew it was something really special.
After washing and ironing, it turned out to be a very soft peachy color, on the light side.  And so very soft!!  Just look at the floral applique and embroidery here on the lower front.  And, the lace insert.....
just takes your breath!!!  And, every stitch on this coat is by HAND!!!

I know YOU know to click on the photos so you can see them larger...please do so you can see all the gorgeousness!

The sleeves are so pretty....with tucks and all that lace....you can see the hand-stitching......no telling how long it took to make these garments!!

 The made-by-hand tucks......I could go on and on......just imagine the time it took...

The collar is just beautiful too.....of course!  More appliqued and embroidered motifs and that gorgeous lace.

Then, here is another view of the sleeves with the lace edges folded back over the ruffle....a whole lot of work on the sleeve's edge, for sure!  And, of all the most wonderful work on this little coat...look at the button and the stitched button loops!!!  All thread.  There are three of the buttons and the loops which 'hide' behind the front placket of the little coat.  OMG!!!

Then there is the little handmade bonnet.  Well, no coat would be complete with it's own special bonnet!!!

Gathered around a delicate circle motif in the crown of the bonnet.....with even more hand stitching and tucking!

 A closeup.........I wish the photos really showed the actual color better....it looks beige-y here, but it isn't...just that delicious, soft, pale peachy color!

And, here is the little coat with the bonnet laying on it...........look it over carefully....it is so very special!  And, how about my new friend, Karen?  She is such a special person to give away these beautiful garments...and, to me, a person she barely knows.  I am very lucky to have received the garments and to have a very kind and generous new friend!!!  I hope you have enjoyed seeing these lovely treasures as much as I've enjoyed telling you about them.  Y'all take care out there....hugs, pat