The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-05
TIE BLBY'S DAINTY CLOTHES.
WHETHER CHEAP or COSTLY,
GOOD TASTE RULES.

OverelabOratIOn DisCre6lted Nowadays
Hand Embroidery. Delicate LAces
md Sheer Materials the Elements OF
Beauty-The Babys Caps n ClOaks.
Baby clothes and the accessories for the
baby's toilet grow more charming year
by year; but 1t seems now a. though the
last word on babyish daintlness had been
said.
overelaboration has happily been dis
credited until even the cheaper baby
clothes approach that simplicity which
is 90 desirable, and the expensive baby
clothes, though more costly than ever.
conformto the laws Of good taste by having
their elaboration Of the most deoeitfully
simple. and babyish variety.
Hand embroidery IL the note most en-
phasized In the expensive long frooks for
wee babies, but 1t is hand embroidery Of
fairylke dLntiness and delicacy. tiny
designs Of Eprig and spray and tendrl
wrought with indescribable ineness and
creeminently babyieh In character. AS to
the amount Of this embroidery used. that
depends upon the taste and the purse OF
the buyer, but It IL q mistake to lavish q
very great deal sven Of this dainty orna-
mentation upon the baby dress. letter q
lOuCh u Az AAOl ~ hoAO eoN NhOAS
with tho smallest Of hand run tucks and a
little fine inset valenciennes to oomplete
the trimming scheme.
Often the embroidery appears nowhere
except upon a little square or round yoke.
The yoke Is attached to the body Of 1.-THE dress
by beading OF inset lace and q very narrow
friIl Of valenoiennes at throat and wrists
Ia the only other trimming save minute
tucks.
More ambitious designs, such as one
illustrated among the Bketches, have the
shallow embroidered yoke, but repeat
the embroidery note in the trimming Of
the skirt bottom. In this particular
instance little embroidered squares alter
mating with squares Of fine tucking and
framed In inset yalen ciennes insertion
trimmed the bottom Of the dress, above
a frill inset and edged with valenoiennes. |
Shoulder straps and knots Of soft liberty
satin ribbon added to the attractiveness
Of this little frock, which despite its festive
air was In no way overturned.
Even more original and charming was the
model Of the second sketch with it's long
front panel strewn with tiny embroidered
sprigs and It's embroidered motifs Get into
the skirt bottom with valencisnnea. Other
frooks, still more costly because Of the
increased quantity and difficulty Of their
embroidery, have lines OF garland and
riband design embroidery down each side
Of the front and around the bottom Of the
frock above q frn.
OF course, hand embroidery IL not for
the rank and file Of baby frocks and even the
wee folk born to NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. do
not have all Of their first clothes embroid-
cred. Hand work il, however, essential to
the right effect in baby clothes, and while
the machine made frook may be fine and
pretty 1t never has just hat delectably
babyish air which is the success Of q baby
frook.
II one can do no more one can at least
put the little lace collar and cuff frills on by
hand, run in a few hand tucks. inset a few
lines OF valenciennes insertion or finish yoke
and cuffa with lines Of ~herringbone stitch.
The simplest frock possible made with such
touches Is more desirable than the most
elaborate OF machine trimming and though
the little short frock may perhaps be oon-
strlcted entirely by machine and yet have
a certain success the first frocks, however
simple, absolutely must have the suggestion
~ hand work about them unless they are
to fail lamentably.
Finenessa and sheerneas Of material IL also
essential for the successful first frock and no
lace that is not fine and dainty should ever
he introduced upon q baby's frock. Better
no lace at all than a coarse quality.
or course. the ideal lace for the baby
clothes is real valenciennes In the narrow
baby widths. As q matter OF fact Il Ia
often hard TO find these narrow widths in
anything save the real valenciennes, though
they are made in many Of the good imita-
ton valenciennes.
The price Of the real valenciennee Ia pro-
hibitive for many a mother who would love
dearly TO have her baby's first clothes all
that h most dainty and charming; but, on
the other hand, a woman often spends upon
a quantity of comparatively cheap imitation
valenciennes an mount that would suffice
for the buying Of enough real valencienhes
10 trim the frock in a simpler way. For 40,
so or 90 cents one can get the most delightful |,
little edglnGs and insertions Of real valen-
ciennes, and it takes 90 little Of the lace to
frill round a baby's throat and wrists or to
trim a tiny yoke that by simplifying the
design Of a frook it is quite possible TO use
real valenciennee.
There are. too, baby edgings and inser-
tons Of real Cluny. 80 fine n oobwebby
that 1t is hard to believe they are really
Nllly, lIcB6 wear 6AIT 0InBiy we'll and i
are at their best quite as babyish as the
valenoienues.
II the imitation valenciennes il used IL
should at least be Of the baby widths and inn
the fine grades.
Narrow embroidery edgings are provided
for baby clothes, but belong TO the province
Of the short frocks, and on first clothes no
embroidery save hand embroidery should
he introduced
The embroidery veinings and headings
Of very harrow widths and fine quality enter
into the designs Of the pretty long frocks,
but little lace veinings and beadings are
often used instead.
Upon the long baby cloak q Ia mode hand
embroidery is lavished, even more freely
than upon the little dresses; and while this
embroidery Is still chiefly OF the very fine
habyish character. q certain boIdness OF
shect which would not be considered correct