Year: 1879

Children's Fashions.


[Harper's Bazar.1


The flannel night wrapper is a most useful
garment for child to wear when ill, or when
being carried from room to room, or taken up
from warm bed at night; it is not intended
for constant wear at night over night gown,
but for occasions of unusual exposure to cold.
1t is of simple sacque shape, with no seams, ex-
cept those under the arms, which are slightly
sloped, and the shoulder seems. alt is buttoned
down the entire front, and should be long
enough to cover the child from throat to foot.
1t is made of any of the pretty striped or plaid
fannels, or 1t may be of plain white, pink or
blue flannel. To maize it thoroughly warm it
should be lined throughout withjwhite flannel
of light quality. 1t may be made as double
wrapper without raw seams, though this is not
really necessary. as the seams do not come in
contact with the child's flesh. 1t has turned
over collar, and cuffs that are rolled back from
the wrists being merely the ends of the sleeves
turned up. A row of feather stitching done in
white silk Is the prettiest trimming on the col
lar and cuffs; it should also extend down each
side of the front. Some thick soft white fan
mel wrappers are prettily edged with binding
of blue or Of crimson silk braid; others of blue
and white alternate stripes are wrought on the
edges with wool in points or scallops.


The night drawers with stockings ara especi-
ally valuable as night dress, as it is impor-
tant that when sleeping the child's whole
frame should be covered uniformly, and this
garment covers 1t from the chin to the soles of
the feet. The legs are extended in shape like
stockings to protect the feet when the child
thrusts them out from beneath the cover.
Canton flannel with heavy fleece is the ma
teIial usod for night drawers. The front is
cut in prircesse shape, with body aud legs in
one piece. There is also but one seam in each
leg of the drawers, as the back part is cut with
them, and after slit is cut down each side
from the waist line, the top of the back is gath
cred to band: The back of the waist is clos
ed by four or five buttons, and the band of the
BACK OF the lower part has three button. holes
In 1t, by which it is attached to three buttons
on the lower edge of the waist. Plain direc-
tions for joining together the pieces to stock
ings are given in the descriptions of the pat
tern. The openings on the sides of the
drawers are widely faced, and usually a button
and hole is put half way down this slit.
The seams of this garment are next to the
child's tender flesh, and should ba made fiat
and smooth, aud either feled down or else COW
cred with tape stitched on by machine.


The day drawers with waists have an easily
fitted streight waist with armholesor shoulder
straps. This waist is quite separate from the
drawers, as IL does not need to be changed so
frequently, and is made of Canton flannel for
winter or of strong muslin or elsa linen for sum-
mer drawers The neck and armholes have
muslin biading stitched on by machine, while
the lower edge has strong facing of bias twill.
led muslin an inch or more in width. A but
ton is set on this facing on each Of the UNDER
arm seams, third is directly in 'front.' and the
fourth button will be the lowest one of the
row which closes the back of the waist
The drawers are made of the same material
as the waist, and must be quite short, as they
are now not allowed to appear below the edge
of the child's dress The legs ara wide. and
may be tucked, ruffled. or embroidered; it is i'm
bortant when cutting them that the outside of
the leg and the bottom Of the leg should be
is cut slightly longer in the stride than the
front. The seams should be felled or else made
in the English bag seam. After the slit on the
sides is hemmed or faced, and small three
cornered gusset is set in, the ton of the back Is
gathered separately from the front, and each is
finished off with wide band like a belt; three
button-holes are put in each band to join the
drawers to the waist; the buttou-holes in
the middle of this band are cut lengthwise;
those in the ends are cross-wise.


1uo plluC6SS pottiCOaG mas the long waist
sloped over the hips to keep the bulky gather
Ing OF the flannel or muslin skirt from spelling
the tapering natural waist. The skirt is cut
ssS MsG ssHreSs @ the goods The waist is pro-
closely buttoned behind. Yard.wide muslins
are commended for these garments. The pat
tern of this waist may be used for the drilling
waists OF kilt dresses worn by boys not yet in
trousers.


The French apron is pretty little garment
that has come into favor again since dark wool
dresses have been revived for little girls 1t Is
low andround in the neck. has short sleeves that
are little more than "caps' or epaulets, as they
are sloped to the end before they fill the armhole,
ana the whole apron is merely full sacque. 1t
is necessary to have this little garment quite
f1ll around the figure, hence the neck is sup.
Piled with drawing-string. The apron is long
enough to reach within an inch or two of the
bottom OF the dress skirt. These little aprons
are imported in nice sheer French nsnsooks
soft cam brio, thin Irish linen, and the gray and
drab linens also. The most dressy oues have a
hem and cluster of tucks around the bottom,
while the neck and sleeves are finished with
tiny frll edged with Valenciennes or thread
edging. Sometimes instead Of drawing-string
tiny band is stitched on the outside, and this
band is wrought in brier stitch or in tiny dots.
Still others of linen, either white or gray, have
8 needle-worked scallop, dots or notched edges
around the neck and sleeves. A deep Spanish
foupce, also needle-worked, is added to the
poetoln oI otners. All tnese imported aprons
have the seams neatly felled. Very pretty ones
are sold for fifty cents at the French lingerie
establishments. These white aprons over dark
red or blue wool dresses make up quaint and
effective little toilette for the house, and are
also most useful in keeping the dress clean
Another easy way to make these full aprons,
and still simpler than this pattern, is to take
breadth of yard-wide cambria of the proper
length, cut out armholes, and trim them with
frill of muslin ruffilng; then face the neck for
drawing-string, and when drawn up the neck
has little frill to match those in the armholes
The straight fullness of this apron adds to its
pretty appearance.