This diaper shirt was returned to me in a bundle of infant clothing I had loaned a friend for the use of her first grandchild. It is another treasure I brought back from one of my teaching trips to San Juan. As I looked over this sweet garment and tripped through the memories of those special sewing schools, I was reminded of the beautiful baby clothes those Puerto Rican ladies make.
With the sweltering tropical climate, island babies need simple garments to keep comfortable. The shops in San Juan are well stocked with exquisitely made garments embellished with delicate handwork.
While most of the baby clothes I saw for sale were linen or 100% cotton, this little shirt is unusual in that it is easy care.   All the embroidery is hand stitched, though the scallops are machine made.
This would be easy enough to recreate, especially by using machine embroidery. It reminds me of the precious little in-the-hoop diaper shirts from Custom Keepsakes (NOTE: Open the slide show to see the finished diaper shirts in this collection.)
After this photo was taken, I came across the matching diaper cover, with a vertical row of buttons above each leg and scallops all around. Even with the poly blend fabric, the scallops are clean and crisp.
I was a little surprised at what good condition this set is after being worn by at least four babies. Both Laurel and Robert wore it, 15 months apart, and then a few years later Alastair enjoyed his first summer in this shirt set. Then my friend’s grandchild wore it. Doesn’t it still look good.? I wonder how many other babies will spend summer days in this cool shirt.
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