Short christening dresses are particularly suitable for babies who are crawling or starting to walk, and this one is simple enough to work for other occasions if knitted in a colour. I couldn't find a pattern for one from before 1950, so I designed this from scratch.

The dress still has a touch of lace to take it out of the everyday, but the little bonnet is plain, with a simple crocheted flower to add a touch of charm.

Materials:

• 500 m (548 yds) / 200g of sport weight yarn (shown in 100 White colorway)
• 1m (1yd) of 1cm (3/8”) ribbon
• three 7mm (1/4”) diam. buttons

Tension/Gauge swatched on 3.75mm needles (US 5)

Dress:

chest: 48cm (22”) (use gather ribbon for better fit on a younger baby.)
length to back neck: 38cm (15”)
sleeves: 7.5cm (3”)

Bonnet:

crown to brim: 12.5cm (5”)
circumference: 33cm (13”)