BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Knitting Pattern needed for burial gown

I have been asked to knit a burial gown for a tiny prem, just 26 weeks. I haven't really seen anything online that I like. I am looking for something fairly plain and simple as the baby is so tiny and wondered if anyone might be able to help me.

Thank you and God Bless

followinghim

Oh I am so sorry for the parents, my heart goes out to them. I was a premature baby myself, so anything to do with these tiny babies I relate to.

I did a search online and perhaps this pattern would fit your requirements:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/my_pages/babywear/hkp/018.shtml

Koala, thank you but the baby is even tinier than this and I have no idea how to adjust the pattern. I am advised that the baby is about 8 " in length.

Thank you so much for your help.

God bless

Maybe you could try using finer yarn than recommended and smaller needles?

Yes, thank you. A good idea. I have some white 2 ply. I think I I will try that and see how it turns out.

God Bless

I also had a thought that it might be worth looking for little dress patterns for 8 inch baby dolls. I know that baby dolls are often rather fat and a premie is going to be anything but - but it's worth a try.

I don't honestly think a lot of extra length in the gown is going to matter because it can be tucked round Baby. But instead of the 8 inch given in the gown I'd probably knit the skirt of the gown to about 5-6 inches at the most for an 8 inch long child. Remember the head is probably going to be about a quarter of the length of the body, maybe a little more. Arms will be maybe be about the length of the torso, which probably accounts for about 1/3 of the overall length of the body. My 12 inch baby Sashas have 8 inch tummies and they're human proportioned dolls, so at a guess this child will maybe have a chest of 6 inches at the most and probably less. So a 2-3 ply yarn on 2 3/4 mm knitting needles for 2 ply or 3 mm knitting needles for 3 ply will probably be all right.

Oh gosh I'm thinking just how tiny this little baby is the poor little thing. I was a month premature and weighed four and a half pounds at birth - and my first dresses fit my 16 inch child proportioned Sasha dolls.

I just found this on the Newborns in Need site - a premature baby sizing chart.

http://www.newbornsinneed.org/html/size_chart.html

Would you like me to design you something for this little child using the chart?

Koala

Thank you. That is very kind of you. I am not an adventurous knitter by any means. This little babe is a twin, hence her small size. She had a heart valve problem and was not growing as much as her sister. I am trying to knit the born asleep gown you recommended earlier, but using 2 ply wool. I am not too sure about how it will turn out yet.

Blessings

followinghim

Let me know how things go and if it doesn't work out I'll see if I can figure something for you.

Following this interaction is inspirational. God bless you both!