The practice of swaddling infants has been around for well over 4000 years. Keeping an infant's limbs wrapped tightly against his or her body tends to soothe and relax the child. Almost certainly Joanna Beekman swaddled all eight of her infants at The Beekman Mansion. Many upper-class households of the day had entire swaddling outfits, complete with bonnets and ribbons. The woven pattern near the hem of this swaddling cloth would have been very avant garde for the Beekman household. Called "overshot," this complicated style of weaving was just coming into popular practice during the lifetimes of the early Beekmans. Usually woven with dark blue wool, we've adapted our overshot for use in this 100% cotton textile. While there are nearly as many methods for swaddling an infant as there are cultures who practice it, we include a set of instructional diagrams to get you started with your swaddling cloth.

The pattern we've chosen comes in four colors, each inspired by historical dyeing techniques:

HOLLYHOCK (pink): The tall stalks of Hollyhocks are a summer farm favorite. The dye from the flowers can result in many colors, but we think the most beautiful is pink.

DYER'S BROOM (yellow): Dyer's Broom is an unassuming shrub whose flowers yield a bright citrus yellow dye.

PALE INDIGO (light blue): Indigo would have been an exotic dye for the Beekmans, as it?s native to Mexico and the Caribbean. Regardless of its expense, this dye from the Indigo shrub was very popular.

WHITE: Our White-on-Natural weaving technique produces a unique and elegant subtle pattern.

Dimensions: approximately 37X37. Like all of our handwoven linens, our BEEKMAN 1802 BABY BATH BLANKETS are heirloom quality, and with proper care can last for generations. They are 100% natural cotton and may be washed by hand or by machine on the gentlest cycle.