For a three seamed under sack, Dia. III and VIII answer all purposes. The
parts of Dia. III place the height of back at 13½. A five-seamed sack
is to be made, for three reasons: 1st. In order to put in more waist
proportion in the side of the waist. 2d. To fit the over-erect form. 3d.
To make an overcoat. The normal form can be fitted with a three-seamed
under sack from the smaller sizes up to size 38, but the larger sizes out
to be cut as five-seamed, because they usually require more waist. It is
true smaller sizes have sometimes very large waists, but from one-half
to three-fourths addition to the side at line 17½ will cover it. Boys
usually wear sack coats; and, guided by this work, the breast measure for
a boy should not be taken looser than that for a man, because the scale
of one-half breast and 2½ in. will provide for that, to the full extent.
To make a five-seamed garment over Dia. VIII, for the purpose of giving
more waist proportion, simply enlarge the square, say 1 inch, and cut
out the surplus thus obtained from under the arm, or still better, leave
it on the coat as an outlet but allow the seam on the under arm cut. I
wish to add, however, that it is easy to stretch the side-piece on the
under arm cut when it is sewed up, and it tends to improve the side if
properly done; but if it is stretched at all, it must be done so upward,
and whatever it is so lengthened, say perhaps half an inch, must again be
reduced over the center of the back. All this may look trifling, but you
must remember that half an inch more or less cloth in the length of the
back will make quite a change in the fit.
To make a five-seamed garment, for the purpose of fitting an erect form,
examine Dia. VIII, and you will notice a dotted “V” on line 17½, or at
the hollow of the waist. At the side seam this wedge is five-eighths
of an inch, and to fit the erect form this wedge must be folded up in
the pattern; and to accomplish this on a flat paper the pattern must be
cut through under the arm and above the point of the wedge, when the
fold can be laid smoothly, but the pattern will divide at the arm as an
artificial gore, representing the gore sidewise. The square will enlarge
in proportion to the gore cut, and the upper portion of the back will
fall downward and shorten from its original position five-eighths, or
the width of the fold at the side seam. But although the back appears to
shorten on top it retains its balance over the shoulder blade. The actual
shortness is at the hollow of the waist. In folding up the gore across
the side piece will cause the side piece to make a sharp curve at the
side, and a sharp hollow or kink behind, and both must be straightened
by cutting away the curve at the side and by filling out the hollow
behind, so that the under arm cut will represent two straight lines. In
regulating the under arm gore, two seams must again be allowed at the
armhole, and the balance may be cut away, or it may be used as an outlet,
which may come very handy sometimes. In sewing up that gore, the side
piece usually stretches easily upward, say another three-eighths, and
said three-eighths must again be taken away from the length of the back
over the shoulder blade, and for this reason Dia. VIIIa has the height of
back at 12¼, or 1¼ less than Dia. VIII.
For further explanation of this fifth sack coat seam, or under arm gore,
and as to the difference between the erect and the large waisted form, I
refer to the article on large waists.
Large waists and erect forms are mostly combined in one person, because
when a person’s waist grows forward the shoulders throw themselves
backward, in order to keep the body in balance, and if this would not be
the case, a large waisted person would tumble forward unless supported
by something else. Anybody can see how this works. Take a normal waisted
form with a coat which fits well in the back and place a sack of flour,
or any other weight of fifty pounds, in front of this waist, supported by
the arms, and the whole upper body will throw itself backward in order to
keep its balance, and the back of this coat will become too long across
the hollow of the waist behind, because the front of the coat cannot
stretch like the body itself.
Diagram VIIIa is made especially for the erect form, and is in all
respects like Dia. VIII except the “V” closed up across the hollow of
the waist, and the three-eighths stretch of the side piece upward, and
the consequent shortening of the back of 1¼. The difference at the front
edge cannot be considered a fitting point. If Dia. VIIIa is used for a
large waisted form, which is mostly always erect, then the gore between
the back and side piece should be cut like Dia. VIII, or nearly so. In
all cases, whenever the waist becomes fuller, or the person more erect,
the spring over the seat may be enlarged, and if it becomes too large,
it is less trouble to reduce it than if the spring is too small. A good
outlet over the seat and center of back of a sack coat comes very handy
sometimes, but such a seam should be sewed by hand, because the machine
will usually cut its edges.
Now, in considering the above, a cutter must observe if the form he
intends to fit is erect or stooping, or large waisted, or if there is a
combination of such, or other abnormal conditions. The single erect, or
stooping, or large waist, or long or short necked person is very seldom
to be found; there is mostly a combination of two or three abnormal
conditions combined in one person.
The gores between the back and the fore part of both Dia. VIII and VIIIa
are cut out pretty close at the hollow of the waist, and it will never
hurt any sack, cut over either of them, to have one-half inch more at
line 17½. Dia. VIIIa may be used for the normal form, providing the depth
of the back is made 12¾ numbers above line 9, and I have often used it
for such with good results.
A sack coat with two seams and which is intended to conform partly to the
hollow of the waist in the back must have a spring over the center of
the seat, starting at the most hollow part of the hollow of the waist.
Said spring cannot be obtained by allowing it at the side of the back
which may be six or seven inches wide. Even if said spring were able to
push the coat back over the seat it would at the same time push the coat
upward and backward and away from the waist, and make it too wide and too
long there. The only way to make such a coat good is to cut the spring,
intended for the center of the back, at the side, and stretch the side
of the back, under the iron, and at the hollow of the waist, and press
the whole back in the shape of the pattern as in Dia. VIII and deduct the
seam behind.
Sacks without any downward seams will never be in demand until we come
closer to oriental fashions, or until we fall back upon cloaks. For the
purpose of finding out how close I could come to making a reasonably good
fitting sack in the back of the waist, without any seams downward, I have
made four of them during the last 12 years. The first one I had to rip up
again and make it up into a smaller size as a three seamer. The second
and third I sold as cheap coats and the purchasers never found out that
they wore seamless coats. They were better than a great many five seamers
seen on the street, though they were loose coats at and around the back
of the waist. One of them I had photographed on myself, both front and
back views, and have the photo still in my possession. One back and one
front view I sent to the office of the then “AMERICAN TAILOR,” and a
letter in my possession says that they consider it a good fit for such
a coat. The last seamless coat I made last summer, 1891, and have it on
hand now, and I intend to keep it at least for the present. A front and
a back view of that coat will be found in “Figures and Diagrams.” For
the last six months I have kept it for a show coat, with a card on it
offering $25 to any cutter or tailor who will make one like it, and which
fits as good or better. So far I have had no call for the $25, nor did I
expect a response, because it will not pay anybody to make one even for
$25, and risk a fit. I made the offer to advertise my work, that was all.
The fit of a seamless coat must be put in by the maker, and it takes a
cutter and a maker who knows what he is about, and one who don’t care how
long it takes to make one and what it costs; in fact, it must be a work
done for pleasure—not for profit, except perhaps to gain knowledge, for
“_Knowledge is Power_.” Now I will give a description of how such a coat
may be made:
Select a good fitting sack coat pattern with three seams, and one which
is not cut very close at the side of the waist, that is a sack cut pretty
straight. The one I have on hand now is cut over Dia. VIII, and as size
36. The height of the back above line 9 over the front should not be over
13, but the top of the back should be placed at 2½, so that the portion
over the blade is short and the top of back cut close to the point of the
angle of 135 deg. If the top of back becomes too close to the neck, it
can be cut down after the coat is tried on. On account of the short back,
the armhole must be cut pretty low and well forward. The front must also
be cut large and fitted to the body after the back has been regulated.
After the pattern is thus cut, proceed as follows: Close the back and the
front from the bottom to the hollow of the waist, lapping the seams; at
the bottom of the armscye the front and back will lap over about 1¼ inch;
fit the pattern to the back so that one seam is deducted from behind at
the neck and at least two seams at the bottom, so that the hollow of
waist shows as little surplus cloth as possible. Over the seat, the
cloth may be stretched in width, thus obtaining some artificial spring
over the seat. Cut the back, and the back of the armhole to within 1½
inch to the front of the armhole and not quite as deep as the pattern. In
cutting the pattern the back shoulder seam must be cut pretty low at the
armhole and should be at least as low as 8 for the reason that the lap of
the pattern at the side seam will bring both back and front shoulder seam
too close together and would have to be pieced, but if the back shoulder
seam is thrown down, and the front up, both will come out right. Now the
next thing to be observed is to make an artificial wedge of whatever the
back and the forepart lap at the bottom of the armscye, running out to
nothing at the waist. This must be done by stretching the bottom of the
armhole in width, and which stretch must be extended down to the waist,
but nothing must be stretched at the waist, for the waist is too wide
already, owing to the hollow of the back, in the pattern which can not
be imitated on the straight coat back. That stretch must start at the
point of the shoulder blade say about 4 in. from the center of the back,
and must continue to the front of armhole. The stretch will throw the
front of armhole forward of whatever the stretch amounts to, and for this
reason, the front of the armhole must be cut 1½ in. backward, of what it
is intended to be. After that artificial wedge is stretched in, the back
side seam may be marked and stitches drawn in, and the forepart fitted to
it and the front of armhole may be cut complete.
That all of this can not be done without trying on ever so many times
is self evident. Otherwise such a job must be made of material which
stretches well, and must be made up thin and the lining put in plenty
large, so it can give, and it would be best to make up without lining.
Nothing can be accomplished by shrinking. Everything must be done by
stretching. Plenty outlets should be left at the neck and shoulder seams
and in front of the breast. Such a coat can not be fitted on the cutting
board, but must be fitted on the body.
May be it is nonsense to write about a seamless coat, but I have seen so
many absurd ideas advanced about cutting garments, that this may not be
the worst. But a cutter who knows the true difference between coats with
different seams, certainly knows more than if he is compelled to swallow
anything the Fashion Reports please to dish out for us, in the shape of
diagrams for new “Styles.”
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