Both of these centers must be very nearly on straight lines, as is
proved by the fact that a vest can be fitted with very little curve on
the center of the back or in front; and in fact, can be fitted from the
waist to the neck with quite straight lines by simply cutting a trifle
of a gore sidewise, either at the waist or at the neck, or at both. When
we examine the body closely we find that it is not round, but has four
well-defined corners, two in front at the center of the breast or at the
nipples, and two in the back at each shoulder blade. If any reduction is
required at the waist it should be made at these locations, for they are
the turning points of the body. Between these points the normal body is
perfectly flat in front and at the sides, though in length the front is
curved, while the back is mostly hollow; but for all that, the normal
back may be considered flat from blade to blade, as the hollow between is
not intended to be shown, but concealed. If we view the body from side to
side, the back and front appear to be a sharp curve, as is shown in Fig.
2; but if we look at Fig. 1 we see both back and front flat. If a body
were to be pressed flat from side to side, and then a cover cut for that
form, both the center of the front and back would necessarily be cut on
curved lines, because it would be essential to fit from front to back, or
from back to front, just as we may take it. But on the human form both
front and back must be fitted sidewise from their respective bases, and
as both of the bases are on a flat surface it follows that both of them
must be fitted, or nearly so, on straight lines, at least as far down as
the hollow of the waist.
If we take a sheet of stiff paper we can fit it over the back and chest,
and from arm to arm, all the way down to the hollow of the waist in the
back, and to the turning points or pit of the stomach in front, with
scarcely any break or wrinkle in the paper, which shows that the center
of the back or front must be fitted on straight lines, and that all
reduction, as shown in Dia. II, or all additions, as shown in Dia. I,
at the waist must be made sidewise or nearly so. The reduction of the
back of the waist depends entirely upon the position in which we choose
to place the different parts. In fact, it may be claimed that the waist
reduction of the back is wholly imaginary, because the whole part of the
body between the arms and waist is a flat surface, and can be fitted with
a straight piece of cloth. Considering that the natural position of a
garment when on the body runs from the shoulder blade downward and into
the hollow of the waist, it must come in contact with the seat below, and
must be sprung outward, but differs somewhat according to the nature of
the garment—all of which is clearly shown in the diagrams.
All the different shapes of gores or wedges in the back of a frock coat
we can make, because we can open or close the sidepiece and back, upward
or downward. On a vest with a straight back, we must cut it just so, and
not otherwise; and a vest back must have a trifle spring over the seat in
the center of the back. If we cut a vest off at the hollow of the waist,
we can connect the sides also on straight lines and the whole garment
can be cut with but one seam in front. In this case, however, we must
consider the following: If the square of 20, with one inch cut out under
the arm, and sewed up, fits the body, the back and front are not in that
square any longer; but that square spreads on top, and contracts below,
about 7½ deg.
But while the square of 20 is thus contracted at the waist, it spreads
apart on top, or above line 9, and here a reduction of the waist would be
visible as a gore above the armscye line in the armhole, but which is cut
away and that gore is invisible on a vest. But even a vest on a square
of 20 would necessarily have a gore there if the armhole would not take
it away, and if the seam is thrown further backward, as in a sack coat,
that gore will show; and if the seam is thrown still further backward, as
on a frock coat, it will show still more, because the armhole does not
approach it so closely.
Now, all of this shows that two straight edges can be joined together
and fitted over the center of the back or front by cutting the gores
sidewise, and thus compelling the straight back and front of a garment
to conform with the bend in front and the back in length. The center
of the front cannot be manipulated like the back, because there are no
seams in the forepart passing from one end to the other, except in a
double-breasted coat with the lapels cut off. It is true, we can cut
small gores under the lapel or at the waist to make the forepart conform
to the body, but they must be well understood by the cutter as well as by
the coat maker.
We all know that a great many good coats are made every day without
any gore whatever in the forepart, but we also know that such coats
are pretty well worked, and the front edge drawn in, which is equal to
cutting a gore somewhere. A gore under the lapel is always vexatious in
the hands of an inexperienced journeyman, for it is quite easy to throw
the shoulder of the garment out of place when basted on the canvas. For
this reason no gore under the lapel should be sewed up until the forepart
is basted on the canvas or padding, after which the canvas should be
cut in just the shape of the gore, because a flat canvas will spoil all
effects of a gore. On a double-breasted coat, with the lapels cut off, an
exception must be made, when the lapels are sewed on before the foreparts
are basted on the canvas. Within said lapel seam may be obtained all
necessary oval form required for a forepart, and all other gores under
the lapel are apt to do more harm than good.
But there is no question about the usefulness of a gore under the lapel
of a double-breasted sack coat, and I may say it is indispensable there,
for no double-breasted coat can be made to conform with the shape of
the body unless one or two gores are cut somewhere. A lapel may be
obtained without a gore in it, but as soon as the coat is to be buttoned
up completely, there will be surplus cloth between each button and
buttonhole, or the collar will be too loose under the chin, or the front
of the waist will be too wide.
Now all of these faults—loose collar, long front, or large waist—may be
overcome by simply cutting a gore of ⅜ in. in the center of the forepart
at the waist seam of a frock coat, and I deem it necessary to give that
gore particular attention. When we take a sheet of paper and spread it
over the front of the breast, we can fit both fronts from the neck down
to the pit of the stomach with that straight paper. From the pit of the
stomach down it will stand off from the body, just as the front line of
the angle of 15 deg. stands off in Fig. II. Now, to bring that surplus
width in front of the waist to the body it must be reduced by cutting
gores. One large gore in the center of the front would be all that would
be necessary to bring the sheet to the body, but that would throw too
much surplus cloth on the top of that gore, and all on one spot, and
wrinkles would form across the front of chest, as in the case with all
coats which are cut away in front of the waist and forced forward in
order to button up. To reduce the front edge only will make it a cutaway;
but that will never conform a coat to the oval body in front. Now, the
more gores we cut the more will everything be divided and the better it
will fit. So, in place of taking one large piece from the center of the
front, we may cut three small gores—one in the center of the front and
one in each middle of the foreparts under the nipple. The one in the
center of the front is made in the edge, or the seam, and is simply a
reduction of the front edge. The two gores in the middle of each forepart
may be considered ⅜ in. cut, and two seams, or ¾ in. in all. These cuts
will balance the front and give all the oval shape which the chest of a
male requires.
On military or clergymen’s coats a cutter is compelled to make one cut
in each middle of the front if he wants a good front. On such coats no
gore can be cut at the front of the neck. The natural run of that gore
is straight downward, starting at the nipple, or wherever the front of
the body turns backward toward the front of the thigh. But we cannot cut
them all the way down through the skirt, and so we turn it forward at the
waist seam.
It will be noticed that Dia. II is cut without that gore, but it is
thrown into the lapel seam, and the large gore upward is the result. If
Dia. II is made with that gore, then the front must receive whatever said
gore takes up, say about ¾ in. more.
Military and clergymen’s coats should be cut pretty straight in front and
should have a large gore, say ¾ in., cut in the middle of the forepart,
and starting high up; and the center of the front should not be drawn in
with a stay, for this drawing in of the front edge will largely return
and show small wrinkles at the edge, particularly on fine broadcloth. If
all the surplus cloth is cut away and balanced by that gore, then nothing
is to be drawn in, and a stay at the edge is simply put on to keep it
from stretching, and to confine the canvas closely and permanently to the
edge.
On single-breasted sack coats a small gore may be cut under the lapel,
particularly for a longer roll. If a gore is cut for a short roll the
collar must be quite straight in front, or else the lapel will pull
too far downward. But for a short roll it is just as well to omit it
altogether, or balance it otherwise as follows: After the forepart has
been basted to the canvas, cut two or three gores in the canvas over
and along the chest. Cut each gore about ½ inch wide, and about 3 in.
across. Around these gores secure by good basting the position of coat
and canvas; then draw the gores together, and shrink away the fullness
of the outside, which may easily be done, then put the stay on even—by
which means all surplus cloth, usually cut away as gores in the front
of a frock coat, is used up and balanced in a sack. Drawing in the
canvas without cutting it will never make a smooth job. But all this
requires—that the coat be made by one who knows how to make it, and is
willing to make it as it ought to be made. Otherwise it would be best to
cut a sack without that gore.
On a double-breasted sack the gore under the lapel should be large and
all surplus cloth taken away there, particularly so if the coat is to be
buttoned up to the chin.
The diagrams show the position of the center of the back and front as
well as any description can make it, but the reason why I have been
describing it so closely is, that I desire to show the why and wherefore
all seams are precisely so and so. Neither do I claim that they must all
be just so, by the least fraction of an inch, but to show a general law
which governs the whole. I must refer to still another important point.
On a sack coat that is sewed up all around over the seat, or nearly so,
the side seam and the seam in the center of the back may be both cut
oval so as to give the form of the seat, particularly on a short sack.
On a frock coat the back center is thrown out below the tack, and all
roundness over the seat is produced by two curved lines on the side of
the back and side of the front skirts, all of which is shown in the
diagrams. The center of the back is open below the tack, and a curved
line there would simply produce a curved edge, but would not give the
oval form to the garment. If it is desired to roll the lapel further
down, a gore should be cut somewhere in the forepart, and whatever the
gore and its seams take up must be allowed in front, or else the coat
will be too small there. This gore gives more roundness of breast and
consequently a longer roll.
However, it should be borne in mind that a longer roll of lapel should
never be made wider on top; but, on the contrary, smaller. A large or
long roll must be produced by roundness of the parts created by gores
from some direction, and not by the width of the lapel. For this purpose,
I will refer to the overcoat in Dia. X. If that overcoat is cut for a
short roll, the small gore will produce a good lapel; but if the roll is
to be longer, the width of the lapel must be reduced, not by reducing
the front edge, but by enlarging the gore under the lapel. If the lapel
is not reduced in width, the long roll will fall over too far toward the
armhole, and no coat looks well with an extremely broad lapel on top.
The width of the lapel depends on fashion, but all lapels should be wide
enough to admit the button-hole and leave a reasonable space in front and
back of it. It looks bad to see the button-hole too close to the front
edge, or almost touching the seam behind.
According to the present style, a lapel should be 2 in. wide at the
bottom, 2½ in. in the middle, and from 2 to 2¼ on top; but there is
no law against making it a trifle wider or smaller. But this work has
nothing to do with fashion, and all fashionable points must be obtained
from the regular reports of fashion.
Again, it will be noticed on the single-breasted coat, as shown in Dia.
I, that the front of the forepart has a gore cut in its center at the
waist seam but none above or under the lapel. There being no gore under
the lapel to produce the oval form of the chest, the gore must be cut
below, else the coat will swing off from the front of the body. The point
of that gore must point to the center of the breast, and may run straight
downward or may be turned somewhat backward. Whenever that gore is cut,
the bottom of the forepart must be rounded on and along the bottom of the
gore, or its sewing up will cause a kink at the waist seam.
The front edge of a vest must also be explained, although the different
diagrams cannot fail to make the correct impression. In Dia. XIII, it
will be noticed that in the front of the neck a small gore has been cut,
which will bring the straight front line to the oval shape of the body.
On a frock coat the larger gore toward the waist effects the same thing.
On a vest the under arm cut is made where the gore in the frock coat is
cut, and consequently the vest has that gore balanced in the side seam.
A vest cut close up to the neck and without collar would not look well
to have a gore cut in front of the neck, and so the deduction is made in
front by starting the front-edge about 3¼ numbers from the point of 135
deg., and on the plumb line, and meeting the front line again at line
9. On a double-breasted vest, which is intended to button all the way
up to the neck, and lap over to the other side, this gore must be cut,
not where it is marked in Dia. XIII, but in a cut forming the lapel,
and which cut should be as large as the gore shown in Dia. II. It is
impossible to make a double-breasted garment of any kind without that
large gore if it is intended to fit the form when buttoned over. It is
true, very few vests of that kind are made; but that kind of a cut must
be made in all double-breasted garments if a well-fitting front is to be
obtained when buttoned up.
From line 9 to line 15 the front line is the front edge of a
single-breasted vest, receding a trifle at the lower button. Very few
vests are cut all the way up to the neck, and consequently the gore
at the neck, as in Dia. XIII, is entirely cut away and of no account.
Single-breasted vests that button up, say to about 2 in. above line 9,
can be fitted without any gore; but the front edge should be worked so
that it will not stretch out in making, particularly around the open
neck. Low-cut vests, and without turn-down collars, must be fairly well
drawn in at the open neck, or the long opening will gape more or less.
Single-breasted as well as double-breasted vests with a low opening
should have half an inch gore cut under the collar. The gap may be
taken away by drawing the neck in with a thread or stay; but a gore is
better—the maker should know just what to do with it. Stretching the
collar will never do any good—it will give the collar a different shape,
but will never bring a gaping front to the body.
In producing a double-breasted vest, 1 to 1½ in. may be added to the
front edge, and the buttons set back that much from the place where they
would be if the vest were single-breasted. To obtain the proper balance
for the bottom of the double-breasted vest along the buttons, so that
both sides meet, sweep from 3¾ at the plumb base line on Dia. IV through
the bottom of the front part of the angle of 15 deg., or as far backward
as the buttons will be located. This is a sure sweep. (See Dia. IV.)
Besides the gore under the collar, or the drawing in of the edge around
the neck of a double-breasted vest, I have found in a majority of cases
that it is well to lengthen the back, say ½ inch—which gives the front
a better opportunity to settle in its place. It is ten times better to
have the back of a vest a trifle too long than too short. The difference
between a vest and a coat may well be observed from Dia. I, II and IV. It
is useless to describe them, and I will conclude this article with the
following remarks:
A coat must fit best behind and at the shoulders, for the front can be
regulated by moving the buttons, and for this reason a center line in
front is not important; but it is very handy to have one for a system,
whenever you want a straight front.
A vest is intended to fit best in front, and for this reason the front
is cut loose at the front of the waist. The vest is cut off a few inches
below the waist, and a trifle loose cloth will not show; but if a coat
were cut as loose there the skirt below would flare in all directions. To
regulate the top button of a coat and vest, so that the coat will cover
the vest when buttoned, place the top button-hole, say on line 9 for the
coat, and ½ in. lower for the vest. The single-breasted coat has one inch
more cloth there, and the button may be set back one inch on the coat,
and on the vest as near as the button-holes when buttoned. The coat will
cover the vest about one inch, and this may be used as a guide whenever
the opening of the coat and vest are lowered.
To the center of the front also belongs the lapel, and a cutter should
know just how much to use for that purpose, and with that object in view
examine the front of a clergyman’s coat as shown in Dia. I. A coat of
this kind is, of course, without turnover or lapel, but it must be loose,
though not too wide; and if it is correct that the angle of 135 deg.
makes the top of the front just large enough to sew it up with a seam,
providing a large gore is cut below at the waist, then it follows that
the buttons and front of the button-holes must be sewed one seam back of
that line, and enough cloth left in front of the base as is required in
front of the button-holes and in front of the buttons. If the edge is
bound half an inch on the button-hole side and one inch on the button
side it will answer very well; but if the edge is turned in one more seam
must be allowed. The space in front of the button-holes should not be
less than five-eighths inches and may be three-fourths, and the button
side may have one-half an inch more for extra lap.
Now, I will refer to Dia. III and XII. Observe the circle which is drawn
from 60 degs. on the right and through 135 degs., which circle gives as
good a top to the lapel as anything that can be contrived, and the whole
front produces an extreme cut-away. If the lapel is to be run further
down, all we find necessary to do is to allow on the bottom of the lapel,
say three-fourths inches, and shape the upper part according to notion.
If we desire a long roll of the lapel, a gore should be cut under the
lapel, and the gore and seam again allowed in front, so that the original
width of the circle and on top of the lapels, is not destroyed. There is
no question but that a larger lapel requires a trifle more width around
the second or third button-hole, but how much must always depend upon the
notions of the cutter; but in all cases the lapel of a single-breasted
coat should be large enough to allow the second or third button-hole,
or all, to be made without coming in the break of the roll, and a neat
lapel need never be larger than for that purpose, no matter how low it
is to roll. It is here where the touches of a fancy cutter can be seen,
and a cutter has always a chance to become more proficient on that point.
Even with the greatest care he may often obtain a lapel that does not
suit him. But the cutter alone can not do all. The journeyman must have
the taste and the ability to make it so that it will not only suit the
cutter, but will also be admired by the public.
If the front of Dia. I was to be sewed together with a seam like the
back, the front line of the angle of 135 degs. would have to be cut
through, and that would fit down to between lines 15 and 17½, but below
that point the front would have to be reduced 15 degs., and at the same
time where the front requires reduction, the back requires an addition,
all of which is shown in Dia. I.
There is one more important point to be considered in connection with the
center of front and back, and this is the length. For particular forms,
or for odd forms, it may be measured as follows: From the top of back
measure straight down behind, and again, from the top of back measure
forward, striking point 11¼ on the plumb base line, as near as you can,
and from that point go straight down to a level bottom for both back and
front. To obtain that level bottom by the scale, make both back and front
even long from the point of the angle of 135 degs. for a frock coat,
after all seams are sewed.
For a sack coat, make the front about ¾ shorter than the back, for the
reason that the back of a sack coat is also ¾ shorter than that of a
frock coat, and which is fully illustrated by the lap of the bottom of
the sidepiece and top of skirt in Dia. III. This calculation holds good
for the normal form, and for the long or for the short neck, but for the
stooping and for the erect form it ought to be measured, especially in
extreme cases.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]