(_Concluded from page 50_).
under-arm seams, leaving a half-inch opening above the ribbing in the
right-hand seam.
The Sleeves.
Pick up the loops round the armhole edge on to 3 needles. Put 18 st
from each side of the under-arm seam on to 1 needle (36 st in all), and
divide the remaining loops on to the others.
Work 5 rounds, then in the next round decrease 1 st at each end of the
under-arm needle. Repeat these 6 rounds twice.
Work for 8 inches without decreasing, then for the next 4 inches
decrease 1 st at each end of the under-arm needle in every 6th row.
Finish with 30 rows of ribbing, and cast off.
If you wish to have elbow sleeves, finish the sleeve with 15 rows of
ribbing after working the 8 inches without decreasing.
The bodice crosses over at the front, and fastens with ribbon ties at
the neck and waist. Thread the ribbon from the left front of the waist
through the opening in the right-hand seam, and make a slot over the
left seam, to correspond by knitting a small strap (12 rows on 4 st),
and sewing it on to the seam just above the ribbing; thread the ribbon
from the right front through this, and tie the ends together at the
back.
A Practical Way to Teach Girls Dressmaking.
Some of the ladies who have headed sewing parties, or collected
garments for the soldiers and sailors, during the past few years, could
a tale unfold of the mysterious articles that many very willing workers
have produced in their anxiety to help. No sooner was war declared than
hundreds of women, from every grade in society, stepped forward, ready
to make something; but what of the shirts 6 ft. long, the neckbands
made of flannel—not ones, nor twos, but dozens of them, calling forth a
special warning from the daily Press?
And it must be borne in mind, that many of these needlewomen must
have passed through our schools—elementary or secondary—and have
spent a couple of hours every week, for six or seven years, “learning
needlework”; likewise, the garments required were not novelties, they
are worn by men in time of peace as well as war.
Such a result of “learning needlework” gives one “furiously to think.”
Has the training in the schools fitted the girls for making and mending
garments for themselves and others—remodelling old ones, and generally
using the needle as a help towards comfort and economy in the home?
This brings us to a very pertinent question. _Is_ it possible to give
the girls at school such a training in the cutting out and making of
garments that the work loses it terrors, and comes within the grasp of
them all? Experience has proved that cutting out paper garments from
elaborate diagrams, bristling with “inches in” and “inches down,” is of
very small _practical_ value. The secret of success lies in getting the
girls to measure a real wearer, and then to make a pattern, which they
can properly “try on” for themselves, from these measurements.
[Illustration: A GIRL WEARING THE FROCK SHE HAS MADE.]
Take, for example, the making of a frock, such as the girl is wearing
in the picture. This child of twelve or thirteen, was one of a class of
thirty or forty, in which every girl made a similar dress for herself.
All measuring, making of patterns, cutting out of the material, fixing
and sewing—everything in fact, from beginning to end, was done by the
girls themselves.
To begin with, they arranged themselves in pairs, and each girl cut a
yoke, cuff and sleeve pattern for her companion. It was not necessary
to make a paper pattern of the skirt of the frock. No material was cut
until the patterns were satisfactory.
A yoke is an exceedingly useful and necessary part of many garments,
but it is not, as a rule, considered an easy thing to cut a pattern of
one to fit a particular wearer; but these girls found it simple enough,
by working on the following plan.
The illustration shows one girl taking the neck [Illustration: THE
FIRST MEASUREMENT FOR THE YOKE.]
measurement of her friend; this is the only one required for cutting
the pattern. It should be found, by holding the tape loosely around the
neck, so that the head moves easily with it in position.
[Illustration: TESTING THE YOKE PATTERN.]
An oblong piece of paper—newspaper will serve quite well—measuring the
neck length one way and one-and-a-half times the same the other, was
then cut out. Thus, if the neck is 12 in., the paper will be 12 in. by
18 in. (See Fig. 1). The method adopted of getting the yoke from this,
will be seen by following each step in the sketches. The two shorter
sides were folded together as in Fig. 2, forming a double piece. The
two top corners were brought over until they met in the middle, as in
Fig. 3, and then the triangular pieces cut off, leaving a double piece,
as in Fig. 4. Care must be taken in the next step to bring the slanting
edge (A) next to the two _open_ straight edges, over to the bottom
edges D; thus A and D lie exactly over each other, and the second
slanting edge B covers the fold C.
[Illustration: GETTING THE WIDTH OF THE SLEEVE.]
[Sidenote: Taking the Measurements.]
The pattern begins now to look something like a yoke, and is soon
complete. Two pieces must be cut off, one to form the neck and the
other the shoulder. Fig. 6 shows clearly how this is done, and when
it is finished a yoke pattern, as in Fig. 7, is the result. The
illustration gives some idea of the “fit” of a yoke cut in this way.
The girls were very critical about the neck and shoulder curves, and
the width across the back and front; many little alterations were made
before the pattern was considered satisfactory, and good enough to cut
out the material from.
[Illustration: THE UNDER-ARM LENGTH OF THE SLEEVE.]
Having made a satisfactory yoke pattern, the next thing to tackle was
the sleeve. An oblong piece of paper was again necessary, and its
dimensions were found in the manner shown in the two pictures. The
measure was slipped loosely around the top of the arm, and three or
four inches added to allow for the arm movement. This gave the width
required, and the length was found by holding the measure on the top
of the shoulder, as the girl is doing in the illustration, and then
carrying it around the bent elbow to the wrist.
[Illustration: FINDING THE LENGTH OF THE SLEEVE.]
[Illustration: TAKING THE WRIST MEASUREMENT.]
When this oblong was folded in half, lengthwise, it faintly resembled
a sleeve, but, to shape it properly, two other dimensions were
necessary. The next two photographs show the girls getting them. The
length of the under-arm sleeve is about three quarters of the full
length, and the wrist the same fraction of the width at the top of the
arm. The girls discovered these things for themselves, and marked with
the rounded end of the scissors, a slightly curved line from the wrist
to the under-arm position. This double piece was then cut away.
The shaping of the top of the sleeve requires a little more judgment
and care. The pattern was opened out flat, and a convex curve made from
one side to the top, joining a slightly concave one starting from the
other. Thus they obtained the foundation of any sleeve pattern. It can
easily be made wider or narrower, longer or shorter, according to the
dictates of fashion.
As the frock the girls made on this occasion had sleeves with cuffs,
two or three inches deep, the pattern was shortened accordingly, before
the material was cut.
The girls were only beginners, so they cut patterns of the collar and
cuffs in paper, and fitted all the parts on the material before cutting
out.
The cuff and waistband were straight pieces of material cut to the
required sizes.
[Illustration: MAKING THE YOKE PATTERN.]
[Sidenote: Cutting out the Pattern.]
For the collar pattern, the neck length was taken, as for the yoke
pattern, and an oblong piece of paper cut out, this length one way and
half of it the other. (See Fig. 1). This was folded in half to form a
square, and creased across the middle, as in the diagram. One of the
two open corners was folded over to the crease, and the triangular
pieces thus formed were cut off, as in Fig. 3. A curved line was next
marked, connecting one end of the slanting edge, A, with the bottom
end, C, of the fold. By measuring the length of the slanting edge A, B,
along the fold, a new point D was found, and a curve was made parallel
to the first curve, connecting B and D (See Fig. 4). The double paper
was cut along the curves, and thus the pattern of half the collar was
obtained.
[Illustration: MAKING THE COLLAR PATTERN.]
It was found that the collar for the frock fitted better when made in
two parts and in double material. Thus, in cutting out the cloth, four
pieces, the size and shape of the pattern, were required.
The length required for the skirt was found by fitting on the yoke
pattern, and then measuring from the middle of the front straight down,
adding two or three inches for the hem.
The frock in the illustration was made from double width serge, and
it was found practicable to get the skirt from one-and-a-half widths,
the other half serving for the yoke. The pair of sleeves came out of a
full width. This planning and arranging involved no end of simple but
interesting calculation, and the reality of it all made a strong appeal
to the girls.
One point of supreme importance was most carefully impressed—that
was—“the way of the cloth”; certainly, if this goes wrong, the garment
is ruined, and just as certainly it is a thing that will never be
mastered “theoretically”—it _must_ be learnt by actually cutting out of
material.
The cutting of the sleeves from one pattern is another bit of
“practical politics” which arises when a garment such as this is being
made. There is no reason why the pair should not be cut together, so
long as the two right, or two wrong sides are placed together. The use
of French chalk for marking out the pattern on the cloth was encouraged.
The making up of the frock afforded many opportunities for practice
in neat, strong stitching, combined with beauty. Suitable cottons and
needles were used, nothing finer than No. 40 cotton will stand the wear
and tear of every-day life. Where possible, the sewing machine was
used, but the parts sewn with it were first carefully tacked.
The question of decoration aroused no end of discussion and interest
the whole time the frocks were being made, and urged many a slow worker
on to greater efforts. The yokes, cuffs and collars were stitched
with contrasting coloured thread, and the variety of decoration was
delightful. Simple hand-worked stitches are generally more effective,
as well as more economical, than bought trimmings.
Of course, any difficult stitch or piece of fixing—for example, the
placing of the box pleats—was always practised on a piece of “scrap”
material or paper, before the frock was tackled; but when the young
needlewomen realised they were “trying” a stitch or a piece of fixing,
because they needed to use it in the making of the frock, they put a
good deal more zest into the work than if it was a mere “needlework
exercise.” No new material was ever torn up for these practices—odd
bits of any shape or size were used, and a bag of such pieces was
always at hand, in sewing lesson, for this purpose.
On the score of both economy and efficiency, one would plead that the
tearing up of good flannel and calico for the “sewing lesson” should
be rigidly tabooed. Probably no other subject offers such unique
opportunities in our schools for inculcating habits of thrift and
economy, with increased efficiency in the teaching.
The distress of nations, with its awful promise of misery and poverty
in the future, gives this branch of a girl’s education an added
importance. Surely we must neglect no opportunity of improving it!