THE
LADIES’ HAND-BOOK
OF
MILLINERY AND DRESSMAKING,
WITH
PLAIN INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING THE MOST USEFUL ARTICLES OF DRESS AND
ATTIRE.
WITH ADDITIONS BY AN AMERICAN LADY.
NEW YORK: J. S. REDFIELD, CLINTON HALL.
MDCCCXLIV.
ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843,
BY J. S REDFIELD,
in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, for
the Southern District of New York.
STEREOTYPED BY REDFIELD AND SAVAGE, 13 CHAMBERS STREET, N. Y.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION 5
CHAPTER I.
MILLINERY 9
Directions in bonnet-making. Materials. Drawn bonnets. Silk bonnets.
Children’s bonnets. Mourning bonnets. Directions for cap-making. Night
caps. Day caps. Net dress caps. Bonnet caps. Helmet caps. Widows’ caps.
Capotte. Lappets. Collars and capes. Widows’ collars. Turbans.
CHAPTER II.
DRESSMAKING 31
Silk or stuff dresses. Muslin and print dresses. Children’s dresses.
Frocks for girls. Mantelet. Ladies’ silk cloaks. Capes. Carriage cloak.
Garden cloak. A boy’s cloak. Piping. Plaits. Tucks.
CHAPTER III.
CONCLUSION 56
INTRODUCTION.
In a community like that in which we live, where respectability of
appearance is essentially important to our prospects in life, and
where, at the same time, the means of the vast mass of the population
are more or less limited, a wise and judicious economy is one of the
most valuable habits which can be formed and practised by those who see
a family rising up around them, with daily-increasing wants, and whom
they are naturally and laudably desirous of introducing into the busy
scenes of the world with that education, and those capabilities, which
appear most likely and best calculated to insure success.
So strong is the wish in the bosom of the parent to see his offspring
prosperous and respected, and to save them, as much as may be, from
those difficulties which beset his own path in his youthful career,
that we must consider it as an innate propensity of our nature, which,
though often abused and carried to a most criminal excess, is yet
planted in the bosom of man, by his all-gracious Creator, for the best
and most salutary of purposes.
This feeling of anxiety for the well-being of our offspring, is, to
a very considerable extent, manifested by both parents; but it more
especially exhibits itself in the conduct and habits of the wife and
mother. We have witnessed, with the most acute pain, the sacrifices
willingly and cheerfully made by conjugal and maternal affection, in
order that the husband and the child might be able to appear as she
thought they ought among their connexions and associates; and we deem
it the duty of all to do the utmost in their power to point out the
means by which this proper and praiseworthy desire may be gratified,
without incurring those serious privations which the effort for its
accomplishment not unfrequently occasions.
Clothing is an item in the expenses of a family, especially if that
family consists of a number of females, of no inconsiderable moment;
and though the materials of dress are at the present time exceedingly
low, it must be borne in mind that the remuneration for most kinds
of labor is also low, and that the cost of making up apparel nearly
doubles that of the materials. That a knowledge of the most common
principles of millinery and dressmaking would be of essential service,
both to young ladies and the maternal heads of families, no one, we
presume, will venture to deny; and that such knowledge is seldom
acquired, is a fact equally beyond the verge of dispute. It is often
felt that the means placed at her disposal by the husband’s and the
father’s industry are inadequate, without much contrivance, to support
the mother and daughters in that respectability of appearance they are,
very properly, desirous of maintaining; and those efforts to lessen
expenditure are made which, for want of the necessary instruction,
often end in aggravating the evils they were intended to diminish.
To all ladies thus situated this little hand-book is respectfully
presented; and the author cherishes the hope that it will prove
eminently useful in imparting those elementary principles of
information, upon confessedly-important subjects; which will enable the
noble-minded females of the United States to secure many blessings of
which they are at present deprived: to assume that respectability of
appearance which their modest worth and home-virtues so well qualify
them to adorn; and to enable them, with serenity and cheerfulness of
mind, to cultivate those high moral faculties which are the glory of a
nature made only “a little lower than the angels.”
MILLINERY AND DRESS-MAKING.
CHAPTER I.
MILLINERY.
DIRECTIONS FOR BONNET-MAKING.
That there is a charm in a neat and well-made bonnet, is a fact that
no one will be disposed to deny, because all feel it; and it appears
almost like an instinct of our nature to desire that the head-dresses
of those forms of loveliness which move around us, and whose sweet
smiles constitute the sunshine of our lives, should be worthy of the
fair faces they are intended to adorn. Fashion is ever changing, so
that to lay down invariable rules for any portions, and especially
those which may be considered the ornamental ones, of female attire,
is altogether impossible: still the general principles are invariable,
and the alterations demanded by the fickle goddess who presides over
the ladies’ wardrobe exhibits her power, not so much in the alterations
of general costume as in an ever-varying attention to details; so that
of most articles of dress it may be said, “Ever varying, still the
same.”[*]
[*] The latest fashions can always be seen, however, at Mrs. DEUEL’S,
297 Broadway,--a lady of taste and judgment, who stands at the head of
her profession.
It is, then, essential that all to whom time and economy of expense
are of any value, should be well grounded in those general principles
which regulate the preparation of the various articles of dress; and
those who are so grounded will find little difficulty in adapting
such general knowledge to any particular details which the changes of
fashion may render it advisable to adopt.
Millinery embraces the preparation of bonnets, caps, collars, and
some other articles. We shall treat of these matters as clearly and
concisely as possible, and hope that our labors will be found highly
conducive to the interests and convenience of those we are especially
desirous of instructing.
We commence with bonnet-making. The first thing to be attended to is
to have all the materials ready before the work is commenced, otherwise
much confusion and loss of time will be the consequence. Next, it will
be necessary, in making up these articles, to use as much despatch as
is compatible with accuracy and neatness. The materials employed are
in general of a light and delicate-colored fabric; and leaving them
to be tumbled and crushed in a work-basket, or on a table, is one
effectual way to get them so spoiled as to render them unfit for use.
On the other hand, care must be taken not to make more haste than good
speed. Though it is necessary to use despatch in making up a bonnet, it
is equally necessary that the utmost care and neatness should appear
in every part. If the work is so done as to make some contrivance
indispensable in order to hide an ill-finished corner, and other parts
which require the utmost correctness, the whole will appear vulgar
and slovenly, and will at once evince either culpable ignorance or
carelessness in the maker.
Much diversity of opinion exists as to the colors most to be preferred
for bonnets. For young persons, bonnets look well made of shaded
silks; but for adults, silks of a light and undecided color are, we
think, most elegant. No doubt, in the choice both of material and of
color, considerable deference must be paid to the prevailing fashion.
It is well to avoid the two extremes into which some people are very
apt to fall. The one is an entire disregard to the prevailing taste,
and the other a servile submission to its tyrannic sway. A medium
course is the only sensible one, and, in this, good sense will dictate
how far to go and where to stop.
Amid the variety of shapes for bonnets, the straight cottage form may,
in our opinion, claim the pre-eminence: they will always, more or
less, be fashionable, being general favorites. Drawn bonnets have been
much worn, and are not likely to be soon out of favor; they are well
adapted for summer, and have an exceedingly neat appearance if proper
pains are taken in the construction of them; they have also another
advantage--they may be made of almost any material, and look well
either in silk or satin. Net is also employed for the same purpose,
and made either of white or colored muslin; they look extremely pretty.
We hope the following directions will enable any young lady to make her
own.
If the bonnet is a full-sized one, and is made of muslin the width of
common print, the required quantity is one yard and a quarter; and if
the material be silk or satin, two yards will be found necessary. The
canes are bought ready prepared, or you may use whalebone for the slots
if you prefer it: it has one advantage, that is, it is not so liable to
break as the canes are; of course it is much dearer. Having got all the
requisite articles, you proceed to make the bonnet as follows: First,
make a foundation, either of willow or pasteboard, the shape you design
the article to assume when finished, and you may make the crown and
front of the bonnet all in one, or in separate pieces, whichever you
think best. We shall first give directions for making a drawn bonnet,
with the front and crown in one. This method is thus executed: It may
be proper to premise, that in making a drawn bonnet with the crown
and front in one piece, you find yourself obliged to join a piece of
the material to the crown as neatly as possible, as neither silk nor
satin is of a sufficient width, unless the bonnet be very small. You
are first to take one yard and a quarter of the silk, and doubling
it lengthwise, round off the corners by the pattern previously made;
then slit the silk down the middle, and run it together at the outer
edge. Then turn it so as to have the running on the inside. Next make
the places to receive the canes. You are to make four or five of these
runners close to the edge, all round, in order to give it sufficient
strength, and just wide enough to admit the canes. Above these the
other runners are to be made about half an inch distant from each
other, and with a small hole to admit the canes; when the latter have
been put in, these holes are to be sewed up. The runners are to be
made with sewing silk, which is not to be cut off, but left, as by its
means you can the more easily draw the bonnet to the proper shape.
Continue these runners until you have completed the whole front, and
then proceed to make the crown thus: Make runners the same distance as
in the front, and the same number close at the top as you made in the
edge. Having finished all the runners, measure the proper length of
the canes by the pattern, cut them off, and insert them; you must also
insert a wire of sufficient strength in the place of the second cane
from the edge. You are then to draw up the silk both of the front and
the crown to its proper size, by means of the silk ends you left to the
runners, and fasten them as neatly and securely as possible. What is
called the head-lining, is a piece of silk or muslin, neatly hemmed,
and of the same depth as the crown, which having inserted, you cut the
curtain from the silk, three quarters of a yard in length, and half a
quarter deep; this curtain is to be finished by a narrow slip cut on
the cross, sewn on to it, turned over, and hemmed neatly down on the
under side. The curtain is cut crosswise of the silk. In preference to
the narrow slip, some persons put a cord round the edge of the curtain,
which must have a runner and cane at the top, on which you draw it to
the size required. The bonnet is now complete, and can be trimmed as
taste and fancy may direct.
Another method of making this kind of bonnets is to have the front and
crown separate. In this case, the front is made in the same manner as
in the former example in all respects. The same length of material is
required, which is to be doubled and cut in the same manner. For the
crown you make a foundation of willow or stiff muslin, and you must
so make the round patch at the top as that it will stand half an inch
above the edge. This top piece is to be covered with plain silk, and
before you cover the sides of the crown you must sew it on to the
front; you need not have the crown double silk, as an inferior material
for the lining is quite sufficient. You make runners for the crown, and
prepare the curtain as before directed.
Bonnets of this kind, when formed all in one piece, are best made of
muslin or of net, and they are especially light and agreeable in the
sultry days of summer.
Bonnets of various shapes are made of plain and figured silk or satin,
and must in all cases be formed upon a stiff foundation. The best and
most economical way is to purchase a foundation of the shape required,
which is to be found in the different millinery establishments. Having
procured one to your mind, proceed as follows: Detach the crown from
the front, and shape the material by the pattern, tack the lining and
the outside to the front and cord, or otherwise secure the edges. Then
make the crown, covering the top first; then put on it the piece of the
material that is to go round, in a proper manner, and secure it at the
top by a single or double row of cord, fit it as tightly as possible
to the frame you had before prepared, and fasten it on at the back.
You then turn in the edges and set it on to the front. The edge of the
crown is to be outermost, or over that of the front. You put in the
head lining and attach the curtain as in the former examples, and trim
it as you choose.
Bonnets for children are, for the most part, made in the same manner,
and of the same materials.
An acquaintance with the directions here given will soon enable any one
to make a bonnet of almost any shape. The principles are the same in
all, and details can not be learned from books--they can only be the
result of observation and experience.
Mourning bonnets are made of black silk and trimmed with crape, or, if
for deep mourning, covered with crape. In trimming mourning bonnets,
the crape bow and strings are generally broad hemmed, the double hem
being from half an inch to one inch broad. For very deep mourning, the
front of the bonnet has a fall or veiling of crape, half a yard deep
and a yard and a half long, having a broad hem at the lower edge. The
upper edge, being drawn up to the size of the front, is either inserted
between the covering and the lining, or is set in along the upper edge
and covered with a fold of crape.
DIRECTIONS IN CAP-MAKING.
The next branch of millinery to which we shall direct attention is that
of cap-making. Some attempts have been made recently to discard the use
of night-caps, as detrimental to health; but it is not likely that such
old friends will be speedily abandoned at the dictum of new and untried
theories. We give the two following examples as among the best we
know; of course the variety of shapes is almost beyond calculation.
NIGHT CAPS.--The first is made as follows: The head-piece is made of
one piece of thick muslin, and the crown, which is in the shape of a
horseshoe, of another. You must be careful to have both quite large
enough to admit of the cap being drawn up to the size required, which
is done either by a strong thread or fine bobbin, run into the slots
indicated in the accompanying engraving. Having drawn up both parts to
the proper size for the head, you unite them with a cord run in between
them, and overcast the raw edges on the inside. You sew the front and
ends into a narrow band of muslin made double: then finish by setting
on the border and strings, as shown in the pattern.
[Illustration: Line drawing of a night cap (first example).]
The next example we shall give may be either made entirely of muslin,
or of muslin and lace. The cap itself is made of muslin, and drawn to
the proper size of the head by means of slots, as in the last pattern.
The crown is gathered full at the head-piece. The trimmings may be
either entirely of muslin, or they may be set with lace at the edge;
in either case, they must be first whipped, and then set on to the cap
full. You must be careful not to hold the lace edging too tight while
setting it on. These are very elegant night caps, and the details may
be varied at pleasure.
[Illustration: Line drawing of a night cap (second example).]
DAY CAPS are worn by most married ladies, and by some that are still
single. They are of a great variety of shapes, and almost all kinds of
material, but especially lace, and plain or figured net; both white,
colored, and black, are used in the making of them. To insure accuracy
and prevent waste, it is always advisable to cut the patterns in paper.
The following may be made either in white or colored net, and looks
extremely well:
First pattern: Make a head-piece or front of the annexed shape, cutting
it by a paper pattern the size required; then in a similar manner
cut the crown, which is in the shape of a large horseshoe. The double
head-piece is short at the back, but long at the ears, and you will
require half a yard of net, of the ordinary width, to make one cap.
You cut out the head-piece first, and put the kind of wire called
riband-wire all round it; you then set the crown in plain at the top,
and the fulness plaited in neatly at the bottom: the width must not
exceed two inches. This cap is trimmed with riband, one piece of which
is to be placed across the cap where the crown and the head-piece meet.
For the border you will require from three to four yards either of
net or lace, which having plaited, you set on full at the sides, and
quite plain in the centre. The border at the back is set on full, and
you have strings of riband. Some ladies wear an artificial flower, or
flowers, which gives to the cap an elegant and appropriate finish.
[Illustration: The first day cap pattern. It consists of two shapes:
the first shape is labelled “Front.” The second shape is labelled
“Crown.”]
Second pattern: This is made of one piece of net, which is cut as
shown in the accompanying figure. It is the most easy to make of any
shape we know. The ears are formed by the corners; the front is formed
and kept in shape by a riband-wire; and the crown is made by plaiting
in the back. It may be trimmed and bordered as in the first pattern.
[Illustration: The second day cap pattern. It is labelled “Front.” at
the top and “Back.” at the bottom.]
DRESS CAP.--This is made of net, and is formed of two pieces,
exclusively of the border and trimmings. The pattern must be cut in
paper both for the head-pieces and the crown. The head-piece is, when
opened, twelve and a half nails long, and two wide. The paper pattern
is only a half one, and the material is to be doubled before cutting
it. You cut from the front in a slant line, commencing at the point
of the double, and reducing the open ends half a nail; you also slit
from the back at the bottom, one nail and a half in depth, leaving the
extremities only an obtuse point. The crown is in length four nails
and three quarters, and five nails wide. You cut off from the top,
having previously doubled it half a nail, sloping it round at the
corners: the bottom corners are done in a similar manner. Make the
cap up by first putting wire round the head-piece, and then, having
previously whipped the crown, setting it on plain for about two nails
above the ears, and the remainder in small plaits, quite to the front.
The back is also plaited a little to make it fit properly to the head;
and in cutting the slants for the head-piece, you must do it in the
shape of a quarter of a circle. The cap is bordered with blonde, or
lace set on full, and a small bow is put on at the back. Over the
front a riband, either white or colored, is brought, which is left of
sufficient length to form the strings.
[Illustration: Line drawing of a dress cap.]
If you would have this cap more ornamental, take two pieces of wire,
a little shorter than the front, and quill them with the same kind of
blonde, or lace, as that of which the border is made, but narrower than
the border, and not so full. The wires are to be covered with a narrow
riband, and one of them is set on at the joining of the crown and
head-piece, and the other between it and the border.
A BONNET CAP.--This is made of net, and is neat and convenient. You
commence by taking a square of seven nails, which you double, and the
back is hollowed out a little. You then hem the front and the back, and
join it up at the top with a piece of lace, satin, or riband, about
one nail in length; the rest of the top is whipped and gathered to the
point of the insertion work. The border is of blonde, net, or lace, and
is set on full and double at the sides, single and plain in front. A
simple flower placed between the double border on each side, is a neat
and tasteful addition.
[Illustration: Line drawing of a bonnet cap.]
A HELMET CAP.--This is made up for a morning dress, and is easily done.
The usual material is tulle, or lisse. It is in three parts, and is
made as follows. The pattern for the sides must be four nails long,
and two nails and three quarters broad. The front is a little sloped,
and the back is curved from the ears about half a nail. This curve
must be two nails in depth from the front, and you slope upward from
this point two nails and a half; leave half a nail straight, and round
off the corners at the top to one nail and a quarter; the rest is left
straight. Having thus cut the side pieces, you must take a strip of
the net, three quarters of a yard long and two nails broad, in front,
gradually decreasing to one nail and a quarter; behind this you must
gather evenly on both sides, and set on to the other pieces full all
the way. The cap will then resemble the accompanying figure. You wire
both the front and the back, and bind them with riband. The stitches
are to be concealed by a riband or rouleon of satin, and you trim the
cap as fancy or good taste may dictate.
[Illustration: Line drawing of a helmet cap.]
WIDOW’S CAP.--The making of this requires care. The material is white
crape or book muslin. The pattern must be cut in paper, which is to
be laid on the material. The latter, of course, must be doubled.
The paper for the crown is the full length, but only half the width
required. Get a piece of paper seven and a half nails long, and three
and a half nails wide. This you slope on one side; and commencing from
the double, you measure two nails and three quarters, and then proceed
in a line slightly curved upward, for three nails and three quarters,
from which you round off the corner two nails and a half, leaving one
nail straight at the top. For the half head-piece, your paper must be
one nail and a quarter in width, and three nails and three quarters in
length. The ends of this are sloped from the corner on one side, so as
to reduce the other three quarters of a nail. The cap is made up by
setting the crown into the head-piece, the shortest side of which joins
it, and you must be sure to throw most of the fulness to the front;
then hem it both before and behind, and set on the borders, which are
made of the same material as the cap, and are one quarter of a nail
broad. They are set on as full as possible, and are doubled in front.
The borders are hemmed, and a round stick is run through, which gives
them the appearance of being crimped. A tape is put through each
hem, by which it is drawn to its proper size and kept in its place.
Binders are laid upon the head-piece, which are made in the following
manner: You require a piece of the material two yards in length, and
one nail and a half broad. In this you make a tuck, in the middle, and
a broad hem on each side; through these the stick used for the border
is put, and a tape is run in as before, and for the same purpose. These
bands are fastened behind. The chin band is made nearly in the same
manner. Both edges are hemmed and crimped with the stick, and are also
furnished with a tape. The length is three quarters of a yard, and
there is no plain piece left between the hems. These are pinned on each
side of the ears of the cap.
[Illustration: Line drawing of a widow’s cap.]
A CAPOTTE.--This is often worn by young ladies who are liable to take
cold. It is thus made: A piece of silk or satin riband is taken of the
proper length for a cap front, and not quite two nails in breadth,
which is reduced to half a nail, by the insertion of a riband-wire
at each edge. Cross pieces of wire in the middle and at each end are
introduced, for the purpose of keeping the riband its full width.
Another piece of wire, covered with riband, the same as the front, goes
at the back of the head, the length of which must be made to fit the
wearer, and care must be taken that it does so in as accurate a manner
as possible, as almost all the comfort and ease of the capotte depend
upon it. This is firmly sewed on to the front, a little above the ears.
The border is of net, blonde, or tulle, and set on to the front in
plaits; upon the edge a satin or gauze riband is laid in folds, so as
to cover the stitches and form the strings. A similar one is laid upon
the back, and sometimes a small bow is placed there in addition. You
trim the border according to taste or the prevailing fashion.
[Illustration: Line drawing of a capotte.]
LAPPETS.--These are made of net, lace, or blonde, set on, as a double
border, to a riband, which forms the strings. They may be either
plaited all round, or left plain in front. In the latter case, a plain
piece of blonde is generally passed over the forehead.
COLLARS AND CAPES.--These are so numerous and various, both in their
shapes and materials, that to give particular examples in a hand-book
is impossible. The general principles in all are the same; they are
worn as a finish to the dress, and should be made to sit as neatly
upon the neck and shoulders as possible. Velvet, silk, net, lace, and
various kinds of muslin, are the materials employed; they are made
plain, and with worked edges, square-cornered, or in a semi-circular
form, as best suits the taste of the wearer, and the purpose they are
intended to answer. They are sometimes made with a small collar to turn
down upon a larger one; neat ones are made of clear muslin, with a
border of braid laid on in various tasteful devices. The widow’s collar
is made of book-muslin, with a broad hem at the edge, and over this
is placed black crape. The cuffs, generally from five to seven inches
deep, are made the same way and of the same materials. Collars for
slighter mourning are made of muslin, crape, or net.
TURBANS.--The foundation of a turban is usually made of slight buckram
or stiff muslin, cut so as to form a broad band for going round the
head, with a peak or point to rise above the forehead. This band has
a chip and thin wire at the upper and lower edges, and is lined with
persian or sarcenet. The material of which the turban is made (being
crape, tulle, or gauze--frequently a gauze handkerchief) is then pinned
on according to your pattern or your taste, with a few occasional
stitches. As turbans are rarely trimmed, they should be neatly put
together in every part. On all sides they should be finished so as to
bear the eye.
To make a turban in the Turkish style, two lengths of gauze, perhaps
two gauze scarfs, are twisted, one over the other, round the
foundation. A piece of the gauze is left over to cover the crown, and
the ornamented ends hang down on one side.