DRESSMAKING.
INSTRUCTIONS IN CUTTING OUT A DRESS.
In many instances, to be able to cut out and make up a dress is an
acquisition of no small advantage to its possessor. This useful
branch of female education is not, in our opinion, cultivated with
that care its importance demands; and, in consequence, much expense
is often incurred where the money might be applied to other important
and necessary purposes. Some people have an idea that they can cut
out a gown or other dress merely by looking at one already made, or
by an inspection of the drawings, and in most cases very deficient
descriptions, found in books of the fashions: but this is a sad
mistake. No great exertions are necessary in order to become capable
of practising this part of domestic economy; but still its principles
must be understood, and its most simple rules impressed on the memory,
before anything like accuracy, to say nothing of proficiency, can be
attained.
No one will deny the importance of dress; it is, in fact, an index
to the character; and the female who is utterly regardless of her
appearance, may be safely pronounced deficient in some of the more
important qualities which the term “good character” invariably implies.
On the other hand, a regard to neatness and order, held in due
subordination to the exercise of the nobler faculties, will generally
be found to stand in close connexion with an earnest endeavor after the
attainment of intellectual and moral excellence. Thus, an attention to
neatness in dress, and to its judicious arrangement, so as to be in
accordance with the station and circumstances of the wearer, becomes of
much more moment than, on a superficial view of the subject, some might
be disposed to admit.
Most girls begin dressmaking very early; that is to say, when they
clothe their dolls: and very good practice it is. When their mother
gives them a remnant of print, and they turn it about, and measure
it to ascertain whether there is enough for a frock, and if there
is not enough for a frock, determine whether it shall be a petticoat
or a pinafore, and cut it out accordingly,--all this is practice in
dressmaking. When the doll is bidden to lie very still to be fitted,
and when she is laid sometimes on her face, sometimes on her back, and
sometimes held with her head downward, while a paper pattern of her
waist is being cut,--all this is practice in dressmaking. The practice
will be all the better if the mother can spare a minute to look on, and
point out that the front of the body may, if convenient, be cut on the
cross, but that the backs and arm pieces must be straightwise of the
cotton; and if she can just show how far back the join of the sleeve
should go, and how the skirt should be a little taken up in front, that
it may sit well, and not hang lower before than behind. It will be kind
in the mother, too, not to allow bad work in a doll’s dress, any more
than in her own gowns. If you have had a mother or a schoolmistress who
let you dress a doll, and made you do it neatly, you have had as good
an introduction to your future business as you could desire.
From making your doll’s frocks, your next step was, probably, to
make your own. Your first attempt, perhaps, was to run the seams of
the skirt of your cotton frock,--to run the selvage seams with a
backstitch, and, in case of a gore or half-breadth, to make a hem with
the selvage over the cut edge. If you puckered it in the least, I hope
you were made to take it out and do it again, taking care to pin the
edges together at short distances the whole length, that you might not
find, when you came to the bottom, that one breadth gave you an inch or
two over the other. Some few things about making a skirt should have
been explained to you at the beginning--things which are true about the
making of all skirts, through every change of fashion, and whether the
dress be of the coarsest stuff or the richest satin. These are--
1st. That you should pin or tack together the breadths of the skirt at
the top, before you begin, so that you may not chance to put in more
gores on one side than the other (if there are gores), or find that the
hind-breadth comes to one side.
2dly. That you should, while thus arranging the breadths, look very
carefully that no one breadth is turned wrongside out, if there are two
sides; or, if figured, with the pattern upside down.
3dly. That, as the uppermost edge takes up the most, as your work lies
over your finger, and as the cut edge stretches more than the selvage,
you should, as beforementioned, pin from top to bottom, before you
begin to join them, the breadths on which you are employed. This is the
surest way of avoiding puckering.
4thly. That you should, as often as possible, begin your run at the
top, so that if there is any left over, it may go off at the bottom,
where it is of the least consequence. You can do this in every case but
where you have to join a cut edge and a selvage, and must begin at the
bottom, in order to have the selvage uppermost.
5thly. That you must remember that gored skirts hang lower at the
bottom of the gores than either before or behind, and that the first
turning in of the hem should be therefore laid in rather deeper at the
sides of the skirt.
6thly. That you should make your fastenings so good as that the dress
may wear out before they give way. This is particularly important with
regard to the pocket-holes and the openings behind, which should be
well secured by stitching, or a bar at the turn. It is very trying to
a lady to find her skirt slit down behind the first time she slips her
gown over her head, or her pocket-hole give way before she has put her
hand into it half a dozen times.
With these remarks, and a proper share of attention, the following
instructions will remove much of the difficulty in which the novice in
the art of dressmaking finds herself involved.
First the materials for the intended dress must be procured, and it
is advisable, whenever practicable, to get them all at the same time.
The necessary requisites are the material, the lining for the body and
skirt, wadding, covering, hooks and eyes, silk, thread, and what is
called stiffening muslin. You will require all those for a silk dress,
and most of them for those of other fabrics.
Having thus procured the required articles, proceed to cut out the
dress, first measuring off the number of breadths of the proper length
for the skirt (which is, of course, to be regulated by the height of
the wearer, and by the manner in which it is intended to be made), and
try them carefully on one side. If tucks are to be introduced into
the skirt, a proper allowance must be made for these, as also for the
turnings both at top and bottom. You next cut out the sleeves, as being
the largest parts of the garment except the skirt. In cutting out the
sleeves, you must first prepare a paper pattern of the required shape;
then double the lining, and cut it exactly the shape of the paper,
leaving about an inch all round for the turnings in. You will thus cut
the sleeve linings both together, and will avoid some labor and all
danger of making one larger than the other. Double the silk or other
material so as that both the wrong sides may face each other, and cut
the sleeves by the lining just prepared. To secure exactness, it is
best to tack it to the material. Be careful to lay the straight side of
the pattern to the selvage of the silk.
The sleeves being thus prepared, proceed to take the proper measures
for the front and back of the body, by fitting a paper pattern to the
shape of the person for whom the dress is intended. The paper should
be thin, and you commence by folding down the corner the length of
the front, and pinning it to the middle of the stay-bone. Then spread
the paper as smoothly as possible along the bosom to the shoulder,
and fold it in a plait, so as to fit the shape exactly, and bring the
paper under the arm, making it retain its position by a pin; from this
point you cut it off downward under the arm, and along the waist; the
paper is then to be rounded for the arm-hole and the shoulder, and you
must recollect to leave it large enough to admit of the turnings. In
the same manner you proceed to form the back, pinning the paper down
straightly; and leaving sufficient for the hem, you fit it to the
shoulder and under the arm, so as to meet the front. You will thus
have an exact pattern of half of the body, and this is all that is
necessary, as, of course, you cut both sides, both of the front and
back, at the same time. The linings are to be cut by the pattern, and
the silk by the linings. You must take care to cut the front crosswise
of the silk, and in two separate pieces, which are afterward joined in
the middle. If the plait made in the pattern be very large, it must be
cut out on the silk, or the body will not fit well to the shape; if
small, it may be left: but we think that, in all cases, to cut it out
is the preferable method.
It is not generally advisable to cut out the half of the back all in
one piece, as it fits better with pieces joined at the sides; these are
called side-bodies; and this method should always be adopted, unless
the lady has a very flat back: in that case, it is best to cut the half
all in one piece. The backs must be cut straight; and it is best to
tack the material to the lining before cutting it.
Having thus prepared the several parts, begin to make the garment, by
running or seaming the breadths of the skirt together; and be sure that
it is made full: a narrow or straight skirt is now completely, and very
properly, exploded. Run the seams as evenly as possible, fastening the
ends to your knee, or to a pincushion screwed to the work-table, to
hold them firmly. Run the lining together in a similar manner, and
fasten each of the outside seams to a corresponding one in it; after
which turn the edges at the top down on the inside, and sew them firmly
together. Between the lining and the silk it is usual to introduce some
kind of material, as stiffened muslin or wadding, to hold the bottom of
the dress in its proper place. This is fastened to the lining, and the
silk is hemmed down upon it. Care must be taken that no stitches appear
on the right side. An opening in one of the seams must be left for the
pocket-hole, which must not exceed one quarter of a yard in length. You
run the silk and the lining together, as at the top, and make a plait
which is to be folded over on the right side; this is secured at the
bottom, and conceals the opening. Having thus completed the skirt, to
which flounces may be added, or into which tucks may be introduced,
if deemed advisable (they seldom are in silk dresses), you proceed to
make the sleeves, running up a cord on one side of the silk or other
material, and folding both the silk and the lining the same way, you
stitch them together, and leave an opening at the wrist; you then turn
the sleeve, and the edges being on the inside are not seen. The sleeve
being thus seamed up, it is, if full, to be gathered, or done in small
plaits at the bottom, to the size of the wrist. The gathers, or plaits,
are set into a narrow band, lined, and you cord as you please, or as
is most in accordance with the prevailing fashion. You next put on the
trimmings at the top of the sleeve, and then set it into the arm-hole
with small plaits. Some put on the trimmings after the sleeve has
been set on to the body; but it is a most incorrect and inconvenient
practice.
The next thing to be done is to put the several parts of the body or
waist together. This should be done slightly, and the body tried on,
in order that the fit may be made as perfect as possible. When this
is done, sew the parts firmly together, and put a cord over all the
joinings except those under the arms. Fasten the plaits down on the
fronts, hem the parts which require it, cut the proper shape round
the neck, and see that the arm-holes are so made as to be easy and
agreeable. Then hem the back, stitch the dress up the front as firmly
as you can, and do the same at the shoulders, the side-bodies, and
under the arms; after which you must put a cord or band at the waist,
and also insert a cord round the neck. This cording of the neck and
waist require much care and attention; for if not done properly, the
appearance of the dress will be spoiled. In case you prefer a band to a
cord at the waist, it must be lined, and the lining put on first, and
afterward covered with the material of which the dress is composed.
If there be any trimming on the body, it must be put on before the
sleeves are set in. A cord is to be set round the arm-holes as neatly
as possible.
The body being now finished, you have only to set it on to the skirt,
which is to be doubled more in front than at the back, in order to form
the slope. You gather the part not plaited, and join it to the body.
In setting on the back, it is best not to gather it, but to fold each
gather as you proceed: this secures an evenness not otherwise easily
to be obtained. The depth of the slope varies, and no certain rule
can be given, except that in all cases the skirt must be a little
shorter before than behind; otherwise much inconvenience will be found
in walking, especially where it is the fashion to wear the dress of a
considerable length.
It is often deemed desirable to have a cape to the dress of the same
material. This is often found to be a great convenience; and no great
art, though a proper degree of attention, is required in making it.
The lining is to be tacked to the silk or stuff, and the cape cut out
by a paper pattern the size and shape required. Before taking out the
tacking thread, a cord should be run in at the edges, and these latter
are to be turned, and the lining sewed down firmly upon them. You now
take out the thread, and ornament or leave the cape plain, just as
you please. In making flounces, you must remember that they must in
all cases be cut on the cross, otherwise they will not hang with that
degree of exactness and freedom which is desirable. They are to be run
on a cord at the top, the size of the skirt, and gathered. They should
also be corded at the lower edges. Sometimes a slot is made at the top
of the flounce, and the cord run in. This is much to be preferred to
the common method.
Tucks, with or without open work between them, have an exceedingly neat
appearance, and never look out of fashion. They are especially proper
in black and white dresses; and when they are put on, it is essential
that they should be cut straightwise of the material. To cut them
crosswise is decidedly improper. It is sometimes good economy to make
the sleeves of a dress in two separate parts each, so that the lower
portion can be taken off at pleasure. For an evening dress this is
found very convenient, as the under part will come off at the elbow,
and a ruffle of lace can be substituted in its place, which gives a
short sleeve a neat and finished appearance.
The directions here given apply principally to dresses made of stuff or
silk. In those made of muslin or calico some slight variations occur.
These latter are not always lined; indeed, cotton prints for summer
wear are seldom done so; but the lining of muslin dresses is becoming
much more common than it was some years since, experience having shown
that the dress when lined through sits much neater upon the person
than it does without. In cases where linings are omitted, a piece of
some strong material must be run in at the bottom of the skirt, and
firmly held down with the hem. But we think a thin lining, even for the
light dresses worn in summer, is to be preferred. It is a good plan to
set a cord round the bottoms of dresses; they soon wear, but the cord
is a great advantage, as when it gets unsightly, a new one can with
little trouble be put in its place, and the dress remains the same
length as before.
If proper attention be paid to these directions, any lady may soon
learn to make her own dresses; to do which would be, in a variety of
instances, a decided advantage. Where there is a family of children,
the mother finds that if she has to have all their dresses made by
hired hands, it will most materially increase the expenses incurred
for clothing; and to avoid this, she does them herself, without the
requisite experience: the chance is that she wastes more in one way
than she saves in the other, and the garments are illy fitted in the
bargain.
In making children’s dresses, many of the directions already given
will be found equally applicable. Frocks for both boys and girls are
generally made with the bodies full, but the pattern must be cut
plain in paper, the same as in the garments intended for persons
of more mature age. The bodies of children’s frocks are often made
without linings, but, as a general rule, we think the practice is
exceptionable. The clothing of young persons should always be made so
as to support the frame, without cramping its growth, or impeding its
muscular action by unnecessary and injudicious pressure. The skirts
of frocks intended for little boys are often cut crosswise, and look
pretty and becoming. In dresses made of figured silk, or muslin, or
cotton prints (for children), the tucks should always be cut crosswise.
This is especially to be attended to in plaid patterns.
Frocks for girls are by some persons directed to be made to come
high up to the neck. This is, in our opinion, a practice that should
be avoided. The body, on the contrary, should be rather low, and
made to lie firmly upon the projecting part of the shoulder, but
not to fall off upon the upper arm: this is almost as unsightly as
the high body we disapprove of. The graceful form of the bust, one
of the most exquisite productions of creative skill, should by no
means be concealed; a necklace is its proper adornment; and should
it be said that the clothing them up to the neck is necessary on the
score of health, nothing can be farther from the truth. In fact, a
moderate exposure to the action of the sun and air is essential to the
possession of good health. The notion that to cover up the neck and
bosom of a little girl will prevent her taking cold, is ridiculous in
the extreme. It is the most likely way we know of, of securing the evil
it is intended to avoid. A holland or diaper pinafore, made to come up
to the throat, and put on at times of unusual exposure to the cold,
would answer every desirable end. We hope that all mothers, who may
read our observations, will at once abandon the idea of high-bodied
frocks being in any way conducive to the health or comfort of their
female children.
MANTELET.--In the making of this useful and favorite article of ladies’
attire, there is much variety in the materials employed. They are
sometimes made of shawling, but more commonly of silk, satin, cloth,
velvet, and merino. The mantelet comes down nearly to the knee, and is
lined either with silk or muslin, and occasionally with glazed cotton
cloth. The shape is that of the cape of a cloak, and should be cut by
a pattern to insure accuracy; five breadths of the material will be
required, and the neck is hollowed to make it fit comfortably; it can
be either gathered into a band or set on to a collar. In the latter
case, the collar must be made to turn over. You trim the mantelet in
any manner you think the most becoming, with velvet, satin, or fur;
or it may be trimmed with either fringe or lace. It is neat, and very
convenient for a lady, either for a short walk, or as a part of a
summer’s evening dress; in the latter case, the material and lining
should be as light as possible.
LADIES’ SILK CLOAK.--Choose a silk that is of a color not liable to
fade, of which six breadths are required, and the width of the cloak
is five breadths; the length is, of course, made according to the
height of the person who is to wear it. You cut the shoulder pieces
first in paper, taking a cloak already made for your guide, and having
fitted them exactly to the person, lay the paper upon the lining, and
cut it out; the silk is cut out by the lining; and be careful to leave
sufficient for the turnings in. Prepare the collar in the same way,
pointed at the corners and slanting toward the neck; the collar is
hollowed out at the top from the front corners, to a sufficient depth
behind, to insure its falling gracefully over the shoulders and back.
It is lined with silk, between which and the outside stiff muslin is
to be introduced. The shoulder pieces are to have flannel or wadding
between the silk lining and the material. Those who have no cloak at
hand from which to take a pattern for the shoulder pieces, may obtain
one by the following simple method: Take a piece of thin paper, and cut
it in the shape of a round collar; hollow it out at the top, until it
will lie over the shoulders perfectly straight and close.
The various parts being thus ready, proceed to make up the cloak. First
the breadths are to be seamed together, so as to show the stitches as
little as may be. One breadth is to be thrown to the back, and at one
nail and a half from the seam cut the arm-holes three and a quarter
nails long, and two and a quarter below the shoulder pieces, which are
to be next made by running the material and the lining together, with
the wadding between them, on the wrong side, and then turning them.
You next double the three back breadths, and hollow them so as to fit
the shoulder pieces; into which the whole is afterward to be set in
as full and even as possible, the two front breadths reaching to the
shoulder, and all the rest being set on to the back. At the distance
of four nails from the shoulder pieces, plait in the back so as to fit
the waist; and a band, of a sufficient length to encircle the person,
is laid upon the folds behind, and drawn to the inside through two
apertures cut on each side, and worked as button-holes; this band is
fastened by buttons or hooks in front. Sometimes a riband-case is made
on the inside, and strings run through it, which answers the same
end. You next make the collar in the same manner as you prepared the
shoulder-pieces, and set it on to the neck. These cloaks are trimmed
in various ways. The arm-holes, when not in use, are concealed by
pieces of the silk, three and a quarter nails in length, and half a
nail in breadth, which are lined and set on to one side. They must have
a row of piping set on all round. You may trim the fronts with a hem,
one nail and three quarters deep, of velvet, cut crosswise; or, if
you prefer it, you can substitute an edging of fur: but we think that
velvet looks the most handsome and becoming. The cloak is sewed round
the neck with silk cord of the same color, and finished with tassels,
or an ornamental clasp is adopted; either is suitable, and may be used
at pleasure.
These cloaks are very elegant, when properly made. Sometimes they are
furnished with capes of the same material, which are generally loose,
and are found very convenient. They may be worn as mantelets, without
the cloak, and are made as follows:
Take a sheet of paper as large as you intend half the cape to be, and
round off the corners so as to form it into a perfect circle; double
this, and from the straight side cut a small half round for the neck:
open the pattern, and from the front of the inner half circle double
one side in a slanting direction, for the opening in front. No precise
rule can be given; but the paper must be so fitted to the person that
the fronts may meet when the cape is worn. Having got your pattern
correct, cut out the lining by it, and lastly the silk for the cape;
both, but especially the outside, must be cut crosswise. The lining and
silk are to be neatly run together and then turned, and the back seam
seamed up. The trimming of the cape must be the same as that of the
cloak.
CARRIAGE CLOAK.--For persons who have to travel in cold seasons or in
open carriages, these cloaks afford a degree of warmth and comfort not
to be despised or disregarded. The material is either plaid or some
woollen fabric, and the manner of making a cloak of this description
is as follows: The material should be eleven nails in width, and the
general length of the cloak is one yard and a half. Of this, five
breadths are sufficient for the width of the skirt. The arm-holes are
made at the distance of five nails from the top, and are five nails
in length. This cloak is furnished with sleeves, which are sewn almost
plain into the arm-holes, and may be made use of or not, as is deemed
most convenient. They are made of squares of the material, eight nails
by eight, so that when doubled and sewn up they are eight nails long
and four in width. The cloak is gathered at the neck into a band the
proper width, and a collar is added, as are also one or more capes. The
length of the neck-band varies, but its medium length is ten nails.
This kind of cloak is lined throughout with calamanca, glazed cotton
cloth, or flannel; and it is a wrapper, without which no delicate
female should presume to travel in our uncertain climate. A neat
button, clasp, or chain, secures it at the throat.
GARDEN CLOAK.--This is a useful article, and is generally made of plaid
or merino. Three breadths of the latter, of what is called double
width, will be sufficient for the cloak; of the former you will require
five breadths. You cut the shoulder-pieces and the collar as before
directed, and the arm-holes are made in the same position as those in
a silk cloak; they are three nails and a half from the lower part of
the shoulder piece, and four nails in length. They are concealed by
pieces lined and piped, as those for a silk cloak. The whole of the
garment is lined with glazed cotton cloth, either of black or of any
other color that is deemed suitable, and fastened at the neck by a hook
or clasp.
A BOY’S CAPE OR CLOAK.--This may be made of Scotch plaid or any other
suitable material. You cut an entire circle, as large as you design the
cloak to be; in the centre of this, cut a small aperture, about twice
the size of that required for the neck, and cut thence to the edge on
one side; this makes the opening for the front. Gather the neck into a
band, hem the fronts on the outer edge, and the cloak is complete.
PIPING.--This is often used as an ornament or finish to silk cloaks or
other dresses. It is made in the following manner: enclose a cord of
the proper thickness in a strip of silk cut crosswise, and put it on in
the most even manner possible.
As plaiting and making tucks are much used in dress-making, we close
with directions concerning them.
In plaiting, make the plaits as even as possible; and in double
plaiting, they must be laid both ways, and made to meet in the middle.
Tucks require to be made even, and it is a good plan to run them by a
card cut the proper width. They must be run on with small and regular
stitches, and a backstitch must be taken constantly as you proceed.