Seaming And Hemming Tasks

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 87, 22 January 1938, Page 7

Seaming And Hemming Tasks

Giving The Professional Touch

'.ALTHOUGH your seaming and hemming may be as neat as anybody’s, do you feel that somehow or other your clothes are “given away” as homemade?

Perhaps one of the troubles is that you don’t get yours darts as straight and evening as they are in the perforated markings on the paper , pattern. You probably know that the proper way to do this is with tailor’s tacks—but do you do it? It is really very simple. Before taking the pattern off the material, thread a long piece of cotton double, preferably

a contrasting colour, and, starting at the point of the dart, tack up through the perforations, leaving large loops of thread both sides. Leave the cotton loose at the end, and snip the loops with sharp scissors as a blunt pair may draw the thread out. Unfold the material very gently, snipping the cotton in between as you go. The darts are then plainly marked with little pieces _ of thread, and ready to be pinned into position.

The French Method, < ' Here is another little hint that may help you. Possibly you have often Admired the neat flat little binding on French hand-made underclothes, and wondered why your binding does not look like that. Frenchwomen put their binding on double. Cut it the ordinary width and run it on doubled over, right side out. When you sew it on the wrong side, you will find you need not tack it first but can just hem it down. This method gives much neater and firmer bindings and it is actually easier than the other way.

Now for buttonholing. Are your buttonholes always firm and strong, or do they sometimes begin to fray after one or two washes? If they do, the reason is probably that you have done blanket stitch instead of buttonhole stitch. It is a very common mistake. For buttonhole stitch, working from left to right, put the needle in from the back, take the thread over the needle to the right, pass it underneath from right to left, and pull it firmly upwards. If you are working on double material, be sure to tack it firmly round before cutting, and stitch the corners together to prevent it from coming apart.

Remember that the little touches give you away in dressmaking and if a small income is to provide smart clothes you cannot afford to be slipshod.