THE HOME DRESSMAKER.

Northern Advocate, 15 September 1934, Page 15

THE HOME DRESSMAKER.

TREATMENT OF COTTON FABRICS. Remember that each type of stuff has its own “personality,” and for perfect dressmaking results treat it accordingly. For the home dressmaker —especially the beginner-cotton is the ideal fabric, easy and satisfactory to handle. Here are some tips to follow when making it up. It is a very non-slip stuff, so it is not usually necessary to pin ‘ the selvedges together before laying on the pattern pieces. After cutting out, quickly mark all seam lines, notches and other pattern indications by means of a tracing wheel. This only costs 1/ or less, so is worth buying for dressmaking. On nearly all cotton materials, if it is run firmly over them, it will mark both thicknesses at once with a line of tiny holes. Be careful only tp use your tracing wheel on a cheap dealtopped table, as the wheel will marie it. If you haven’t a table of this sort, buy a sheet of two-ply wood and place on the top of your table when cutting out. Cotton materials hardly ever need tacking; they stay creased so nicely when folded and pressed between the fingers. Or hems and turnings may be pressed in with an iron. Remember This. Just pin seams or hems before stitching, which, by the way, should be done with cotton rather than with a mercerised thread. But remember when making up very fine cottons, such as voile and organdie, to use a really fine cotton—about No. 70 or 80. If you can’t get the right colour in this thickness, on most fairly pale shades a fine white cotton shows less tthan a thick matching one. Cotton materials are easily pressed. They crease so well that often seams and hems require no damping; if they do, on firm cottons damping may be done direct. Use a damp cloth, however, for crinkled cotton of crepe or spongy texture. Press organdie dry and use quite a cool iron, for this material is apt to curl up under any considerable heat., In nearly every case, cotton garments should be made with French seams.