THE DRESSMAKING ART

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VI, Issue 28, 12 July 1890, Page 15

THE DRESSMAKING ART

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN HOW TO CUT ANO FIT GOWNS.

THE LAST OF A SERIES OF INSTRUCTIVE ARTICLES ON DRESSMAKING.

CLOAKS AND WRAPS.

—. —| OR centuries women have been slaves ~ |IF | of the shawl. There was no choice in |b/ the matter, ignorance alone compelling hr fr fashion to adhere to a wrap that was li ZySl\ I ? not on 'y comfortless but shapeless. l( IV l'“ Furriers, with the aid of the merchant y\ tailors, introduced the minx and later the sealskin coat, and to these two SSn&y ' 'yul specialists we are indebted for the will I/ W beauty, variety and serviceability of Mmi 1(/ vi t ' ie e^ton jacket, the cape cloak and Wm/IVI vl the luxurious cover coat of box cloth. 4 The dressmaker is not burdened with modesty, but she has been forced to acknowledge her inability to handle cloth. With the diaphanous tulles, net, mull and gauze for evening toilets she is in her element. She can create Frenchy effects, but any effort to reproduce the smart English jacket results in a dead failure of design and lamentable waste of material. The staff, as it were, of her existence is whalebone, on which she leans for support. Take away the fibrous little rods and she goes to pieces professionally and caves in physically. If she could bone a walking-jacket she declares she could fit like a tailor. As she can’t employ that weapon of defence, she has been obliged to surrender the square and goose and leave the field of cloth to the tailor. Now, it is well for the novice to understand that in attempting to cut and fit, make and finish a cloak she has undertaken a very difficult task, one requiring skill and a practical knowledge of form and design. The contract is a serious matter, because valuable material must be risked. Unless reasonably experienced in drafting and sewing it

will be advisable to pay a tailor a trifle to cut the garment and use latent talent in finishing it, for unless the cloth is cut properly no device can be used to make it fit properly. Another plan is the use of a pattern which has been tried satisfactorily. For this purpose a regular basque pattern w’ill answer, with this modification, that all the gores be half an inch wider than for the dress ; this extra allowance is requisite because of the thickness of the cloth and also for ease in getting the garment on and off. Aside from this enlargement of all the seams the arm holes should be cut one-half an inch lower than a dress waist requires. If a long cloak of the ulster, polonaise or pelisse pattern is desired the gores are carried down the length required, but the side seams are not cut. The front and side of the skirt are left in one piece, the seam under the arm ending just below the hips. Usually the back seam is left open from the waist down, for what is called a coat effect, as in the Prince Albert coat. With a plaited or shirred back the seam is closed, the pui pose then being to protect and cover the dress. The width of the skirt varies with the size of the woman and the character of the garment. Very heavy beavers, chinchillas and broadcloth are not desirable to walk in, hence, when used, the skirt is as scant as it is possible to make it. Light-weight cheviots, worsteds, kerseys, blazer flannels and homespuns that measure 72 inches round the hem are usual for a woman 48 inches round the hips. The average, however, is 68 skirt and 44 inches hip measure. The accompanying cuts show the variety of fronts, but whether tight, half fitting or loose, one dart is almost indispensable, and for t he woman tendingto embonpoint two are better, as the seam lines tend to lengthen the apparent figure. While not necessary, there is a demand for lull-lined wraps, whether of jacket or opera lengths. All manner of fancy striped and plaid silk is used, the colour being selected with reference to the dress, as the heaviest cloths are tossed and turned about in a stiff breeze. Lining a cloak and lining a dress are two distinct operations. In the basque the material and silesia are sewed together in one seam ; in a wrap two separate garments are made, one of cloth and the other of the farmer satin or silk,

the only points of connection being along the line of facing or button-holes. If an inter-lining is used—and there is wisdom in canvas to make the garment set well over the chest ami across the shoulders, and flannel over this for extra warmth—it is sewed in with the cloth seams and the silk lining remains distinct. So with the sleeves, which are only joined together at the shoulder ami wrist. Now, if not sure about her cloak-making ability the novice will find it advantageous to cut and make the lining up first, omitting the collar and sleeves. Try on the silken slip, and if, after making corrections, it is not satisfactory her judgment will suggest the advisability of procuring assistance, for it is easier to prevent than correct error. It should have been stated that generous seams in the experimental garment are safeguards, since the cloth may require an easy lining.

Of all the garments worn by woman there is nothing as difficult to make as a jaunty jacket. Eleven fail where one is a success in cut. For this reason we advise the inexperienced seamstress to confine herself to some simpler wrap, either a sack, cape, dolman, mantle or circular. With a sack the hang is loose, and when the collar is in place and the sleeve properly set the task is achieved. Among the robes so encompassing in size and luxurious in comfort there are a dozen or more styles to choose from. One has a yoke to which the cloak proper is fulled ; some have little cape shoulders and others are designed after the conventional nun’s cloak and provided with a cowl or hood. An inside ribbon will hold the fulness about the waist, and as a preventive against balloon effects the hem can be wired or weighted with small shot. For general travel, shopping and driving this is the queen of wraps, as it can be removed indoors and on the street does away with the necessity of a storm coat. It is a robe of this sort to which the English and Continental woman is so partial; it is just this sort of a wrap that Ellen Terry, Mrs James Brown Potter, Mrs Annie Jennesse Miller, Modjeska, Bernhardt and Mme. Patti live in the year round; it is a cloak of this sort that physicians approve as being the best safeguard against cold in the whole catalogue of cloaks. For walking, of course, they are not desirable, but as an all-round, always ready wrap they have no superior. Another delightful street wrap is the long coat, which reaches to the ground, and may be made single or double breasted. If heavy or medium weightclothisselecteditisonly necessary to line it a few inches below the waist. A pattern must be depended upon, unless the seamstress is a draughtswoman, and very little remains to be said about the making, which is merely machine work. If the waist is too long that defect can be remedied by raising up the neck anti shoulders, when, of course, the collar and armhole will have to be cut down. The all-important thing after the fitting is the pressing with a hot iron over a dampened cloth. Every seam must be laid so flat as to make the garment seem seamless. It will not be possible to open the seam round the arm, but it can be pressed down and trimmed off" close to the stitching. Three pockets are considered necessary, two for use and a ticket pocket, as much for decoration as utility. Dressmakers make a mistake in omitting the lining from the

pocket welt. There is no cloth, no matter how excellent, that will stand the strain required of a pocket welt without a staying of some sort. Anything will do, but something must lie placed in the fold of the welt. Canvas will stiffen and stay, but a piece of silecia is better. Use silk to stitch the edge of the cloak, collar and welts, aud twist to tack the pockets.

Face the bottom of the sleeve, whether a lining is used or not. A row of stitching or a piece of silk binding may l>e used to assimilate a cuff, which answers every purpose anti is less clumsy than a real cuff would l>e. It is the fashion now to leave the under seam of the sleeve open three or four inches, finish the edges raw, work two or three buttonholes and close it again with buttons. <>n the make up of sleeves it is not advisable to try ami do away with lining, for even if light coloured dresses are not exposed to the dye that crocks in some of the best of woollen fabrics, the garment is pulled and stretched unnecessarily getting it on ami off. Aside from the wear of the cloth the temper is ruffled. It only takes a small piece of silk or satin to line a pair of sleeves and the luxury more than pays for the investment. Don’t forget to sponge the cloth before cutting it. Wring a sheet or old tablecloth out of cold water and roll the cloth up in it, to prevent it from shrinking in damp or wet weather. Some cloths do not requite this precaution, being dampened in the mill. As a rule, all cloths have a gloss on the surface which is undesirable, to remove which lay a damp cloth or pad on it and press with a hot iron until dry. This will take off the lustre and at the same time shrink it sufficiently. It is a waste of money to invest in poor cloth. Cotton back, jute warp and ‘ shoddy ’ are worthless. It does not pay to make them up, they never look nice and they are neither warm nor serviceable. Fine flannels can be had from 2s to 5s a yard, but you can't get cloaking worthy of that name for less than 15s or 18s. It only takes one and a half yards 56 inches wide to make a jacket ; three yards will make a long cloak or circular. Pay a failprice, and if it is well made in what is known as the severe style, the garment will stand the wear and weather for three years and hold its beauty to the last. Too many wraps do not pay. They are an unnecessary expense. A long cloak is the best investment a woman of limited means can make, as she can use it in place of a waterproof and wear it over a toilet, which, though suitable for an in-

terior, would be conspicuous on the street. Some sort of a fancy robe is necessary for party or carriage wear, and a jacket of cloth or suiting for the street will complete a modest woman's wardrobe. Don’t waste your money on the smelly rubbered wrap. Wool is waterproof. Put two or three pounds in a long ulster of twill, serge or diagonal, line it with Scotch plaid or flannel, and you will have a splendid garment in which you can take real comfort.