MAKING AND FINISHING UNDERGARMENTS

ALTHOUGH there is a particular daintiness and charm about hand-made underwear, much fine and beautiful work may be done on the machine. The saving of time is so great that when a number of pieces are to be made this method is usually given the preference. A few of the smaller pieces a corset cover, chemise or a pair of drawers can easily be made by hand, but the amount of work on gowns, petticoats or combination garments inclines one toward the machine method.

One must understand something of the mechanism of the machine. It must be kept clean and well oiled. The number of the thread, the size of the needle, the length of the stitch, and the adjustment of the tension must be adapted to the material. No. 80 cotton is the best for white work, except for tucks and hems and all outside stitching on very sheer and fine materials, when No. 100 or No. 120 may be used. Every make of machine has a table, giving the sizes of needles that should be used with certain number threads, which it is wise to follow. Remember that a sewing-cotton requires a looser tension than silk.

The hemming and tucking attachments are great time-savers, but many women prefer to gather ruffles, puffs, etc., by hand and stroke them.

No raw edges of material are left at the seams in lingerie. All edges should be joined with veining or finished in French or felled seams. The French seam is used at what may be called the regular seams those joining together the gores or the front and back portions of the garment. A felled seam is used to piece the material in cutting unusually wide garments drawers, for instance.

Both the felled and the French seams are illustrated and explained in Chapter I, "Sewing Stitches."

The daintiest and at the same time the most effective trimming for lingerie is hand embroidery. It is used on all the most beautiful French underwear, and is very lovely to look at, and yet adds very little to the cost of the garment. It is the only trimming that does not wear out, and it never requires mending. For every-day wear the simple scallops and eyelets which can be used in place of beading are very satisfactory. More elaborate designs can be used on finer lingerie for evening wear, etc. One can get very beautiful effects by combining hand embroidery with lace.

THE, PETTICOAT is a simple garment which even the beginner on the sewing-machine can undertake. With dress skirts that fit smoothly about the hips the fit of the undergarments is an important matter.

Select a good pattern, in a suitable number of gores. A seven-gored pattern is preferred for a stout figure, as it gives two more seams for fitting.

For Cutting, arrange the pattern pieces economically on the material, following the instructions carefully. Allow a two and one-half inch hem if it is not provided for in the pattern.

Baste the gores together with a three-eighths of an inch seam. In basting a petticoat always begin at the top with small, close stitches, for the greatest strain in fitting comes at the waist and hips. Below the hips the basting stitches may be larger. Be careful not to stretch the bias edge of the gore, as this is often the cause of the seams not being put together correctly.

Try on and make any necessary alteration in the fitting. Stitch one-quarter of an inch outside of the bastings. Remove the bastings and reverse the seam, stitching a second time where the first row of bastings was made, making a French seam, as shown in Fig. 15 on page 5.

Fashion Drawing Sections

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