Fashion Design Drawing

the belt. Some women use only two hooks,

and their belts bulge at the center.

The hooks should be one-eighth of an inch

back from the edge, and the eye at the top

touching the seam of the facing and skirt.

Fashion Design Drawing - Skirts 9.jpg

A Hem two or three inches deep is the usual finish of the lower edge of skirts. The extra length required for the hem must be allowed for when cutting. The patterns usually allow only three-eighths inch for seaming. If the material is of soft texture, the hem is simply turned under, its edge turned in and sewed down by hand in blind stitches, or finished with a row or two of machine-stitching. The lower edge of the skirt measures more than the line of sewing, so it must be fulled or laid in tiny plaits here and there, to make the hem lie flat. (Fig. 286.) If the skirt is of heavy material the upper edge of the hem or facing may be bound with a bias strip of lining material instead of turning in the edge of the cloth. The stitching should be made through the binding. (Fig. 285.)

A False Hem or Facing is sometimes preferred for the finish of the lower edge, especially if there is a wide sweep at the bottom. The facing is cut in bias strips, or shaped to fit the lower edge of the skirt. The strips are pieced together and the seams pressed open. Then baste and stitch the facing with a narrow seam, to the lower edge of the skirt on the right side. Turn over to the wrong side and baste down flatly along the edge. Then baste again along the upper edge of the facing, turning in a narrow seam. (Fig. 287.)

Fashion Design Drawing - Skirts 12.jpg

Velveteen or Skirt Braid may be added to protect the lower edge of the skirt, if desired. The velveteen strip is first stitched by hand, on the inner side of the skirt very near the edge, then turned up, leaving a narrow fold extending below the edge, and again sewed to the inner hem or facing, as shown in Fig. 288. The skirt braid should be shrunken wet thoroughly and pressed dry before it is used. It is sewed flat to the under side of the skirt, its lower edge one-eighth of an inch below the bottom of the skirt. Sew it with a running stitch, just above the lower edge of the skirt. The upper edge of the braid is hemmed down. In other words it is sewed with two rows of stitching running stitches near its lower edge and hemming stitching at its upper edge.

Fashion Design Drawing - Skirts 13.jpg

An Interlining may be used in the hem or facing if it is desirable to add weight at the lower edge of the skirt. The material used for the purpose may be strips of lining, or, according to the texture of the skirt material, any substantial material such as heavy flannel or broadcloth. These materials are used where body is required in the garment. Since it is simply a question of giving weight to the skirt edge, especially in the case of soft silks, etc., the interlining for the hem may be made of light-weight cotton flannel.

The interlining is cut in strips as wide as the hem or facing, omitting the seam edges