Buttons

Various types are often used effectively as trimming for waists and skirts. For tailor-made garments, they can be made any shape or size, of your own material, by regular button makers,. Attractive buttons can be made by covering button moulds with circular pieces of material, gathering the edges in to the center and fastening off so as to form a neck to sew them on by. These may be ornamented with lace or embroidery stitches in wool or silk. An attractive button can be made by covering wooden beads the same as the button moulds, first drawing the center of the material with needle and thread, down through the hole in the bead, then gathering the edges to finish the button.

False Hem Or Facing

When making circular or two-piece skirts which are very wide, if a hem is turned it will often be much too full at the top to shrink out. To avoid this, cut the skirt, allowing for hem as usual, plus a seam, measure and trim top of hem as you would ordinarily, then cut off this hem and seam allowance and set it up on the skirt. It will fit smoothly by taking some out in the back or hip seams, and has the advantage of being on the same grain as the skirt itself. It can be placed on either the right or wrong side of the skirt. To place on right side, lay the right side of the facing to the wrong side of the skirt, baste, stitch, turn edge, letting facing show a little on the wrong side of the skirt; turn top edge in and stitch close to edge or as a tuck if desired. Press carefully according to the material upon which the work is done. Facings of this kind can be placed on skirts having a panel with wide tucks at the seam, because the join in the facing can be hidden by the tuck, but it is not as desirable as on a plainer skirt.

Pockets give a distinctive note to tailored skirts and waists. Constructive principles and suggestions for making are given under the middy blouse (set-in pocket) or shirtwaist.

Suggestive Questions

1. Name several types of trimmings one can make, using the material of the dress.

2. Describe the method of making tucks.

3. How would you make a side plaiting?

4. Show, by drawing, right and wrong ways of cutting twilled material.

5. Which way of the cloth must bindings be cut?

6. What is a true bias?