Bands Sewed by Backstitching and Hemming.

A band is a flat, flexible strip of material on any article of dress, serving to strengthen and confine it.

A band should always be cut with the warp of the muslin, as the cloth is stronger lengthwise than crosswise. Never leave the selvage edge on a band, as it makes it much harder to sew.

Narrow bands are frequently cut on the bias.

Materials.—The materials required are: A practice piece twelve inches across, gathered with the wrong side towards you and stroked; a band two and three-quarter inches long and two and one-quarter inches wide; scissors; needles, "betweens" or "ground downs"; cotton; pins; tape measure.

1. Mark the middle of the band by folding it in half and cutting a very small notch in each edge. See Illustration No. 53.

Ill. 63.—A Band Cut with Pieces Extending for Button and Buttonhole (to he folded over on the crease).

ILL. 54. - Gathers Basted to Band Ready for Backstitching.

2.   Cut the band with a piece extending at each end for the purpose of strengthening it where buttons and buttonholes are to be placed.

3.   Prepare the gathers by taking out the pin and loosening them.

4.   Hold the wrong side of the gathered piece towards you; place the right side of the gathers against the right side of the band, middle of band to the middle of the gathers, edges exactly even.

5.   Put a pin in vertically to hold them together in the middle.

6.   Pin the end of the gathers one-fourth of an inch from each end of the band.

7.   Adjust the gathers so that the fullness is evenly distributed and they are the proper length for the band.

8.   Wrap the gathering thread around the pin.

9.   Hold the gathers towards you; baste with even basting directly on top of the gathering thread.

10.   Sew directly under the basting with a backstitch. Take as short a stitch as possible. See Illustration No. 54.

11.   Fasten the ends of the gathering thread and take out the basting.

12.   Turn down the ends and other side of the band.

13.   Fold the band over so that it will just cover the line of stitching.

14.  Baste with even basting.

15.   Sew the ends with overseaming and the edges with hemming, beginning at A and overseaming to B, hemming to C and overseaming to D.

16.   Do not allow the hemming stitches to show through on the right side. See Illustration No. 55.

ILL. 55. - Band Completed.

Band Hemmed to the Gathers.

A band such as would be used on a shirt sleeve or other fine needlework is hemmed to the gathers in the way described in this lesson

In preparing the gathering for this band, the material must be held with the right side towards you.

Materials. - The materials required are: A practice piece of soft bleached muslin, twelve inches across, gathered with the right side towards you and stroked; a band two and three-fourths inches long and two and one-fourth inches wide; needles; cotton; scissors; pins; tape measure.

1.   Turn down the long edge of the band one-fourth of an inch.

2.   Mark the middle of the band by either a pin or a stitch.

3.   Hold the right side of the gathers toward you.

4.   Pin the middle of the edge of the band to the middle of the gathers each with the right side out.

5.   Pin the end of the gathers one-fourth of an inch from the edge of the band.

6.   Wrap the gathering thread around the pin.

7.   Adjust the gathers so that the fullness is evenly distributed. See Illustration No. 56.

8.   Baste the band down with even basting.

9.   Hem on the right side, taking a hemming stitch through each gather.

10.   Turn the other edge and ends down, taking care that the edge of the band corresponds with the opposite side, in order that the band may not be twisted.

11.   Fold the band over so that it will just cover the gathering stitches.

12.   Baste with even basting.

13.   Finish by overseaming the ends and hemming the

ILL. 56. - Band Basted to the Gathers Ready for First Hemming.

edge as in a band backstitched to the gathers. (Direction 15 of the preceding lesson.)

Band Overseamed to the Gathers.

This band is generally used on lined skirts. If the skirt is very heavy, two overseaming stitches should be taken through each gather when sewing it to the band.

Materials. - The materials required are: A practice piece, fifteen inches across, gathered with French gathers; a band three inches long and two and one-half inches wide; scissors; needles, "betweens" or "ground downs"; cotton; pins; tape measure.

1. Turn down the four sides of the band one-fourth of an inch.

2.   Fold the band over and baste the edges neatly.

3.   Find the centre of the band and mark it with a stitch.

4.   Place the centre of the band to the centre of the gathers.

5.   Band to be placed on the right side.

6.   The ends of the material gathered to the ends of the band.

7.   Fasten with a pin or loose overseaming stitch, the latter preferred.

8.   Wind the gathering thread around a pin.

9.   In sewing, hold the band towards you.

10.   Overseam the gathers to the band by taking a stitch through the front part of each little plait or flute. See Illustration No. 57.

Mistakes Likely to Occur in Sewing on Bands.

1.   Band twisted when finished.

2.  Incorrect slant to stitches.

3.   Gathers not evenly distributed.

4.  A lack of neatness; general clumsv appearance.

ILL. 57.-Band Overseamed to French Gathers.