5. The needle should be pushed through the cloth with the thimble.

6. When the needle becomes crowded push the cloth back with the fingers without taking the needle out. See Fig. 56.

7. Keep the stitches small and even.

8. Sometimes another row of gathering is put in about oneeighth of an inch from the first row of gathers. Can you think why this would be an advantage?

Watch some one demonstrate this stitch so that you will understand it better.

Warning: Be sure that your gathers are evenly distributed when you sew the bloomers to the band. A few pins will keep them in place while you are basting.

Inspection of Bands. - Decide at what three stages of your work it will be best to have it criticized.

Buttonholes. - The bloomers which are made with bands must be fastened by some means other than an elastic or drawstring. Buttons and buttonholes are the strongest and most satisfactory fastening. Study the directions and pictures to find out how a buttonhole is made.

1. Mark the exact place for the buttonhole with two pins which are placed to show the width of the button. See Picture 1 in Fig. 57.

2. Cut the slit on the thread of the cloth and make it about one-sixteenth of an inch longer than the width of the button. Use buttonhole or sharp-pointed x scissors. If you do not have the proper kind of scissors to do this, fold the cloth so that the places that you marked for the ends of the buttonhole come together. Clip through fold, open out flat and finish cutting the slit.

Fig. 57.

3. Overcast the edges of the slit as shown in Picture 2 of Fig. 57. Hold the slit over the first finger of the left hand and work from right to left. When one side is overcast, turn the work and again work from right to left. Do not break the thread.

4. Buttonhole stitch. The thread will now be at the end of the buttonhole where the overcasting started. Put the needle between the edges of the slit and bring it up through the lower edge of the cloth about one-eighth of an inch down from the slit. This is shown in Picture 3 of Fig. 57.

5. Bring the double thread from the eye of the needle around the point of the needle from right to left as shown in Picture 4 of Fig. 57.

6. Pull the needle through, forming the knot on the edge of the slit as shown in Picture 5 of Fig. 57. This is the buttonhole stitch and should be continued all the way across the opening.

Fig. 57.

Fig. 57.

Fig. 57.

7. The ends of the buttonhole may be finished in one of two ways, with a fan or a bar as shown in Picture 6 of Fig. 57. The fan which is simpler to make is made with five buttonhole stitches slanted so as to be shaped like a fan. The bar is a stronger finish and is made by taking three straight stitches across end of slit extending as far as the buttonhole stitches on each side. Then buttonhole stitches are taken over these stitches and through the cloth.

8. To fasten the thread run the needle under the stitches on the wrong side and cut the thread close to the cloth.

Ask your teacher if she will demonstrate the making of a buttonhole for you, using a large needle and colored yarn, on a large buttonhole. It is difficult to make good looking buttonholes the first time you try. For this reason it will be best for you to practice making a buttonhole before working the buttonholes on your bloomers.

Buttonholes may be made with fans at both ends or with bars at both ends. Examine your clothing, especially your coats and sweaters, to see how the ends of buttonholes are made. You will probably find another way of making a buttonhole called the bound buttonhole.

Fig. 57.

Fig. 57.

Warning: Avoid the mistakes shown in Fig. 58.

Fig. 58.

I. Stitches uneven in depth.

2. A buttonhole that has been stretched open.

3. Stitches that are crowded.

4. Not enough stitches taken.

Sewing on Buttons. - Sew the buttons on your bloomers according to the following directions, using a colored thread which will match the garment.

1. Mark the exact place for the button, using the buttonhole as a guide and stick a pin through at the end of the buttonhole where the button will come. How can you tell which end this will be?

2. Use a double thread with a knot at the end.

3. Put the needle down through the material at the point where the pin is. This will leave the knot on the right side where it will be concealed by the button.

4. Sew back and forth through the button, first placing a pin on top of the button. This will prevent the button from being sewed too tightly to the cloth. See Fig. 59.

Fig. 59.

5. Pull the pin out and put the needle down through the button but not through the cloth. Wind the thread around the stitches about three times.

6. To fasten the thread bring the needle out on the wrong side and take two or three little stitches on top of each other. Then cut the thread close to the cloth.

Something You Can Do at Home. - Some girls like to wear bloomers when they are helping with the housework at home. Instead of wearing a house dress when they are helping their mothers, they wear a pair of bloomers and a middy blouse. Can you see why bloomers make a good costume for housework? If you should decide that you would like to wear bloomers when you are doing housework, you should find it easy to make a pair at home or in your extra time at school. You have already learned how to make bloomers. Therefore, you should be able to make these without much help from your mother or teacher. What kind of material do you think would be suitable for work bloomers?

Since you have learned to make bloomers, you should be able to help your mother with the family sewing. Making a pair of bloomers for your sister may be one way in which you can do your share of work in your home.