(Plates XII And XIII)

Two fittings for a simple garment, such as a house-dress, a plain shirt-waist, or a skirt, should be sufficient, if the garment has been properly prepared and the fitting is carefully done. Generally it is not necessary to fit more than the right side of a simple garment unless there is a great difference between the right and left sides of the figure. Too much fitting destroys the crisp freshness of new material.

To be properly prepared for the first fitting, a dress should have the seams basted, the sleeves basted into place, and the following markings or bastings, placed:

On the skirt: (1) Placket; (2) hem-line of the skirt, if possible; (3) center front; (4) center back; (5) hip-line, 6 inches below the waist-line; (6) waistline, either raised or normal.

On the belt: (1) Center front; (2) center back.

On the waist: (1) Center front; (2) center back; (3) neck-line; (4) arm-hole line, if the sleeve is not basted in; (5) waist-line; (6) two gathering threads at the waist-line, one 1/4 inch below the other.

On the sleeve: (1) Finished length; (2) two gathering threads in the bottom of the sleeve, one on the tracing and one 1/4 inch below the tracing; and gathering threads should also appear in the top of the sleeve between the indicated places; (3) line of finishing at the arm-hole of the waist; (4) the point of the elbow in a tight-fitting sleeve.

With these marks it should be very easy to adjust the waist and the skirt to the figure.

Directions for fitting a shirt-waist or a house-dress.

Place the fitted or made belt on the figure, being sure that the center back is at the center back of the figure.

Settle the waist well to the figure, and pin it at the center front exactly on the indicating lines.

Turn the shoulder and under-arm seams toward the front.

Make a general survey of the waist before proceeding further.

If the shoulders of the figure are very square or very sloping, alterations will probably be necessary (Fig. 70). If the shoulders are very square, the waist is likely to be lifted too much at the point of the shoulder, causing wrinkles across the waist. To correct this defect, take the shoulder seam deeper near the neck (Fig. 70), and cut away the surplus material. This may make the neck too small. If so, cut the neck-line larger by slashing it slightly until the correct size is obtained.

If the shoulders are very sloping, the waist drops at the end of the shoulder causing wrinkles from the neck to the armhole. To correct this defect, take up the shoulder seam at the point of the shoulder (Fig. 70). Then enlarge the armhole by cutting away the material under the arm. Taper it both in the front and back to the normal armhole. The shoulder seam should be about 1 inch back of the highest point of the shoulder. If this seam is too far back, it will narrow the back of the waist; if too far forward, it will give the shoulders a rounded appearance. A yoke-line should drop well forward from the normal shoulder-line. This adjustment depends entirely on the figure fitted.

In general, the collar-line should run in a good curve from the bone at the base of the neck in the back to above the two small bones at the front of the neck. Keep the neck-line close to the neck and rather high at the side just under the ear, unless the neck is very short, in which case, the side of the neck-line may be lowered slightly to give more length.

If the neck-line is too large, take up the shoulder seam. The fullness must never be taken out in the center front by lapping. This would cause the grain of the material to slope downward toward the center front. In a tight-fitting lining a dart is sometimes taken in the center front, to make the neck-line smaller and to take out extra fullness over the chest. Taking up the shoulder seams may necessitate lowering the armhole.

The under-arm seam should appear to be a continuation of the shoulder seam and should fall from the center under-arm straight down to the waistline. If it is desired to narrow the appearance of the back width at the waist-line, the under-arm seam may be slanted slightly toward the back.

Adjust the fullness around the waist-line next. Pin the waist to a stiffened belt if it is to be a part of a dress, or to a non-elastic tape, if it is to be a separate garment. In either case the adjusting is about the same. Pin the center back of the waist to the center back of the belting at either the normal waist-line or the raised waist-line, depending on whether a skirt is to be made or not. Locate the under-arm seams, and pin them to the belting. Pin the center front of the waist to the center front of the belt. Draw the gathering threads tight, and adjust the fullness. To most figures a slight blousing is becoming. As far as possible, keep the lines made by the gathering at right angles to the waist-line. This gives the figure a straight appearance.

If the waist is too tight over the bust, it may be made slightly larger by letting out the under-arm seam; or in case the waist is being fitted in practice material, fullness at the bust may be allowed as shown in Figs. 65 and 66.

The armhole line is one of the most important lines in the waist. From the point of the shoulder, the line should drop almost straight to the front muscle of the arm. The line then curves to fit the underarm as closely as is comfortable and forms a nearly straight line along the armhole at the back.

The greater amount of fullness in the sleeve should fall over the shoulder bone which in most cases is from 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in front of the shoulder seam. The straight lengthwise grain of the material should fall straight down from the highest point of the shoulder. If the sleeve is too large or too small, it should be changed at the seam. Observe the length of the sleeve, and try on the cuff. If the sleeve puffs slightly at the back even when the elbow is bent, take the seam in the sleeve deeper, but not the seam of the waist.

If a collar-band is to be used, it should be tried on at this time.

A shirt-waist should fit loosely but smoothly. Overfitting takes away from the informal grace and style of the waist. After a plain shirt-waist has been satisfactorily adjusted, an excellent plan is to rip it apart and either cut a new pattern or correct the old one from it. If this is done, much difficult fitting may be avoided at another time.

After the waist has been fitted and before the sleeve has been removed, mark both the sleeve and the waist so that they will go together again without difficulty. Mark on the belt the points at which the under-arm seams fall, and also the line of the waist.

Re-baste the sleeve, finish the waist as nearly as possible at the bottom, and again baste it into the waist. Baste the collar-band into place, or if a fancy collar is to be used, baste it together, and try it on at the next fitting. Pin the waist again to the foundation belt.

Place the waist on the figure, and make any final adjustments.

Try the skirt on at this time. Place it on the figure right side out, and adjust it to the figure. Pin the center front of the skirt to the center front of the belting, and the center back of the skirt to the center back of the belting. The lines of all darts and gores may be more easily observed if the skirt is right side out, although the fitting is made more difficult. Pin up the skirt exactly on the indicated lines of the placket. Only the right side of the skirt need be fitted, but the whole skirt should be pinned to the foundation belt.

After adjusting the skirt to the foundation belt, take a general survey of the skirt, noting the lines of the gores. The skirt should fit smoothly from the waist-line to the hip-line, and below the hip it should fall in straight lines. All dart and seam lines should be at right angles to the line of the waist. The skirt should not stand out from the figure in one place more than in another. If this should be the case, turn to the illustrations of pattern adjusting (Figs. 74-77), and alter the skirt as there suggested.

The hip-line and the line at the bottom of the skirt should be parallel to each other and to the floor. In the case of a figure with prominent hips, the skirt may stand out at the sides. This may often be remedied by dropping the skirt slightly from the waist-line over the hip.

Simple fitting may be done by increasing or decreasing the depth of the seams; however, care must be taken to keep all fines of folds, placket, seams, or darts at right angles to the waist-line.

After the skirt has been fitted satisfactorily, always straighten both the hip-line and the finishing line at the bottom of the skirt.

Observe the waist-line very carefully to see that the waist blouses sufficiently for the arms to be raised easily, and also that the line made by the joining of the waist and the skirt is becoming. The waist-line should either be parallel to the floor or dip slightly in front.

Remove the garment from the figure, and mark all alterations and lines necessary for the second adjustment of the garment. Finish the waist except perhaps the final adjustment of some decoration, and fasten it to the foundation belt. Rebaste the skirt and finish the placket, and again baste it to the foundation belt.

Try on the garment for the final fitting. Adjust any decoration, such as collar, belt, or pockets. Note all lines, and turn the garment at the bottom. Finish the garment, without further fitting.