Pressing the Coat - How to Shrink - Steaming - Stitching the Fronts of Coat - Method of Lining the Coat - To Make the Sleeves for the Coat

When pressing a coat the "goose" should be only moderately hot, so that it may be allowed to remain for some time on the garment without scorching it.

N.B. - Pressing should never be done hurriedly nor with a very hot "goose." Woollen materials scorch more quickly than cotton, and even when a cotton cloth is put between the material and the iron, the latter, if too hot, will sometimes scorch the garment without injuring the cotton cloth. Try the heat of the iron on a spare piece of the cloth before pressing the coat. As a rule, all tailor-made garments should be pressed on the bare board, as it is harder, and the pressing is more effectually done.

Pressing A Coat

When the "goose" is heated sufficiently, then damp the seam or part to be pressed, and at once place the iron on it.

Do not damp all the seams or the whole coat first, or the cloth will shrink before the pressing can be done.

Dip a cloth in water and wring it well; place it over the "facing," collar, or "revers " of the coat, and at once place the "goose" on it, and move it very slowly along, especially along the "facing " and the seams! Lean on the iron heavily all the time.

The iron must not be lifted and put down again constantly, and the pressing of each part must be continued until all the moisture has dried up from the board on which it is being done.

Although the seams, pockets, collar, etc., were pressed as the work proceeded, they must all be done again (also round the bottom of the coat) at this stage, before the lining is put in.

N.B. - This lengthy pressing is not a waste of time, it is absolutely necessary. A good tailor will spend quite a couple of hours on the final pressing of a coat.

If, when the pressing is finished, there is any "shine" on the right side of the coat (caused by the ironing), as is often the case, it can easily be removed by "steaming."

How to Remove "Shine" from the Cloth

To "steam," wring a cloth out of water, place it over the shiny marks, and at once put a very hot iron on the wet cloth for a second only - just to raise the steam; remove the wet cloth, brush the place well, and the marks will disappear.

N.B. - If the back of a coat that has been worn for some time becomes "shiny" at the seams, the shine can be removed by this method of steaming.

To shrink away any superfluous fulness there may be in the facing of the revers or collar, damp the part to be shrunk and place a piece of the material of the coat over it (to prevent marking the coat with the iron), place a very moderately hot iron on it, and leave it there until all the moisture has dried away and the fulness has disappeared; or, if this is not sufficient, damp a piece of the material and place that over the part to be

Dress shrunk, put the iron on it, and leave it until all the moisture has dried up. It will often be found that the moisture penetrating through the material will do the "shrinking" more effectually than damping the actual piece which has to be shrunk.

Great care, however, must be taken not to shrink the facing of the revers or collar too much, or the corners will turn up.

Stitching;

When the pressing has been finished, the coat should be stitched down the two fronts and round the revers and collar.

It is a help to an amateur worker to draw a chalk line, or work a row of tacking stitches, where the machine stitching is to be.

It should be commenced at the "crease" at the bottom of the right revers, and should be worked in one continuous line right round to the bottom of the left revers.

At the "break" the stitching should be worked in the shape of a V, as shown in the diagram, the stitches on one side of it being made in the little seam which connects the "facing" of the collar and the revers.

When the last stitch of the straight line on the revers has been worked, stop, with the machine needle down, through the revers, raise the "presser-foot," and turn the work sharply round, let down the "presser-foot," and continue stitching to the next corner (the top of the V), again turn the work with the needle down, and do the same at each corner.

Draw the upper thread through to the wrong side at the bottom of each revers, tie it to its own under-thread, and cut off the ends.

Commence each front at the top (just under the revers), and stitch it right down to the bottom; fasten off the ends neatly on the wrong side and cut them off.

N.B. - The stitching should be done the same distance from the edge of the coat as the width of the "lapped" seams.

The Lining of the Coat

To line the coat, place the back of it, lengthwise, and wrong side uppermost, on a sleeve-board. Pin the back piece of the lining on to it with the pleat down the back, still tacked flat down, well " ease" the lining in the length for about three inches at the waist, so that when the coat is being worn the cloth may set smoothly. Tack the lining down the centre-back seam and on each side of it, remove the pins; pin, and then tack in the lining of the side body " down the centre, easing it in the length at the waist.

In the back piece. Then tack in the lining of the side piece in the same way. Turn in the edge of the side of theback, and tack it down over the " side body," cutting off any superfluous turnings from the and the back, and well notching the edges of both, especially at the curve of the waist.

Diagram 1. The machine stitching on collar, revers, and front of coat. At the "break" this should be in a V shape

Turn in the edge of the " side body " and tack it down over the " side piece," cutting off the superfluous turnings, and notching the edges of both, especially at the curve of the waist.

Line the other half of the back in the same way. Cut off the canvas from the armhole to the bottom of the coat, sloping it to within a few inches of the seam, and slit it at intervals all down the edge, as shown in the diagram on page 1239, and notch it well round the "armhole, to prevent any strain. Pin and tack in the lining of the " side front " and of the " front."

Turn in the edge of the front (at the "seam to shoulder"), and tack it down over the " side front," cutting away all superfluous turnings, and notching both pieces well, especially at the waist.

"Easing" the Lining

The lining must be well "eased" across the fronts, to allow the cloth to set smoothly over the figure. Turn in the edge of the " side front," cut, notch, and tack it down over the " side piece." Cut off all unnecessary turnings, and turn in and tack the lining of the front shoulder over the back.

Cut and slit the canvas, and put the lining into the other half of the front in the same way. Cut off all superfluous turnings, and turn in; pin and tack the lining round the neck, down the fronts, and round the bottom of the coat - the lining round the bottom should be turned up to about half an inch from the edge.

Neatly "fell" all the seams of the lining with fine silk to match it, also round the neck and the bottom, and down the fronts.

No stitches must be taken through to the right side, and the silk must not be drawn too tight, o.' every stitch will show.

To Make the Sleeves for the Coat

Place the two larger pieces of the material which were cut for the sleeves on the table - one exactly over the other - and "tailor tack" through the chalk lines to the under pieces.

Draw them slightly apart and cut through the threads of the "tailor tacking" between them. dor tack " the two underarm pieces together in the same way, draw them apart, and cut the threads.

Place the two larger pieces of the lining together on the table, pin the sleeve pattern On them, outline it with chalk, remove the pattern. " Tailor tack " through the out-ines to the under piece, separate them and cut through the threads. Place the two under-arm pieces together, outline, tack, etc., In the same way.