Sewing It On

Place the patch on the wrong side of the material, with the turned-in edges downwards, and with the creases of both lying exactly on the top of one another. Put a small pin in each crease to keep the patch in position, and then hold the article up to the light to make sure that the worn part or hole is well in the middle. If correctly placed, tack the patch all round and close to the edges, removing the pins as they are reached. The firmer the patch is fixed to begin with the flatter it will lie. Then fell the patch all round on the wrong side before touching it on the right. (This ought never to be seamed, as it would cause too much strain on the old material.) Pay particular attention to the corners to get them neat and to avoid puckering the material in any way. When this is finished, draw out the tacking threads.

Now turn the article to the right side, and mark creases from corner to opposite corner of the worn part and across both ways. Take a very sharp pair of scissors, and, commencing at the hole or worn part in the centre, cut up these diagonal creases to within half an inch of each corner. Fold back the little triangles with the torn or worn apex, make a crease on each half an inch from the row of stitches, and then cut them off evenly by the thread.

Next snip up the diagonal creases in the corners another quarter of an inch, but not a fraction beyond, or the fell will be too narrow. If this second seam is made less than a quarter of an inch from the first one it will not lie flat. A little piece of card or slip of paper with the exact size marked on it may be used to assist the measuring, or any other means which will secure accuracy in cutting.

Turn under a quarter of an inch of the raw edges, and bear in mind the importance of having the four sides of an equal width and the corners at right angles. Tack this along quite evenly and flat to the patch.

Finishing

Now seam all round the inner square, commencing at one of the corners, as the join will be less noticed. The patch must be held towards the worker to prevent it sinking in a hollow, instead of lying on a level with the other material. The needle must be put in straight, and the stitches must be small and even, or they will pucker the material. An extra stitch or two should be put in the corners to make them secure Draw out the tacking threads when finished.

By this method of putting in a patch the stronger row of stitches - the seaming or overseaming - is borne by the patch, and the less strong - the felling - is borne by the older material. The seaming and felling stitches should match each other in size. If the material to ,be patched is very thin, it is safer to fell both seams instead of seaming the inner one, as it causes less strain.

If the patch is to be put on damask or any material with a pattern, it must, of course, be of the same design, and the pattern must be made to match and fit in exactly.

There are other methods of putting on patches, but the above, if the different points are attended to, is generally successful.

To Sew On Linen Buttons

Before sewing on a new button any remains or threads of the old button should be removed. Choose a button that is neither too large nor too small for the buttonhole. Unpierced buttons are to be preferred for linen.

There are several ways of sewing on buttons. For a large button, either a ring or a star of stitching is suitable. In order to be exact with the stitches, it is a good plan to mark a small circle in the centre of the button with the end of a key before commencing. The size of this circle must be regulated by the size of the button, but it must always be within the metal rim. Pass the needle through the material where the button is required, and secure the cotton by means of one or two stitches; a knot is untidy and unnecessary. Then if a ring is the form in which the stitching on the button is to be done, pass the needle through the button at one side of the marked circle. Make a row of small stitches round this mark, passing the needle up and down through the button. Then pass the needle between the button and the material, and wind the cotton round three or four times, to form a neck or shank. This prevents the button from lying too closely to the material, and so assists the buttoning. The twisting must not be done too tightly, and the material must in no way be puckered on the wrong side, but there must just be sufficient tension to make the button stand up a little from the band or hem to which it is sewn. When this is done, pass the needle through to the wrong side of the material, make one or two stitches, slip the needle between a fold of the material, and cut off the cotton.

A Stitched Star Fastening

A stitched star on the button is preferred by many. This must be of the same proportion as the ring of stitching. Mark a small circle on the centre of the button as before, and, after fastening on the cotton, bring the needle through the middle of the button. From the centre make four stitches as far as the marked circle, one to the right, one to the left, one up, and one down, thus dividing the circle into four quarters, which will form a guide for the remainder of the stitches.

Fill up between the four divisions with more stitches, regulating the number by the size of the button. The needle must be brought back to the centre after each stitch, and by this method a star, although perhaps not a perfect one, is formed on the wrong side as well.

The perfection of this star will naturally depend upon all the stitches being of the same length, but the mark made on the button before commencing should regulate this exactly. Finish off as before by passing the needle between the button and the material, twisting the cotton round several times, and then fastening off on the wrong side.

For small buttons, where there is little strain, a worked loop is a pretty means by which to sew them on. Three or four stitches must be sewn across the button first, and then these stitches worked over in buttonhole stitch, as a loop for a hook is buttonholed.

Whichever method is adopted, the stitches must not come too near the metal rim of the button, and they must be strong and regular. The fastening off must be secure, and the wrong side should be neat, and show no knots.