Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-05
FOR THE FAIR SEX.
CheapIDresses,

Thus, supposing that girl has but ten
dollars to spend upon her summer out
fit, her wisest plan would be not to buy
five dresses and a hat as she does in one
oil our exchanges, but TO get smaller
number and have them better. Let us
see then what she may do with her
funds in hand, doing her own Dire. s.
making. rs matter of course.
There ore very few women who are
so improvident as to have nothing left
over from season to season. A practi-
cal economist buys every dress with n
view to its appearance afterward in n
new form, and it is unwise for
any but wealthy woman to pur-
chase an expensive dress which
cannot be made over. And in
this sense the word expensive must
be taken comparatively. For our girl
it would mean a su inner silk, a cash
mere, or French bunting. One of these,
then, she has on hand from last year,
and this is to be made rs good as new.
The dress must be ripped and pressed,
and ii the bunting or cashmere is black
it may besponged with water, to which
spirits OF hartshorn has been
ADDED IN the proportion of
teaspoonful of ammonia to n
quart OF water. The best of the goods
must be kept for the body and the front
of the skirt unless the old BODY is not
too much worn to serve the purpose
again, which will be great point in
her favor. Clever contriving will hide
spots aud thin places, and put the worst
parts where they will show least. Shir-
ring covers multitude of faults, and
narrow plaitings may be pieced again
andsagain. II the old skirt lining will
do, she should use it by all means, as
every cent counts. Three yards OF satin
at eighty cents yard will trim the
dress, with pipings, revers, collar and
CUTS, put band four inches wide down
ole side and make n wide belt Three
yards of ribbon TO match, at twenty
cents yard, will furnish bow for the
belt and two for the side opposite the
satin band; jet buttons, at twenty-five
cents dozen, will be good enough, and
a dozen will suffice, or plain crochet
buttons ut forty cents may be beaded at
home with five cents worth of beads.
Sewing silk, buttonhole twist, skirt
braid and yard cf wiggin to line the
satin will be needed and will cost sixty
eight cents, viz. two quarter-ouncc
spools of silk. forty cents; one ounce
black cotton, five cents; two of button
mole twist, five cents; skirt braid, six
cents, and wiggin, twelve cents; making
S4.l3 as the cost of our young lady's
best dress.
There Is n iurore this season for ging-
hams. and neat American makes may be
had for twelve and one-half &C. Is n yaId.
There are two qualities at this price
one thick anu heavy for hard wear; the
other, the zephyr gingbam, which is of
lighter weight and much more dressy in
appearance-thisi is what she must buy.
Twelve yards will be $3.50; a dozen
plain smoked pearl buttons, ten cents,
and fifteen yards of white Hamburg
edging, for trimming, at two cents a
yard. brings the cost to Sl.90. and two
spools of cotton, for sewing, rounds out
the %. This may be made with the
baoy waist. e., with yoke and plaits
If the wearer is slender, or n coat
basque, if stout, and the trimmings are
to be ruffles edged with Hamburg,
which is very narrow-merely n tiny
scallop and eye.et, but which looks very
well. Or, If she prefers lawn to 3 ging-
ham, that may be had at the same price,
and trimmed with Italian lace at fifteen
cents. the price Of tNo o yards.
Three dollars must BUY another dress.
and in this she has quite n wide choice,
Victoria lawn, at twenty cents, trimme,
with tucked rufIlcs of the same, flutedd
is very pretty. Dotted Swiss, made
with ruilleS also, is much more dressy,
and costs five cents more a yard, but
since white muslin can be worn always
in the evening, this last will be prob.
ably her wisest choice. Her hat may be
u Eayal, lined and trimmed with white
muslin. and a twenty-five cent bouquet,
r rough straw. at thirty-three cents,
with band and large bow of satin rib
bon, or an embroidered reed hat, at
twenty-five cents, with brim faced with
bright foulard and a scarf OF the same
twisted around the crown, either of
which will come within the com pass
the eighty-seven cents left from her
dresses.
Very pretty and indeed handsome
overdresses for wear with satin or vel
vet skirts are made of the cream-tintef
linen canvas which comes for curtains.
This is woven in small, square meshes
of twisted thread, Is forty. eight inches
wide and sells for twenty-five cents a
yard. Five yards are enough for n full
overdress and creamy Languedoc lace
at 50 for n piece of ten yards Is the trim
ming. An embroidered vine done in
crewels or silk adds much to the beauty
of the garment, which indeed, is hand
some enough for wear in fashionable
ballroom. Cream-tinted buntings and
bareges are other inexpensive over
dresses for wear with such underskirts
AS fashions go this summer so they will
probably be this winter. A black vel
vet skirt is among the most useful gar
ments which lady can possess, since it
may be worn the year round and is styl-
i5h with almost any overdress. The
velvet used for the handsomest skirts
costs five dollars a yard, but very good
quality may be had for $3.50. Such
velvets are all silk. Trimming velvet,
silk-faced and cotton-backed, is the next
choice, while ladies who must consult
first cost rather than true economy buy
velveteen at $3.50. Walking skirts are
very narrow, two yards and n quarter
being tie average width, while ladies
who are below medium height wear
them even narrower. The quantity of
velvet required depends upon the style
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