The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-11-04
How TO Cut n Dress.

To begin with. said Aunt Mary,
taking the trent piece of the paper
pattern and folding it over carefully
at the waist line, select a thread
that runs from selvedge to selvedge
and place this crease L have made
upon it When you are sure that
the waist line of the pattern is per
iectly even with the grain of the ma
terial, smooth out your pattern top
and bottom, and after securing it
firmly TO the cloth at the waist line.
pin it firmly and cut it out. Do not
mind if the pattern slopes a little
on the front from the bust to the
neck the waste of material viii be
very slight. See that the waist line
Is straight and then go ahead and
| would advise you to cut one piece
at time until you have had more
experience.
From the second bias to the first
seam the waist shows a slight up
ward tendency; perhaps you have
not noticed that your own waist
shows this tendency as YOU approach
the hips; but as the line from the
hem to the first bias and from the
first to the second bias is straight
on the cloth, that part from the sec
oud bias to the first seam must be
straight, as it is not a separate piece.
"Yon see. / notch and mark care
fully Just as | am instructed 10 do
by my pattern, and across from
notch to notch on the waist line /
run a thread for fear of losing sight
of this very important line.
Aunt Mary proceeded to cut piece
after piece in the same careful man
ner. When all was ready she said
Now, Sally, there is a great deal to
learn about bastiDg q waist. You
cannot baste it any way. By that
| mean YOU cannot properly begin
to baste every seam at the top or
bottom of the waist. There are a
few rules which, if followed, viii
surely insure good seams and con-
sequently well fitting dresses.
Here we have the front and
oack of this waist. BY that / mean
the right and wrong side of the cal
leo. The biases are the first to be
basted. Secure them by pinning at
the waist line, then evenly up and
down so that they will not slip when
YOU baste thea. then with the front
toward you baste finely, remember
ing that the finer the bastiug the
nicer the seam when stitched The
next two seams pin and baste with
the fronts toward you, remembering
TO secure at the waist line first, and
be very careful not to stretch the
cloth. The next seam you viii Sc
cure as usual st the waist line, then
pin about an inch above that, and
from there toward the bottom of the
waist with the front toward you.
Now turn it go that the back is to-
ward YOU and pin from above the
waist line toward the top. Basic in
the same way and you will have no
trouble in making this sit nicely
back OF the hio. The rounding
piece that sets in the curve Of the
back piece must be set il very care
fully. Hold the back toward you,
and in basting from the top to the
bottom be careful not to draw it in
any. Let the rounding seam fail
easily into the curved back The
backs are sloped little as the waist
line is approached, and you will
rave no difficulty IN getting them
even if you secure them at the waist
line first. Now the shoulder seams
look as though they intended to
trouble US. The backs seem to wide
for the fronts. But see here; you
pin the ends firmly. The back still
looks to full give it a gentle pull
not too much, but just enough to
show you it will fall in place easily.
and pin and baste as you have seen
me pin and baste every seam.
Now we will examine il" said
Aunt Mary, as she spread the waist
out on the lap-board, and called my
attention to the thread which ran
IN a continuous line around the
waist.