The Arizona sentinel., 1886-05-08
HOME DRESS-MAKING.
Useful Sug gestions For Ladies With Eco
 nomical Inclinations.

I nomical Inclinations.
 The home dress-maker who wishes to furbish up the front of a partly-worn corsage is advised that soft vests or plastrons are easily put on, and are more stylish than smooth vests. A sim gle breadth of surah silk is all that is needed, and this may be used alike for silk or wool dresses, and may be of the same color or in bright contrast. Red or white soft vests are seen on dresses of almost any color, and it may be added here that the crinkled silk Japanese crape is chosen for very handsome vests instead of surah. The breadth is shirred across the top, which is curved to fit the neck of the dress in front, and IS sewed on three inches of the right side of the dress neck, making the middle reach the buttons, and is then Tapped the same dis tance on the left side, where it disap- pears under a revers of the dress goods or of velvet This vest may be long enough to extend to the waist line, or even to drop below it in a puff, or it may
 
 at the top of the darts, where a stom- acher may meet it, or the fronts of the dress may be laced below or simply but toned.
 A high velvet dog-collar also freshens up dress, and when made with the vest just described, should lap to the left side, and be cut in point there, or else held by small bow of ribbon.
 A bright yellow or poppy red Japan csc crape vest is liked for black silk or grenadine dresses, and with this may be V spaces cut between the vest and sleeves, and filled with puff of the crape. The sleeves are then completed with puff of the same, coming out like an under-sleeve, which is gathered on g wristband of ribbon.
 A yard of beaded passementerie can be made to trim a plain waist and sleeves prettily by putting a row down each front from neck to darts, begin- ming an inch beyond the button-holes. The lower end is finished with a point or tassel. A row of the trimming is placed on the upper side of the sleeve at the wrist, and below this is gathered scarf of the dress goods. If dog-collar is to be covered with the beaded trim ming, yard and half will be needed, and galloon with straight edges should be chosen in preference to the vine pat terms of passementerie. Beaded fringe two inches wide may be cut in short strips and placed crosswise each side of the buttons of corsage. If the lower edge of one row laps over the top of that holA hi lyoC ofro trimming.
 A black surah or gros grain basque can be tastefully trimmed with three eighths of a yard of ietted net, which is gathered up as full plastron, square or in V shape, and there will be enough left for gathered scarf on each sleeve as cuff.
 To shorten in appearance waists that that seem too long, dress-makers put small hair pad inside the back of the basque, just below the waist line; this holds the basque up, making it curve out prettily, and the drapery conceals it entirely. Such pad should be about four inches square, not tightly padded, but soft, and should be tackled to the three seams of the middle back forms Just below the inside belt.
 Among the simple styles for misses and young ladies' wool dresses, that of the kilt skirt and apron drapery re- mains not only popular, but also fash ionable, especially for what are called tailor suits. The skirts are excellent for mohair, Cheviot, delaine, camel s-hair, beige, cashmere or cloths of light qual- ity, such as form useful spring suits and summer travelling dresses. The kilt plaits may be three or four inches wide, or else only one inch, according to fancy. The basque is the simplest pos tilion shape, and may have rows of mo- hair braid put on the collar and sleeves, and also stimulating a vest in cross rows or else in lengthwise parallel rows with single curled row down each side. The most fashionable tai lors use this simple design for the light cloth dresses of elegant young women in society, and similar dresses are made at home by mothers for their daughters who are still schoolgirls. Hence dress es made this way last year need not be altered in the least. Dark navy blue or brown canvas, mohair or cashmere dresses made in this simple manner may have high collar and narrow cuffs of velvet of the same shade, but to add any more elaborate trimming or to use intricate drapery detracts from the good style of such dresses, and makes them what women of taste call ''fussy- looking" for want of better word. The great fault with ordinary dress makers at present is that of overtrim- ming; they should take useful hints from the tailor suits made in severely plain styles, yet with perfect grace, every seam being in its proper place, outlining the figure tastefully, and thus completing dresses that remain in good form as long as the fabric lasts,