The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-07-23
REMODELING DRESSES.
Hints for Ladies Who Desire to Make Use
of Last Years Dresses.


OF Last Years Dresses.
Almost any dress made within the
last two or three years can be made
over in the simple styles now in vogue
with straight skirts and trimmed
bodices q For instance, the plated
skirts of wooden gowns, if faded, can be
turned, and their voluminous breadth
will furnish ample material for an En-
glish skirt with plain front and sides
and plated back, and also for full
sleeves. If this skirt is too short for
the present elongated breadths, it can
be heightened by adding border Of
striped, plaid or spotted wool, or else a
bias fold of silk four inches wide, lined
with crinoline, can be set below the
edge, and simply stitched on-a fashion
seen on many of the new En-
glish gowns. Another plan is to trim
the skirt with three or four rows Of
velvet ribbon of graduated widths,
the lowest row three inches wide, fall
ing below the edge of the skirt and
lengthening it, Should the skirt be long
enough, but trayed at the edges, a bind
ing of thick watered ribbon three inches
wide will freshen it, and give ''charac-
ter" to the plain skirt. The foundation
skirt, after having the hustle and steels
removed, should be faced with the ma
terial of the dress, or with that added to
lengthen it.
The full skirt of a summer silk dress
can be heightened by insertions of rib
bons, or of white or black French lace,
with either hem or scalloped lace at
the foot, and may be slightly draped as
"a long over-skirt, with a trimming of
gathered lace or ribbon showing below
it on the foundation skirt. A white
muslin dress can have insertions of
tucked muslin or of embroidery let in
above its hem, or else it can be length
ened by border of embroidery at the
foot. The bunched-up back breadths Of
gingham or other cotton dresses made
two years ago are usually straight, and
merely require to BIO cut off at the top
and gathered full to belt. The front
plated breadths need not be altered;
but if the apron drapery is very long, it
should be shortened, and simply draped
from hip to hip.
The bodices Of wool dresses can retain
the fitted back by making the basque
part more simple, in habit fashion with
out position plaits, or by cutting it into
four square-cornered tabs, or, if quite
long, the Louis Quinze coat back may
be made. The front of the waist can
then have u blouse of plain, striped or
checked silk set upon it to cover it,
and the slight jacket fronts of wool can
be made from pieces left from the full
skirt The coat sleeves can be widened
at top by inserting pointed puff of the
silk, or caps of draped folds of the ma
terial can be added, or else entirely
new sleeves can be made of the silk
used on the front of the waist. If the
bodice is so worn that it must be aban-
doned altogether, a pretty blouse of
India silk or surah can be used with the
remodeled skirt, and this skirt should
be sewed permanently to a Swiss belt,
or whaleboned Corselet made of many
small pieces left over from the skirt,
Npil hllblcuOutus dllu dU Iuc JOU
in three or five places in front and on
sides.
Other bodices faded or worn about the
neck and shoulders can have the soiled
parts removed, and round yoke or
one in V shape, or "a succession of van
dyke points can be set on of surah, of
repped silk, or of velvet, while for light
materials ecru embroidery can be used
instead. A square-cornered Spanish
jacket, cut from any large pieces left
from the skirt will cover a badly-ftted
waist, or one worn out about the arm
holes. corselet or else pieces of en-
broidery or silk or velvet, sloped from
the under-arm seams to point in the
middle of the front, will also renew
soiled waists. High collars can be coy-
cred with two pieces of ribbon, each
folded over from the top or with q
single wide ribbon, or else with ecru
embroidered muslin, which is now used
on silk and wool as well as on cotton
gowns. A basque of last summer can
be shortened to slightly pointed
bodice, and finished with ribbon folded
along it's edge and hooked behind under
a tte.-Harper's Bazaar.