The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-07-21
HOME DRESSMAKING.
THE BASQUE IS THE FOUNDATION
OF ALL DRESS CUTTING.

A Few Facts That Must Not lie Forgotten.
How to Cut Blouses and Bolero Jackets.
Various Kinds of Fastenings-How to
Finish Basque.
copyright. 1893, by American Press Associa-
ton.
The basque being the foundation of all
dress cutting, the novice should learn at the
very outset all its possibilities. With a
good diagram of a basque fitting in meas
urement the prospective wearer of the gar
ment planned one can cut a princess robe, a
wrapper of any style, a tailor gown, a rid
ing habit, an evening dress, blouse, bla-
ger and coat of any description. The prin-
ciple is exactly the same, with such varia-
lions as the exigencies of the case may re-
quire. 1t needs but to be heightened to
make tight coat or ulster and to have its
different parts heightened and widened to
form princess dress.
To do this the different parts should be cut
to four inches longer than the skirt from
waist downward and the front pieces cut
on slant so that the bottom of each front
measures 20 inches, the front side pieces the
same, the back side cores 81, and the back
breadths should measure the whole width
1
breadth should be added to the back and
plated in close so that the whole skirt
may fall free and open in the approved
shape. The four inches extra length are
taken up in fitting to the figure.
The princess should be tried on with the
seams outward and fitted like any other
waist. The skirt is to be faced with wigan
or crinoline about 12 inches deep, and to the
inner side is stitched a facing of linen or al
paca, and where the dress is IA very hand
some one several narrow pinked ruffes are
sewed to silk foundation and cat stitched
to the wigan.
Riding habits are cut in the same way,
but the lines are drawn rigidly and with
angles wherever they can be introduced,
notably the square high collar and the
square Positions and square pocket lids.
In cutting jackets the dressmaker only
needs to know the style wanted. If a REFER
or blazer, the basque is heightened, and the
darts are not taken In. Pockets are added.
If a long jacket is desired, the same general
rules prevail and it is easy to make one
with strict attention to the pressing and
care that all outside stitching should be
perfectly straight.
Blouses are cut like the French waists,
but the lower part should be three to four
inches longer, cut perfectly straight around
and hemmed. An elastic is then drawn
through, and the waist buttons so that the
superfluous length falls down over the top
of the skirt.
Bolero jackets, Elton jackets and figaros
are all cut from the original basque pat
tern. For Elton the waist is outlined with
the two side back pieces and is cut down to
point just overlapping the gathers of the
back of the skirt and cut in front like the
diagram, and it is easy to cut, as it is per-
fectly simple and seamless. Elton jackets
may or may not have sleeves, but if they
do they should be plain coat sleeve gath
cred rather full at the top, having suspi-
cion of gigot only, and they are worn over a
shirt waist.
The bolero is cut just like the Elton in
front, but the back is all in one piece and is
cut straight across.