St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-07-18
a SILK Waist.
Eow to Make an Inexpensive Garment
for Summer Wear,

for Summer Wear.
Fathing makes a cooler, fresher
looking waist than the wash silks
which come in all manner of delicate
stripes at very moderate price. Five
yards should not cost much. All else
you need buy is a cheap plain corset
coYer-o1ie coming high in the neck
and net too big in the armhole. That is
your foundation. j.
To make the waist, cut three lengths
of silk long enough to reach from the
below the belt. Sew them together,
then double them along the middle of
the center breadth and cut them to
the shape of the diagram given here
with. Now sew up the shoulder seams,
making them either with a bag seam
like the corset cover, or binding them
neatly with narrow white binding. Put
the narrowest possible bias facing
about the neck, leaving ii SO that you
can run a fine drawing string through
it. 3s
Finish the. bottom with a, case for a
similar drawing string. Then for
sleeves take breadth and a half for
each. Leave. the selvage plain and
straight, but round the tops so as to
set well over the shoulder and hollow
them slightly under the arm. At the
bottom put on two cases, or else run
narrow tlieks for draw strings. Then
gather them at top and sew to the silk
armhole, covering the seam with bind
ing tape.
Next, with strong thread, baste the
silk armholes to those of the corset
cover. Do not let the stitches show
upon the upper side and fasten off
firmly. Then run the narrowest white
tape into all the cases-at the neck, the
bottom of the waist and the wrists.
Put, on the corset cover, button it up
and draw, the. outside. to fit, arranging
the fullness as is most becoming to
your figure.
Pin it in place; then when you have
taken off the garment put firm basting
stitches in place of the pins.
For the wrists it is only necessary to
draw up and tie the strings. and your
waist is complete, made in bnt little
longer time than it takes to tell about
it. &Of course you can add q stock col
lar of ribbon, or wear any Of the hum
dred frills and ribbons now in vogue
You can tie ribbon wristlets, too
make the whole, as ornate as you please.
But that is an inessential thing.
What is Of much greater Importance is
that such a waist can be washed and
kept clean and fresE If you only have
command of washbasin. For when
it is soiled you only have TO unpick the
hastings about the recls and armhoIe,
pull out the draw strings and wash lin
ing and outside separately. Use for
the silk good white soap and do not
rub il on the fabric, but make good
suds. Wash quickly through that;
rinse twice in water of the same tenn
perature
Do not wiring, but fold smoothly in
side clean towel Then squeeze as
dry as possible, shake out and hang
in the shade to dry. If you can manage
to stretch it out over a bit of lath sus-
pended like a coat hanger there will be
hardly a wrinkle in it. Replace the
strings and put it over the lining as
before-of course, after The lining has
been likewise purified. Two such
waists, or at the most three, will take
you safe through the hot summer
months, and much more than save their
cost in laundry bills. to say nothing Of
their superior comfort.-San Francis
CO Chronicle.