Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-13
HOME COAT MAKING
Present Fashions Give Less
Trouble in Fitting.
POPULAR CARMEN rs
LONG AND LOOSE MODELS MADE
OF ROUGH SILKS.
In Checked Suits and Skirts Plain
Styles Are Prefer
POPULAR G ARMEN rs
Written for The Star.

It. lis the severely pain, perfectly IHoiu-
ed tailor jacket which presents almost in
surmountable difficulties to the home dress
maker. Given a good pattern and patience
at the pressing board. the nimble-flngere ed
girl can easily make her own wrap or coat
this season.
One of the easiest coats to design at home
is the pleated box coat or the loose three
quarter rain or shower coat. There Is
something distinctively smart about the
loose coat particularly on a tall or slender
girl. and it Is a peculiarly desirable gar
ment for the fair vacationist. 1t can even
be made to do duty for an evening wrap
al the seashore when the prevailing mois-
ture may be offered as an excuse for not
exposing the more delicate evening coat,
which will do service the return to
town.
In making coats at home the selection
of material is all important. 1t does not
pay to make an outdoor garment from
cheap materials which pull easily. or from
cotton mixtures which look Stringy in an
incredibly short time. In cloths, various
rain-proof fabrics, such as broadcloth. che
viot and serge, are popular, while SUCH
cloths as covert cloth, Panama frieZe and
cheviot, that are not rainproof. but follow
the weaveS employed for mems rough
coats, are virtually proof against the sud
den shower. and are warm enough for chill
iy days. yet not tireSomely heavy in weight.
Silk coats are not as much of an extrava-
gance one might imagine from the prices
asked for ready-made garments in the bet
ter class of shops. The home dressmaKer
has only to watch good silk sales to ac-
quire this most dependable garment and
good quality of waterproof black taffetas
can be picked up in the thirty-Six-inch
width so low as 81. 80 yard.
Preferred Colors.
Other colorings are more expensive, and
among the shades which particularly
affected by the motor girl and her outdoor
sisters in general odd reds and blues,
ivory white and the natural color of pongee.
When used for motoring or the rougher
sort of outdoor wear the silk coat IS Sc
verely plain, with no other ornament than
large buttons. But when they are intended
for afternoon or evening wear they are
trimmed in Il bewildering variety of styles
which will meet the purse and the taste OF
almost any summer girl
Striking Features.
most desirable silk for the latter pur-
pose is the new Birmingham or silk burlap
1t is almost as rough looking as coffee sack
ing but is exquistely supple and soft to
the touch. Al the beginning Of the season
this silk brought s1.75 yard. 1t can now
be had in a very good quality az low as
81 %. and it is so heavy that 1t needs no
trimming save straps and stitched bands of
the fabric and handsome buttons. The lat
ter are essential. as cheap button cannot
endure comparison with this radiant ne"
silk. It comes, by the way, In. dead white,
cream, champagne, ecru and all the new
blues, greens, reds etc.
The srnartest shops are charging from $63
to s125 apiece for Birmingham coats made
in extremely simple fashion. Eight yards
of the material and two or three dollars
expended in buttons. by the AID OF good
pattern and careful home work will result
in one of these most desirable garments.
Sometimes the scrolls or stitched bands OF
silk which trim them are outlined with fine
braid in self-tone or delicate contrast. The
dead white coats are frequently trimmed
with cream or ecru-colored lace, set Off by
gold buttons. but the smartest garments OF
rough silk are self-trimmed in simplest tai
lored fashion, with perhaps some odd en-
broidery or rich lace introduced on the col
lar and cuffs. Kimono lines are also OBJ
served in many OF the silk coats. particu-
larry those intended for dressy wear.
Striking Features.
Another striking feature of the season 5
outer raiment Is the development OF plain
| cloth coats for wear with checked shirt
waist suits and accordion-pleated circular
| skirts Dark blue broadcloth coats are
worn with clean-looking checks of dark
blue and white, black cheviot, serge and
| broadcloth with popular shepherd plaids OF
! black and white. brown with brown and
white, and hunters green with green and
| white.
These plain cloth coats are made on two
! styles either very long and loose or else
| extremely short natty and tight-fitting.
| Boleros with high girdles of the dark cloth
are also worn with the checks, but, as was
| stated earlier in this article, the home
| dressmaker should regard with suspicion
! the trig smooth-ftting. strapped seam
| short coat 1t requires certain trick of
tailoring which is seldom given to the am
ateur On the other hand. the frivolously
! pleated jackets that hang in long, loose
folds with a bit of lace here and a medal
lion there do not demand such accurate
| tailoring.
| Nearly all the coats are collarless and are
| finished with novelty braids or inSetS Of
velvet edged with braid which cleverly
| simulate a turnover collar. The high mill
| tary collar is not seen at all this summer
! and above these collarless coats rise the
! high. ornate stocks which mark the sum
mer's blouses.
The economical woman will not fail tc
| include in her summer wardrobe new
| shower coat, which is by no means rainy
| day garment. They are made from extreme
| ly light weight silk with under surface
| of rubber. Lansdowne and close-wover
Sicilenne are used for the same purpose
| Three Quarter Lengths.
The shower coat is seldom more thar
| three-quarters in length, and more elab
| oratey trimmed than the raincoat proper
| Not infrequenty it is shirred about tn,
| waist line to give an odd girdled effect
| which is not so popular. however. with the
| American woman as the coat which hang.
| loose from yoke or shoulders.
| An odd fancy for finishing lapels, collars
| and cuffs of cloth coats is a lingerie pleat
| ing of fine lawn. hemstitched or edged with
! lace of the same depth wern around the
| neck of gown, or even deeper. This turns
| back, and gives delightful. fresh look t
| a tailored suit; but it must be renewed con
| stantIy, crumpled ruching destroys the
charm of the combination.
There are also shown separate cuffs, lape
| and collar sets of heavy linen and canvas
| the former done in broderie Anglaise. ani
| these are bought to fit perfectly over the
| cloth coat.
| In that most useful of all garments. thu
| pongee coat. no lining is needed in summer
| A pretty model coat on kimona lines. We
| suggesting the popular tailored box coat
| was developed from a pongee in the natura
| color The seams were all strapped with thu
| pongee. finished by fat bias folds. and thu
| bottom OF the coat was finished with thre'
| tucks, each two inches in depth.
| A smart black and white checked coat o.
| three-Quarter length also showed kimon;
| lines. though the sleeves were lego mut
ton gathered into a deep pointed cuff. Thi
| garment was piped with pale blue, mos