East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-11-25
VALUE OF DETAILS IN A DRESS.


Every successful dressmaker under
stands the value OF careful detail
Indifferent finish is bound to spoil
otherwise good work Cheap hooks
and eyes or snap fasteners, for ex-
ample, are clumsily shaped and
should never be selected by the home
dressmaker who takes pride in the tit
and set of her work.
The finishing of seams, stitching
and placket fastenings very often
stamps n gown as being made by an
amateur, when every other part OF II
is stylish and we'll fitting.
1 have often seen very smart-look
ing shirtwaists that have appeared
'tailory" enough excepting for the
bottonholes! but once you caught sight
of these you knew they were worked
by the rankest novice, writes a con-
tributor to the New York Press.
A well-made buttonhole should be
perfectly flat, and the edges should
lie close together, touching each
other when unbuttoned. The end OF
the buttonhole toward the outer edge
OF the box plait should be rounded,
while the other end should be drawn
close together with a few stitches
worked over and over. Buttonholes
should not be worked with too coarse
thread. This is a mistake that many
dressmakers make, and the result is
a thick, clumsy looking buttonhole
that gapes apart.
Use medium fine waxed thread,
single, never double, and begin to
work at the end of the hole farthest
from the edge of the material Then
take the stitches very close together
the width of the thread apart and n
little less than an eighth OF an inch
away from the opening. Work
straight ahead until you reach the
other end of the opening; then work
around it as you would IL making an
eyelet. Now continue to the starting
point, and when you reach ii take
three or four stitches over the end and
secure the thread on the wrong side
before cutting It.
An important point to observe while
working is to keep the cut edge close
together; then you will have no
trouble with a gaping eye.
When buttonholes are cut parallel
to the edge of the material begun at
the lower end of the cut edge to
work
When sewing on hooks and eyes, be
sure that the bill of the hook is
placed at least quarter of an inch
back from the edge of the goods.
Then sew them fast with double waxed
thread, catching it through the loops
for that purpose and two or three
stitches under the bill, so that it will
not work loose at the edge. The eve
must be placed a quarter of an inch
back from the edge and sewed down
flat.
The raw edges of seams should be
either bound with thin silk seam
binding. or carefully pinked on the
edges by shipping them in little W
shaped pieces with the scissors. II
you are working with material that
trays easily, such as serge and some
of the loosely woven silks and woolen
materials, all seams should be over
cast, or whipped" on the edge. The
armholes of an unlined waist should
be bound, and those of a lined bodice
whipped.
Finish the placket so it will lie per-
fectly flat, with not the slightest bulge
between the hooks. Snap fasteners
are best to use for this purpose.
See that every little detail Of the
gown is finished carefully and you
will be repaid for your trouble by the
praise of your friends,-Boston Monl-
tor.