South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-10-28
HOW To LENGTHEN
LIFE OF OLD FR0CKS
The Amateur DreSSmaker Tells
of Some Simple Devices to
Aid in Making Over Old
Gowns.

If Ruth hadn't accidentally over
turned a bottle of ink upon my tea
green silk gown and made black
splotches down the front of its skirt.
we might never have learned to ap-
preciate the value of sashes and belts.
After vainly endeavoring TO eradicate
the stains, Mildred said: That gowns
too becoming to you, mother, dear, to
be cut down for either Ethel or Ruth.
Besides, we can't afford to do ii just
yet. Well simply have to put sash
on it,"
But sashes don't become my fig
ure," l demurred. They seem to cut
it in two and make me look inches
shorter"
The one / have in mind will make
you look inches taller" replied Mil
dred. as she measured off three yards
of the wide black velvet ribbon which
We buy by the bolt because it's cheaper
that way and because it's one of the
materials which were always needing
in a hurry. When she had equally
divided the strip, she ripped half way
up the under arm-eyeS of the tea
green bodice, placed the ends of the
velvet between them, restitched the
seams together and made me get into
the entire gown. Then, bringing the
two Slanted strips of velvet together
at the center Of the bodice and a trifle
below the waist line, she knotted them
loosely and finally fiatened them into
two long ends of even length that fall
almost to the ankles, where they are
gathered into black tassels. At inter-
walls both ends are so heavily weighted
with leads Caught TO the satin facing
of the ribbon) that they positively
can't fly about and disclose the ink
stains that are beneath them. The
gown has twice it's former style and
really thing that the long, straight,
fiat sash ends add TO my apparent
height. OF course, were my figure
slender Mildred would have had the
sash go all the way round my waist as
she arranged one for a neighbor- bride
who came running over to us with
tears in her eyes, sobS in her throat
and her white net wedding frock in
her hands. Herlittl dog had chewed
holes in the left front of both Its skirt
and bodice while she wasn't watching
him. This neighbor is fluffy haired.
dark-eyed, peachy-compleXion little
creature who looks charming in rose
tones and so Mildred asked her to get
a yard and a half of pale pink satin
ribbon in sash width, and quarter
yard of piece satin in matching
shade. When Mildred had made the
latter into a single huge rose and a
cluster of tiny rosebuds, she started
one end of the sash ribbon at the left
front of the frock's waist-b band.
brought 1t all the way round the fig- |
ure fastened it under the big rose and
allowed the end to drop fiatlv over the
skirt. The cluster of rosebuds formed |
delicate little corsage that covered
the cheWed place on the bodice.
The Concealing Peplum.
No sooner had our pretty neighbor
gone home than Louise brought out
the skirt of her white cloth tailored
fn1 tn n
holes on its left hip. After cycling *
officially for moment or two she re-
marked: We'll make a ten-inch long |
peplum of side-plaited white satin and
attach 1t to a broad, folded belt. That
will cut down Louise's phenomenally
long waist and at the same time radi-
cally change the appearance OF the |
skirt-in addition to concealing the
moth holes" Since Louise's skirt has
been fixed in this manner I've no.
ticed several stylish little frocks in
cloth and satin in the shops, at dress
makers exhibitions and on the
Mildred has put girdles on two Of
her own last years waists. one OF
them, a white shadow lace blouse, was
badly frayed near the waist line and
so she made new draped belt or
white Canton crepe under which starts
a width of the same material which is
drawn upward between the Just dHU
the left shoulder where ii is run
a big round buckle, then
across the shoulder. carried down the
back and finally gathered under the
rear of the belt. 1t barely escapes be-
ing a jumper or "over-waist" About
the rounded neck of the lace blouse.
Mildred put a new double frilling of
white net and she heightened the
sleeves with Canton
craDa hand cuffs edged with net frillS !
The second bodice. chiefly in mousse
line, belongs to a taupe cashmere af-
ternoon frock and was in perfect con-
dition but far too tight about the belt
line because since it was made, Mil
dred has changed TO style of corset
which makes her waist larger and her
hips smaller. By making a broad
belt of carelessly-folded taupe satin
she was able TO cover the let
out portion of the under-arm seams,
and by joining the ends of the belt un-
der a broad pump bow ertendedal-