The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-02-23
BY MRS. ANNETTE GUTH
Written for NEA Service


your imagination little.
This spring is ideal for remodel
ling old frocks and ensembles and
suits. New styles are so varied that
you are sure to see something that
will give you ideas for utilizing what
you have by changing it a little.
There is added stress laid on the
individuality Of your clothes this
year, which capitalizes your own
efforts. And last but not least, the
"dressmaker touch adds chic to
things, rather than detractS from
them, now.
Chance for Ingenuity
Besides all of these fashion points,
the new vogue for using two ma
terials in a given costume, or even
three, and several colors instead Of
just one, allows you all the freedom
for your ingenuity and individual
taste.
First of all, I think we should
consider ways and means Of re-
dating the ensemble, for I suspect
there are more ensembles hanging
in closets today than any other
types Of apparel. The ways you can
make them over are legion. Only
your imagination holds you back.
First of these, let's consider the
ensemble made with the one-piece
frock, sleeveless, and the coat made
Of the same material.
The skirt is short, the frock
should have some kind of sleeves.
Why not make it into a stunning
street frock for early spring wear,
especially if it is wool?
Cut at Waistline
This is one way to do it: Rip or
cut the dress at the waistline. To
lower the skirt, slash it right down
the front and let in three to four
inch panel Of material that you can
piece out from the coat.
Then attach this lowered skirt
to yoke you get out Of the coat
also, cutting it by some other dress
or pattern that you know fits you.
You can finish the back piecing of
this skirt yoke by using buttons for
ornament.
Take the coat sleeves and set
them into the frock. They may
have to be made somewhat smaller,
but re-seaming them will do this
easily.
This gives you the trim type OF
carry spring dress that nobody
should be without. And it costs
nothing but little time.
A second effective way to make
over last years long coated ensem-
bic is to make spring short jack
ct suit of it, especially good if it is
a silk ensemble, though also good
for woolens.
Trim OFF the Coat
Cut the coat off at the waistline
and fit it slightly to the figure at
the under-arln seams and at the
back. Then cut a peplum from the
tail Of the coat you have cut off.
The coats Of last year were wide
enough to allow you to fasten this
new peplum jacket. From the
lower edge of the coats tail, cut an
insert for the skirt, to be let i'll at
knee length, if your skirt fared
enough, or to be put on the bottom
if it didn't This gives you the
needed length.
This can be used as a neat little
coat dress, with collars and cuffs.
Or you can branch out into vari-
ETY. Of blouses, using up other old
materials for them, dying them if
necessary.
Or if you want to get one and a
Quarter yards Of new plaid or polka
dotted silk you can have a blouse
brand new to set up your old suit.
Revamping Methods Are Varied
Other ways of ren1aking last
years ensemble include the short
sleeved little jacket or the sleeve
less one, which gives you material
for making a yoke for circular
skirt, if it happened to be circular.
sYou can make straighline jack |
ct Of the long coat Of last year, and
belt it in and blouse it Cor a change. !
If the sleeves Of your ensemble
coat are worn out, you can make
elbow hounces to cover up the
patched places you have had to
mend there.
And if the skirt Of your last years
ensemble happened to be pleated,
you can let out pleat or two, or
make them all a little smaller and
get enough width to drop the waist
line to the hip hipline and from
there up use either another dress or
some contrasting new material to
make one Of the stylish two-na-
terial frocks.
NEXT: Last years frocks remade.