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Rh Instead of using a stick you could make use of a dressing-table or any piece of furniture with a flat edge of a height that comes the right point just below the hip. Stand against the edge of the table and mark the skirt where the table touches it, turning slowly till you have marked all around the skirt. Then measure down the correct length as described above.

HANGING A CIRCULAR SKIRT. A circular skirt being cut on the bias will always stretch more or less. You should make it stretch as much as possible before hanging it, so that after the bottom is finished it will stretch as little as possible.

A skirt stretches because its own weight and the weight of the hem or facing draw it down. If you hang it up for two or three days properly weighted at the bottom, it will stretch as much as it can stretch and you can then hang it safely. Every woman who sews accumulates a lot of useless material which can be used to weight the lower part of the skirt. Fold the material in strips three or four inches wide and use sufficient strips to make four or five thicknesses. Pin the strips to the lower part of the skirt. (Ill. 86.) Pin the two halves of the skirt together at the top, and pin to the skirt loops of materials by which you can hang it up. (Ill. 86.) Slip the loops on hooks just far enough apart to hold out the belt evenly (Ill. 86) and let the skirt hang two or three days until the weight of the strips has stretched it thoroughly. Then you can turn up the lower edge of the skirt, following the directions given for hanging a gored skirt.

ALTERING THE LENGTH OF A STRAIGHT SKIRT. If the length is to be altered the same amount all the way around and the skirt is plain, the alteration can be made at the lower edge. If it hangs unevenly and must be altered more at some places than others, or the pattern has many markings for tucks, trimmings, etc., alteration must be made at the top so as not to lose the straight grain of the lower part of the skirt, and, if tucked, marked, for trimming, etc., so as not to alter the lines of the tucks or marks.

If a skirt has tucks, find out the amount to be taken up by the finished tucks and add that amount to the actual length of the skirt. Then stand on a footstool or pile of books tall enough to allow the entire skirt length, including the allowance for tucks, to hang straight. The skirt can then be hung, following the directions just given on the preceding page.

STITCH THE SEAMS.

PLACKET. Make a placket following the directions in the Deltor or Illustrated Instructions and in Chapter 21, pages 100–102.

THE FINISH OF THE SEAMS depends on the weight and texture of the material. The skirts of thin cotton materials and Georgettes may be finished with French seams (Chapter 17, page 86), or machine-hemstitched seams (Chapter 25, page 118), or the seams may be rolled and overcast (Chapter 17, page 87), or be cut close and overcast together. (Chapter 16, page 82.)

The seams in net, chiffon, etc., should be made as invisible as possible. They may be machine-hemstitched, rolled and overcast, or cut close and overcast together.

In wool, silk or satin materials seams can be pressed open (Chapter 32, page 154), or turned to one side and bound with ribbon seam-binding.

The seams can be pressed open and the edges turned under, stitched close to the turning, but not through the skirt. This is a quick finish and very neat. Or the edges may be finely overcast.

Wool materials and silks which do not fray, such as broadcloth, taffeta, crêpe de Chine, may be pinked. (Chapter 17, page 87.) Any of the French seams may be used for silk or