Page:The cutters' practical guide to the cutting of ladies' garments.djvu/14

6 level with 5, rather easily, always about 7 inches below waist. Now put the tape over shoulders and back under the bottom of armpit as shown on figure 8, and where the tape crosses the back in the true horizontal, make a mark at 2. Now take the depth of scye by measuring from W, 1 to 2: then natural waist length from W 1 to 3: then on to full length to 4, or, for Ulsters, to 6; next take the side length from 7 to 8, and continue on to 9 for long garments; next take the width of back as from 10 to 11, continuing on to 12 for the elbow, and 13 for the cuff; now come to the side of the front of the figure, and measure from 14 to 14 for the width across the chest, and then take a measure over the prominence of bust from 15 to 15; next take the neck measure from W 1 of figure 1, to 16 V of figure 2; then, with the tape still held at W 1, measure to the bottom of scye at 17, then to the prominence of bust at 18, on to the hollow of waist at 19, and if thought desirable to get the full length continue to 20, and for all full length garments continue to 21. Now take a measure from 2 of figure 1 up to 22 D, as indicated by dotted line on figure 8, and down to point 17 of figure 2. If thought advisable, these measures may be supplemented by the width of shoulder, the size of the sleeve, &c. These measures apply to all body garments.

For skirts, take the front length from 19 to 21, the side length from 8 to 9, the back length from 3 to 6, the size of waist and the size of hips. The same measures will supply all that is necessary for trousers, though a measure taken from waist to the seat of a chair, when the lady is seated, will give a good guide for the length of leg. A measure from centre of back to wrist bone will invariably give the accurate length of leg.

In addition to these, the tight size of knee, small, and calf must be obtained for breeches and gaiters.

A measure taken round seat and knee, with the leg raised as in the act of riding, will be useful for Riding Trains.

On the subject of measuring, a few words of advice may be useful. Avoid as far as possible nervousness, and, in every case, arrogance. Take your measures in a business-like way, and it will be found no lady objects to any measure being taken that is necessary for the proper production of the garment she is ordering. It is not so much what is done, as how it is done, and if the cutter can only become possessed of that beginning and middle and end of all business qualifications, tact, he will find no difficulty in this respect. In measuring, the cutter should use his eyes well, remembering that measuring is only a means to an end, and that often measures can be taken by the eye, which will prove more valuable in achieving the desired end than any that can be got by the tape; indeed, a trained eye is one of the most valuable acquirements the cutter can possess.

With the view of supplying our readers with the average sectional measures of the various sizes, we append the following scale compiled from measures actually taken in our own practice.

We now come to the more practical part of the work, and so apply the teachings of anatomy and experience to the various tailor-made garments which come within the cutter's range We will not occupy space with arguments on the merits or demerits of the various modes of cutting, such as by breast measure or direct measure; as, to our mind, the variation in the development of the bust alone is quite sufficient to put the breast measure method entirely out of the sphere of practicability for ladies' garments, and when we know the variation in form met with at different ages, this is still further pronounced. The lady who has reached the condition of "fat, fair and forty," bears little resemblance to the ideal type of womanly beauty to be met with amongst ladies of from twenty to thirty; hence the only method in the adoption of which we can see a fair prospect of success, is by the aid of