Page:The cutters' practical guide to the cutting of ladies' garments.djvu/26

18 will be for him to decide whether it is an improvement, or only time wasted; we know some tailors contend that it destroys the idea that the pleats are in one piece with the bodice, but whether this is so or not we will not stay to consider, but pass on to deal with

Some make them to fasten with hooks and eyes and let the front pleat come half over the edge, but the more general mode is to fasten them with holes and buttons, arranging the front pleats to quite hide them, and so forming a kind of fly; of course there is no difficulty in doing this when the garment buttons up to the throat as our figure illustrates, but when a collar and turn is desired, a little judgment will be necessary, the forepart of either side will have to terminate at the breast line as low as the roll is intended to turn, and the pleat made V shape at top, so as to come up under the lapel; this will call in the aid of a hook and eye at the top of the centre pleat, where it goes over the button side. Sometimes when the jackets are made with collar and turn the front pleat is omitted. A belt is generally worn with this garment, and may either be made from the same material; or be a fancy belt, made from leather or any fancy material; this may either fasten with holes and buttons when made from the material, or a fancy buckle may be used. Small loops are occasionally left at the side through which the pleat is passed, and we have seen the belt passed under the pleats at waist, but this is unsatisfactory, as it not only destroys the sit of the pleats at waist, but explodes any idea that might have been previously entertained, that the pleats were in one piece with the bodice.

The Riding Habit has always been looked upon as a tailor-made garment, and there seems little doubt it will long continue to be so, for being made as they frequently are, from heavy material they are much better manipulated by the tailor's mode of treatment, than the dressmaker's. In fashion, they change slowly, still the careful observer can easily detect the march of fashion, in both bodice and skirt. A few years ago the habit bodice was invariably made with skirts sewn on from the waist downwards; that has been regarded as old-fashioned for sonic time now. and at. the present time the rival styles are, the one cut sharply over the hips in the style illustrated on figure 25, and the other continued round about 6 or 7 inches below the waist as illustrated on figure 26. The fashionable section are wearing scarcely anything else but the style shown on figure 26, and in the future it will doubtless substitute entirely the older style, figure 25, but as they both continue to be worn, we deem it advisable to give diagrams of both styles, and begin with

The system is practically the same as described for the bodice, the amount allowed for making up being fixed by judgment. We need not repeat the system in all its details, but rather treat of the special features of the habit as distinguished from the bodice. We will first note the details of the back, and by a reference to the diagram it will at once be gathered it is cut on the crease; this was at one time looked upon as one of the special features of the habit, but time has changed the fashion even of this, and it is by no means so universal as it once was. When it is cut on the crease, it is only made ¾ of an inch wide at the waist, and of course this involves a re-adjustment of the seams, but Ave will deal with this presently. In order to give the waist as long an appearance as possible, the pleats are only commenced at 1½ inches below the natural waist, and the full length continued to 7 or 8 inches below waist. As will be gathered from the outline of diagram, the skirts are cut sharply over the hips; the total width at bottom of skirt when made would be 4 or 4½ inches. It is arranged with two side pleats at the bottom of side-seams with buttons placed, as previously noted, 1½ inches below the waist seam. The lengths below the waist line are about 2 inches at the side and 3½ in the front. The bottom edge of sidepiece, &c., should be slightly rounded, so as to form one continuous curve when made up and avoid getting points at the seams. This is only a trifle, but it is a trifle often overlooked, the student occasionally drawing a freehand curve from front to back, in some cases even omitting to re-adjust the length of the dart seams to each other. We will now proceed to deal with

As these have a very decided effect on the artistic appearance, it is well to avoid extremes, at the same time bearing in mind what is considered beauty in the female form. Present day ideals point to a very flat back in the region of the blades and a long waist; hence with these points in our mind, we carry the side-seam as high as possible, and keep the sideseam flat but not straight, a kind of deadened curve being best; a bare inch is taken out between the back and side-body at the back scye, and the sidebody is lengthened a little at top to provide in a certain degree for the shortening tendency of seaming; 1 inch is taken out at the Avaist betAveen the back and sidebody, and 1 inch