Page:The cutters' practical guide to the cutting of ladies' garments.djvu/28

20 vests were mostly finished in the jockey style of step stand collar, and were often made from the vesting worn by the particular limit the lady mostly attended. It is unnecessary for us to go through the system as all the details are clearly illustrated in the diagram. The hack is made rather narrow and the teams adjusted accordingly, but both this and the general outline can be easily gathered from diagram 27, and if an explanation of the system is desired, it can be got by referring to either the jacket or the bodice. Before quitting the Habits, it will be as well to say a few words on the other

Sometimes a lady is to be seen with her Riding Habit made in the Newmarket style: then another has the part below the waist arranged as a gent's Dress Coat; some others have the same same style as illustrated on figure 26, but with the corners rounded off: and in many other countless little details variations of style are introduced. It is the exception, however, to see a habit bodice braided, indeed, it is so seldom that it gives the impression that it is one that has been laid by for a generation, and has been handed down from mother to daughter. Possibly in the future, braiding on Riding Habit Bodices, may be re-introduced but for the present it is obsolete.

We must not omit to mention the little girl's Riding Bodice, seeing that so many are to be seen in the park of a morning. The almost universal style for girls, between the age of six and sixteen, is the Norfolk Bodice; of this jacket we have previously treated in detail in this section, and as the only special feature to be noticed for these girls, is the absence of breast and the comparatively large waist, both of which features would be clearly brought out by the measures taken, it will be unnecessary for us to do more than refer our readers to a few pages back, where the Norfolk Bodice is fully treated.

It is sometimes argued that we only take the truly proportionate figure to illustrate the workings of the various systems we publish, and doubtless this is to a certain extent true, as we look upon it as highly essential that the cutter should form an accurate idea of what is a truly proportionate pattern. But of course that is not enough; he must know how to provide for all ages and all kinds of disproportion, and our object at present is to help him in his treatment of at least one phase of this that is often met with.

Turning over the pages of our order book to select a set of measures by which to draw the diagram to illustrate this, we come across the following: 8½ scye depth, 15 natural waist, 22 full length, 7 across back, 19½ elbow, 28 sleeve, 8¾ across chest, 9¾ across bust, 12¾ front shoulder, 16½ over shoulder, 8½ neck, 13½ nape to nipple, 18½ nape to bottom of waist, 44 chest, 31 waist. The lady was one of those figures which, though past the prime of life, yet was by no means a badly made figure, and such as may often be met with in daily practice. The waist was clearly defined and the bust well developed; she might fitly be described as plump, short and rather stout. A glimpse at the measures would soon convince even the inexperienced cutter, that some more reliable method of fixing the depth of scye than a division of the breast would be necessary: 44 breast and 15 natural waist would not at all meet that method; yet this is a very fair example of the measurements found in actual practice. It is a somewhat remarkable fact that the length of the natural waist varies very slightly: from 14 to 15 seems to embrace the entire range, and often when the figure gets stouter the waist gets shorter; hence in ordinary figures, it will more often be found that the natural waist measures 14½ than 15½. It will also be noticed how small all the shoulder measures are in relation to the chest, as compared with the normal 34; at the same time they are very much more square—both features usually found in the large size male figure, but in not so pronounced a degree as is here illustrated.

Of this diagram, apart from the points we have already noted, and which would be fully allowed for in the working of the system as previously described, are the number of darts and the arrangement of the seams of the sidepieces, &c. The sideseam, as outlined by 4, 2¾ and 3¾, is made as long as possible, so as to give the effect of length: whilst the sidepieces, being all cut narrow, also greatly facilitate this effect. One inch is taken out between all the parts at the waist, and so as to reduce the forepart to the size of waist without taking out very large darts, a third one is brought into play, which has a very much better effect: for, while adding length to the general appearance, it facilitates the fit over the hips, and enables a sufficient receptacle for the bust to be formed very much easier. It will be noticed that we still retain the straight front edge; indeed, we deem it of greater importance for figures of this class than the normal; as any excess of length in the front edge would now show itself in a sort of frill at that part. It will be observed that we have added 1 inch to the front shoulder measure, instead of ¾ as laid down previously; our reason for doing so being to provide for the prominence, for the more that is added in this way the greater