Part 6

_69th Row._—K 6, K 3 together, * K 9, K 3 together, repeat from * to the end of the row.

_70th Row._—Purl.

_71st Row._—K 5, K 3 together, * K 7, K 3 together, repeat from * to the end of the row.

_72nd Row._—Purl.

_73rd Row._—K 4, K 3 together * K 5, K 3 together, repeat from * to the end of the row.

_74th Row._—Purl.

You should now have 147 st on the needle. Make a row of holes for the ribbon by repeating K 4, O, N, all the way along and purling a return row.

[Illustration: This will fit a child of 4-5 years.]

[Illustration: It measures 20 inches from neck to lower edge.]

The Bodice.

Knit 48 plain rows, purling the 6th st from each end of the row on the right side of the work.

Now divide for the armholes thus: K 36 st on to a spare needle, K 75, and slip the remaining 36 st on to a spare needle.

On the 75 centre st continue as follows: K 1, N, K plain to the end of the row. Repeat this row 21 times, then work 40 plain rows without decreasing.

This brings you to the neck of the petticoat. To form the shoulder sections, K 15, cast off 23 st (or up to 15 st from the other end of the row), 1 on the remaining st, K 36 rows. Cast off. Work up the other shoulder in the same way.

Now on the 36 st at each side of the work, knit up the backs to correspond with the front, forming the armhole slopes by decreasing 1 st in the first 9 rows turned from the armhole edge in each case. When working the backs, cast off all the st when the neck is reached. Sew the shoulder strap from each side of the front to the 15 cast-off st from the armhole edge of each back, and finish the neck by picking up all the loops along the edge and working 6 rows of ribbing, making holes for threading ribbon in the third row.

The Sleeves.

Pick up on to the No. 12 needles all the loops round the armhole edge, and work 20 rounds, a plain and a purl round alternately, in every other round decreasing 2 st; these decreasings should be made over the top of the armhole slope at each side, thus forming a gusset for the under-arm. Finish with 6 rows of ribbing.

Woollen Spencers

(_Concluded from page 50_).

under-arm seams, leaving a half-inch opening above the ribbing in the right-hand seam.

The Sleeves.

Pick up the loops round the armhole edge on to 3 needles. Put 18 st from each side of the under-arm seam on to 1 needle (36 st in all), and divide the remaining loops on to the others.

Work 5 rounds, then in the next round decrease 1 st at each end of the under-arm needle. Repeat these 6 rounds twice.

Work for 8 inches without decreasing, then for the next 4 inches decrease 1 st at each end of the under-arm needle in every 6th row. Finish with 30 rows of ribbing, and cast off.

If you wish to have elbow sleeves, finish the sleeve with 15 rows of ribbing after working the 8 inches without decreasing.

The bodice crosses over at the front, and fastens with ribbon ties at the neck and waist. Thread the ribbon from the left front of the waist through the opening in the right-hand seam, and make a slot over the left seam, to correspond by knitting a small strap (12 rows on 4 st), and sewing it on to the seam just above the ribbing; thread the ribbon from the right front through this, and tie the ends together at the back.

A Practical Way to Teach Girls Dressmaking.

Some of the ladies who have headed sewing parties, or collected garments for the soldiers and sailors, during the past few years, could a tale unfold of the mysterious articles that many very willing workers have produced in their anxiety to help. No sooner was war declared than hundreds of women, from every grade in society, stepped forward, ready to make something; but what of the shirts 6 ft. long, the neckbands made of flannel—not ones, nor twos, but dozens of them, calling forth a special warning from the daily Press?

And it must be borne in mind, that many of these needlewomen must have passed through our schools—elementary or secondary—and have spent a couple of hours every week, for six or seven years, “learning needlework”; likewise, the garments required were not novelties, they are worn by men in time of peace as well as war.

Such a result of “learning needlework” gives one “furiously to think.” Has the training in the schools fitted the girls for making and mending garments for themselves and others—remodelling old ones, and generally using the needle as a help towards comfort and economy in the home?

This brings us to a very pertinent question. _Is_ it possible to give the girls at school such a training in the cutting out and making of garments that the work loses it terrors, and comes within the grasp of them all? Experience has proved that cutting out paper garments from elaborate diagrams, bristling with “inches in” and “inches down,” is of very small _practical_ value. The secret of success lies in getting the girls to measure a real wearer, and then to make a pattern, which they can properly “try on” for themselves, from these measurements.

[Illustration: A GIRL WEARING THE FROCK SHE HAS MADE.]

Take, for example, the making of a frock, such as the girl is wearing in the picture. This child of twelve or thirteen, was one of a class of thirty or forty, in which every girl made a similar dress for herself. All measuring, making of patterns, cutting out of the material, fixing and sewing—everything in fact, from beginning to end, was done by the girls themselves.

To begin with, they arranged themselves in pairs, and each girl cut a yoke, cuff and sleeve pattern for her companion. It was not necessary to make a paper pattern of the skirt of the frock. No material was cut until the patterns were satisfactory.

A yoke is an exceedingly useful and necessary part of many garments, but it is not, as a rule, considered an easy thing to cut a pattern of one to fit a particular wearer; but these girls found it simple enough, by working on the following plan.

The illustration shows one girl taking the neck [Illustration: THE FIRST MEASUREMENT FOR THE YOKE.]

measurement of her friend; this is the only one required for cutting the pattern. It should be found, by holding the tape loosely around the neck, so that the head moves easily with it in position.

[Illustration: TESTING THE YOKE PATTERN.]

An oblong piece of paper—newspaper will serve quite well—measuring the neck length one way and one-and-a-half times the same the other, was then cut out. Thus, if the neck is 12 in., the paper will be 12 in. by 18 in. (See Fig. 1). The method adopted of getting the yoke from this, will be seen by following each step in the sketches. The two shorter sides were folded together as in Fig. 2, forming a double piece. The two top corners were brought over until they met in the middle, as in Fig. 3, and then the triangular pieces cut off, leaving a double piece, as in Fig. 4. Care must be taken in the next step to bring the slanting edge (A) next to the two _open_ straight edges, over to the bottom edges D; thus A and D lie exactly over each other, and the second slanting edge B covers the fold C.

[Illustration: GETTING THE WIDTH OF THE SLEEVE.]

[Sidenote: Taking the Measurements.]

The pattern begins now to look something like a yoke, and is soon complete. Two pieces must be cut off, one to form the neck and the other the shoulder. Fig. 6 shows clearly how this is done, and when it is finished a yoke pattern, as in Fig. 7, is the result. The illustration gives some idea of the “fit” of a yoke cut in this way. The girls were very critical about the neck and shoulder curves, and the width across the back and front; many little alterations were made before the pattern was considered satisfactory, and good enough to cut out the material from.

[Illustration: THE UNDER-ARM LENGTH OF THE SLEEVE.]

Having made a satisfactory yoke pattern, the next thing to tackle was the sleeve. An oblong piece of paper was again necessary, and its dimensions were found in the manner shown in the two pictures. The measure was slipped loosely around the top of the arm, and three or four inches added to allow for the arm movement. This gave the width required, and the length was found by holding the measure on the top of the shoulder, as the girl is doing in the illustration, and then carrying it around the bent elbow to the wrist.

[Illustration: FINDING THE LENGTH OF THE SLEEVE.]

[Illustration: TAKING THE WRIST MEASUREMENT.]

When this oblong was folded in half, lengthwise, it faintly resembled a sleeve, but, to shape it properly, two other dimensions were necessary. The next two photographs show the girls getting them. The length of the under-arm sleeve is about three quarters of the full length, and the wrist the same fraction of the width at the top of the arm. The girls discovered these things for themselves, and marked with the rounded end of the scissors, a slightly curved line from the wrist to the under-arm position. This double piece was then cut away.

The shaping of the top of the sleeve requires a little more judgment and care. The pattern was opened out flat, and a convex curve made from one side to the top, joining a slightly concave one starting from the other. Thus they obtained the foundation of any sleeve pattern. It can easily be made wider or narrower, longer or shorter, according to the dictates of fashion.

As the frock the girls made on this occasion had sleeves with cuffs, two or three inches deep, the pattern was shortened accordingly, before the material was cut.

The girls were only beginners, so they cut patterns of the collar and cuffs in paper, and fitted all the parts on the material before cutting out.

The cuff and waistband were straight pieces of material cut to the required sizes.

[Illustration: MAKING THE YOKE PATTERN.]

[Sidenote: Cutting out the Pattern.]

For the collar pattern, the neck length was taken, as for the yoke pattern, and an oblong piece of paper cut out, this length one way and half of it the other. (See Fig. 1). This was folded in half to form a square, and creased across the middle, as in the diagram. One of the two open corners was folded over to the crease, and the triangular pieces thus formed were cut off, as in Fig. 3. A curved line was next marked, connecting one end of the slanting edge, A, with the bottom end, C, of the fold. By measuring the length of the slanting edge A, B, along the fold, a new point D was found, and a curve was made parallel to the first curve, connecting B and D (See Fig. 4). The double paper was cut along the curves, and thus the pattern of half the collar was obtained.

[Illustration: MAKING THE COLLAR PATTERN.]

It was found that the collar for the frock fitted better when made in two parts and in double material. Thus, in cutting out the cloth, four pieces, the size and shape of the pattern, were required.

The length required for the skirt was found by fitting on the yoke pattern, and then measuring from the middle of the front straight down, adding two or three inches for the hem.

The frock in the illustration was made from double width serge, and it was found practicable to get the skirt from one-and-a-half widths, the other half serving for the yoke. The pair of sleeves came out of a full width. This planning and arranging involved no end of simple but interesting calculation, and the reality of it all made a strong appeal to the girls.

One point of supreme importance was most carefully impressed—that was—“the way of the cloth”; certainly, if this goes wrong, the garment is ruined, and just as certainly it is a thing that will never be mastered “theoretically”—it _must_ be learnt by actually cutting out of material.

The cutting of the sleeves from one pattern is another bit of “practical politics” which arises when a garment such as this is being made. There is no reason why the pair should not be cut together, so long as the two right, or two wrong sides are placed together. The use of French chalk for marking out the pattern on the cloth was encouraged.

The making up of the frock afforded many opportunities for practice in neat, strong stitching, combined with beauty. Suitable cottons and needles were used, nothing finer than No. 40 cotton will stand the wear and tear of every-day life. Where possible, the sewing machine was used, but the parts sewn with it were first carefully tacked.

The question of decoration aroused no end of discussion and interest the whole time the frocks were being made, and urged many a slow worker on to greater efforts. The yokes, cuffs and collars were stitched with contrasting coloured thread, and the variety of decoration was delightful. Simple hand-worked stitches are generally more effective, as well as more economical, than bought trimmings.

Of course, any difficult stitch or piece of fixing—for example, the placing of the box pleats—was always practised on a piece of “scrap” material or paper, before the frock was tackled; but when the young needlewomen realised they were “trying” a stitch or a piece of fixing, because they needed to use it in the making of the frock, they put a good deal more zest into the work than if it was a mere “needlework exercise.” No new material was ever torn up for these practices—odd bits of any shape or size were used, and a bag of such pieces was always at hand, in sewing lesson, for this purpose.

On the score of both economy and efficiency, one would plead that the tearing up of good flannel and calico for the “sewing lesson” should be rigidly tabooed. Probably no other subject offers such unique opportunities in our schools for inculcating habits of thrift and economy, with increased efficiency in the teaching.

The distress of nations, with its awful promise of misery and poverty in the future, gives this branch of a girl’s education an added importance. Surely we must neglect no opportunity of improving it!

Books of Cheerfulness

By FLORA KLICKMANN

THE FLOWER-PATCH AMONG THE HILLS

AND

BETWEEN THE LARCH WOODS AND THE WEIR

Overflowing with humour, bubbling with smiles, yet never out of sound of the soughing of the pines, the scold of the squirrel, the call of the birds, and the delicious pungent scent of wood-smoke. Books to laugh over, to think over, and to be thankful for.

The Art of Blouse Making.

With an up-to-date pattern and good material, the making of one’s own blouses is but a delightful pastime, as well as a very profitable one. The material for the blouse shown here cost very little, just a few shillings would, in fact, pay for the paper pattern, two yards of the material, a dozen little bone rings and two yards of narrow velvet ribbon for the lacings, but the cost of a similar blouse ready-made would be at least four times as much.

The various pieces were all cut out by a paper pattern, which was pinned on the material, and on which there was an allowance of a quarter inch margin. The collar, cuffs, and yoke were cut double. The last three items had their edges all turned inwards, to the depth of the margin allowed, then both pieces of each were tacked together with their edges perfectly even.

The little turned back cuff had the two pieces stitched together on the wrong side on the outer edge and sides, then turned inside out and the edges tacked flat. The inside edge was tacked in between the two pieces of the large cuff and secured with a row of stitching.

[Illustration: The Blouse is fastened with eyelet holes and ribbon velvet.]

The sleeves were joined with a French seam, then both ends were turned into a narrow hem, which was tacked carefully. The edge at the lower end was gathered to fit the cuff with top stitch set evenly, and for this the same kind of thread as used in the faggoting was employed.

The fronts had the edges cased with a piece of the material for a depth of two inches. The back was joined to the fronts in the underarm seam by a French seam as in the sleeve, then the entire top portion of back and front and the armholes were turned into a narrow hem, and tacked securely, the front edges gathered as in the sleeve, to fit the yoke.

Narrow strips of stiff paper were tacked underneath the lines where the different parts were to be joined, and then the faggoting was commenced by beginning at the right front edge, as shown on this page.

Bring out the thread through the edge of the yoke, carry it down in a straight line to top front edge, and insert the needle down through the material, bring it out above the stitch just formed, which you draw up evenly, now repeat this stitch through the edge of the yoke one-eighth of an inch from the first stitch, and so on from one side to the other. Make all joining in the thread on the back of the hem.

When the faggoting is finished, the hems are worked with a row of stem stitch, which keeps them in place and gives a neat finish.

The eyelet holes were next worked, and the method is shown in the diagram. Quarter-inch bone rings are used. Place each in position on the material and tack around, then work over in close buttonhole stitch, having the top of the stitches resting on the material. The centre of the eyelet hole is cut away on the back. The front and cuffs are laced through these holes, which are set opposite each other, with narrow velvet.

At the waist line there is a narrow casing of muslin on the inside, to take the tape, tie-string or elastic, and the lower end is neatly hemmed. The edges of the collar, cuffs, etc., may have a row of machine, or hand stitching on the right side, or they may be joined by stitching on the wrong side and then turned out.

[Illustration: This shows the method of faggoting, the stem-stitched hem, and the raised eyelet hole.]

Decorative Stitches for Children’s Clothes.

How to decorate the simple garments made at home is a question one frequently meets.

[Illustration: SOME PRETTY EFFECTS IN TACKING STITCH.]

Children’s overalls and frocks, little boys’ tunics, and blouses for the elder girls, usually need some trimming or decoration, and it is often difficult to find just the right kind. This is especially the case with coloured garments, and those for which lace is unsuitable. Many people like a little embroidery, but it is not always easy to get an entirely suitable pattern. Some require more time than the home worker is able to give, and some are more elaborate than is desirable for the garment.

A simple kind of stitchery is usually resorted to, and very often meets the case, and one may see little frocks and tunics of inexpensive materials, with quite a note of distinction given by the pretty stitching on the hems and bands.

The favourite and most frequently seen among the stitches so used, are the French knot, stem stitch and feather stitch. It is with the idea of suggesting other stitches and arrangements, that these diagrams and illustrations are given, and with attention to a very few simple directions, the most diffident worker may be sure of a good result.

One feature of decorative stitchery of this kind, is that it may also be constructional, that is, that where a hem is to be decorated, it need not first be stitched with the machine, the decoration does the work of the machine. This point is not always realised by the home worker, who usually makes the garment with the sewing machine, and then proceeds to decorate it, adding French knots and perhaps stem stitch to hide the machining.

Some machining is often necessary, but much can be dispensed with, without detriment to the garment, and this makes it possible to do, at any rate, part of the home dressmaking, away from the noise and busy atmosphere almost inseparable from a room dominated by a sewing machine.

[Illustration: EFFECTIVE BORDERS FOR CHILDREN’S FROCKS.]

In making a little magyar overall, like that illustrated, for instance, the side seams and opening may be sewn with a machine, the hems and neck prepared as if for machining, and then the decoration applied. The home worker, whose husband has a rooted objection to having a sewing machine at work when he comes home in the evening, cuts out and machines part of her work during the day, and has only the pleasant part to do by hand in the evening, while she is free to talk, or listen to the day’s news.

[Sidenote: The Belt and Sleeves.]

The value of the simple tacking stitch as a trimming is not fully realised. On another page are shown some very distinctive effects in this stitch, and in the frock illustrated the stitch is used in conjunction with the Y stitch which is shown and described.

The worker who has not yet used the tacking stitch as a decorative stitch must be careful on a few points, however. The stitch must not be too long, and the length and spacing must be as even as possible.

A novice might make an experiment on a little garment of brown calico, holland or écru-coloured casement cloth.

[Illustration: HOW THE HEM AND SLEEVES ARE FINISHED.]

[Illustration: THE STITCHES USED FOR THE BELT OF THE CHILD’S FROCK.]

Turn up the hems on the _right_ side of the garment, and with turkey-red embroidery cotton of medium thickness, make the first row of tacking about where the hem would be machined. The first row is the most important and needs the most care.

[Illustration: To show method of working.

Y stitch.

THE STITCH THAT IS COMBINED WITH TACKING STITCH ON THE FROCK BELOW.]

As a general rule no tacking stitch used as a decoration should be more than half-an-inch in length, and the space between proportionately less. The space between may be equal to the stitch, or may be half or a quarter its length, but neither stitch or space should be longer than half-an-inch, or the result may be a series of long threads, apt to become loops if suddenly caught.

For the experiment, make the stitches about one-third of an inch, and the space between either the same or very small—about one-tenth of an inch. An inch measure at hand to test the first few stitches will quickly help the eye to guess the correct length of the remainder without effort. After the first row, the most difficult part is over, as the second and succeeding rows will be exactly the same length.

[Illustration: A CHILD’S FROCK DECORATED WITH TACKING STITCH AND Y STITCH.]