A Complete Course in Dressmaking/Lesson 6/Trimmings you can make

by Isabel De Nyse Conover

Layout 2

TRIMMINGS YOU CAN MAKE

Tucked Insets: Dresses of organdie, swiss and other light-weight stuffs often have insets of tucking in the skirt portion. Usually these insets are in the form of straight bandings above the hem of the skirt or tunic.

Cut straight strips of the material and pin-tuck them crosswise. To form a pin tuck, fold the material with the wrong sides together and crease the edge of the fold. Stitch about one-sixteenth of an inch from the crease. When the material is flattened out it will form a pin tuck.

Place the pin tucks about three-eighths of an inch apart. After the band is tucked, lay a ruler on either edge and cut the edges true. Turn under the edges of the garment which are to join to the band and stitch as shown

Fig. (1) Tucked insets make a pretty trimming for summer dresses

in Fig. 1. Trim the raw edges on the wrong side close to the stitching. If the joinings are machine hemstitched, it adds greatly to the effect.

Shirred Insets: These are handled much the same as the tucked insets and are also used mostly as skirt trimmings.

Fig. (2) Inset shirrings are often used in silk frocks

Cut a straight piece of material, run gather threads either side and stitch the edges of garment to it, as shown in Fig. 2.

Pleated Insets: Strips of narrow pleating inset in skirts and tunics is a favorite trimming for taffetas and satins. (See Fig. 3.) Stitch the edges of the garment to the strip of pleating, as described in making tucked insets.

Fig. (3) Try pleated insets on your new serge or silk frock

Lattice Work Trimming: One of the new trimmings for silk and cotton dresses is lattice work. It is just what the name implies—a sort of lattice work design set into the goods. You can use almost any braiding design as a foundation for your lattice work. The easiest way is working right over the pattern. If the paper is too thin, stamp the design on heavier paper. Make narrow folds of the goods. To do this, cut the material in three-quarter-inch straight strips. Join the strips end to end, crease them crosswise through the center, and stitch along the raw edges.

To turn this tube-like strip right side out, fasten a bodkin to one end with several over and over stitches, leaving the thread that passes through the eye of the bodkin long enough so that the bodkin can be inserted in the tube. Run it through tube. It will turn the tube right side out. Press the fold and then baste it over the braiding design on the paper. Wherever the folds cross, catch them together securely with over and over stitches. When the design is completely covered, tear away the paper. Turn back the lower edges of the material where it laps over the lattice work and stitch just back of the edge in joining the goods to the lattice work.

The lattice work is always in color to match the dress. It is especially effective on canton crepe, taffeta silk, and such cottons as organdie and handkerchief linen. (See Fig. 4.)

Fagotting: Just simple fagotting makes an effective decoration on a silk frock, a very fine serge dress or for cottons such as voile or batiste.
Fig. (4) Lattice work inset

Turn back the edges which you wish to join with the fagotting and press them. In order to keep your edges an even distance apart, pin the two pieces to be joined to a piece of stiff paper, placing the edges one-quarter or one-half inch apart. Knot the end of the thread, and pass the needle from the wrong to the right side of the goods on one of the edges to be joined. Pass the thread diagonally across the space between the two pieces, inserting the needle from the wrong side to the right side of the goods. Pass the needle under the thread and insert it in the upper edge of the material, continuing across the piece as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. (5) Just fagotting is effective on cottons and silks

A heavy mercerized cotton gives the best effort in working fagotting. It is a pretty trimming spaced at even intervals around a straight skirt, or to join a narrow yoke to a blouse, or a fold to a sleeve.

Fig. (6) Couched on Braid or embroidery cotton is a simple way of dressing up a serge frock

Couching: Narrow braid or heavy embroidery cotton or silk makes an attractive trimming put on in an embroidery design. (See Fig. 6.) Catch it to the goods with crosswise stitches; as shown in Fig. 7. Sometimes a contrasting color is used for the small stitches, as black mercerized embroidery cotton to catch down a light blue heavier cotton. This combination would be effective on a linen dress.
Fig. (7) The position of the needle in couching

Braiding: Flat black silk, military braid is used on woolens. Stitch the braid on as shown in Fig. 8. Soutache braid is often stitched on in a plaid design at the lower edge of a skirt. (See Fig. 9.)

Fig. (8) Military braid is another popular trimming for cloth dresses	Fig. (9) Narrow braid is sometimes put on in squares

Machine Stitching with Heavy Floss: Heavy black silk floss or mercerized embroidery cotton makes an effective trimming, stitched in parallel rows around the bottom of a skirt. To do this, wind the floss or embroidery cotton on the bobbin of the machine, loosen the tension and stitch from the wrong side of the garment.

Organ Pleated Ribbon: Grosgrain ribbon in a matching shade, tacked on in organ pleats, makes a pretty trimming for light-weight woolens, such as serge or velour. (See Fig. 10.) The ribbon pleated in this manner is used to edge tunics or around the neck or sleeves of a dress.

Shirring: Shirrings are not used as much as formerly but there are designs that call for shirrings at the waistline of a skirt or tunic and sometimes at the lower edge.

Fig. (10) Organ pleated grosgrain ribbon makes a showy trimming

Plain shirring is formed by gathering the material in parallel rows. (See Fig. 11.)

Fig. (11) Shirring has its place in trimming too

Usually, shirring is reinforced with lawn on the wrong side of the goods. Baste the lawn to the material along the lines of the shirring after the shirring has been drawn up. Machine stitch over the lines of shirring or tack the shirring to the lawn by hand. Then, cut away the lawn between the lines of shirring.

Tucked shirring is formed by making a narrow tuck at each line of shirring (see Fig. 12.) while cord shirring is made by cording each line of shirring. (See Fig. 13.)

Fig. (12) Tucked shirrings are ornamental

Fig. (13) Cord your shirrings for a change

Quilling: Taffeta dresses are often trimmed with bias shirred frills called quillings.

Cut the bias strips any desired width, from one inch to three inches and run a cording through the center, gathering the material on the cord. Then, fray out the edges by taking one-half inch of the edge between the thumbs and first fingers and pulling gently.

The Fig. 14 shows the quilling ready to apply to the dress. Quilling is used on the lower edges of tunics, skirts, sleeves and sometimes around the neck.
Fig. (14) Quillings make a perky trimming for a taffeta dress

Button Embroidery: If you want to give one of your cotton frocks an unusual touch, try button embroidery. It is a quick way of putting on a decoration. (See Fig. 15.)

If you use a large white pearl button for the flower, sew it on with a red mercerized cotton, and work the stem and leaves in black, you will have a stunning decoration for a checked gingham, handkerchief linen, chambray, or a ratiné dress. You can vary the design in any number of ways.

Fig. (15) Button embroidery works up quickly

Applied Shirrings: Fig. 16 shows an applied shirring which is especially nice for taffeta. In any case, it ought to be of material the same color and texture as the dress.

Fig. (16) Applied shirrings have varied uses

Cut a straight strip of material about one and a half inches wide. Cord either edge of the material and shirr the material on the cord, turning the raw edges onto the wrong side. (See Fig. 16.)

You can apply this trimming in a fancy design or in plain rows.

Cording: Often a skirt of a cotton frock needs no other trimming than cording above a hem or at the bottom of a tunic.

Cotton cable cord is used for this purpose. It comes in various sizes. The simplest way to do cording is to roll the material over the cord and catch it just in back of the cord by hand; although it can be stitched by machine, if you have a foot for your machine which is one-sided that is, does not extend both sides of the needle. (See Fig.17)
Fig. (17) Simple cording often forms the only trimming at the neck of a dress

Sewing on Button Crow Foot Fashion: Fig. 18 shows a novel way of applying buttons. It is especially appropriate for summer dresses where the buttons form part of the decoration. However, medium-sized buttons are sometimes put onto serge dresses in the same way. Here, the buttons are placed usually close together and sewn on with a contrasting color mercerized embroidery cotton.

Fig. (18) A button sewn on crow foot fashion

Tailors' Tacks: Various kinds of tailors' tacks are used at pockets and tops of darts on cloth dresses. To make a bar tack which is used at the ends of pockets as a stay, take four or five over-and-over stitches about one-quarter of an inch in length, covering these with over-and-over stitches worked closely together and in the opposite direction. (See Fig. 19.)

Fig. (19) Bar tacks make a neat finish for pocket ends and pleats

To make an arrowhead tack at the top of a dart, mark a triangle on the material as A, B, C, Fig. 20. Bring the needle up at point A and take a short stitch at point C. See Fig. 20 for position of needle.

Insert the needle at point B and bring it out on the upper line of the triangle just to the side of the first stitch. Take a stitch at the bottom of the triangle just above the first stitch and insert the needle on the upper line near point B and next to the last stitch. Bring it out on the upper line near point A and close to the last stitch. Repeat until the triangle is covered.

Fig. (20) Diagram for making a tailor's arrowhead tack

Fur Trimming: In cutting fur, always cut from the hide side and with the point of a very sharp knife.

In joining two pieces of fur, select portions that have the fur nearly the same depth at the point of joining. The fur must run always in the same direction. Butt the edges of the fur together and join with over-and-over stitches, using strong linen thread.

Finish the outer edges of a fur trimming piece or banding by taping it. Lay the tape on the fur side of the piece and whip it to the edge with over and over stitches. (See Fig. 21.)

Fig. (21) Tape sewn to the edge of fur

Then, turn the tape onto the hide side. (See Fig. 22.) This rolls the edge of the fur. In sewing the fur to the garment, the stitches are taken through the tape and the garment.

Fig. (22) The tape rolled onto the hide side

Braid and Tassel Trimming: If soutache braid is slip-stitched on in a circle and a tassel hung from the center, it makes a smart motif for trimming a silk street dress. (See Fig. 23.) These motifs are usually placed in a diamond pattern over the entire skirt about eight inches apart, as polka dots are printed on a fabric.

Fig. (23) Braid and tassel motif for a cloth or silk dress

Girdles: The Fig. 24 shows a plain girdle of a taffeta frock with a double-faced satin ribbon tied around the center.

Fig. (24) Taffeta girdle with picot edged ribbon sash	Fig. (25) Sash with side bow

Fig. (26) First step in making the bow	Fig. (27) The bow completed
Fig. (28) Looping the ribbon for a center-back bow	Fig. (29) Run a gather thread across the center of the bow
Fig. (30) Cover the center with a loop of the ribbon	Fig. (31) The wrong side of the bow

The bow and streamers come at the center-front.

If you want to finish a sash at a side closing, make a single loop and one end as shown in Fig. 25. Finish the back edge of the girdle with a hem. Loop the front end, as shown in Fig. 26, running a gather-thread across. Wrap the free end around the loop and tack at the bottom of the girdle. (See Fig. 27.)

Where the girdle fastens at the center-back, finish it with a bow knot. A made-knot is more effective than a tied one. (See Figs. 28, 29, 30 and 31.)