Fashion Design Drawing

SKIRTS

THE PRESENT STYLE of making skirts without linings has considerably simplified the work of the dressmaker. These Unlined skirts, however, unless made of very heavy material, call for well-fitting underskirts as a foundation, and on them largely depends the fit of the overskirt.

THE FOUNDATION SKIRT may or may not be joined in the same belt with the over-skirt, as preferred. In either case, both the overskirt and the foundation are made and finished separately, with the exception of the inside belt. The foundation skirt is made first. China silk, India silk, taffeta, and satin are good materials for this purpose, though for wearing qualities some of the lining materials, mixtures of silk and cotton, or the bitter grades of percalines, sateens, etc., are preferred.

Get a good pattern, and make a careful study of the figure which is to be fitted. Many women have a slight hollow below the waistline in the back an ugly defect, but one which can easily be overcome. It is frequently found in connection with a round or prominent abdomen.

A Small Light Bustle that will not interfere with the wearer's comfort adds much to the set of the skirt on such a figure. It can be made of the same material as the foundation skirt. Cut a piece of the lining material the size and shape desired for a foundation, and hem or pink the edges. Make ruffles four inches wide, and treat their edges in the same way. Sew several rows of these ruffles across the foundation piece, and one all around the edge except at the top. (Fig. 276.) The completed bustle may be attached inside the skirt, or it may be hung around the waist under the corset by means of a narrow tape sewed at each side.

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If the figure to be fitted is abnormally short or tall, stout or thin, or out of proportion in any way, instructions for adjusting the pattern to the figure will be found in Chapter XIV, "The Use of Butterick Patterns." Separate patterns are used for the foundation and skirt except in the case of tunics, overskirts, etc.

Cut the gores for the foundation skirt; baste them together according to the pattern instructions and try it on. If the skirt is to end in a full plaiting at the lower edge, measure the width of the finished plaiting and deduct this width from each gore in cutting, allowing, of course, three-eighths of an inch on each for a seam.

For the Plaiting, cut strips crosswise of

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the material. The combined length of these strips should measure at least twice the width of the skirt at its lower edge. Stitch them together, and make a narrow hem along one edge. Then plait the entire piece. If a side-plaiting is used, run in a row of stitching along the upper edge to keep the plaits flat. When an accordion plaiting is used, the upper edge may be pressed flat, and a gathering thread run in to keep the fulness of the plaits perfectly even.

Lay the plaiting right side up along the lower edge of the skirt on the wrong side. Baste the raw edges of skirt and plaiting evenly together. Then on the right side of the skirt stitch a narrow bias fold or strip over these raw edges as shown in Fig. 277. This makes a neat finish on both the right and wrong sides of the garment.