Clothing Construction

_*-JL ¿^ ¿:k fi, i, ' ó Ï 1^ I '■~^ m • ""NJ clothing construction y /' Home and Garden Bulletin No. 59 ■^ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE clothinir construction Prepared by \ Margaret Smith, Clothing Specialist The increasing interest in home sewing has • Loosely woven fabrics—voiles, silk or synthetic created a need for simple, timesaving, yet satisfac- sheers, linens and rayons with a linen look, and tory methods of making clothing that will be well tweeds—need a special seam finish to prevent made as well as attractive. There are many ways fraying, so take extra time. of simplifying sewing tasks, without sacrificing • Some materials are hard to sew. Very closely high standards of appearance, workmanship, and woven ones, such as balloon cloth, some of those serviceability. In this bulletin are discussed treated with special finishes, and others made ways to lielp decrease the time and effort spent of some of the new manmade fibers, need special in making clothing and yet obtain a durable, thread and macliine adjustments to prevent satisfactory garment. puckered stitching. Pile fabrics, too—velvet, velveteen, and corduroy—need careful basting MATERIALS to keep the material from slipping as it is being stitched. All these materials are also hard to When time is limited and there is much sewing press. to do, look for materials that are easy to handle. Straiglitening the material before the pattern • Firm, closely woven fabrics are easy to cut pieces are laid on it assures that the clothes will out, can often be finger pressed and so save hang as well after washing or cleaning as they did frequent trips to the ironing board, and because before. Fabrics are always woven so the length- they don't fray, need little seam finishing. wise yarns are at right angles to the crosswise Ginghams, percales, and dressweight cham- ones, but they are often distorted in finisliing so brays are examples of materials that can usually they look crooked. be made up quickly. When material needs to be straightened, first see • Plain colors, allover prints, or small woven that each end of the fabric is cut along a crosswise ' checks or stripes are quicker to cut out and put yarn. Many cottons, such as percale, chambray, together than are larger plaids or stripes that and gingham, and some silk crepes, tatïetas, and must be matched to look well and so take much wool flannels can usually be straightened at the ends by tearing them crosswise. Other materials, time and painstaking care both in cutting and such as voile, linen, spun rayon, sateens, and many putting together. novelty weaves, do not tear satisfactorily, so the • Less material is needed for prints with no up ends should be straightened by pulling out one or and down than for directional prints, and less two crosswise yarns and cutting along the open time is required to lay out the pattern. Less spaces. Materials with heavy crosswise yarns material is also needed for reversible fabrics that are easy to follow can be cut along one of that are the same on both sides than for fabrics these yams. If the yarns at each end seem to run with a right and a wrong side. downhill instead of straight across, the material Some materials require careful sewing and skill- needs to be straightened. Most fabrics can be straightened by stretching ful handling and take more time to make up well. the material on the bias between the low comer • Slippery fabrics, such as silk or synthetic sheers, at one end and the opposite selvage, and then pull- are hard to cut out because they twist and slip ; ing crosswise from selvage to selvage. Cottons they also are hard to sew accurately. with glazed or other special finishes may have to FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 be folded lengtliwise, pinned across the ends and set-in (fig. 3) or epaulet (fig. 4) styles. Under- along the selvages, and then steam pressed, pull- arm gussets (fig. 5) make close-fitting kimono ing the yai'ns into position as you press. Some of sleeves more comfortable, but since the corners these materials may need to be wet thoroughly, are weak, they require careful reinforcement and then pulled into sliape and ironed. Wools, if therefore take more time and skill to make than they are very crooked, may need to be steam the ordinary kimono sleeve. pressed. Press out the lengthwise fold after the Collars.—Collars with square corners (fig. 6) or fabric is straightened. with shallow curves (fig. 7) are easier to make well than those with sharp points (fig. 8) or PATTERNS deep curves (fig. 9) which require careful stitch- In the construction of clothing, selecting a pat- ing, trimming, and clipping so that when turned tern wisely can be a material help. A pattern that they will be smooth with no bumpy edges or is the right size can save alteration and fitting corners. time. Therefore, before a pattern is bought, it Neck finishes.—V-necklines (fig. 10) or collars is important to check certain body measure- sewed to V-necks are likely to stretch as they are UKMils—chest, bust or breast, waist, hip, arm being sewed, and may need extra stitching and length, and back length. These measurements can careful handling to prevent stretching. Collars be compared with those in the charts in the pat- cut in one with the front of the blouse are not tern books as a guide to classification and size of likely to stretch at the neck. the ])attern to buy. For irregular figures, pat- Shoulder fitting.—Shoulder tucks (fig. 11) are terns should be altered before the garment is cut usually simple to make and easier to adjust than out. shoulder darts (fig. 12) when the shoulders need For beginners or those who have much sewing to be widened or narrowed. to do, jt is a good idea to use patterns with style Yokes.—Straight construction lines in some features that can be made well in a fairly short yokes and necklines require less time to sew and time and that need a minimum of fitting. Some are likely to look better when finished than bias s(yl(i features to consider are the following: or curved lines (fig. 13), which must be stitched Sleeves.—Kimono (fig. 1), raglan (fig. 2), or very carefully to avoid stretching and sometimes shirt-type sleeves are easier to fit and make than must be sewed over paper. FIGURE 6 FIGURE 7 FIGURE 8 FIGURK 9 FIGURE 10 FIGURE 11 FIGURE 12 FIGURE 13 Pockets.—Patcli ]:)Ockets, or those cut in witli be taken that all the necessary pieces are provided (fig. 14) or sewed to a seam, are quicker and easier for and cut out; when the fabric is laid out in to make and are usually more dui'able than bound single layers, it is easy to forget the second sleeve or slit pockets (fig. 15), which require careful or collar. Extra time will be needed for sections pressing, stitching, and clipping. that must be laid on a lengthwise fold of the ma- Skirts.—Gathered skirts (fig. 16), those witli terial, and for accurately marking the pattern six or more gores, and tliose witli unpressed perforations. pleats are easier to fit than skirts with pressed More than six layers of lightweight material, pleats, or those with two, three, or four gores. such as gingham, chambray, or percale, are ex- tremely hard to pin and cut at one time with home CUTTING equipment. Six layers mean that three garments For ease in cutting a garment, lay out the ma- from the double fabric, or six garments from terial, right sides together, so the marking can be opened-out fabric can be cut, but this cutting re- done on the wrong side. Then place the pattei-n quires a pair of sturdy, bent-handle shears and a pieces accurately on the material according to the strong hand. Smaller scissors are not heavy pattern layout suggested for the size and width of enougli. When several garments are to be cut out the fabric. Make sure the straight-of-goods at once, patterns with simple, straight lines are marks are an even distance from the selvage, so easier to manage. each garment section will be cut exactly with the grain of the goods. MARKING To cut accurately saves sewing time. Smooth Time can be saved in putting the garment to- seam edges are easier to sew evenly and to hold gether if all the necessary pattern perforations, against the cloth stitching guide than those that such as those for darts, pleats, plackets, and but- are uneven and jagged. tonholes, are marked before the tissue pattern is Some women like to save time by cutting several unpinned. However, all the stitching lines may garments at once. For this purpose the layers of not need to be marked. For example, seam allow- fabric must be laid out perfectly straight and ances need not be marked if the seam width al- smooth, with the edges pinned carefully together lowed in the pattei-n is carefully followed. to keep the material from slipping. Care must Straight darts can be marked at the wide section FIGURE 14 FIGURE 15 FIGURE 16 and at the point; then a guideline for stitching eliminates the danger of breaking or blunting the can be drawn between tliese two points at the left needle. Pin-basting should not be used on slip- of the fold. pery materials such as synthetic sheers or on pile Construction lines may be marked in several fabrics—the edges will not stay together unless ways : they are held more securely.

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