FoodNetArchive

The national course in home economics

1917

Page 8

Presented as published in 1917. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Be careful in cutting material. Most woolen materials have a "nap" to the goods, that is, a "pile" of threads pressed smooth. This nap should always run downward in garments, except velvet or plush. In these it runs upward so that its natural tendency to fall outward will give it a richer, deeper color. Panne velvet is the only exception; it should be cut with the nap running downward. In cutting several pieces of material to be sewed together, care should be taken that the nap runs in the same direction in all of them. Otherwise the light will be reflected differently, giving it the appearance of different shades of goods. One must also be careful in cutting figured or plaid goods. The figure should run in the same direction in all pieces, and when joined the pat- tern should be matched. Cut the center gore, and before cutting the next bring the goods up to the first one and match the pattern in goods. Then lay the paper pattern on and cut. If two gores form a seam in the back, cut the material doubled, so that the patterns in the goods lie exactly together. This often neces- sitates the waste of a little material, but there is no other way of matching. When cutting the waist, have the stripes or pattern match at the shoulder seam. 14 HOME DRESSMAKING The selvedge edges of all wash goods should be cut off before cut- ting out the material, for in washing it does not shrink to the same extent that the rest of the cloth does, and gives it a puckered appearance. It is best to shrink wash goods before making up into garments. The color may also be set at this time, by soaking the goods for several hours in cold salted water. Then rinse thoroughly in clear water, wring out, and press dry. It is good to sponge woolen cloth before using, as water often spots it afterwards. To sponge, wet a piece of heavy muslin and wring it out. Place over cloth to be sponged and press dry. Work slowly. If the material is heavy, sponge on both sides. LESSON V SEAMS Seams. A seam is the joining of two pieces of cloth. There are four kinds of seams used in dressmaking. They are the plain seam, the French seam, the flat-felled seam, and the French-felled seam. The plain seam is the mere joining of two edges of material so that they meet on the wrong side of the garment. This style seam is used on heavy goods where other kinds would be too clumsy. The raw edges in this style seam are either bound with narrow seam binding or are overcast. The French seam is made by joining the pieces of cloth so that the raw edges first come on the -right side of the garment. They are then trimmed and folded in a crease made deep enough to cover the edges. The FRENCH SEAM sccoud stitchiug is then made on the wrong side of the goods. This seam is generally used on wash garments, as wash waists, underskirts, and sum- mer dresses. PLAIN SEAM DISHES FROM THE FIELD AND GARDEN. The more a man follows nature, and is obedient to her laws, the longer he will live; the farther he deviates from these, the shorter will be his existence. — Hufeland. FRESH FRUITS AND HOW TO SERVE THEM. Recipes for above dishes with scores of other simple, yet novel desserts, are found within this bonk. HOME DRESSMAKING 15 FLAT- FELLED SEAM