Beadle's Dime Handbooks (no. 9) (1860)

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“DRESS: MAKING AND ! MILLINERY: WITH A COMPLETE FRENCh AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY OF TERMS EMPLOYED IN THOSE ARTS. BY MRS. MARION M. PULLAN. NEW YORE: BEADLE AND COMPANY, 118 WILLIAM ST. - General Dime Book Publishers,

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- BEADLE'S DIME POPULAR HAND-BOOKS For ‘Young Feople. 1—Ladies’ Letter-Writer. 2—Gents’ Letter- Writer. 3—Book oft Etiquette. A—Book of Verses. 5—Book of Dreams. 6—Fortune-Teller. 7—Ball-Room Companion. BEADLE’S DIME HAND-BOOKS OF GAMES For Field and Fireside. eitey: 1—Base-Ball Player for 1869. 66 2 Book of Chess. <« 3—Book of Croquet. << A—Cricket and Foot-Ball. ss 5—Curling and Skating. * 6—Riding and Driving. “ F7—Yachting and Rowing. «© s—Guide to Swimming. “« )69—Pedestrianism,. | ry 10—Books of Fun, INos. 1, 2, 3. BEADLE'S DIME FAMILY HAND-BOOKS / For ‘Housewives. No. 1--Cook Book. “< 2 Recipe Book. « 3—Housekeeper’s Guide. ip <« A—Family Physician. ‘ §—Dressmaker and Milliner. nar For sale by all Newsdealers and Booksellers; or sent, post-paid, to 4’ paar address, on receipt of price—TEN CENTS each, 4 BEADLE AND COMPANY, Publishers, | 98 William Street, New York. ta

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GUIDE TO | DRESS-MAKING ‘MILLINERY: . WITH A COMPLETE OF TERMS EMPLOYED IN THOSE ARTS. FRENCH AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY | | BY MRS. MARION M. PULLAN, | NEW YORE: BEADLE AND COMPANY, No. 141 WILLIAM STREET.

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Enterel according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, Br BEADLE AND COMPANY, ta the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York,

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CONTENTS. Intgopuction, - - = owe Tux Corsage, Waist or Bony, > , > Tue Steeves, - - - - } - > Mooxnrne, - - : - Neouicee Torrer, one F Rissuns, - . - . TRaveLine Toiver, o ew Croak-Makine, - . : Bonnets, - : . Parrerns For Ourrine our Dresses, - Work Mareriats anv ImpLeMents, - . - Porcuase or MareriAcs, - - Dictionary of MiILLinery AND Dress-Makrne@, - TecunicaL Terms iN Dress-Makine axp MiLiinery, Laces AND EMBROIDERIES, - : o EE MG CoLoxs, - wo @ . : . : wo ce FLOWERS, ETC, += - . . JORDIELLE pe MantaG®, «= + - © @

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INTRODUCTION. Waewn a man has tried half-a-dozen trades and profes éions, and failed in every one, he turns his attention to.an Occupation more difficult and important. than any other— aud becomes a schoolmaster. Whema woman finds her: éelf unfit for any thing else, ebe thinks she can get,a, living, es a dress-maker; imagining, with a strange and almost unpardonable conceit, that it requires less sense and. less, practice to make a dress or a bonnet well, than to serub a,, floor or cook adinner. Like Dogberry’s reading and writ- ing, dress-making is supposed to come by nature; aud so jong as a woman can cut up a mumber of yards of, silk,or barege, and convert them inte, something that. will cover the person—ne matter how it may distort or disfigure it— she has no seruple in calling herself a dress-maker; and holds herself delightfuily irresponsible for all the. mischief she may do te the materials of her customers, and all the. discomfort her ignorance may inflict on them, This is especially. the casein America, where not. one, woman in a hundred, in the business, has had any. sort of: education for it; and where, consequently, there are more) ill-Scting, dresses than in any. other country. whatever3., while the prices charged for making (and speiliag) gowns, are at least twice the average prices of the fivst, houses in, Paris or London. We do not ebject to good, or even high, prices for any well-performed labor, and are but.teo happy, to see. women well remunerated for, theirs; but, where, ignorance and carelessness are combined. in the same per-. son, and. she neither knows her, business nor. has,any, ambi-. tion to, learn it, we. think she sbould, be. taught, by the. failure of employment, some decent regard for the interests, and. wishes of ber customera, ‘ Y 4 =: 7 + tate ee =—— SA ee a

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INTRODUCTION, Others there are, also, who would be glad of an oppor tunity to learn the principles of their art, which cireume stances may not have enabled them to do in the first place ; and having once become familiar with the proper mode of cutting, making, trimming, and so on, they will find no difficulty in keeping up with the latest fashions, as found in good French magazines, and will even exercise cone siderable influence in their neighborhood, in the formation of a pure and correct taste on the part of the ladies for whom she works, There isa large class, also, of private individuals who either can not afford to empley a dress-maker constantly, or who are dissatisfied with the performances of these people; and we feel assured that they will be glad to learn the simple, because the proper, method of making their own robes ; and trimming head-dresses, and bonnets. In the making of dresses at home there is, indeed, noth- ing but gain, if they can be done as well as by a profes- sional person; for the nominal charge for making consti- tates but one out of several items of expense, the waste of material being frequently almost equal to it. In millinery the case is somewhat different. The large wholesale milliner purchases all materials at so much less cost than the private individual, that the difference constitutes an important part of the profit, the actual workmanship being of comparatively trifling value. It requires, also, more practice than a lady can usually obtain in making the few bonnets she wears during the year, to give her that apti- _ tude which is essential to the light and elegant look of a bonnet, as any thing like the appearance of labor is fatal to its effect. A bonnet (especially one intended to be worn in hot weather) should look as if hands had hardly touched it—as if some fairy had blown the feathers and blond and erape and ribbons into the airy, dainty fabrie which we term a bonnet. Only a practiced—we had almost said an taapired—modiste can effect this; and it must be coufessed

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INTRODUCTION. 9 | that few but those brought up in Paris ever really { achieve it. Still, as most ladies are sometimes glad to be able to trim a straw, or make a dress bonnet, we have given a few directions, for which we are indebted to a Parisian milliner, which will aid in this desirable object. The hints of the choice of materials can not fail to be acceptable. It requires considerable knowledge of fabrics ; to be able to select a good, and good-wearing silk out of a large number, especially where so much trash finds its way into the market; and the same may be said of every other material. | But we regard the Dictionary of Terms Employed in Millinery and Dress-making as one of the most important, as it is a unique feature of this little work. Every one j knows that the fashions emanate from Panis, and that the best Parisian journals always make this one of. their lead- ing topics. But it needs something more than ordinary knowledge of the French language to comprehend the technical terms employed in these arts, since they are only used by their professors, and are rarely to be found in even the best dictionaries. It is a part of the genius of the language to empboy ordinary words, with a sort of poetic license, to express ideas perfectly different from those they | usually convey. A single instance of this will suffice. Every school-girl knows that mourir means to die; but it : would hardly be comprehensible to the uninitiated how a trimming could undergo that change; and it would puzzlo even a very good French scholar to guess that, in such a case, the meaning was “to slope away gradually to noth | ing.” | We might multiply instances of this metaphorical mode of speaking, but need only refer to the glossary for them; | and are assured that, by the use of this little hand-book, all the technical terms employed by the trade in France will be perfectly comprehensible to the American reader;

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90 INTRODUCTION. aind that -many ladies will find it perfectly easy to make their own dresses who have never, hitherto, thought it possible to. dispense with the services of a dress-maker. ‘*If you would ‘be well served, be your own servant,” said Franklin ; and he was right’in the maxim, although to act it out, literally, would ‘throw many thousands out of bread. Still, knowledge ean never come amiss. Ht neither eats nor drinks; and it is easily earried about. A young girl might spend both time*and money far worse’ than in acquiring the-art of making her own clothes tastefully ; and we suspect that such practical domestic knowledge would be far more valuable to her, as wife, mother, and inistress of'a family, thar algebra, SeRINEete) and phys+ feal science. We need hardty remark’ that, in many parts ofa dregs, ‘the use of the sewing-machine materially dimmishes the labor, ‘and “adds to the fieatness of the work. <Indeed, searcely any dress-maker is now without a Wheeler & Wilson, ‘however’ small her establishment. We have, therefore, added’ a ‘trenrorandum of those parts of the dress which eam idvantageously be done by machine. We would especially impréss’on those desirous of mak- ing their own dresses, that’ it is'a fallaéy to imagine that ‘neat workmanship can be dispensed with—that any thing, however slovenly, is good enough. The most celebrated Court dressmaker that ever was known, Madame Maradan, »used to give eich new apprentice a dozen fine liner shirts ‘to make, as a first essay in the work-*oom, in order to give sto her employees a habit of fine‘and neat sewirrg. ‘If they were made satisfactorily, the pupil'was permitted to try her hand on the simplest parts of a dress, and so she ad- vanced to the highest branches of the art. Such was the ‘reputation of this lady, that’ she had always more applica- tions ‘from the daughters of respectable famities, "tobe “received! as-apprentices, than ehe eotld ‘accept. “And ‘it ‘wast be remembered that handsome premiums are alwaye

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INTRODUCTION. ii | paid with apprentices, who never dream of receiving sala- ries during the period for which they are bound. fi In New York, the work-girls, unfortunately, have it all H their own way, and do their work, or neglect it, as suits i! their fancy, the mistress rarely knowing much more of the | . business than those she employs. We have seen dresses i sent from first-rate houses so-called, the seams of the skirts | of which unripped the first time of wearing. Others ia which the skirt was an inch or two longer on one side than the other; and defects as great and inexcusable in the fit t and make of the corsage. : Every one complains of this want of ability and principle y in the dress-makers, Let the ladies of America take to | making their own dresses, and those who have hitherto’ recklessly spoiled and wasted the materials confided to ‘i them will discover that, to obtain business, it is really necessary to know something of it; that ignorance is neither biiss nor success, It may seem presumptuous in a non-professional person to attempt to lay down a theory for those who pass their } lives in the practice of an art; but, the fact is, they rarely make it a study, or pursue it with that intelligent enthusi- i asm which alone leads to distinction. Moreover, my pro- fessional occupation as fashion editress of several of the leading London and Paris magazines, has made me ac- | quainted with the best dress-makers and milliners in those capitals, and enabled me to learn what are those essentials | 7) to sucess in their arts; and in a country where twice as much is, on an average, spent in the toilet, ete., by each : individual woman, as in either of the two leading nations ' . ef Europe, it does seem hard that the beautiful fabrics | which have cost so much money should lose half their beauty before they are worn, through the ignorance and . inefficiency of those charged with the duty of making h them up. i

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| | BEADLE'S | DIME HAND-BOOK OF DRESS-MAKING | THe Quantity required for a dress depends on many things. The fashion and manner of making, and the width of the material employed, being among the most important. It is impossible, therefore, to state with accuracy the quantity which should be bought; but when a matcrial is purchased by the yard, and it is of such a kind that the dress is likely i to last more than one season, it is desirable to buy at 4 least as much more than is at first wanted, as will make a fresh body. This is particularly the case with that most serviceable and essential of dresses, a plain . black silk. One would think it about the easiest thing to match ; but the fact is not so, and it is true economy to haye, at the very least, two and a half yards more i than you will want for the dress. It need not be re- I marked that, having done so, you will do wisely to he cut off that quantity and never let it reach the dress- ime inaker’s hands, since it is, unfortunately, a law of nature, that there is never more than “ just enough” i in the piece you give them, however much it may be. . When you buy a robe a disposition—that is, a dress | | which has flouncing, or other trimming woven in the if piece, and you purchase it by the dress, not by the 4 yard, this is, of course, impossible. All you can ! then do is to endeavor to enjoin care on the part of i= the dress-maker. But you will always do well, in }

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14 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER this case, to examine the robe carefully yourself, to ascertain whether there be the quantity which was represented to you, as a deficiency will frequently be found, whicl* may ea@uses you. to modify your ar- rangements, alter a proposed trimming, or some such thing,-+bat) if uanoticéd by, you, would probably lend 1» the ruin of the dress by the person in whose hands you may put it, who. has_not the same interest as you have in making the best of it. Even ina plain dress, you sometimes buy a seanty quantity. In this ease you will mark off the: number of breadths which you must have for the skirt, then, cut out the body and sleeves, as economically, as, pos sible, and see whether you, can so contrive as, to have another breadth, or half breadth, for the skirt. At the present time a skint should be, at least, four and a half yards round the bottom ; and. this, is not sufficient for thin or transparent materials, It, is; ample, however, for silks; and these are frequently made with the skirts gored, so that they are much Jess at the top: It does not, however, save much of the material Seven breadths of the ordinary twenty-imch wide silt are sufficient for a skirt, but, not quite as, ample as fashion has demanded,- It is better to put in eight if possible. If necessary, one can be. readily taken out afterwands, and employed in repairing: or altering the body: * Having marked off what, is required for the body, measure and fol’ the breadths for the skirt on a lange table. You measure from the back of a dress, allow-~, ing some: for tuzning in at the top, and for the hem at the edge, Should the material, have any large pat- tern, with bars across it, which ought to mateh, (ag in, the bayadere dresses), these should be put together

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| MATCHING THE .5KIRT. 15 | | and pinned-evenly .atrevery breadth, as you fold it down. It is even worth while to make the skirt longer than, is absolutely necessary, and leave a super- fluity:to turn down, rather than destroy the appear- ance of the dress by any mismatching in the skirt, Sometimes tlie fabric .is so badly woven that the pattern; which should join with the utmost exactness, can not be made.to do so. One bar may be an inch ‘mearer the ‘next. than it ought, which will, of course, set it all wrong. This is very unfortunate; still, if possible, cut -the \breadths accurately to. pattern, and then hold the longest in, as. you run. them together, beginning atthe bottom. By damping and ironing the seams afterwards, they will generally look smooth ; and even if one side does appear a. little puckered, thereffect is much. less offensive than a mismatched “stripe in a»showy.or marked design, In this case, joim each breadth as you cut it. off. It.is ‘rarely possible to.tear off the breadths of a skirt; and it should never be. attempted with any 7 printed design, which is almost certain to be irregular. It is best to*fokl.them backwards and forwards and cut them: as they lie on the. table. aN ; Then cut. the lining also, which should be either of ‘paper-muslin (glazed calico, as it is called in the old country), or of book-muslin, or Victoria lawn. Either of these last is most. suitable for bareges, grenadines, balzarines, and similar semi-transparent materials; but a goed paper-muslin is best for other goods. Each ‘seam should be pinned here and there before you begin to run it; and if there. be any particular idesign ia it which. has to be matched, it should be »pinned»at everyisection. Then select a thread strong - enough, io hold the material without taking any bark

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16 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. e stitches, as the seams sliould be simply run. Back stitches are apt to make it drag. When all the breadths are run together, but not joined up, prepare the lining in the same way; they are then to be united, thus :— Lay the lining evenly on the table, the glazed side down, and have one breadth lying quite smoothly. Over this lay one breadth of the skirt, which pin to the lining close to the first seam. Tack the sel- vage of the material with long stitches to the lining, laying back the next breadth of the dress, The stitches should be taken just outside the seam, so that they unite the lining’ and outer part close to it, but can not show at all on the outside of the dress. When this is done, draw the finished breadth down over the table, and fix another breadth in exactly the same way, and so on till you come to the last, when you have to unite the four edges into a round. It generally happens that the lining is a little wider than the dress, and the superfluous piece must now be cut off very evenly. To join it up, run the two edges of the dress and one of the lining together, to nearly the top, leaving the opening, or pocket-hole, in this seam, if possible. Then turn down the other edge of the lining and hem it down over the others, so that this seam is as neat as the rest, and all the raw edges are on the inside, If the skirt fastens behind, and there be an even humber of breadths in it, it would cause a join to come down the front to have the pocket-hole ina seam; and in that case, one of sufficient depth must be cut in the middle of a breadth. It should be laid flat on the table, and the lining and dress tacked to- gether along the part to be cut. If the dress fastens in front, the opening will always come in a seam, on the left side of the center breadth.

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THE POCKET AND POCKET-HOLE, 17 Make the pocket-hole by hemming it down with a narrow hem, and wp with one not less than half an inch wide. The wide one folds over the other, after- ward, and is secured at the bottom by a neat double row of stitching across it, which prevents it from being torn down. It should be about nine inches long, besides whatever may be turned in at the top; and for a stout person, somewhat more. Tue Hem is made by turning the lining and the dress down together, to the depth of about an inch, and hemming them on the lining, without letting any stitches go through to the dress itsclf. It is useless to make a wider hem, as the edge is quite sure to cut out, and it is just so much waste. A braid is run on inside, so that the edge comes about a quarter of an inch beyond the material, to protect it as fur as possible from being cut. The braids used are of worsted, silk, or mohair. For good silk or grenadine dresses, silk braid should be employed. It must exactly match in color and be put on easy. The pocket-hole is next to be made. A seam is opened at the proper distance from the top, on the right side of the skirt, between the front and second breadths of a wide material, and the second and third of a narrow one. The lining must be cut down the same opening; and it is well to tack the part round before unpicking the seam, to secure the two openings corresponding. Tue Pocket is rarely made as it ought to be, It is generally a sort of one-sided bag, with a sharp cor- ner, in which small coin may get out of reach, and put in so that any heavy article drags the pocket out. To make a pocket, select a material of the same color as the lining, but stouter, and take a picco sixteen

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| . 7 } 4 i 118 DIME DRESS-MAKER “AND .MILLINER, ’ iniches»or so ‘square, fold it down the center, and join tlie edges half way up. Thien cut the other half in a slope, from the raw edges to half the width. Line the two sloping sides with bias strips.of the material, and fold the »poeket 80 ‘that: the seam comes down.the center of one. side, and there are no seams at all.at the two edges. The bottom must then be joined, a small piece having been taken off each corner .to round it. The pocket is then ready to be run in on the wrong side, the slope being put to the sides of the seam. The slope not having been carried com- pletely across the pocket, there is a straight piece left at the top which must be folded into .a_ plait, to which a tape is firmly attached, and this tape.is taken up with the top of the skirt, in setting it on to the band, ‘This prevents the pocket from. dragging and tearing out, ify by any chance, it becomes.the depository of any unusually heavy article, The next process is to prepare the skirt for setting ona band, by folding it. evenly ‘down. You begin by taking the measure down the back, the front, and one hip. In doing this; a little. tact is.sometimes requisite tovascertain ‘and correct any natural deficiencies or defects. Unfortunately a large majority of the young girls of the present day are more or less deformed, One shoulder higher than the other, or the spine the “least ‘in the world curved, or some other. slight. ir- regularity. The eye of the dress-maker should detect any such thing, and a skillful hand will so arrange the dress as alinost,; or entirely, to conceal it. A little enlargement of one side demands that the skirt should be suffered to be just.so much longer on thet side, as ‘to ‘hang perfectly even, for an irregular. fall of the --¢kirt-is sufficient to spoil the appearance of. the band- ~pomest dress. ,

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SETTING ON THE BAND: © 1? Take the: various lengths with a yard measure, either from a dress of the proper length, or from the erson, ascertaining whether it is needfal that the Font should be shorter; or the back longer, or any ther difference should be made. At present it is: the fashion for all dresses to clear the ground in front, and for walking dresses to clear’ it all, round—~a style which can not be too much com- mended, ‘The use for which the dvess is designed should therefore be taken into account, as well as the size and style of the hoop skirt over which it will be worn, Fold the skirt in half, the two edges being the cen- ter of the back and front, and mark the length at both places. from the measure. Mark also the length over the hip, and fold down one-half of the top, Lay the dress.on the table, the edges at the bottom evenly pinned together, and fold: down the one-half of the top, from the other. Tack the fold down, a little way from the top, and the skirt is ready to be gathered or plaited. If a great deal is turned down, it is necessary to cut the center up a little, with a deep-pointed’ front; but it should never be done if it can be avoided. Nor is it generally worth while to turn ina great deal at the top, unless the material is one that will shrink in damp or rain, or some light color which you intend to have dyed when its first beauty is gone. ‘The dye- ing process always shrinks a material; so that a su- perfluous inch and a half or so; at the top, is execed- ingly. convenient; indeed, necessary, if you are to wear the skirt in any thing like the same style again: | and any. thing that will shrink if exposed toa shower, ” may also require to be considerably let down. As, however, basques or jackets. ave still likely to : -

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20 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. be worn in neglige, and a short skirt can be lengthen- ed by means of a circular band, it is not desirable to spoil the corsage by allowing too much for the skirt, when the dress-piece is limited in quantity. The mode of setting the skirt on the band or waist depends entirely on the prevailing fashion. Some- times it is to be gathered all round; sometimes it is set in plaiis in front, and gathered at the back only: at present, the mode is to set it on in large box-plaits. Whatever style is chosen, the whole skirt should be arranged before any part is sewed to the waist; and when gathers are employed, they should be ganged down by a second line of gathering, half an inch or so below that at which it is to be sewed on. Boz-plaits, it must be remembered, are plaits or folds to the right and left, from a center; when a great fulness has to be set in a small space, a second, or even third fold is made under each of those upper- ones; and we then speak of double, or treble box- plaits. A plait, generatly, is a fold in one direction only. Tromep Sxrets—Our directions hitherto have been for the plain skirt. Flounces and other trim- mings are so often in fashion, it is necessary to know how to put them on. Where a skirt is lined, the trimmings, whatever they may be, must be put on after the lining; the skirt being laid on a table, and the trimming pinned on it in every part before it is sewed at all. In the case of flounces, each must be arranged and put on before the next is touched. But one great error with flounces consists in putting them on straight. To set well, each must be slightly sloped from the center of the front, just as the whole skirt needs sloping before itis put on the band. The flounces, if they require

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-FLOUNCES—BIAS AND STRAIGHT. 21 hemming or trimming, must have this done, and then have a piping cord run in along the top, so that it can be drawn to reduce the flounce to the width of the skirt. The lowest flounce is pinned and sewed on first, and the others in regular succession to the upper one. Bias flounces always look fuller than plain ones cut in the ordinary way, and they are generally fin- ished with a piping cord, while straight flounces are merely hemmed. When a dress is to be trimmed with another color, it has often a pretty effect to bind the flounces, if natrow, With very narrow silk ribbon, instead of hem- ming them. This has been done during the past year with the fashionable gray dresses, which have been edged with green, mauve, or magenta, Whatever trimmings may be put on a skirt, their places should be accurately marked by running with a thread of a contrasting color to that of the fabric, before they are even pinned on. The same may be observed of ali trimmings for every garment. The extra allowance for the fullness of flounces is one breadth of the material, in the circle, if the floun- ces be straight, and the dress of muslin, organdy, or any wide goods; but more will be required of silk, In bias flounces, a breadth to a breadth will give fullness enough. In putting on bias flounces, it is easy to set seam to seam, and to secure regu- larity ; but with straight ones, they and the skirt must be measured in halves and quarters, marked and pinned. Heavy skirts, to be worn with basques,—as they are called here,—should not be put on bands merely, but should have low bodies of union or shirting mus-— lin attached, with sleeves or without, the object being ©

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22 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER, to lessen the painful weight on the hips; by throwing some on. the shoulders. Those who, know the very pernicious effects of having great weights: dragging on the hips, spine, and abdomen, will be aware how es sential is this, caution, Tue Lryrmes or Sxrers.—Paper-muslin is: gener- ally. employed, except for bareges, grenadines, and other semi-transparent materials, which look better when lined with book-muslin, or the material known as Victoria lawn. (The latter is considerably the most expensive.) .The. linings to these fabrics are frequently put in almost as separate skirts, or petti< coats, joined with the dress at the top only. The ob- jection. to this is that the dress has to have a hem of itself, which makes that part look different to, the rest; while in lining, the same effect is produced in the border as. the upper part, Therefore, it is better to line these skirts like all others. The stiffness of book-muslin causes. it to be some- times selected as a lining for silk. This should never be done,—for two reasons. It cuts the silk to pieces in all. the gathers, and it does not improve the ap- pearance, Stiffness is not beauty, The best lining for an expensive silk is mull muslin, just because it is the softest of all muslins, and the nearest approach to, no lining at all, and, actually, a rich silk never looks. so. well as when there is no lining to it. Transparent materials, which have petticoat linings to the skirts, should have hems of themselves; and very, handsome. dresses, with long demi-train skirts, certainly should be lined with silk just rounsthe. bottom, One of the great benefits. of the fashion of trim« ming the skirts.of dresses, is that it affords, the eppor- tunity to conceal a defect by a judicious arrangement

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LOW OCT SLEBVES. §» . L428 of trimming. .Eyen when it is not in vogue, indeed, afresh hem of black velvet-—which need not ‘be of the best quality,—when put along the edge of a worn black silk skirt, will make it wearable, if not-hand- Bone, again. The Corsage, Waist, or Body. The handsomest dress looks ill if the corsage does not fit nicely; the commonest calico, if this essential part is managed artistically; looks well, ‘The making of this part of a dress is, therefore, the greatest act of the skill of the workwoman, although there is no part that does not-require care and neatiess. A dress fits well only when jit sets easily on’ the figure withott wrinkles; when it requires no’ strain to close it; when the skirt is not dragged up with every motion of the arms; and when, in tine, it is perfectly comfortable whatever the attitude ‘of the wearer. It is true that Fasuion, that imperious: dictator, sometimes decrees a style of corsage which ‘is almost incompatible with comfort; but ‘the skillful «dress- maker will modernize the dress, without -blindly following the extrememode. | For instance, at present all dresses are worn absurdly low on the shoulder, the sleeve beginning half-way down to the elbow instead of where it ought, at the bend of the shoulder. The effect, of course, is to cramp the movements of the arms, since the corsage entirely binds the shoulder, over thejoint, and impedes its action, In a dress'so made the wearer might as well haye the-arms set on to the collar-bones, without any joints, a deformity which, if it occurred by the will of Heaven instead of by that of the dress-maker,-would be looked on as a “terrible afiliction,

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24 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER, Now, in this, and in all similar matters, it will be generally found that the extreme of fashion degener ates into the extreme of vulgarity. A moderate compliance with existing modes is always desirable, but it should never be carried so far as to outrage the proprieties of life, or to interfere with either comfort or health. The ¢deain making the shoulder-seams come so low on the arms, is to give an appearance of slo- ping shoulders; but even very high shoulders are less injurious to the appearance than the trussed-pigeon look produced by having the arms girded to the sides in a garment which is all but a strait jacket. If Fashfon, therefore—as interpreted by third-rate dress-makers, for the leading artistes are rarely guilty of these vulgar absurdities—orders us to have waists that give no room for the lungs to play, or for the stomach to perform its office, or to put ourselves in the above-mentioned strait waistcoats, or to drag rich silks trailing through the muddy streets, it is our business, as sensible women, to rebel against such preposterous commands, and only follow Fashion so long as she and Reason do not walk in precisely opposite paths. The fitting of a dress has long and generally been held to be a matter of high art, or a work of chance. In fact, to judge by the many attempts made, and the evident failures, even by practiced dress-makers, it did appear as if there were no general principles, no science in the matter. However, it is really not so, Madame Demorest, whose paper patterns we shall have occasion to mention elsewhere, has invented a system for cutting out the bodies of dresses, by which, if carefully followed up, a perfect fit is insured. The simplicity of this system is one of its greatest fecommendations. A single lesson will suffice te

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<< gS ‘HOW TO TAKE THR MEASURE. 25 teach any one how to use the Excerstor Dress- Mopet, so as to obtain a well-fitting pattern. This dress-model is a sheet of stout brown cartridge-paper, on which are marked, in successions of lines, plans for the front and back of a dress, for a woman from the largest to the smallest dimensions, with or without the basque. A glance at these lines will make evi- dent the fact—so determinedly ignored by dress-makers in general—that the various parts of the body afe-in just proportion to each other; and that science as well as art has something to do with cutting out a dress. The various lines have small holes perforated in them at intervals, and through these the point of your pencil will go to the paper laid under the model, so as to mark on it the pattern required. The mode of measuring a person, and taking a pattern, is as follows:—Have ready a pencil and a raorsel of paper, a large sheet of brown or white paper, and the dress-model sheet, which is laid over the latter, and kept down by a weight or two; also your yard measure. Make the person to be measured stand perfectly upright, and holding the end of the tape against the back of the neck, where the top of the dress should come; then, with the right hand, pass the tape round and under the right arm, and up again to the top of the dress, Observe the nember of inches, and note them down on a bit of paper, for the SHOULDER MEASURE. Note, that you pass the tape close, not loosely, under the arm. THE SECOND MEASURE is straight down the back, from the top of the body to the waist, allowing half an inch for what it will take in making. This gives the length of the body. Note it down. THE THIRD MEASURE gives the bulk of the body

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26 DIME DRESS-MAKER.AND MILLINER }| round. the chest and shoulders.. The tape is. passed i round the. fullest part of. the bust, and. across. the i prominence of the shoulders, as well as. close. under the arms, If padding. is.to be used, which it should | be much more sparingly and. rationally than. it. now is, an inch, or more, extra should be allowed. for it, Note down the number of inches here also. The fourth (and.last) measure. is: that round, the | Waist And here.a question, should, always be asked by. the measurer:, “Do. you, like. the. waist. to -fit; tightly ?” Most people. prefer feeling that. there is a band or compression round the, waist, however-slight, But others haye.a great objection to.this;. and accord. i ing to the reply, you must either.draw the, measure, very tight, or mark what. it. is, without, any. such i pressure, - Haying. noted these four, measurements, you. use First for the outlines of the back and front. We will, take an imaginary measure, for the, sake of clear- ness,.and suppose that it, was 24; the length of the body, 14; the circumference, 36; and the waist, 23; : these measurements; by the way, being about the average for a medium-sized woman, of. five. feet. or.so i high. We refer to the “model, paper” lying, on. the plain sheet. before us, and. see, on the,extreme left, the suc- cessive lines, and holes serving as.outlines for,half the back. There is a straight line down, and, above. it-a suceession of figures, from 20, which is, noted as the smallest size, to 31, which is marked as the largest, Put your pencil: in, the hole at 24, and in all.the-suc- q cessive holes: marked. by that. number, which will, carry you from the center of the back, along the neck, shoulders, arm-hole, and down the arm-seam ; make adot also at the. bottom.of the back, through + .

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MEASURING THE WAIST. 24 the hole for that purpose. Remove the model paper, and pass lightly from dot to dot with your pencil, Then, with the rule board, mark the line down the center ‘of the back; after which you may cut the paper pattern. Mark the front in the same way, beginning from the front of the neck, nd continuing to the bottom of the waist, Outline it like'tae back. The seam down the center must ‘then be procured, by laying the front and back together at the'side-seams; then dividing in ‘half the measure round the body (36), and laying the tape across the two patterns just beneath the arm, making a dot where the 18 inches come... Rule a straight line down from the dot at the front of the neck, taking in ‘this, and continuing down to the bottom, and you have the front seam. To eer THe Lenera or trae Warsr.—Observe, on the model, three holes forming the neck, one in the front, one at the ‘shoulder-seam, and one between. If the wedrer likes the waist to be long, hold the tape with the thumb of the left hand on the front hole, and with the pencil and tape between the finger and thumb of the riglit hand, sweep a line from the bot- tom of the side-piece to the front. If the waist is to be a medium length, do the same from the center hole; and:repeat the process from the upper one, if it is to be short. For the gores, lay the back ‘to the front, at the ‘bottom of the side seams; then Jay half of the waist- mieasure from the center, and across the lower-part of the back, and also on a straight line across the front, and make a dot; now the difference between the entire width and that of half the waist will be the quantity tobe taken out in gores or darts. Observe the figure of the person you are measuring, to see

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28 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. whether the bosom falls low or not; and mark a line accordingly, from one to three inches below the arm. Then divide the quantity to be taken out, in two or three gores (the latter being required only for a per- gon with a very full bust), and rule four or six straight parallel lines up the front, the first from one and a half to two inches from the front-seam, the space be- tween the first and second being one-half or one-third the entire quantity to be taken out; and somewhat more than half an inch left between the gores. The upper part is sloped off with the curved end of the rule. The admirable nature of this system may be inferred from the fact that a measure taken carefully, by a mere novice, and the numbers sent to sea crr Demo- rest, with the length of the skirt also, enabled that lady to make a dress of exceilent fit, for a person she had never seen, in less than twenty-four hours after- ward; a better test could hardly bave been devised ; and we would counsel every one who ever has dresses made at home, to possess one of these papers. They give, also, the proper spring for basques, as well as the outlines of low bodices; and anvther “model paper” is especially adapted for children’s clothes. The ruler which accompanies the paper has one straight and one curved line, both of which will be found useful in cutting out dresses. 3 The paper pattern thus obtained does not, as we have seen, allow for turnings in. These will be required, of course. As dresses are almost always fastened in front now, the back only needs allowance at the outer edges, not down the center. In front, the hem must be allowed for equally on each side. The best material for lining the corsage is what is

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Ne 7 MAKING THE ARM-HOLE. 29 ealled wnion—a mixture of linen and cotton, Calico or muslin is not stiff enough, and pure linen strikes cold. Very costly dresses, such as velvets, are, how- ever, sometimes lined with white or black silk. Lay the material on your cutting-board, and over it the paper pattern, when you may prick the outlines clearly with the stiletto. Of course the entire back is cut in one piece, the material being doubled evenly, and the half back pinned down on it. Then you may cut out the lining, leaving the necessary edges to turn in, If the pattern has been carefully taken, it will be unnecessary waste to allow more than an inch for this purpose, in any direction. We would advise a novice, hower, to try on the lining before she cuts the dress material, in case of any accidental misfit, which, however, can result only from carelessness. To do this, she should run the hems in front, and tack on hooks and eyes; but the shoulder and arm seams should be joined with the raw edges outwards. The gores should be marked with a colored thread, but need not be even tacked up, as they can be better fitted on the figure. Any slight defect can now be remedied; or, if requisite, a new body cut. This, however, will rarely be found necessary. We would particularly point out the form of the front of the arm-hole in the model pattern, which is a striking contrast to that adopted generally by dress- makers. Aiter sloping down from the shoulder to the bosom, it is carried to the seam in a line which rather curves upward than down. It is this shape which gives free play to the arms, while the general mode of continuing the slope down to the seam always results in dragging up the skirt, and wrinkling the body with each motion, To make these dresses fit

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a 80 DIME DRESS‘MAKER AND MILLIVER. comfortably, we have ‘more than once ‘had to ‘pat gussets in, under the arm. The atm-seam, as ‘a rule, is too short in nine out of ten dresses. The outer part of the body must then De cut, ‘the » lining being Jaid over it. Be very careful that the patterns join, if there be any on the'material. Espe- cially is this requisite with plaids. The two fronts should be laid over each other, face to face, and so as to match exactly with the hem. The back should be cut so that the center of a pattern should go down the middle of it; and»if there be a plaid, or ‘any design with cross-bars, manage, if possible, to make them match with the fronts, at the shoulders. If you think you would still dike to try the body on, hem up the fronts, and put'on tlie hooks; eyelets, however, should be substituted for eyes,'as they ‘are not-liable to slip out of the hooks, and allow ‘the dress to gape open, They ‘are simply pierced With ‘the stiletto-and sewed over. Buttons and button-holes are still meater and more secure; but it is not every material which is suitable for button-holes. Such ‘as fray out much, will ‘not do; and very thick materials are clumsy. Sometimes the lining» only is ‘fastened up, and the dress front closed at the top and waist only. This is oftenest the case with full bodies, or where'the lining is low, and the ‘body ‘high. It ‘is ‘a sgood ‘plan ‘to reverse ‘the position of the top fastening, putting the hook ‘on ‘the left-hand ‘side, and a loop:on the inner /part of the right. Full bodies ‘ave sso, frequently, only ‘to ‘the extent of having that much gatliered in which would other- wise be taken up by gores, Generallyithey are plain ot the shoulders. Fashion, however, sometimes die- tutes that the shoulders also-should -be gathered, or

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PADDING. st even put ia plaits: Neither form affects the lining, whieh must be cut to jit, as already described; and in cutting the full front, the plaits or gathers must be made at the shoulder and allowed for the. waist: before being cut. The gathers at the waist should never be gauged too far up, as this gives a contracted appearance to the bust. Padding, when necessary, should be used sparingly. It never answers to put it between the lining and cover, as' it works its way through, and makes the dress: look fluffy—an appearance whicly is only: in- creased by brushing, It should be put: wnder the lining, and covered with another, of thin silk or paper muslin. The part’ of the body where it is most required, is round the arm-hole, beginning an: inch or 80 below the shoulder-seam’ at the back, and’ going: round almost up to the same scam at the front, extended a little over the bosom. But the frightful pads which are sometimes put in dresses, across the bosom, are positive deformities. Side pieces are put on at the: back, in the dress material itself; but not ia the lining, which is all in one piece. As this is dono more for the neat effect of the stitched seams than any. practical utility, it is frequently managed’ by making a fold in the material and stitching it down, which prevents raw: edées. The seams at the shoulders, sides, and gores, when stitched, should’ be ironed down flat (if the material’ bé thick); or, at’ any rate, the raw elges should be sewed over, lining and material together, each side by- itself, and flattened down. A casing-of’ tape should then be put. on each side seam, for a very thin whale- bone to be slipped in. Sometimes, a similar whale- bone is put up the front of the dress, to the height of

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83 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. a low body, and also up the gores. But we do not believe in thus converting a dress into a cuirass, nor do we believe that it even sets at all the better for the process. The whalebone used should be very flexible, so that it takes the form of the figure with ease. Some dress-makers also pierce a small hole in one end, through which they take a few stitches, which pre- vents it slipping out of place. The side-seams which some American dress-mar- rers—we can not call them dress-makers—put in front, when they try to make a full body, are at once hide- ous and unartistic. No dress made with them can possibly fit, The next process is to finish the top, pipe or cord the arm-holes, and put a band or cord on the waist. The neck of the dress should first be cut to suit the figure, leaving only just enough to turn in. No part of the dress is more variously made, although it pre- sents the same uniform appearance. Some ladies, from the make of the shoulders, can not wear a dress that is very high at the back. Others like it to be close up to the throat; and we have known some who were very particular, who would have small standing collars set on, in order to make the embroi- dered ones aboye them lie nicely. Then some women wear their dresses cut into a point in front, displaying the hollow of the throat; an inelegant practice at all times, and an unwise one, especially in winter. But these peculiarities should always be known before the neck is corded. The material cut for cording should always be ex- actly bias, and properly matched at the joints, It should be wide enough to form a hem, as well as to cover the cord, It is always held next you.

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FINISHING THE BODICR 83 In piping the neck, it must be held tight, and run on close to the cord. It is then felled down, The arm-holes are also to be piped, beginning at the arm- seam. As we have said elsewhere, the sleeves must alwvays be larger than the arm-holes. The seams of the sleeves should come nearly or quite an inch in front of the arm-seams. The body is now generally put into a band at the waist; this must not be much more than inch-wide, as the belis worn are narrow. The body must be stretched as much as possible round the waist before it is put into a band, or it will never set well. As the opening in the skirt is on the left side, the band is continued that much, so that it is actually double from the front to the seam. It should be hooked at both ends. When the’body is closed with buttons, it is a good plan to put two or three hooks and eyes within, at the lowest part, to lessen the strain on the button- holes, Many French dress-makers also put tapes at the side-seams, to tie in front, to keep the back more evenly in place. The band and lining must be cut in the length of the stuff. It is not usual to cord the bottom of the bodice, unless it is pointed. If this be the fashion, the point or points should be marked by a tracing thread, and the stuff very well stretched, before the cord is put on, A double piping is not unfrequently used. The body being finished, the skirt is sewed on with strong double thread, and a stitch at every gather, if it be gathered. When the corsage is piped, the skirt is generally sewed on a tape which, in its turn, is fastened to the

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Bt DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER, inside of the body, and.a row of stitching within the piping, on the outside, keeps the edge from turning up. A very thin person may haye the skirt set with only the ordinary slope, en a tape, and tacked across the body, leaving the point loose; but a stout person needs to have the gathers set on round the point, Awhich materially decreases the apparent size. The inner low lining of a high thin dress should always be made of nice material—fine linen or twilled muslin, and be neatly trimmed with embroidery reund the bosom and short sleeves, The shoulder- seams should be separate from those of the high cor- sage. A low corsage ought to be low, not half high, which is, at all times, ugly. It is, perhaps, prettiest when cut to come somewhat in points on the shoul- ders and in front, making a slight outer curve from point to point. It can, if desired, be softened by a full tucker of malines, iHlusion, or fine linen cambrie, finished with lace round the bust. The most serupu- lous modesty can not object to this, while the pretty and dressy effect of a low body is preserved. The low corsage always requires to be draped or trimmed in some way, and in tizs country, generally, s0 as to give an appearance of fullness to the bust. The elegant berthas of illusion, trimmed with ribbon or flowers, are among the prettiest contrivances for this purpose, but not pretticr than folds of the same material (if it be a thin one), set close at the shoul- ders, and spreading out at the front seam, They re- quire to be put on a foundation of stiff muslin or foundation net. : There is no doubt a low dress is very becoming to some people, who have youth and plumpness; but MS"

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EVENING DRESSES, 85 without the latter, no youth will make the wearer of : a corsage décolléte look nice, and it is much better taste to have the transparent body up to the throat, full, and firislied with soft lace or illusion, while that very elegant and simple French ornament, a narrow black velvet ribbon, fastened by a small sparkling ornament, is far more becoming than nine-tenths of the jeweled { necklaces to nineteen-twentieths of the wearers. In the matter of short sleeves, as we have noticed in its place, the same judicious taste and sense of fit- ness should guide us. While speaking of evening-dresses, we must notice that the effect of all light materials depends greatly on what is worn under them. With tarletan dresses, at least two skirts of the same should be worn; so with book-muslin; and we prefer this to silk or satin: even under tulle. The floating drapery altogether loses its effect if lined with any stiff material. A lace dress, however, may properly be worn over silk or satin, Low bodies are sometimes laced up the back; but hooks and eyelets are better, with small buttons set on for ornament, and one really securing the top. The body must be rrmmep before the skirt is put on, and here individual taste, as well .as fashion, must be brought into exercise. Very many people look best with perfectly plain bodies ; but those who have narrow chests and round shoulders may remedy these defects, in appearance at least, by the mode of trimming. Bretelles or shawl berthas, bands of trimming passing across the shoul- 4 ders from the front of the waist to the back, are per- haps the trimmings which are most beneficial in cor- recting the appearance of narrowness of chest, and giving width and slope to the shoulders. The capes | | | | { |

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| | | | a 86 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER, of a shawl bertha go across the shoulders at the back, and down to the waist in front, gradually narrowing from the shoulders to the belt. The bretelles go down to the waist at the back also, and are generally of equal width throughout. Either should be carried quite to the tip of the shoulder, over the sleeve. Ruchings @ la vieille, which are often fashionable trim- mings, slouid be put on in the same way. If brought up near the neck, they will give an appearance of de- formity to the finest fizure, Care must be taken in cutting trimmings of any fancy silk, that the two sikles match, not only with each other but with the fronts of the dress, Brandebourgs, or straps across the corsage, are very becoming to many figures, if put on properly. They should be very narrow at the waist, widening on to the bust, and continuing wide quite up to the highest band, parallel with the top fastening of the dress. Here the dress-makers have too much the fashion of putting them on only half way up, which is neither one thing nor another. The Sleeves. In preparing to cut out the sleeves, the same care must be taken to notice any personal peculiarities as we have advised with regard to the other parts of the dress, Not only should you take into consideration the length of the arm, and its size, but the general style of person, when deciding about the sleeve to be made, since no fashion could possibly make a perfectly tight sleeve becoming to a tall and thin figure, nor yet to an exceedingly stout one; and as the length of the arm differs greatly, it is requisite to know whether it is in good proportion to the rest of the person or not, For want of this attention, we have seen robes sent % soe

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ee ee ee CUTTING OUT SLEEVES. 87 home by even good dress-makers, with sleeves meant to display elegant lace undersleeves, so long as to fall over the hand, and almost conceal it; while another would have sleeves equally unreasonably short—almost the greater evil of the two, especially if intended to close at the wrist. The actual length of the arm from the shoulder to the wrist, over the bend of the elbow, slould, therefore, be always taken; and thus any style of sleeve may be made of the proper length. Another point to be noticed, having reference to size, is, that it should be always at least an inch-and- a-half larger round at the top than the arm-hole in which it is to be put, supposing it is intended to look plain. There will not be the slightest appearance of fullness, if it is done properly. The slope at the top is rarely cut properly, by any but experienced dress-makers. The majority make the front and back of the sleeve equally sloping, up- ward and outward, from the seam to the center, Instead of this, there should be a slight curve in at the front, and decidedly a curve owt at the back; the top being cut ina double curve, something like that of the letter 8, only, of course, not so deep in propor- tion tp the length. The whole inner curve need not be more than three-quarters of an inch at the deep- est part; perhaps scarcely so much. We have enumerated, elsewhere, the various styles of sleeves. Whatever sort you decide to make, a paper pattern, properly trimmed, will be found a very great convenience. It should, however, be tried on, so that any defect may be noticed, and remedied in cutting the real sleeves. Madame Demorest sells plain patterns, for cutting from, as well as the trimmed enes, which are to guide in making.

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DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. Having one of these, cut the lining of one sleeve, pin, and try it. Then lay it on the cloth, face to face, and cut the other lining. The sleeves must be cut in the same way; not only the two right sides to- gether, but stripe to stripe, design to design, so that they may match exactly when the dress is made, Remark, too, that stripes or running designs should always fall from the fore part of the arm to the back, and going upward, Generally, a sleeve is cut in a single piece, not reckoning, of course, a cap or a wristband, if either forms a part of it, It should always be. cut diag, Sometimes the tight coat-sleeve is made with a seam at the outer, as well as at the inner edge; but this is not usual. The general plan is to cut it longer on the outside, and set the extra fullness in two or three plaits at the elbow, which gives room enough, Very thick materials are, however, sometimes made with an outer seam. Bishop sleeves are also cut so that there is a little fullness on the outer side, at the elbow. They should always be cut of a very ample length ; otherwise they will be sure to drag at the seam, when the arm is ex- tended. We have seen them finished, very prettily and comfortably, with a few rows of elastic round the wrist, instead of a wristband, All the sleeves which are open, showing the inte- rior, should be neatly lined for the entire depth that they can be seen. Fancy materials, and fancy silks, should be lined with a piece of the same. But plain silks, moires, satins, and all full-dress goods, should be lined with white silk, unless they are of dark hue, when black may properly be employed. It is customary, in these cases, to finish the inner edge with a ruching of inch-wide satin ribhon, of the

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TRIMMING SLEEVE “$9 color of the lining; but in the case of a black lining, a double row of narrow black lace, the two inner edges run together, and then made into a not yery full ruche, is, perhapa, even prettier. Whichever is done, the border should just be visible beyond the plain edge of the sleeve. ; A sleeve that is open up the front—such as a Sul- tana—should have this trimming, as well as the silk lining, carried up the open edges. The neatest way of joining up a sleeve, is to fold it and the lining, both with the wrong side outward ; pin or baste them together very exactly; sitch them up together (the four thicknesses), and then turn the right side of the sleeve outward. It will be found neatly lined, with the raw edges concealed. If the material be one that frays easily, the seam should be sewed over before the sleeve is turned. The trimming must be put on strongly, but light- ly. Braid-friuge, or any thing else tn a line, should be laid on easily, not dragged. Even if put on ap- parently evenly, it will look as if the material be- neath it were puckered, unless the braid or fringe is somewhat loose. When puffings are put on, one edge, at least, has a piping. This is generally the upper one; and the lower edge is set on the wrong side of the trimming, which is turned back over the sleeve. It is then irawn up into its place, and the upper edge run on, on the right side, within the line of the piping-cord This is the mode with asingle puff. If the trimming consists of two or three, they are generally made in one piece, and may be run to the sleeve, on the right side, in the divisions, the upper and lower edge be- ing managed as above. Be sure to vse thread strong enough to hold the

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40 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. material well, as ye1 must not put the stitches too closely, which would make the trimming look as if it were plastered in, When a full sleeve is put into a wristband, as js the case with a bishop sleeve, let it come to the ex- treme edge of the band, and be slightly stitched over at the opening; Otherwise it will inevitably gape and show the arm. Buttons are much better than hooks for a wristband, as the latter are apt to catch in trimmings or lace. But the very best and neatest fastenings of all are Ives’ patent sleeve-buttons, which answer equally on lingerie or dresses, and last a life- time. Short sleeves are frequently worn even with high dresses; and their form, also, is governed, of course, by the prevailing fashion, Sometimes they are close to the arms, trimmed only with folds, fringe, or something equally flat; sometimes they are in large puffs, or a succession of smaller ones. At one time we find them little more than shoulder straps; at another they come almost to the elbow. In this, as in other respects, we must study the prevailing mode, if we desire to look fashionable; but we’ must not blindly follow its dictates, if we wish to be pleasing in appearance, Short sleeves, like low dresses, should only be worn by those who will be improved in appearance by the unyailing of the portions of the person souncevered. A lean scraggy arm could never possibly look well with a short sleeve ; and if it happened to be made in a Large puff, the effect would be still worse. It is qnite pos- sible, however, to arrange a sleeve which wili look perfectly dressy, and yet cover a thin arm, so as to conceal its defects. In such cases the more light and gauzy the fabric of the dress, the better the effect

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THE WATTEAU BODICE. 41 will be, as you do not want to hide the arm entirely, but merely to give its outlines an indefiniteness. This rule holds good with regard to the under- sleeves worn with long open sleeves of silk dresses. The present pretty fashion of making them up with fllusion and ribbon, in puffs and bouillons, is the prettiest and most becoming that ever was invented. Of course muslin sleeves must be worn in the morn- ing, but lace and illusion should always be chosen for evening wear. It will be a sad pity when so pretty a fashion is exploded. When « lace or a cambric tucker is worn with a colored dress, the sleeves are sometimes made to correspond with this, the material of the dress itself forming little but a shoulder-strap or cap. This also has a charming effect, and is something in the Swiss style. With the Watteau corsage (cat square on the bosom and high at the back of the neck), the proper sleeve is one fitting closely on the arm, as far as the elbow, and finished with deep ruffles of rich lace. There is an antique style about this dress which would be very becoming to certain classes of beauty, especially if the robe were one of the dark silks brocaded in large bouquets of flowers, which are so much in vogue just now. We must observe that the Watteau, Pompadour, or Martha Washington bodice—it goes by all these names—is only becoming to people who are somewhat plump, with round, short necks, and wide shoulders. It makes a thin person look scraggy. It should not ve forgotten, either, that it was never intended to leave the front of the bosom exposed, with this cor- sage. The venerable lady whose name it sometimes bears, Martha Washington, wore, according to the

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ee } = oe _ SS SSS. _—SSt a 42 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER fashion of her day, a fine muslin handkerchief folled over the chest; and at the French Court, a fine chemisette of plaited cambric or lace was worn, com- jug close up to the throat, and finished with a ruche of lace, This last style is becoming to every one, and will be found to form en essential part of the beauty of the Watteau corsage. Mourning. The materials for mourning are many and various; and although there are many people who, from con- scientioy.s.motiyes abstain from wearing it; yet. there are still a Jarge majority who, alike in consonance with their own feelings and with the customs of antiquity, allow their persons to exhibit the tokens of regret for lost friends, and who would fee) it an outrage on hu- manity to dress in bright and showy colors when they have lost those. whose society and companionship made a.large portion of their happiness here. We do not presume to. argue against the convics tions of any one; but feeling strongly what those who do, not. wear blaek would stigmatize as the.prejudice of old habit, we venture to give a few brief directions on the subject of mourning. Mourning goods are, of course, fabricated in. various materials, adapted to the different seasons. Fos winter we have French merinos, alpacas, reps, velours, velours, ottoman, and a dozen other manufactures, The summer materials include barege, Spanish crape, cuban cloth, balzarine, foulard silks, and pineapple cloth, as well as other goods, novelties which. appear from year to. year, and the perennial bombazincs, organdies, and printed calicoes. In the. silk depart- ment there are certain makes especially suitable for.

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MOURNING CAPS AND BONNETS, 8 BomBazine is considered the deepest of all mourn- ing. It is expensive, however, and not durable; for which reasons it is seldom selected by persons with limited means, or for children’s dresses. Paramatta is almost as handsome; cashmere, when fine, looks exceedingly well; and in the winter months, merino is very popular, Any of these may be appropriately trimmed with crape; and they are all considered fitter for deep mourning than silk, even though the latter be trimmed with crape. The color of black for mourning should be a dull dead hte, not a blue-black, nor yet with any brown shade. The armures and ottomans are the favorite silks on this account; and at good mourning-stores they are to be obtained of great width—one and a half yards and two yards wide, expressly for mourn- ing mantles. For widows’ mourning a crape bonnet, made as simply as possible, and with no other ornament than folds of crape, is considered the most proper; and in the interior a crimped widow’s cap, of tarletan or white muslin. If this is objected to, as it is by some people, the barbes should be of black crape entirely ; but then the distinctive character of the dress is lost. The vail is always of crape, and in this country is worn very long;—most inconveniently and absurdly so, indeed. In deep mourning, here, it is customary not to wear any white—even the cuffs and collar are of orapée. But elsewhere plain hemmed clear muslin is considered equally proper, and is most worn, by widows especially. It certainly has a cleaner look than the black crape round the neck and Wrists, : Whatever difference there may be on the propriety of wearing mourning, there can not be any with re-

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44 " DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER | { gard to the necessity for its simplicity of style, if it be worn at all. Bows, flowers, and deeorative finish- ing generally, are wholly out of place in deep mourn- ing, the only fit trimming of which consists of crape folds. H The dress and mantle always look best alike, even | if not of a very costly material. Cashmere, for | instance, which would look poor as a cloak material in any thing else, is perfectly unobjectionable in mourning, when trimmed with crape. As we have said, the only bonnet for very deep mourning is crape; next to it comes silk trimmed with crape, with which the dress and mantle should correspond; and for slight and complimentary mourn- ing, white, vender, or purple mingled with black, and without any crape on the dress, suffices. Plain net, with black ribbon intermixed, or clear muslin, edged with very narrow net, makes suitable collars and cuffs—lace and embroidery being wholly inad- | f missible. = —— We would counsel that the linings of black dresses should be of gray, and never of black paper muslin. 4; Even then, it is difficult to prevent the skirts from { i getting stained by the black dye. It is advisable, i i however, to run a piece of some black material inside H the hem of the skirt, about a finger’s depth, as it wili i look better than the gray, if it happen to show. h Jet ornaments have always been considered as Ki mourninG. During the last few months this article has been superseded by what we must consider as a wonderfal invention—namely, ornaments of india rubber, which, by some chemical process, is rendered | as lustrous and jet-like as jet; but is susceptible of the most exquisite forms and settings, and takes impres- sions, as we suppose, of the most delicate and beau-

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PATENT CRAPE. ne tif carvings, These lovely ornaments are produced by the India Rubber Company. Of course, unlike jet, they are not brittle, like the articles they so much resemble. It may be added that the finest gold only, can be employed in setting India rubber ornaments, as any inferior quality would become discolored by contact with the chemically prepared rubber. We have mentioned mourning mantles; but, in fact, shawls of plain black, with a silk or crape border, and no fringe, are more often adopted in deep mourn- ing than any thing else; and their very quiet appear- ance makes them peculiarly appropriate. In the article of crape, what is called patent crape, equally crimped on both sides, is by far the best; as, although somewhat dearer than the common kind, 1t will be found much more durable. It will even be uninjured by rain, unless it is very heavy indced. Crape, however, has the singular property of turning mouldy when put away damp, or into a damp place. It should, therefore, be thoroughly dry before it is consigned to its box. Of black goods Swpins are considered by far the best; they can be had at the those dry-goods stores especially which may be called family houses, of the first class: Lambert's, or Ubsdell and Pierson’s, for instance. We have spoken of purple, lavender, gray, amd white, as being all colors which are admirable in slight mourning: We do not advise the mixture of any two together with black in one toilet, unless, indeed, gray and white be combined. Even then, blick and white only, or black and gray only, would be more distinguished. It is a little singular that while the combination of any one color with black is among the most graceful, two or more spoil the effect,

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46 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER, We will conclude the subject of mourning by men tioning the manner in which the borders of widows caps are crimped, the same process being applicable to other puffings, both of muslin and plain bobbinet. When the material is new, it has sufficient stiffness in itself to take the crimp; but if it have been washed, it will require to be slightly starched. The hem being made of the proper width, run a common round stick, like a ruler, through it, drawing the material somewhat full on the stick. Set it across a vesse] full of boiling water, covering it over so that it may be thoroughly steamed, When well saturated With tlre steam, remove and let it dry quickly. Of course, several hems or tucks almost close together may thus be crimped at one process, by haying a suf- ficient number of round sticks, Crape and gauze ribbons, both black and. white, and the narrow gauze ribbons known as love ribbons, are considered particularly fit for mourning, Silk ribbons, if used at all, must be quite plain, Of late it has become fashionable to allow scarlet and crimson to appear in mourning-dress. This is certainly no evidence of good taste—quite the contrary. Head-dresses, where the dress is much trimmed with crape, should be of the same material; otherwise, plain black ribbon is admissible, and the coiffure may, very properly, be mingled with jet and bugles, A full-dress coiffure, in slight mourning, may be of black and gold, which is, at present, very fashionable, Those who are wearing deep mourning do not, usu- ally, go to any place where full-dress is required. Wégligé Toilet. There is no dress in which a woman looks so pretty as in a dressing-gown, with its proper accesso-

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DRESSING-GOWNS, 47 ries; and probably there-is no country in which the ladies indulge, as a general rule, in such very hand; sone and expensive wndress dresses. Both in France and England, elegant dressing-gowns are confined, strictly, to the higher classes; the wealthy and the noble ; here, every lady in. ordinary life has hand- some morning wrappers, for summer and winter. We canaot help thinking the fashion a pretty one; and to be glad to encourage it, even if it bessomewhat luxurious ; especially as the universal use of the sew- ing-machine enables. us to indulge, at a. trifling ex- pense, in such dainty robe skirts. |, The material of the dressing-gown must of course be selected according to the season. Nothing is so pretty for the summer as white muslin trimmed with embroidery ; and a dress of this kind may. be _ren- dered very ornamental for any especial occasion, at a very, trifling outlay of. either money or time, by put- ting. colored. ribbons, covered with. puffings of net, over the hems, above the embroidery, and adding a few knots of ribbon down the front, and also on the sleeves, But. for winter wear, something warmer -is re- quired; and common and foulard silks, cashmere, colored flannel, and merino, all find favor for this pur- pose.. In silks; we. prefer pretty foulards to the or- dinary silks,.because the material is softer, and falls into more artisvic folds, But foulard silks with, plain spots, or. sect. patterns. on them, certainly are not pretty, They often have more, the appearance cf calicoes, Perhaps the soft shades of printed flannels make the prettiest of all winter dyessing-gowns, trimmed with silk, satin, or ribbon of a bright hue; and for this..reason, that. flannel, folds and falls better than

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48 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. any thing else, and displays the light and shade in the folds t» greater advantage. Dressing-gowns are generally made with the fronts of the corsage in one piece with the front breadths of the skirt, the waist being confined only by a cordeere, This is convenient, only that it is not every one who can or will arrange the folds prettily, in putting on the dress; and it would be better to make the corsage and skirt in separate pieces when the wearer does not like to have to take trouble in her toilet. Of course, when the fronts are in one piece, they must be set on full at the shoulders; and the full- ness is better put in plaits than gathers. The folds should be made downward toward the shoulder, on each side. In order to cut such fronts properly, it is requisite to get a full body, with folds at the shoulder, in mus-+ lin first, and lay this on the material, allowing for the full length of the skirt beside the corsage. An entire breadth of flannel may thus be taken up on each side of the front, coming to the arm-seam; and this will make, also, sufficient fullness in that part of the skirt, the principal fullness in a dressing-gown being at the back, from arm-seam to arm-seam. The fronts being thus managed, the size round the waist can be regulated at pleasure; but if great ease is desirable, there should be some power for slacken- ing the back also; and it should be made to draw along the center. To cut out such a back, fold the material as for a tight one, but laying down the proper shape over it in a slanting direction, so that it is the svme size at the peck, but gradually wider from that point down to the waist, where it should be quite two inches larger, besides trimmings in. . "The lining and covering ate cut aiike, and set on

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. me oem mene OF wie , —— — me oe! TRIMMINGS OF DRESSING-GOWNS. 49 ‘xo the fronts at the shoulders and arm-seams. The lower elge of the back may then be finished with a -cord, and the skirt added on. Casings along the back, in which double tapes are run, which may be drawn at pleasure, and tied round the waist, at once contract it to the size, and keep the back in its place. The sleeves of a dressing-gown should always be simple in form, and not elaborately trimmed. When the fronts are faced en tablier, with quilted silk or sat- in, reverse cuffs of the same should finish the sleeves, and a small collar round the throat adds greatly to the warmth and comfort of the garment. When ribbon or velvet trimmings are put down the front, the same may form a false cuff, or trim a real one, for the sleeves. The inside of the fronts of dressing-gowns always require to be faced with silk. A single width, cut slanting down the center, like a gore, will suffice for the two sides. The fustenings of the corsage should be substantial as well as pretty. Hooks and eyes should never be employed. Buttons and button-holes, or doable but- tons and loops are best; #nd two small loops of rib- bon should be put at the waist, just inside the edges, to pin the front of the dress to the corset; otherwise it is apt to ride up. Pockets are indispensable ; and we incline to think that when made ornamentally, with trimmed exterior flaps, they are more dressy than the ordinary kind. With a dressing-gown, of any sort, a pretty morning cap should be worn always, whatever the age of the lady. It is a graceful finish to the dress of a girl, and it rejuvenates an older woman. ‘The slippers, also, which form an essential part of the toilet, should be of colored or black kid, trimmed with ribbon matching —~

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50 DIME. DRESS-MAKER AND MILUINER.. that of the dressing-gown in color; the stocking plain white--a warm merino in winter; and the handker- chief plain cambric; or, if in: fashion, colored em- broidery, since it can only be worn in a, neglige dress. The economical, and we presume there are some such even in the present day, may be glad of a hint or two as to making old dresses into new dressing- gowns, a process which may be often gone through with good effect. A. merino or cashmere dress, plain or printed, which has been worn till the owner is weary of the sight of it in its old form, can be converted easily and cheaply into a pretty dressing-gown, especially with the aid of an equally worn. silk dress, some parts. of which are sure to be good enough to make. facings and trimmings. and to line the fronts. If you have no pieces of the dress left, you can take some out of the skirt, for new fronts or sleeves, if needed, as the quilted silk facings will supply half a yard or so of extra. width; and. a dress, which is. designed to fall open. in front will, certainly not need to be so full as one closed all round, Of course, it is by no means essential. to have the corsage and skirt-fronts;in one piece. Old silk dresses.intended to be used as trimmings should be carefully sponged, with a little alcohol. in the water, ironed while damp, end rolled tightly up, —not folded—for some little time before. They will come out. so much fresher than when this is newly done. Light silks may also be dyed for these pur- poses with adyantage. Ribbons, Tt. is most important to every person, who purchas> ea. ribbons to be able to designate the various widths

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WIDTH OF RIBBONS 61 in the manner generally wnderstood in the trade; and milliners and dress-makers, of course, have more need for this knowledge than private individuals. “That they do not possess it is an evident fact, for one of the chief Broadway milliners, not many months ago, went through a long correspondence to prove that there was n> such thing as No. 80 ribbon. The list, as we present it, was, however, obtained from one of the most important ribbon warehousgs in this city. Zero. The narrowest width of Ribbon. BGL cleo cic me oditoh: No.3 iid eOelB Oo til 112 1a 18 3 + eS ETD | abc el eR 12 Pes oa ee ee. 12 34 4 4 wh a acohs } & This ebincest 412 «+ Beets 4 as 114°“ URE 43-4 ‘ bent 08.5 11:2 BO. see B14 ‘ Ot te 2. * OD diana 512 + PE REDE 21.2 “ Ww usetar 558 “ ; There is a ribbon yet wider—almost 9 inches wide, imported sometimes for sashes. 22 is the usual width of bonnet ribbons; but some milliners have taste enough to put wider and hand- ‘4 somer strings, using No, 40, to No. 60. : The same scale applies to velvet ribbons. A piece of ribbon is generally 12 yards; but in searlets and crimsons (high colors, as they are techni- cally called), 10 yards only are sold for a piece. The fact of this deficiency reminds us to suggest that it is always desirable to measure any piece of goods before you either cut it yourself, or submit it to the hands of a dress-maker. The discovery of a defi- ciency, before the cutting out, may enable you to rem- edy it by altering the style of trimming, putting less than you had proposed in the skirt; or many other plans, After you have begun to cut out, this can no longer be (lone so well—if, indeed, at all.

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52 DIME DRESS*MAKER AND MILLINER Traveling ‘Toilet. In their traveling toilet, American women are su- perior to all others. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule; but, generally speaking, whatever the season, their.traveling-dresses are well-chosen. Noth- ing strikes a stranger with more pleasurable surprise than the sight of ladies dressed for a journey, with their quiet, elegant, neutral-colored dresses and man- tles, and bonnets of the same hue, with just a sowpcon of a bright color round the face. We often wonder how women can be found who profit so little by these examples as to display bon- nets of crape or lace, lace mantles, and even low cor- sages, on railroads or steamboats. Yet we have seen such things, as well as heartily pitied the wearers. On the general style of traveling-dress we have, therefore, nothing to say; but it is certainly within our province to give a hint or two regarding ma- terials, Every year we see some novelty brought out, both for warm and cold weather, for traveling dresses, The colors are sure to be quiet and modest-looking ; but in the fabrics there is a great difference. No tray- eling-dress should be chosen which is likely to be ma- terially injured by rain, which all materials containing wool with silk, cotton, or linen, are sure to be, It is true that all-wool dresses will also shrink in heavy rain, if not previously prepared; but then they shrink equally; and if some of the material is turned in at the top of the’ skirt, they can be lengthened. The mixed fabrics on the contrary, cockle up, and will never look well again. We do not think that any semi-transparent mate- rial, such as the gray English barege, which has been s0 much worn in the past season, should ever be

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JACKETS, —BASQUINES 58 chosen for a traveling-dress, even in hot weather. Other materials, more substantial-looking, but not really at all hotter, can easily be found. And these look flimsy even if they are not so, Fabrics that crimple easily should also be avoided, Jackets, from the facility which they offer for hay- ing a great number of pockets, as well as from keep- ing the person warmer than round bodies do, will, we think, contipue fashionable for traveling. Pockets should be made in the waist seams, so that they will hold the portmonnaies ono ne side, and railway tickets and so forth, on the other. In winter traveling, a basquine of cloth, will gen- erally be found more comfortable than a mantle, be- cause extra wraps can be more easily added. It should not fit closely to the person, but be demé- ajustee, and certainly double-breasted. We confess to & prejudice in favor of abundance of pockets, in every garment destined -for traveling wear; and in a basquine, should have breast pockets in the interior, as well as outside ones below the waist, with flaps to them in the ordinary way. A mantle, or cloak, is a more cumbrous garment, and wanting sleeves, isnot always so warm. But we would always provide a water-proof cloak, with a hood to it, that can be drawn over the bonnet, as an essen- tial part of every lady’s wardrobe, and especially for that of those whose duties compel them to be out in all weathers; and this brings us to the subject of Cloak-Making. As a general rule, it is almost as cheap to purchase a mantle at a good store as to make it; and certainly it is much more satisfactory. No private person can have such practice in making these garments as»

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—— aS ———=- — 54 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER would give her the facility of those who maké it their business. Linings are rarely put in, or trimmings put on with the taste and finish of a regular hand; and again, the very great difference between the wholesale and retail price of materials, enables the manufacturer to sell a cloak for what the customer would barely get the materials for. It is not, therefore, at any time as a matter of economy that we would advise our friends to make their own mantles, nor yet as.a matter of taste, but simply as a necessity, either from the dis- tance from stores, or some equally unavoidable cause Happily, everywhere there is a post-office ; and by it metiem paper-patterns can be procured. In ordering them, the size and height of the wearer should be men- tioned, so that a design of suitable dimensions may be sent. The paper pattern should be transferred to the paper muslin lining, allowing two inches in every direction to be taken up by the wadding (if it is to be quilted); besides the ordinary margin for turning in. This pattern must be joined in its various parts, and tried of, to ascertain the fit, before the outside is cut out. The quilting should be on the lining, the fronts, at least, being of silk. Sometimes alpaca, which has a very glossy appearance, is used for the lining instead of paper muslin. It looks much better; but it is, of course, more expensive. Even then, the silk facings should not be dispensed with. There is a good deal of trashy wadding sold in this country. Good wadding is in large sheets, quite three-quarters of an inch thick; and it should be opened always before a fire, when it will easily split into two perfect sheets, of which thé downy side should be next the person. The lining being laid evenly on a large fable, or on the floor, the wadding is laid over it anf tacked

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LININGS OF MANTILLAS 65 on with long stitches, in every. part. It is. then quilted by the sewing-machine, in diamonds or any other pattern. But it is desirable to remember that the closer the quilting the less the warmth, the wad- Jing losing much of its virtue when too much com- pressed. The quilting should be done with. silk for the fronts, but. cotton may be employed for the back, and indecd, it should only be quilted sufficiently to keep it from dropping. The outer part of the mantle must then be joined together and the seams pressed—which should be. done with all cloth goods—then it is laid over the lining on the floor, pinned, and tacked together all round, after which the edges are turned in, and those of the lining over them, on the inside, and sewed by hand, Materials that are not lined are frequently bound with narrow ribbon, or a sort of silk tape known as tailors’ trimming; and if an ornamental border, such as velvet ribbon, is put on, the edge of the cloth is turned on the right side, and the trimming made. to cover the raw edge. When. pipings are. used, they are of a much thicker kind than those employed for dresses. It is. some- times fashionable to put colored pipings to black or dark cloaks; but the practice has the inconvenience of obliging the. bonnet to be of. some special color to correspond ; whereas. every hue, looks, well. witha plain black mantle. The great weight of a heavy cloth. cloak. when Jined throughout, has caused, many of the first cloak- makers. to line only the, upper part—say as far asthe elbows, leaying the lower. part single,.. When this -ia done, tho lining is generally of some other thick ma- terial, and. not wadded; and itis not.connected with the upper part except.ab the seams and. fronte,

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se 56 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. The mode of fastening a cloak varies with the fashion. Undoubtedly, the most comfortable, for cold weather, is with large buttons and button-hales, but sometimes double buttons and loops are employ- ed. When this is the case, there should always be silk bands, about an inch wide, down the inside of each front, with small buttons and button-holes to close it, as the loops never do this effectually. It always seems a puzzle to keep down a cloak or ‘mantle at tlre waist. Pins tear the dress, brooches fall out ; nothing seems effectual except one simple contrivance, which is merely a long narrow ribbon string on one side, at the waist, and a short one at the other. The long string goes round the waist, cross- ing, of course, first to the opposite side, and when tied with the short one, it effectually keeps the mantle in place, yet allows a free movement of the arms. It is the best comtrivance for all mantles, but especially for those opening to the waist, as many of the summer mantles do, In making up lace or silk mantles for summer wear, the frills and flounces must be put on by meas- urement, just as dress-trimmings are. Bonnets For the reasons given in advising the purchase of ready-made cloaks, we should always recommend the buying of ready-made bonnets. It requires a very practiced hand to make a bonnet well, or even to trim it with elegance. It is, however, sometimes ne- cessary to do it. Before you begin, see what is worn by the best-dressed people you meet; what shapes, colors, and so on, are fashionable. There is always a sufficient variety to enable you to choose something individually’ becoming. Be sure, whatever you do, —— el

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pa MAKING THE BONNET. 5? to get colors that will harmonize with such dresses as are likely to be worn with the bonnet, and not to buy various shades of one color, which is the great fault, in this country, of third-class milliners, who rever seem to be aware that scarlet, crimson, and brick-red, are not one color, or that they can not, with propriety, be all huddled on to one borsnet. If you mean to make a bonnet, you must buy a shape or foundation, as well as the materials. The quantity of silk or crape varies from three-quarters of a yard to a yard and a quarter, according to the size in fashion. Velvet is generally to be had dias, and it then cuts to much greater advantage for a bonnet, than when straight, for every part of the covering of a bonnet must be on the cross. The crown is first covered, being tacked on so that the stitches are covered when the head-piece is put on. That is also tacked round the crown and then turned over, leaving a sort of fold round; it is either in a single piece, covering the front also, in which case it is brought over the brim and lightly tacked along, or the head-piece is separate from the front, when the place where they join is usually covered by the trimminng. The lining is put by invisible stitches along the inside of the brim, and carried to the head-piece, where a sort of gauge is put to line the head-piece, which keeps the heat of the head from spoiling the bonnet. The curtain is sometimes lined with another color, and made with a heading, sometimes not. Just now it is set on in deep plaits, and again it is gathered. This and the trimming are equally decided by fashion. Milliners employ pins greatly in putting on trim- mings. We think that sewing is better; but it must ba done without plastering or giving a stiff appearance,

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| | 8 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER The present fashion of a bandeau has the adyan- tage of keeping the bonnet on the head, especially is this the case where yelvet is employed; indeed, a bit of black velvet put inside the top of a bonnet (tlie plush side to the head), will keep it on when nothittg else will. It is always advisable to bind the edge of a straw bonnet, if the fashion at all admits of it. The sharp edge of a straw is always unbecoming to the face. When the curtain is of straw, three and a half yards of ribbon will trim a bonnet well. An extra yard, at least, is required for a curtain, which must be cut bias. * QOne'string should always be about one-eighth of a yard longer than the other. Patterns for Cutting out Dresses, In eyery large town in the States, paper patterns are to be procured, by the aid of which dresses can be made in the newest styles; and when they can not be obtained direct, they can always be had by addressing any one of the establishments which deal in such matters in New York. Of all of them, Madame Demorest, whose system of cutting we have noticed with approbation, has the largest connection and the greatest means for affording a choice to her customers. French, German, and English patterns, with others, modified to suit the peculiarities of American toilet, can be obtained; and they form excellent guides in all branches of dress and cloak- making. Every pattern is made in thin paper, with a stout paper lining when necessary—as in a vorsage—and appropriately trimmed, so that you see at once how your garment should to be ornamented, Fringe, buttons, plaited ribbons, each finds its appro-

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WORK BOXES AND BASKETS. 59 priate fuc simile in paper. Bodices, long sleeves, short sleeves, jackv:ts, mantles, peignoirs,—all will be found at these stores, with plain paper patterns for cutting out by. We would recommend, however, a proper paper pattern to be taken: from the model according to the instructions we have given, using the paper pattern only as a guide in any peculiarity of cut, and for the trimming. We would also suggest, as a satisfactory way of insuring a preity sleeve, or a graecful set of a mantilla, to cut out a model in old lining calico, or any waste material, and try i on before touching the cloth of which it is to be made; it being far easier to remedy any little defect in the shape then than after- ward. Work Materials and Implements. A workwoman is not half prepared for her busi- ness who is not properly provided with tools. and materials, It is embarrassing to her to find herself without some essential but trifling article, at the mo- ment she requires it for service; and it frequently causes not only loss. of time, but serious damage to the garment on which she is employed. Let her, then, make a point of keeping her work-box or bas- ket always furnished with every thing really indispensa- ble; and this done, let her accustom herself to. pur- chase, with the dress materials, all the trimmings required, such as lining, braid, and the colored silk and cotton, if these be necessary. There is often a question as to whether a work-box or basket is preferable; we think it would be best answered,—as children would answer an inquiry con- cerning their choice between pie and cake,—both / The head of any family, even if it consists but of two

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60 DIME DRESS-MAKZR AAD MILLINER. or three persons, certainly requi:es a large, roomy, covered work-basket; and there are many things which can be kept more neatly and conveniently in a box. In this box, which always has suitable di- visions, we should keep— Two thimbles: one of steel, lined with silver; and one of ivory, for hot-weather wear. Two pairs of scissors: one small, with fine sharp points; and one medium-sized pair, with one round and one pointed end To these may be added a pair of button-hole scissors, and a pair of lace seissors, One steel stiletto, or piercer, with a handle of ivory or mother-of-pearl. : - A yard measure, such as dress-makers use, measur- ing sixty inches or so. Two bodkins, Sizes different. Silks. Black, white, and a few useful colors, The black should be fine, coarse, and medium. China silks. On small spools, for glove-mending. Sewing cotton. On spools 12, 16, 20, 24, 36, 50, and 70. W. Evans’ Boar’s Head crochet cotton are the generally useful sizes of the best cotton in the world. Needles. From five to ten, besides darners. Pins. Various sizes, Needle-pins. These are broken needles, or needles with defective eyes, on which heads of red wax are stuck. For rich silks and satins, for muslivs, and all kinds of fancy work, they are better than tne finest pins. Besides the above, rug, embroidery, crochet, knit- ting, and netting needles, a tatting shuttle, and other trifles for fancy work (if that happens to be a favorite employment), should be contained in the work-box; but the list we have given is strictly for plain work,

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_ CONTENTS OF THE WORK-BASKET, 61 The Work-BAsKET should hold— Hooks and eyes, black aud white, of various sizes, Battons, Various sizes; linen, pearl, and china. Tapes. Black and white, and at least three widths 0. the latter, Bobbin, or round tape; useful for children’s things, Cord, for piping ; black and white, of various sizes, Cottons, for machine work, Evans’ Boar’s Head Machine cotton. The most convenient way of keeping these various trifles is, to have a lining of silk round the interior of the basket, set round with a number of pockets, each drawing up, and capable of holding a small stock of these goods. A pair of large scissors, for cutting out, should also find a place in the work-basket. A large pincushion is indispensable. A common brick, covered with calico, having a bag of bran sewed on at the top, and the whole neatly covered with silk or damask, is the most convenient. It is heavy enough to hold the work pinned to it, yet not awkwardly ponderous. As, however, needles are apt to get lost when stuck in such a cushion, it will be better to have a small, separate one for them. The nicest is in the form of a miniature mattress, of layers of flannel, covered with silk. About five inches by three, and half an inch thick, is convenient. It is made exactly like a mattress, and answers both for pins and needles, We have spoken of Walter Evans & Co’s, Bour’s Head cotton. This is a very celebrated English manufacture, which, for its peculiar excellence, has been chosen as the standard material in all the books treating of ornamental work. Since the popularity of sewing-machines in America, the same firm manu-

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62 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. facture a spool cotton expressly for machines, which has had certificates of excellence from Douglass & Sherwood, tie celebrated skirt manufaetuvers; Wheeler & Wilson; Moody, the shirt-maker, and other leading firms, which all pronounce it te dest in the market, Every spool is marked with a boar’s head on the top. A most useful thing is a cutting-board which can be laid on the knees. It should be hollowed out so as partly to encircle the figure, by which means it will be found much more convenient than straight, for the arms lying over it will keep it steady. The material should be pine, or other soft wood. So much of the fatigue of cutting out arises from having to stand to do so, that we are sure this very simple contrivance will be hailed as a boon by many thousands, A piece of wax candle, for waxing thread, is often of service, The wax-headed needles of which we have spoken, should be used for all silk materials, in which even fine pins make holes that never quite disappear. The needles have the other advantage of being longer; and the red heads make them easily discernible. If every needle of which the eye is broken be kept for this purpose, a sufficient stock will generally be or hand; but the damaged needles are, also, we {elieve, to be purchased, being extensively used by gilders, and in other trades. Purchase of Materials.—Silks. In proportion to the costliness of a purehase is the importance of exercising judgment and knowledge in making it; and silks being not only the most expen- sive of dry-goods, but those in which second and third

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HOW TO TELL GOOD &ILK. 683 rate qualities are most readily palmed off on unwary customers, we will give particular attention to the discussion of their varieties and qualities. It must be borne in mind that in silk, as in every otaer material, there are various degrees of excellence, When the raw silk is prepared for manufacture, the finest and most glossy is selected for making the best silks; the second quality makes an inferior silk, and the sweepings of the room—so to speak—the refuse, makes a third. We all know that in flour, and many other articles, these different qualities exist; but we do not remember, or perhaps even know it, when we are purchasing silks, although the wear and the appearance are equally affected by it. The few points to observe in silks are gloss, soft- ness, and weight. The last is the one too frequently considered to the exclusion of the others. “Such a heavy silk! as thick as a board!” are the eulogies frequently heard on a material which will probably cut in every gather before it has been worn a dozen times. In choosing silk, examine the raw end of the piece. A silk of the first quality will be equally glossy in the web and the woof; that’ is, the threads that run across and in the length. The last is here frequently called the ehain. Frequently the chain is of first- quality silk, and the cross threads of an inferior description, and thick,-so as to give the appearance of a rich quality, in which case, either the price of first-class goods is demanded, or it is made a merit that a low price is asked. In silk, especially, the best article is the cheapest, since this material is less liable to get out of fashion than almost any other; and it is susceptible of dyeing to advantage... The class of silks which it is least

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64 DIMD DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. advantageous to buy of first-rate quality are those with eccentric designs, the fashion of which is likely to pass away speedily, while on them their present beauty depends. In purchasing them, perhaps, a dress at $1 or $1.25, would be more really economical than a better at two dollars. It would last the season out equally well, and then could be converted into trim- mings or linings with good effect, with or without dyeing. Each class and quality of silk is known by a differ- ent name; and although it is too much the custom of French manufacturers and American clerks to bestow fancy names (noms de circonstance) on any novel fabric or style, there are certain ternas, univer- sally known in the trade, with which every purchaser should be familiar. We therefore give them, in con- secutive order, according to the qualities of the silks, indicated as they are by the weight. Gros de Naples.—English. Gros d@’ Afrique.—(Corded.) French. Colored, Gros @ Htalie, or Jtalienne.—(Corded.) French. Colored. Gros Grains.—(Fine cord.) French. Black and colored. Gros @’ Leosse-—( Heavy cord,) French, Black and colored. Gros d’ Orleans.—Mourning. (Heavy cord.) French. Black and colored. Armure.—Mourning. A silk woven so that there is a small pattern produced, the lines running across the fabric being, as it were, broken. Armazine.—Mourning. <A variety of the above. Barathea.—Mourning. <A very rich dull-looking silk, Radz-de-mer.—Mourning. A silk rarely found in this country. COLORED PLAIN. SILKS, Marcelline, or Sarsenet.—Very thin; used principally for linings. Poult de Soie. Taffeta. Glace.—Lustrous silk, principally used by milliners, Ducape.—Heavy, rich, with a dull finish. Chine.—Has the design printed on the silk. -

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VARIETIES OF SILKS, FIGURED AND EMBROIDERED SILKS, Reps.—A heavy corded silk. Droquet.—The figure, generally a small one, is praduced by the chain; and either the back of the silk looks perfectly plain, or both sides are alike. Sauce.—In this style, warp, and woof being both of one color, different colored threads are added in the warp, pros ducing a figure on the righé side, and being seen also on the wrong. When the threads are not woven in between the patterns, but cut away, the flowers are apt to fray out. Broche.—(Brocaded). The figure is produced by the chain, more being cut on the wrong side than is seen on the right. There is, in fact, a. double chain, and the flowers can not wear out. Damask.—These silks are so woven that a perfect but dif- ferent design appears on‘each side. . Say. leayes in green on a black ground on the right side, black leaves on green ground appear on the other. Necessarily, it is very thick and heavy, and proportionately expensive. ¢: Taffetas changeantes.— Changeable or shot silks), have the warp of one color, and the woof of another, Black, white, or gold color is the favorite for the woof; black being com- bined with dark hues, white or gold with delieate colors. Oxsserye, the light combinations of these silks look better than almost any others by gaslight. Bayadere.—liave stripes running across the fabric. Stripes.—These stripes are always supposed to be in the length of the material, .—Design in squares (large or small) of two colors. Piaidas- Whep the design is in squares, formed by several eolors. Pompadour.—Detached bouquets in natural colors on a. solid ground. Jardiniere.—Floral designs in wreaths and bouquets; not detached. ROBES; ROBES A DISPOSITION. This term implies that the material is not sold by the yard, but by the dress; and so designed that % must be made after a certain style. Robe a quille-—Ornamented stripes at the sides. Robe a lez.—So woven that each breadth of the skirt has a partect design produced in itself, while also the whole biend nto one design when made up, Robe a Nem gr desig on the front of the skirt only, im pyramid form,

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66 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER, Robe a Marie Antoinette —Several narrow flounces on the underskirt, and a border to the upper one, forming a deep flounce above. ; Stobe a tunique—Double skirt, the upper one opening in ront, Robe a volants—Flounced dress, a deux, a trois (two flounces, three flounces), ete., according to the number. Moire.—W atered. A proper moire silk has the watered attern én stripes, not extending across the entire breadth, t is commonly but erroneously called watered silk. Moire antique—Has the design across the entire breadth, The silk is generally wide. Foulard.—W ashing silk, fit for wrappers and morning- dresses. Oxnserve.—Almost all these robes have suitable trimming for the bodies or corsages forming a part of them. Also note that the terms by which the dif- ferent’ styles are known, apply equally to other ma- terials, as well as silks, We have spoken of the different qualities of silks; but the material is greatly adulterated by a mixture of cotton or linen. Often what looks like satin stripes are merely faced with silk, which, of course, soon wears off and leaves the dress shabby. It is desirable, therefore, to unravel a little bit, and so ascertain whether the warp is of silk or not. Note to purchasers of plaids and wide bayaderes, Examine the goods well to see whether they are woven with tolerable regularity, and are likely to match, at the seams, without mueh waste. Many of the goods sent here (especially bargains /) are so defective they ean not be made to match by any process; and, of course, the dress never looks well whem made up. In concluding these observations on silks, we have not, of course, attempted to give the thousand-and-one terms and varieties which the caprices of fashion have brought out: as, for instance, this season, Gros de Moscow, and Gros Muscovite ; which, if they are not

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VARIETIES OF VELVETS. 67 actual ordinary reps, so closely resemble it as to be hardly distinguishable from it. But we have given all the regular trade articles and names. So, in noticing the colors we speak of armure and barathea as mourning silks, It is true that one year in ten, perhaps, they will be made in colors also; but this is the exception, not the rule, «= VELVET. This beautiful material is good in proportion to the fineness and closeness of the pile, and the quality of the silk employed. The pile is made by weaving over very fine brass wires, having grooves along the center, through which a very sharp knife is run to cut the strands of silk. Uncut, terry, or royal velyet (for the material is known by all these names) is made in the same way, but the wires are drawn out, with- out cutting. Common velvets have frequently cotton backs, which makes them, of course, a great deal cheaper than those that are entirely of silk; and there is also an article composed wholly of cotton. UNCUT VELVET, OR TERRY. Has the pile in loops instead of being cut. _ It, also, is frequently made with a mixture of cotton, much to the detriment of its appearance. Many of the rich silk dresses with velvet designs woven in them, have the flowers and leaves partly in cut, and partly in uncut velvet, the effects of light and shade being thus better produced. The weaving of these robes must be considered as a perfect triumph of art. -

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68 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER, FRENCH MERINO, This favorite material is composed wholly of wool ; and it is twilled on both sides alike. Hence it will turn well, and can also be dyed over again, when the original color is faded. A good merino feels thick and close in the fingers. It is a good plan to hold it wp before a strong light, to see if there be any inequalities in the weaving. The best merinos are usually the widest also; so that there is not so much actual difference as would appear in the price. CASHMERE. Looks like fine merino; but it is thinner, and twill- ed on one side only, so that it will not turn. It is, however, very soft and delicate. GRENADINE Ts in silk, what book-muslin is in cotton, woven with wire-like threads, of exquisite fineness, Gener- ally there are silk stripes or bars in it: and the heavier these are, the more costly. ; In this material, as in bareges, balzarines, and or- gandies, cross-bars are more durable than those in which the stripes run all one way, especially when that way is across, when the material is sure to split between the thick lines. CHINTZ. We speak of chintz patterns on silk, organdy, and muslin goods, not always correctly. A full chints pattern has seven colors combined, but sometimes goods are so called which have not more than five. ; ;

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DICTIONARY. DIOTIONARY OF MILLINERY AND DRESS-MAKING. TECHNICALITIES, Agréments. Trimmings, A lV’ Amazone. In the style of forming the design, the edges being fastened down, an equestrian costume, or a| Basque. Term generally em- riding jacket. AlVenfant. A_fuall body, low, and gathered into a bunch across the bust, and at the waist. What is commonly closely. A la vierge. A style of low fitting over tight under cor- sage: the front is set in large plaits, setting out, open at the top. A /a vieille. Plaited trimming, the plaits set in. opposite directions at the two edges, Accitsé. Forward. La passe tres aecusée, The front (of a bon- _net) coming very forward, Allongé. W“engthened ont. A pois. Design in round spots, ike peas. A petits semés. Small designs, “as flowers or set patterns, dotted over the ground ofa +7 at ar gts oy . ique. piece of another color or material put on, and ployed to signify a jacket, separate from the skirt. Pro- perly it means that part Which comes below the line~ of the waist. Basque postillon. A body which has the basque part only at the back, gradually tapering offto the arm-seams, and generally full and set in Nlaits behind, is termed a asqgue postilion. Basquine. A jacket with avery long skirt, coming at least half way over that of the dress. Bordé a cheval. A trimming which forms an actual edge to any thing, appearing both on fhe right and wrong side is said tobe bordé @ cheva —that is, asa saddle is, put on a horse, to come down on each side, Brides. The strings ofa bonnet. Barbes. The face trimmings of a bonnet. Cambré. Breanna, Flowing. Chicorée. A pinked ruche, the edges of which have threads drawn out Lo look gw aaae ve. n like ee Divided Ont.

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70 Colonne. A column or pyramid. Colimagon. Curled up. In snail form. Coulisse. A running, or gau- ging. Coiffe. Any thing which fits the head, and surrounds the face becomingly. Ce chapeau vous coiffe a ravit, that bor net fits and suits you admir- ably. Creusé, Hollowed out. Chignon. ._ Hair twisted on the nape of the neck. Ceur. Center. Eye of a flower. Heart. Croiaure. Damier. In blocks of two col- ors, like a chess-board. Deluxe. Of luxury. Articles more ornamental than useful. Dent. A sharp-pointed scallop. reac: To mark the out- ne. Dessiner la taille. Marking the outline of the waist. Dominant. Leading—[le style dominant, the leading style}. Dun seul tenant. All in a sin- gle piece, Disposition. Arrangement. Draperies. Piece put on full, and gathered at the ends. Ecossais. Tartan. Plaid pat- tern. En ceur. Open in the form of a heart, of the corsage of a dress. En V. Open in the form of a a letter V—applying to the front of a corsage. Pn biais. Bias. Crossways. Encadrer. To surround. Fn- cadre de dentelle, trimmed all round with lace. Usually applied to buttons, and such things. Entrelacé. Intertwined. Plait- ed together. En droit fl. The straight way of the material. Literally by the straight thread. Zn eventail. In the form of a fan. — At regular distances m each other DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER. Evasé, Open. Hollow. Speak- ing of the form of a bonnet— it means, open and standing out at the sides. En rapport. In harmony with. Felatant. Showy. Htroit. Narrow. Boourhfé. Of the hair. In dis- order. ; Ebouriffante( Totzette).A showy, glaring, but untidy style of dress. Echancré. Hollowed out. Slo- ped out. En tablier. Tn the shape of an apron. Increasing in width from the waist to the bottom of the skirt. Fagonné. Ornamented. Elab- orate. Fagon. Style of making. Fente, A slash. Feston, Festonné. Button-hole stitch. Bord Jestonné. Edge worked in overcast stitch, Fournt. Trimmed. Furnished. Frimaté. Spangled over with dew-drops; or frosted, Frisé. Curled. Frisette. A cluster of curls. Fronce. <A frill. Froncé. ¥rilled; gathered or whipped and set on as a frill. Galerie—a galerie. Set on in rows, or stages, with inter- vals between, Goufré. Goffered. Godet, A plait, larger at the top than the bottom, and open at the former. The plaits of a corsage a la vierge are called godets. Habillé. Full dress, Jockey. Trimming on the up- per part of a sleeve—heie called the cap. Lache, Loose. Lamé. Woven with gold, or silver, or tinsel. Large. Wide. Breadth of a dress, Die ped. Mat, Piain—not bright, Op Mat, Dead gold. Mouchaté. Spotted, -

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ae —Se DICTIONARY. Seartn To slope away gradu- a Nous Abow. A knot. Naud papillon, <A double bow, plaited in the center to re- semble butterflies’ wings. Neud a cheval. A bow set on the top of a bonnet, so tliat it falls equally on each side— saddle-like. Ouvert en siflet. Cut open in a very deep, sharp point. Ouvrage. Much worked or or- namented, Ombré. Shaded. Pagode. Pagoda form. In- creasing toward the bottom. Ryne, Streaked. Variega- ted. Paré. Ornamented. Full dress. Parement. Ornament the bot- tom. Pun. Lappet. Fatte. Piece Fes on—gener- ally small an pointed, like a paw. Petit. Narrow. Picot. Asmall tuft or purling at the edge of lace. Piqures. Small eyelets, sewed oyer, or spots. Pompadour—in colors. Mix- ture of a light blue and pink. Plisses en gerbe. Folds spread- ing out and increasing in width, like a sheaf of wheat. Préjuge vaincu. Mixture of green and blne—(literally, prejudice conquered.] Quadrille, Marked in squares, Quilted. Rang. Arow. Rangée. Ina row. Raye. Shaded in different col- ors. Resonant, Showy and pecu- liar. (Literally, loud.) Relevé. Raised. Turned back, (Cheveux relevés a Uv Impére- trice. Hair turned back a ee Revers. Turned back, The fa- cing of a dress, or a cuff turned back over the gleev Revers Molizre. A deep, tury, back cuff, pointed and wide; and cut open at the outer edge. Rembourré. Stuffed. Rosette. Rosette. Rosace. Rosette. Satine. With a smooth sur- face, like satin. Of satin. Saillant. Coming ont sudden- ly. Projecting, Semé. Dotted over. (Literally, sown, like seed in the ground.) Tout. Very. (Tout petit, very small.) Tresse. A tress, A plait. Taillardé. Slashed. Cut open. Touffu. Set on in a ‘tuft, or bunch. Tuyanté. Goffered. Crimped. Toilette ad Intérieur. Home dress, a ToHlette demi parée. Dinner dress. Dress suitable for or dinary friendly visiting. Toilette de promenade. Walk- ing dress. Toilette habillée, Full dress, Dress fit for balls. Toilette de mariée. Bridal dress, Toilette de jeune fille. Dress suitable only for a young girl. Toilette négligée. Dress suita- ble for morning, at home on- ly—generally dressing-gown, and always with a cap, Voyant. Showy. Zéro. Nothing. hy

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. ——— I 72 DIME DRESS-MAKER AND MILLINER TECHNICAL TERMS IN DRESS-MAKING AND MILLINERY, Ourlet, Hem, Plis. Folds, Fronce, Frill. Fraise. Ruffle, ruff. Volant. Flounce, Doublure. Lining. Doudlé, Lined. Taille. The waist. Corsage. Body, generally call ed waist, in America. dupe. Skirt. Manche. Sleeve. dockey. Cap. Upper part of the sleeve. Manchette... Cuff. Collet. Collar, cape. Poignet. Wrist. Saignée. The inner side of the bend of the elbow, Literally, where pegels are bled. Ceinture, aistband, sash, Cordelidre. Girdle: Berthe, Bertha. Brelelles, Braces, suspenders, trimmings crossing over the snoulders, from the back to the front of the waist. Tunique. Tunic; skirt open in frent. Encolure. The part covering the neck and shoulders. Entournure. The slope, the Lisiére. Binding. A Lisiére. Bound, edged. Bouffant. A large puffing. anches bouffantes ; short sleeves formed of a single puffing. Bouilion. Small puffing ; often with colored ribbon ran un- derneath. Bouillonné, In small puffings. Ruche. Ribbon, Jace, &e., plaited full in the center, Decoupé. Pinked. Montanie, (robe). High dress. Dézolleté, (robe). Low dress. Mandarw. Hanging sleeves, large and flowing. Pagode. Gradually increased from the shoulder: not very large. A:la reine Marie. In pufiings from the shoulder to the wrist, with bands between: Cleche. Bell-shaped. Sultana. Somewhat like a mandarin, but cut square-at the bottom, and open to the shoulders. Gigot.. Gigot. Theshape ofa leg of mutton, full from the shoulder, and becoming tight below the elbow. Duchesse. A full sleeve, set into a band at the wrist. Fichu. Handkerchief, or smal] »inted cape, not coming Be- lon the waist Canezou. Cape with long ends, worn outside the dress. Pélerine. <A larger sort of cape, with or without ends. Chapeau. Bonnet. Capote. A drawn bonnet, tte, Head-piece, é. Front. Fond, Crown, 2 ey Be

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TERMS IN DRESS-MAKING, Traverse. Cross-piece. Bavolet. Curtain. (American, cape.) Choux, A tuftof bows of rib- bon, Ftosace. Rosette. Toure. A tuft of flowers. ee ay Stritrgs of a bonnet. Rarbes. Cap, face-trimmings, tabs, of a bonnet. Plisse. Fotd. Dessous, Inside of a bonnet, nnder part. Dessus. Ontside of a bonnet, upper purt. Coquille. In the form of a shell. ttu. Falling back. tte. A square piece put on. Literaliy, a paw. Natte. Piait. Torsade. A twisted or plaited ornament, The plait now worn round the head. Guirlande. Garlands. Cordon. Drooping ornament. Cord. Bandeau. A band—especially across the forehead, inside a bonnet. Cachepeigne. Head-dress cov- ering the comb and back hair, and falling on the neck, Lit- erally, comb-concealer, Tuyau. Reseau. Net-work. Resille. A hair net. Chute. Any thing falling care- lessly, such as spieye or rib- bons at the back of a head- dress. Coiffure. Head-dress. Also ap- pliedto those lace or other ornaments which cover the head-piece of a bonnet. Confections, Manties cloaks. Maison de Confections. Mantil- la Warehouse. Coin du feu. Aloose jacket to be worn over any dress, 48 an occasional in-door wrap: Made very loose and and open er. ltt e in the-arm-holes. nara ie eae oe that of the Zouaves, on the fronts, back, and sleeves. Capuchon, Hood, Manteiet écharpé, Mantle, short over the back, and with long ends, like those of a scarf, Menteau Henri 1. A short graceful mantle, worn in the time of Henry IIL. of France. Manteau. A cloak, rather im- plying simplicity of style, . Mantel. A mantle, moré complicated in form, and perhaps More ornamented, Basquine. A basque or jacket, with a very lony skirt. Casague. <A loose coat, button- ed over the chest, defining, without fitting, the person. Redingote. A pelisse. An out-door garment with close body and full skirt. Plat. Fiat, plain. Willet. Kyelet-hole. Agrafe. Wook, buckle. Bouton. Patton. Fyité. Fringe. Krange. Bullion fringe, twisted in cords. Galion. Flat silk braid; gold or silver lace. Gland. Tassel. Boucle. Buckle, slide. Bouclette, Small buckle. Ganse. Cord, Grelot. Acorn-shaped ‘drop ornament. Lacet. Braid. Soutache. Braid. Braided. Olive. Small drop ornaments, Pendalogues. Long drop orna- ments. Passementeries. Literally, lace work ; but it is applied to or- naments formed of woven silk, or silk cord; now often mingled with jets. Jais. Jet. Email. Enamel. Perles. Pearls, beads: when used without any addition it means the former. For the a selise, the kind of ead is genetaily meutivned ; |

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14 Perles. Charlottes. Or simply charloties, seed beads. LACES AND EMBROIDE- RIES. Lingerie. _Under-linen, Also _ such articles of muslin and lace work as are seen when the wearer is dressed. Plastron. Habit-shirt, with collar. Guimpe. Chemisette. du @ plis Suisse. With fine narrow tucks. Jabot. A frill down the front of the dress. Entredeux. Insertion. Liter- ally, between two. Broderie Anglaise. Embroi- dery with the design cut out and sewed over. English embroidery. Broderie Francaise. With satin stitch and fine fancy open stitches. French embroidery. Broderie Suisse. Muslin on net. Plumetis. Satin stitch. feston. Button-hole stitch. Ajours. With open stitches. Guipure. Where the ground is of bars of thread, or button- holed, and the muslin cnt away. Point de chainette. Chain stitch. Tambour stitch. Dentelle. Lace. Guipure de Venise. Venice lace, thick and heavy, worn, by etiquette, in wintereonly. Yislonclewned. Valenciennes, Suitable for trimming under- linen, or for morning-dress. Dentelle de Flandres. Flanders lace, always worn in négligé. ‘alines. echlin lace. It is thought snitable for the sum- mer. Foint d’ Angleterre. The point most commonly known in this countyy. Very fine and delicate, a cord appeet to be run in net, and the design with the needle. DIME DRESS-MAKER AND. MILLINER. Point & Vaiguille. In this the richest designs haye a hand- wrought ground. Conse. quently very costly. Combination Point. These two united; the parts most seem being @ Paiguille, the rest point d’ Angleterre. Spanish Rose Point. Very thick and heavy; entirely band- wrought, and appropriate ex," for very full dress. Most- ly the production of the early ages. COLORS, Couleurs tranchantes, Bright decided colors, contrasting strangely with each other, Couleurs écrues. Soft, neutral, Quaker colors, Foncé. Deep, dark. Claire. Light, pale. YELLOW. Paille. Straw-color. Mais. Maize, corn-color, Bouton d’or, Golden yellow, Orange. Orange. Abricot. Apricot. Jaune. Yellow. Beurre frais. Pale yellow, Literally, fresh butter-color, BLUE. Bleu, Blue. Bleu ciel. Sky-blue. Bleu impérial. Imperial blue A somewhat deep blue. Marie Louise, Marie Louise. Bleu saphir. Sapphire blaa The color of a sapphire, Bleu vert Green biue. Inde plate. A blue peculiar te Chinese and Indian dyes. PURPLE. Lilas. Lilac. Violet. Violet. Marguerite or Marguert Apes. Reddish Bb Pourpre, Purple,

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COLORS.—FLOWERS. Mauve. A warm shade of lilac. Mauve. Pensée des Alpes. Bluish pur- ple. Heart’s-ease hue, GREZN. Vert. Green. Pomone. Pomona. Apple green. Myrte. Myrtle green. Vert islay. A soft green tinged with blue. Emeraud. Emerald green, Vert bouteille. Bottle-green. Vertd’eau. Sca-green. GRAY. Gris fer, Iron gray. Faon. Fawn. Tourterelle. Gris. Gray. Gris poussiére. Brownish gray. Dust color. Gris. perle. Pearl gray. Gris Russe, (new). A sort of slate color. Grisaille, (new), A light gray. RED. Color of a hot- Dove color. Rose chéne. house rose. Rouge. Red. Vermeil. Vermilion. Cerise. Cherry; a bright pink- ish red. Rose, Pink; rosecolor. Rose de Chine. A pale pink, with a yellowish cast. Rose » rose. Decided pink; deep pink. Solferino, (new). Pink, witha tinge of lilac. Fearlate. Scarlet. Magenta, (new). Somewhat like Solferino, but deeper. Ponceau. Ponceau, Cramoisi. Crimson. Rubis. er Groseille. deep, rich crim- son. Literally, gooseberry. Groseille des Alpes, A shade of deep ees red. enat. Garnet-colored. — de péche, Peach blos- — Aurore. Aurora; the isme-like pink seen at sunrise. Faux rouge. A peculiar red— sometimes an Indian dye. BROWN. Brun. Brown. Chooolat. Chocolate, Havane, (new). Havana; a gray shade of chocolate. Marron. Maroon. Also chest- nut-color. Isabean. A light brown—some- what dingy. Hair brown. Citron. Citron-color, Solitaire. A peculiar brown— between chocolate and chest- nut. Café au lait. Pale coffee color. FLOWERS, ETC., MOST COMMONLY USED IN MILLINERY, Lierre. Ivy. Verveine. Vervain, Myosotis. Myosotis. Paquerette. Michaelmas daisy. Cillets, Pinks. Muguets. Lilies of the valley Brins dherbes. Blades of grass. Coquelicot. Poppies. Epis. Wheat-ears. Avoine. Ears of barley. Chrysanthémes. Chrysanthe mums. Bluets. Corn flowers, Pensées, Heart's-ease, Ibiscus. Ibiscus, Clochettes. Harebells, Giroflée. Gillyflowers, Laurier rose. Oleander. Réséda. Mignonnette. Héliotrope. Heliotrope Narcisse. Narcissus. Jasmine. Jessamine. Fougére. Fern. Marguerite. Daisy. Aubépine, Hawthorn, Clématite.. Clematis, mh ote Daphne. Daphne. Azalée. eas. Iris. Iris. Boules de neige. Guelder rosea,

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76 DIME DRESSMAKER AND MILLINER. Corbeille de Mariage. Our readers are aware that the French, the most artistic of dressers, think more of their shoes and gloves than of any other part of their toilet. We ap- pend a list of what is considered a complete outfit in the way of shoes and boots, premising that the popu- lar prejudice in favor of Paris-made goods is well- founded, from the superior excellence both of materi- al and workmanship. The French patent-leather, for instance, is prepared differently to either the German or the English, and it never cracks. The same su- periority exists in every other material, and the form is inimitable. The following would be contained in the most ordinary corbeille de mariage : Mules.—Slippers without heels, fit only for the bed- room. Pantoufles—Slippers suitable for breakfast wear. Douillet.—Quilted shoes. Souliers a Cordon.—Eevening slippers with strings. Souliers Louis XV.—Slippers with high heels—full aress. Souliers de Bapteme—Getting-up shoes, gencrally very ornamental. Souliers hauts Anglais.—Shoes coming up the ankle and tying—walking shoes. Bottines toute etoffe.—To lace—all cloth or prunella, Bottines toute etoffe—To button—all cloth or pru- nella. Bottines tout claquer—To button—foxed all round, Bottines touts bouts.—To lace—tipped. Bottines touts. bouts.—Elastic sides. Bottines tout gros liege.—Thick, with cork soles. Bottines Buridan.—Velyet boots quilted, trimmed with sable,

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BRIDE'S OUTFIT. 7? Bottines Venitiennes.—Velvet boots lined with flan- nel, turning over at the ankles. We are indebted to Mrs. Hill, No. 571 Broadway, the authority on the subject of shoes, for this curious list. The corbdeille, as our readers may remember, is that part of the bride’s outfit, which is the bride- groom’s gift, including, almost always, a Cashmere shawl, jewels, &.

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BEADLE’S DIME SERIES AMERICAN SCHOOL BOOKS. BEADLE AND Company have now on their lists the following highly desirable and attractive books, prepared expressly for schools, families; etc., viz. :— SPEAKERS. No. 1—American Speaker. « —National Speaker. « 3—Patriotic Speaker. « A—Comic Speaker. “« §—Elocutionist. * 6—Humorous Speaker. « "“—Standard Speaker. « §$—Stump Speaker. y « 29—Juvenile Speaker. These books are replete with choice pieces for the School-room, the Exhibition, for Homes, etc. They are drawn from FRESH sources, and contain some of the choicest oratory of the times. DIALOGUES. Dialogues Number One. Dialogues Number Two. Dialogues Number Three. Dialogues Number Four. Dialogues Number Five. Dialogues Number Six. Dialogues Number Seven. These volumes have been prepared with especial reference to their availability in all schoel-rooms, They are adapted to schools with or without the furniture of A stage, and introduce a range of characters suited to scholars of every grade, both male andfemale, It is fair to assume that no volumes yet offered to schools, at any price, contain so many absolutely avai/adle and useful dialogues and minor dramas, serious and comic. Dime School Melodist, (Music and Words.) This is adapted to schools of all grades and scholars of all ages, It contains the music and words of a great many popular and beautiful melodies, with a prelimi- nary chapter on musical instruction especially adapted to children, The Meropisr will be found very desirable and available, For sale by all Newsdealers and Booksellers; or will be sent singly or in pack- ‘ages by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price—Tzn Cents each, BEADLE AND COMPANY, Publishers, 98 William Street, New York.

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BEADLE’s DIME An hour at C. Park, Be kind to sister Nell Before | was married, Bring mea uet, Can there yar ! Come, sit beside me, Come from afar, Dark-eyed one, Don’t marry ainan ff, Evening, Evening boat song, A fatr form, “ As You Like It,” Beautiful form of my, Beneath she old oak, Besste Barker, Bother the flies, Brother Will, Champagne Chariie, Come home, mother, Come to my spirit, Croquet, Darling Jeannie, A bachelor ne more, Baby's gone to eleep, Columbia's cat Crowding awfully, Eventide, (morning, Five o'clock in the For thee, and only Fulloffan, —[thee, Gay and festive fel- Hallie'Lee, _—_[low, Home again return’g, I ask no more, A country life for me, Adolphus _Morning- Alabaster Joe,[glory Aa through the park Beautiful Nell, [o, Cease your fanning, Cherry Ripe, Day by day, Don't borrow trouble, Everybody’s friend, Flow thou regal, Grumble, growl. A amile was all, A tragical tail A very bad cold: A warn'g to pariente, Anyhow, Beur it like a man, Bessie Jayne, Bonnie Marguerita, Come back, Cupid and Mammon, Dad's a millionatre, Dickens is the man. A father's love, Are you angry, Beautiful bella, Cuptain Jinks, Chickabiddy, Come and take drink, Dandy barber Joe, De ye mind auld past Don't put your foot, Gentle morn, Git alang home, Going it blind, GAY AND MAPPY SONGSTER—No, 18, Faithless Nellie, Mother is go’g home.) Solon Shingle, Father, drink not, My bonnie boat, Father’s come, My trundle bed, Sooner or later, He vowed he never, | Oh, would Iwere a fly| Song of a bachelor, Hearts and homes, |Only waiting, Song of conundrums, I’m thinking, John, | Our country girls, Strictly confidential Janet's bridal, Please, father, don’t, “The boys that,” Kiss me while I’m, | See, the conquering, | “ The Finnigins,”’ | Loved ones at home, | Shylie Bawn, The little blue-eyed Merry marringe bells) Sleep, my dear one, |The lost one, [boy, Mill May, ‘Sluinber, my darling, The patter ofthe ralu CROQUET SONGSTER—No, 19. Daughter, Iwill drink; I’m waiting, Dear father, come, Independent girl, | Della Snow, Isn’t it provoking, | Do not heed her, Jennie June, Down at the gate, Jenny c’ the mill, Far trom home, Jenny who lives in, Good-by, sweetheart, Jessie, the belle, I come, my child, Little Lizzie Lee, The bonnie cottage, I loved him at first, | Marguerite, The brook, I'll meet thee, My blue-eyed Jennie! The cot in the corner, I'll never forget thee,) Nothing else todo, |The cuckoo’s notes, In a twin, | My thoughts, \ THE STYLE SONGSTER—No. 20. Tdon’t care if [do, , Lottie’s cll the world! Paddy Blake's echo, | { long hae jo’ed thee, Mabel, [to me,} Passing my door, If you love me sny so, Magyle’s secret, Pining for the old In a horn, [west, Mr. Lordly and I, fireside, In the valley of the Murther complate, | Pretty little Sarah, James and Alfred, My home on the hill,| Quarter to.one, Jersey blue, New hearts and faces,| Sally Aun’s away, Kathleen Aroon, Niagara falls, | She can win and fool Lashed to the mast, | Nora of Cahirciveen,| Sour grapes, [song, Linden bowers,[tears Now 1 !ay me down,| The firemn’s marching Linked with many Oh, Louie is my fuir,) The golden shore, Little Fanchon, | GRECIAN BEND SONGSTER—No. 21. Charm’g gay quadrn The flying trapeze, The German band, 1 The gipsy band, Oh, give me back, Over the sea, Over the snow, Over the wall, Sing to me softly, Susan's story, The birth of Erin, | } : ‘ } He’s apal.o’ mine, | My spouse Nancy, IT ain’t a-going to tell, My sweetheart, | Not for Joseph—2, | Personals iw Herald, She is fooling thee, | The Grecian bend, She lives with -her) Grecian bend—No, 2 Ship ahoy, [granny.) The kiss, Love, [his mother, Sing to me, mother, }'The little brown jug, |My Adelaide, , | Stumptown, The widow, My old wife, The big suuflower, | T’ildn Toots, | /I’llask my mother, | I'm ninety-five, I'in 60 fond of dane’g, | I’ve got a new beau, Let me spank him for My own Eileen Bawn Bridge o’er the river,| Tell ine, Mary, FIFTH AVENUE SONGSTER—No., 22. Don't stay lata to-] New v'n T’y Dodd, | The bird-whistle man Fifth avenue, {night,| Bar’y Lwill let you in! Foola not all dead yet George Erastus, Maggie when the sun! The Grecian bendy Gird on! Out ofthe tavern, | The lass, [door, Hats, Room for one more, | Latch string at the If papa were only, | Sara-neighed, Kathleen O’More, Sergeant Cop, I Katrina’s story, She’s a gal o’ mine, |The organ-grinder, Little Barefoot, Tapping at the gate, | The photograph, Mary of Fermoy, Lovely Gree’n bend, | Shamrock of Ireland, * panama The bachelor’s woes,| ‘The upper ten, VELOCIPEDE BELLE SONGSTER—No, 28. The old church choir, Some one is waiting, | The little boot-black,| Good-night, No, I thank you, sir, SONG BOOKS. The wandering boy, There's only room for Times have changed, Told tn the twilight, ) Trip lightly, © Wait, my little one, We'll go with Grant, Will you fove me! Yankee wonders, | Yohn Schmidt, | Your mission, | The Duteh se The girls of Nv E The good-by, * The garden wall, The old family elo The sailor's wife There's no time Ike | Watching at window When lovers say, Why was I looking, | You naughty girls The land of St, Pat | The merriest gir] ow The willow sprin, They tell me thou at Touch not the fair cn Onder the snow, We'll have to ge Whatcare I, [sty Wh’ tanaid the angels? | When my ship conies When Evening Star, Terry O’Roon. Three to one,bar 0 To-morrow, [stat Walting fur a B’ Walking In the fein, © Wapping old stuin, Well mated, Westward ho, What shall my seme When we were yirls Where the bee sucks The whistling thle | Tommy Dodd, Two heads, Walk, walk, walk | Walk’y down Bow 4 What Norah said When grandms Why not? (wot, Winking at me, Woman ja goiny to | ¥’heave bo! {wote, The belle 14th atreet,)The thorn, The bell goes ringing, |The velocipede Bera, The child and but'fly |The velocipede belle, The curl¥ bow-wow, |The wickedest nian, Han’s Breitmann’s, | Ob, kiss me again, Have yon seen Ruth,) Pretty Jemima, I cant beat him at that) Racketty Jack, I really shall expire,| Shall I get married, I wouldn’t if ¢ could,| Shan’t I be glad, I'll meet my love, Single gentlemen, It is not #0, The age of Indian, My bosom friend, The artful sparrow, My love Nell, The bashful girl, My aweet girl, The bashful man, Mynheor Vandunck, | The fellar that looks, The frost upon pane, The galloping snob, The nobbiest one, The march wind, The merry old maid, The minstrel, Sold by all Newsdealers; or sent, Post-rarn, to any address, on receipt of price, by |The yaller gal, Two in the morning, Up in a balloon Velocipediana, We'll march round, When I bade goot-y When Sammy somes