1917—American Dressmaking Step by Step
by Mme. Lydia Trattles Coates

Chapter 5—Cutting

You may select a lesson from this chapter Lesson 34—Laying the Pattern on the Material for Cutting Lesson 35—General Instructions for Cutting

Lesson 34—Laying the Pattern on the Material for Cutting

1. Patterns of garments without a shoulder seam, especially nightgowns, on account of the length, sometimes come in two pieces, and the pattern must be joined at the shoulder before laying it on the material. Sew or pin the pattern together, matching the shoulder marks or perforations.
2. Fold the material correctly and economically as directed in Lesson 3.
3. Place the pattern on the material, pinning either the fold or the grain line of the pattern (whichever appears on that portion of it) to the material. The fold line is pinned to the fold of the material, or the grain line laid on a straight warp thread of the material.
4. Then smooth the pattern in all directions and pin the edges. If the grain line has been laid on the perfect straight of the material, the grain line perforations of the pattern will measure an equal distance from the selvedge.
5. Put in the tailors' tacks. Mark the large perforations with one color of thread, the small ones with another, and the slots with a third color.

To Make Tailors' Tacks (Illustration V-1)

1. Thread a needle with a double thread, but do not knot it.
2. Take a straight stitch through a perforation and both thicknesses of the material.
3. Draw the thread through, leaving an end at least 1 inch long.
4. Place the needle again through the same perforation in the same manner as in Step B.
5. Draw the thread through, leaving a 1-inch loop. Cut the thread 1 inch from the loop.
6. Proceed to the next perforation in the same manner.
7. In sheer materials repeat this process, making two loops, as one loop does not always stay in.
8. Run a colored thread with basting-stitches down any fold marking a center line.

Lesson 35—General Instructions for Cutting

Attention to the following details will assist in learning to cut correctly.

1. Use a pair of large, sharp cutting shears. Keep the broad part of the shears flat on the table. Cut only with the center of the shears until at the end of the line or curve of the pattern. It is dull scissors, used at their points, which cause much of the haggled appearance in cutting.
2. Keep the material flat on the table.
3. Cut close to the edge of the pattern.
4. Cut each notch just enough so it can be distinguished, or mark the place of the notch with tailors' tacks.
5. Remove pins.
6. Before removing the pattern, pull the two thicknesses of material apart very gently, and clip the tailors' tacks.
7. Remove the pattern.

The garment is then ready to be constructed.