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Show Woman's World Gay Spring Coats for Children Are Easy to Make from Old Wool MOST mothers are acutely aware ' that their youngsters are grow- ! ing by leaps and bounds, and last spring's coats are woefully unpre- j pared to cope with this year's sizes. If the clothing budget doesn't per- ' mit buying material for new coats. I then mother had best look to her old i pieces of wool for available material. Grownups' clothing can easily be converted into something useful for ; i the youngsters, but this will take some care and attention. It's not merely a matter of cutting the coat down, but rather of ripping it apart completely, and oftentimes dyeing it Into an attractive color for the i youngster. Children are too young and gay by nature to be clothed in somber colored things, so try to make even renovated clothes attractive. A young mother I knew recently made use of her ex-navy husband's "blues" by converting them into spring coats for her two youngsters. On the little girl's coat she added a crisp touch with a white pique collar; and on the little boy's coat she sewed some miniature navy insignia in-signia on the sleeves. Both youngsters young-sters are delighted with these additions addi-tions to the wardrobe. This only goes to prove that even Sunbonnet Sue a navy blue shade can be lightened effectively with little crisp or bright touches which take only a few minutes min-utes to apply. If you have pastel coats of your own (or even suits) that have faded. This little lady is all ready for the sun and beach with this sun-suit sun-suit and bonnet outfit made at home. Gathering; in bloomer fullness is no problem if you use the gathering foot attachment for the sewing machine, according to directions by local sewing center experts. easier for yourself, and work quickly if you would avoid a trying time. Children's clothes are primarily simple, but they may contain one or two little details to make them look even more attractive. Straight-Line Coats Easiest to Adjust Coats which have simple straight lines those of a boxy style, for example are preferred by many mothers because they are easy to adjust from time to time for length. Children do not get broad as fast as they grow in height, so have plenty of hem to let down as time goes by. Double-breasted coats for both girls and boys are popular, too, because be-cause these follow simple, straight lines and look good on the youngsters. young-sters. Having no belt, there is no belt line to be a problem when I lengthening the coat. Tailoring is easy on these small clothes because there is not as much to do as on a lareer garment. Use old woolens for making . . . plan to dye them into bright colors which are particularly attractive on the younger set. Don't become" so beset with your cleaning and laundering problems that you shy away from gay, bright things for the children. We don't want the youngsters to look like miniature wise old owls even if we have a little more cleaning to do. Fitting- Is Important For Children I've emphasized this point before, but I'd like to mention it again. Never make things too large for the children, thinking they will grow into them. Little girls will look like dolls if they are dressed in short, perky dresses and coats, and little boys look all the more masculine if their clothes are of a proper length not an inch or two too long. Of course you may make large hems on coats and such so they will last longer, but the point is, don't make them long to begin with. If you do so. the child will dislike the garment so thoroughly by the time he really fits into it, that he will j I refuse to put it on unless there's a 1 major battle every time you insist : on his wearing the garment. Try to make fittings as brief as possible, as it becomes tiresome for the little folk to stand still for a lengthy period. Have all your equipment equip-ment handy, set the children on a stool or able to make the task I ' Be Smart! Spring coats for youngsters. j Use basting generously, particu- j larly when applying the sleeves to j the armholes and press and fit carefully care-fully after this is done to make certain the garment will give comfort. com-fort. The edges of the collar and lining may be taped. Interfacing helps in giving a tailored look if you have planned pointed lapels on the coat. Baste the canvas to the collar. Youngsters' coats do not have to be lined for warm weather wear but they do hang better when lined. If you do not line them, finish the I edges by binding them with match- ing tape rather than using the pinking pink-ing shears. Coats such as these re- ' ceive too much wear to withstand much tossing around unless finished properly. If you want to make a little prin- ! cess style coat for daughter, it will need a little more work and tailoring tailor-ing than the straight line models, j but the attractive garment will repay re-pay every care. Select a pattern and fit it carefully before cutting ! the woolen material. The linings of these coats should be sturdy as they will need to take a lot of wear. A closely woven cot- I ton and rayon fabric will give good' wearability, provided it is sewed and fitted carefully to the coat. All buttons should be sewed securely, se-curely, and buttonholes must be ' finished carefully so they will not fray after a few wearings. Wear the flowers and discard the hat, if that's your mood! The I flowers, colorful as life and twice as large, are anchored to a wisp or band of a brim that's the lovely head-dress fashion that is i becoming more and more lm- I portant. I |
