OCR Text |
Show Women's World Last Year's Slacks Offer Material for Gored Skirls 'TpAKE a good last look at last year's summer slacks when you trot them out with your summer wardrobe. If there's enough good material in them, they can easily be converted into a lovely skirt fitted fit-ted just for you. The twill, serge, linen or butcher linen out of which many warm weather slacks are made is nice material for sewing. The gored skirt which Is a simple basic style can easily be cut from the slacks and is simple to sew. Your most Important points to consider in making this type of skirt is smooth fitting for waist and hips. The waistband should be firm but not tight. If it is too loose, the skirt will constantly twist. When you make the placket for the skirt, take carel It should stay closed smoothly to give an unbroken hip line. It's another of the secrets of success in making a skirt. Zippers Zip-pers now are available, and it is easy to make a skirt with one fitted in. Or, your slacks might even have a zipper on them that could be used to an advantage in the remodeled skirt. If the fabric you are using is light enough, you might find the gathered skirt more attractive. Straight lengths of material are gathered, making the popular dirn-dly dirn-dly type that the younger set like so well. Rip Slacks Apart Before Cutting. Since you want the best fit possible pos-sible in the skirt, it would be best to rip the slacks apart carefully, using razor edge (being sure not to cut the precious fabric) or a small scissors. After this is done, wash and dye the fabric, 11 necessary, and carefully iron out all the creases so that you have a smooth cutting surface. The skirt is started at the waist-Iine waist-Iine if it is a gathered type, or the you have an old pair of slacks . . . seams of the gores, II it Is that type. After these are sewed, the skirt is fitted at the side seams. Baste these first, then try on before be-fore sewing permanently to see If the skirt fits properly. After this work comes the binding bind-ing at the top and the placket. All this is best basted In before sewing permanently to assure perfect fitting fit-ting throughout. Do use pins before be-fore you baste, and press the fabric whenever necessary to assure easy sewing. When the skirt Is completely finished, fin-ished, you are ready to do the hem. Slip the skirt on and use the kind of shoes you will wear with it, as this will determine to a great extent ex-tent how long the skirt will be. Even Hemline Is Sign of Fitness. When you consider the length of the skirt, do so both from the point of view of your own figure and current cur-rent fashion. If a helper l not available to adjust the hem, place chalk mark on the edge of a table so that yu will have a chalk line wherever the table touches you. if Measure from this mark to the hem to assure you evenness all the way You can make a tvearable skirt. around. You must, of course, have a straight-edged table to do this. An automatic skirt marker Is another an-other gadget that will measure the hemline for you. The container Is raised or lowered to the proper Crinoline Days pw. . -..... . t ' j X A s - 1 X ' .1 X ' : 1 i i K ' v l I I 1 I 1 . ..v .s, -w A crinoline note of femininity creeps into the play scene In this two-piece bathing suit of crisp white celanese beach cloth and jersey jer-sey shorts. The parasol ruffle Is trimmed with three rows of white ric rac. height. When you press the bulb of this gadget, it squirts chalk as you turn around. Another way of measuring the hemline is having someone help you In taking the measurement and placing pins around the skirt. In this case a tape measure is used or a yardstick is easier and place pins so many inches from the floor. Before taking the skirt off, have them pin it to make certain the length is correct. After removing the skirt, take out pins while making a basting line in their place. Before turning the hem, the edge should be finished with seam binding, with a stitched turn or with a plain turn. Once the edge Is finished, the skirt can be turned at the basting. Smooth the edge over and hold in place with pins or basting. Use a small overlapping stitch to finish permanently. Press before and after stitching to insure perfect smoothness and evenness. If you are making a circular hem on a skirt, it's wise to let the skirt hang for two days or so before trying try-ing to adjust the hem. Otherwise you might be unpleasantly surprised sur-prised to find that the skirt sags in the wrong places shortly after you have sewed it. Choosing Fabrics If you are making sport clothes or classic styles, choose the conventional con-ventional fabrics with subtle weaves, dots or checks. Neutral fabrics like gray and beige are always good provided they go well with your coloring. Printed fabrics are good for all types of useful, everyday garments. gar-ments. They may also be used for daytime and evening wear, made up for the latter in very simple styles. Smooth surface fabrics demand de-mand sophisticated styles. These fabrics show up every detail of construction and should be carefully care-fully worked with. The luxury fabrics like velvet, satin and rayon crepes are for evening wear. Sometimes they are used with a less expensive fabric and used for trimming. Tweeds, woolens and some of the sturdy rayons and cottons are for utility use, like men's clothes. Factory workers and youngsters find good use for them, too. Fabrics with pile like velvet, corduroy, velveteen and other rayons and woolens are used for winter wear, or as trimming. Summer Fashion Notes Soft elbow cuffs and the new pushed up sleeves that have the look of studied carelessness are much in the news. These are particularly par-ticularly noticeable on blouses. Look for all sorts of feminine frills on hemlines. Eyelet and lace are popular, but If you go In for more tailored things, you will want different colored contrasting bands for edging. White shoes and slippers will help you keep well groomed and comfortable comfort-able during hot, sweltering weather. The manish style suit is taking a snub this season with more feminine styles prevailing. But look for an influence of men's suits just the same, even though the suits are aping ap-ing men's fashions from the time of Cavaliers, Directoire and Restoration Res-toration periods |