The Cutters' Practical Guide (1898)/Part 1/Introduction

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THE


CUTTER'S PRACTICAL GUIDE


TO


CUTTING AND MAKING


JUVENILE GARMENTS


Juvenile and Youths' Clothing.

Tailors generally do not view this important branch of the profession with the most kindly feelings as owing to the keen competition brought to bear by the ready-made houses, the prices are necessarily kept low; so that whilst many people do not object to pay a good price for their own garments, yet anything approaching a correspondingly proportionate figure for the juveniles would be considered most exorbitant; so that it will be necessary for those who aspire to clothe the coming race to be very expert in the matter of economy in every detail and by it's means be able to produce garments at a reasonable figure and at the same time yield a living profit. A large one should never be attempted, as the tailor is sufficiently handicapped by the log to allow of any liberty being taken with the price. Nevertheless, although the immediate profit may not be large, yet this branch is well worth the attention of every tailor desires of building up a lasting connection; for, by carefully catering for the wants of boys, they are likely to think of "their tailor" after the leading strings are cast aside, and they are in a position to order their own attire, so that, in addition to the large amount of trade to be done at a reasonable profit, there is a connection to be built up, which must prove very beneficial to the firms who give this branch their careful study.

The systems as laid down in this work have been arranged with a view to simplicity and accuracy, and may be relied upon to produce smart and clean-fitting garments for the majority, and at the same time admitting of that ease or "growing room" most parents are anxious to impress on your mind as a positive necessity when giving the order.

As the scope of the work is very wide it will be as well to view it more as a treatise on practical cutting, adapted to youths and juveniles, than as a pure and simple juvenile work; accordingly we shall endeavour to explain such principles as will stand the test of meeting the vastly different wants of all the seven ages of man. It has been frequently pointed out that a knowledge of anatomy and mathematics is of very great service to the cutter, and as we shall endeavour to show every phase of science or art that can be brought to bear on the development of our profession, these must occupy a prominent position. Accordingly, we take a brief glance at

Anatomy, Figures 1 and 2,

And its practical use to the tailor, in helping him to fashion a fitting covering for the image of God. It is not our intention to describe the formation of the skeleton in detail, but rather to point out such truths as will be of service to us as tailors, and foremost amongst these comes the fact that there are certain portions of the skeleton or framework which always remain near the surface; that is in a thin man the bones may be felt very plainly at these places, and no matter how fat the person may become, these particular parts are still only covered by a comparatively very thin portion of skin, as compared with other parts of the body. These parts are marked with a cross on

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Figures 1 and 2.

They are as follows:-1. The shoulder joint, where the top of arm bone, collar bone, and shoulder blade meet; 2. Each side of the Elbow; 3. Each side of the wrist; 4. The spine from top to bottom; 5. the hip bone; 6. The top of thigh bone, or hip joint; 7. the joint of knee; 8. The knee cap; 9. The shin bone, and others which are not necessary for the tailor to deal with. These will prove of great interest to the student, showing him that whatever the size of the individual these parts remain the same, and that when one part of the body is not in proportion to the other part the allowance must not be made at those parts where the bones come so near the surface as in the above instances, and consequently form the best starting points on which to base a system.

The inner dotted lines on these figures show the amount of muscle, in addition to which there is a thin layer of fat as well as the skin. Before we leave this subject there are one or two points worthy of our attention and study in

The joints and their Movements,

As a knowledge of their actions enables us to know the possible from the impossible. A joint is formed by the junction of two bones, the extremities of which are perfectly adapted to each other, and every perfect joint consists of five parts, each of which has its function to perform. It is not our intention to treat with each part separately, as such would be beyond the application of anatomy to tailoring, but when we have to deal with the various kinds of joints, we have a subject of great interest to the tailor. There are

Three kinds of perfect Joints

The gliding joints which twist upon each other; they are composed of small, square bones, forming arches, the simplest form of which is found in eels and snakes; they are found in the back bone, the arch of the foot and wrist. The next is the hinge, or swing joint, which moves to and fro, but has no side motion, the simplest illustration of which is the hinge of a door which moves only two ways, to and fro, swinging; these are usually the second and third joints of each member, thus, the second and third joints of the leg would be the knee and ankle; the second of the arm is the elbow; the second and third knuckles of the fingers and toes. If for the sake of illustration, you try the second joint of the finger you will find it can only bend backwards and forwards; there is no sideways bend from the knuckle; all movements of that kind must come from the first joint, viz. the ball and socket, or universal joint which permits great freedom of movement in fact, moving all ways. They are mostly found at the commencement of a member, as at the shoulder, which is slightly limited or restricted in some of its movements; the wrist, which is a complication of the ball and socket and gliding joints; the knuckles at the roots of the fingers which enable the fingers to spread out; the roots of toes &c. If the reader will experiment with the various members of his own body he will readily fix this in his memory. As an illustration of the use of a knowledge of the movements of the various joints, we may take that of a figure on horseback; it is a common belief that the knee bends inwards, so as to cling to the horse, hence many systems, have the centre line shifted 1, 1+1⁄2, 2 inches further from the front of fly line to produce this style of trousers; now, a knowledge such as we are treating shows such a movement to be impossible; the outward movement, to allow of the horse between the legs, comes from the hip joint, which is of the ball and socket kind, whilst the only movement the knee is capable of is the same as an ordinary hinge; hence it will be seen the correct way to open the legs of a pair of trousers to make them follow the the figure is to alter the angle at which legs join the body, still letting the centre line start from the same spot. By this method the legs are kept straight, and the feet are made much more open than the knees, which has been proved by practical experience to be correct.

These are some of the practical lessons to be obtained from a study of the human anatomy; they are we think, very important ones, and should be remembered, as they help us very materially in dealing with special garments and abnormalities such as the

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Corpulent Type of Figure,

Which, although vastly increased in size, yet has only the smallest amount at the sides and back, fully two-thirds, or even more of the corpulency going on the front. Boys frequently partake of this build, especially the juveniles, but this will be readily gathered from the following table, which shows.

The Development of Growth,

From 2+1⁄2 years of age to 20, and which has been compiled and tested in the course of our practical experience at the cutting board. It has been arranged in accordance with the average age of a given size and height, which will, we have no doubt, be helpful to the trade generally, as it often happens that the cutter has to execute his orders from the most meagre measures which have been taken by parents and which are frequently more misleading than otherwise.

Scale of Proportionate Measures.


Chest Waist Seat Scye Depth Nat. Waist X Back Sleeve X Chest Front Shoulder Over Shoulder Length of Vest Leg Height Age
2122225+1⁄29+1⁄24+1⁄2164+1⁄28+3⁄?11+3⁄81513+1⁄23ft2+1⁄2
2223235+3⁄410+3⁄44+3⁄417+1⁄24+3⁄41⁄911+3⁄415+3⁄8153ft. 33
2323+1⁄22461151859+1⁄412+1⁄416+1⁄416+1⁄23ft 6.3+1⁄2
2424256+1⁄411+3⁄45+1⁄819+1⁄25+1⁄49+1⁄212+3⁄417183ft 9.4
2524+1⁄2266+1⁄212+1⁄25+3⁄8215+1⁄29+3⁄413+1⁄417+1⁄219+1⁄24ft.5
2625276+3⁄4135+1⁄222+1⁄25+3⁄41013+5⁄818+1⁄4214ft. 36
2725+1⁄228713+1⁄25+3⁄423610+1⁄4141922+1⁄24ft. 58
2826297+1⁄4145+7⁄8256+1⁄410+1⁄214+1⁄419+1⁄2244ft 7.10
2926+1⁄2307+1⁄214+1⁄2626+1⁄46+1⁄210+3⁄414+1⁄220+1⁄425+1⁄24ft. 911
3027317+3⁄4156+1⁄827+1⁄26+3⁄41114+3⁄421274ft. 1112
3127+1⁄232815+1⁄26+3⁄828+1⁄2711+1⁄415+1⁄421+3⁄428+1⁄25ft 1.13+1⁄2
322833815+1⁄26+3⁄828+1⁄2711+1⁄415+1⁄421+3⁄428+1⁄25ft 113+1⁄2
3329348+1⁄2166+3⁄4307+1⁄411+3⁄415+7⁄82330+3⁄45ft 516+1⁄2
3430458+5⁄816+1⁄26+7⁄8317+5⁄81216+1⁄423+1⁄231+1⁄25ft. 718
3531368+7⁄816+1⁄2731+1⁄27+3⁄412+1⁄416+5⁄824325 ft. 7+1⁄219
3632379177+1⁄832812+1⁄21724+1⁄232+1⁄25ft. 820

That this scale will be useful we have no doubt, and by working from it much better results can be obtained than by any divisions of the breast measure, for it is based on what has long been an acknowledged fact, that at birth the head is nearly one-fourth the total height of the body, whilst at 7 or 8 it bears the relation of one-seventh, and at 16 it bears the same relative propotions as in the adult, which is differently computed at from 1 to 7½ to 1 to 8. A careful examination of this scale will also show how short the legs are in childhood as compared with the relations they bear as the child grows into the youth and the youth to the man.

It will also be noticed that between the ages of 2 and 4 the child grows in height very rapidly, gaining 9 inches in height as compared with 2 in the chest, a rate which is much in advance of his development in after years, and it will be well if all who wish to make juvenille clothing a speciality carefully study this table, as it shows most accurately the development of growth, from the baby to the young man, and, althouh different physiologists give various results of their observations, yet we believe such divergences as exist between their tables may be traced to the varying conditions under which they were taken; still, the table as given will be found correct for the average English youth.

Artists' Relative Proportions.

From the very earliest records of art and artists we find the figure has been divided by them into so many parts, and by careful observation and measurements taken on a large number they have worked out a series of relative proportions, which should be of service to the tailor in producing a model pattern. Consequently we take the following from one of the best works published on this subject entitled "Anatomy for Artists" by Dr Fau:—

Proportions of the Human Figure.

"The Human Figure is so wonderfully constructed that many parts agree with each other in measurement—e.g, the head and span, hand and face, nose and thumb, &c.; thus it is possible to use various parts in measuring the figure. In this table of proportions the unit is the head.

​"For the Figure—When standing erect, the complete figure measures seven to seven and a half heads. When raised upon the toes, the height is eight heads; the latter is more practical, from its giving the complete length of leg, and is easily divided—e.g, take a line rather longer than desired length of figure; halve and quarter it; then halve the quarters into eights of the line; this gives full length of figure. For standing position, remove half of the lowest eighth, then the points of a figure seven and a half heads will be found. These are about the same in both sexes

"The Human Figure is Symmetrical, the Halves being Reversed, the pubic bone is the centre of the figure. The stretched-out arms give the height, the half is from pit of neck to tip of fingers, and is the same as from pubic bone to tip of toes. Thus we have three equal divisions of four heads in length.

4 Heads in length (a) Pit of neck, to tip of fingers.
(b) Top of head, to pubic bone.
(c) Pubic bone, to toes.
2 Heads long or ¼ of figure 1. Head to nipples.
2. Nipples, to end of trunk
3. End of trunk, to bump of tibia
4. Bump of tibia, to extended toes
5. Width of shoulders.
Distances of about 1½ Head in length Top of Shoulder to elbow
Elbow to first knuckle
Pit of Neck to Navel
From bottom of pectoral to base of abdomen
From base of abdomen, to top of knee
From bump of tibia to top of instep
Width of chest under armpits
Width across thighs at trocanters.
From acromion process to acromion process.
1 Head or 8ths of Length—
Distances of 1 Head Top of head to chin.
Chin, to nipples
Nipples to navel.
Navel, to base of pubic bone
Base of pubic bone to middle of thigh.
Middle of thigh, to bump of tibia
Bump of tibia to bottom of soles
Bottom of soles to tip of toes
Between nipples, hollows of clavicles, and spines of ilium.
And length of buttock..

½ head—Neck-knee, etc.

A reference to figure 2 A will show the relation the head bears to the other parts of the body in the average well made figure, as above referred to, and which will be readily gathered is 7+1⁄2 heads makes up the total height, the 8 heads theory being only correct in a very small number of cases, and when the person is very tall, in which case it will generally be found the legs are long in relation to the other parts. The Venuses and Appollos are generally looked upon as the highest ideals of proportion sculptors have ever produced, they are the statues that for ages have charmed the world, and have been looked upon as masterpieces of art; these all fall short of 8 heads, varying from 7+1⁄4 to 7+3⁄4 heads: consequently there can be little doubt that 7+1⁄2 times the length of the hand is the truest proportion. Vitrivius describes proportion as the equal measurement of the various constituent parts, in the existence of which symmetry is found to consist. Thus the distance from the tip of the finger to the tip of the finger, when the arms are out stretched, equals the height, and so on.

Now, although a knowledge of these relative proportions are of great service both to the artist and the tailor, it has long since been an acknowledged fact that they must not be relied on too implicitly; for example, in measurements taken by one of our best artists, with a view to test the accuracy of "the length extended arms equals the height theory." It was found that out of 84 persons measured, 54 were found to be long armed, 24 short armed, and six only whose extended arms exactly equalled the total height. The greatest excess was in the case of a carpenter, whose arms ​exceeded his height by 5 inches, whilst the other extreme was an architect whose arms were 4 inches shorter than his height. Thus it will be seen these divisions must not be relied upon too implicitly, for

The Art of the Tailor

Consists more in dealing with abnormalities, and bringing them as nearly in appearance to these ideals of proportion; hence it is not only necessary for us to know what constitutes a proportionate figure, but also by the measures we take and the peculiarities of form we notice, to be able to detect wherein each customer varies from proportion, and by thus toning down the abnormalities to produce the most suitable garments for each customer. It is such work that transforms the science of tailoring to an art, and if we wish to rank as artist tailors and rise in our noble profession, those are the lines on which we must act and not use one pattern indiscriminately for all of a given size, and so produce the same style of garment, irrespective of the customer's peculiarities. It may he urged the pressure of business will not allow sufficient time for this, which is doubtless true in many cases but if we aspire to reach the top of the ladder of fame it is the only way it can he attained, and as there is always plenty of room in the upper stories of our profession for really good men. whilst the lower branches are always too crowded, we can only exhort our readers to aim high, and, by diligent application and study, master every problem connected with our calling, and make themselves worthy of the highest position the trade can offer.

This, we think, will be sufficient of anatomy to fully explain all there in to be learnt in connection with it and tailoring, so we will now turn our attention to another science, viz.,

Geometry,

Or that branch of mathematics which investigates the relations, properties and measurements of solids, surfaces, lines, and angles: consequently, any system of cutting is, strictly speaking, a development of geometry, for the whole thing is arranged by taking certain measures of the body, and, by the aid of lines, curves and angles, to produce a pattern that shall be a fitting covering for the surface of the body. Taken, however, in the light in which it is generally viewed, there is one fact which must always be of use to the tailor in his daily practice, and that is to know the relation the diameter bears to the circumference of a true circle: this has been deduced to the following proportions, which, for all practical tailoring purposes, are sufficiently correct. It is as follows:—A trifle under a third, or in the relation of 7 to 22, or as 113 is to 355; of course, it is quite useless for us to go into fractions, 7⁄22 is quite near enough for my use we may put it to, and means that if the circumference he divided in 22 equal parts, the diameter would be seven of those parts; this will be valuable knowledge in dealing with such sections as the neck, scye, etc.

The degrees at which the various angles are drawn need not be studied, as the tailor always has his square and chalk handy, which are quite sufficient to enable him to draw a line at any angle he may choose; in fact, it is so generally the custom of the trade to go down 9 and out 1, or down 12 and out 3, and so on, in order to produce an angle of any given degree, that we should only be adding mystery to a very simple matter, and from which no compensating improvement would accrue, and as such is not our intention, it being rather our aim to simplify simplicity than to produce a complicated work of use only to the few.

There is one other geometrical fact worth our noting as being of use to the cutter; viz., that all points of a circle are the same distance from its centre, so that if we wish to draw a part of a circle by sweeping it will he the some distance at all points from the centre; these are the practical lessons of geometry and anatomy. Not much, you will say! still, of great value in daily practice, and we especially commend them to the careful consideration of the reader.

Art.

So much might be said on this topic that we feel we should be overlooking a most important factor in successful cutting if we did not make some allusion to it, for not only must we have the seams to run in graceful curves and devoid of all sharp angles, etc., but they must be also arranged so as to bring out the special points of beauty which exist in a more or less degree in every figure, as ​well as toning down other prominent points which detract from its graceful appearance. As regards the production of harmony and grace in outline, we do not know of anything better to illustrate how this principle is applied than

Hogarths Line of Beauty,

And which may he advantageously introduced to the outline of almost every garment at some part or other. and certainly the principle involved in it is most valuable, as it teams with grace at every part. This is illustrated on plate 24, and it will astonish the student to see how often it recurs in almost every graceful object. Then, again, the question of colour must always occupy an important place in the consideration of every cutter, and may be briefly stated, as all those colours which attract the light, such as white, etc., apparently increase the size of the figure, whilst all dark ones, such as black, etc., have the opposite effect. Patterns of the material also have a great effect; stripes add to the height or width of the figure wearing them, according to the direction in which they run: thus, a stripe running up and down the figure adds to the height, while one with the stripes running across has the opposite effect, viz., adding to the width and detracting from the height, an effect which is anything but desirable. Large checks add to the size of the figure without adding to the height, and are not generally considered suitable for youths. We shall, however, return to this subject again, so we will pass on.

The principles of cutting coats are fully explained by us in Part. 2 of "The Cutter's Practical Guide to the Cutting Board" which treats of all kinds of Body Coats, and as vests are similar to coats it would be superfluous for us to go over them again; trousers also having been treated of fully in the "National Work on Trouser Cutting," Vol. I., we will at once proceed to consider the method of

Taking the Measures.

This should always be done carefully and methodically, for however good a system may he, if the measures are not taken correctly it is a moral impossibility for the garments cut by them to fit, so that too much care cannot be taken in this direction. It should also be borne in mind that most parents desire their children's garments to fit them easily, yet, at the same time, to hang gracefully, and it has always been our custom to find out at the time of measuring the degree of ease desired; it being comparatively easy at this stage to gather your customer's views in this direction, which often vary considerably.

The measures we advise to be taken are as follows:

For Coats.

  • 1. The depth of scye at back, which may be obtained as follows: Place the tape over the shoulders, saddle fashion, down in front of both arms, and back under the arms close up to the armpit till they meet in the centre of back, as shown on Figures 3 and 4, at which point make a mark with a piece of pipe clay, as at B, figure 4, care being taken to nee that the tape, in crossing the back, runs neither up nor down, keeping it as nearly as possible level, taking the floor as a guide; measure to be taken from A to B.
  • 2. Length from collar seam to natural waist.
  • 3. Length from collar seam to full length desired.
  • 4. Width across back, with the arm resting at the side, as if taken with the arm raised, it makes the back too wide. Now lift the arm up, carry it well forward, and give it a decided bend at the elbow, after which continue the measure on from
  • 5. Centre of back to elbow.
  • 6. Centre of hack to hand.
  • 7. Now take the width across chest from the front of right scye to front of left scye, E to E, figure 3.
  • 8. Length of front shoulder, from collar seam at back to bottom of scye in front, which may be easily obtained by placing the finger under the arm, from A to D.
  • 9. From mark made at depth of scye at B, over the shoulder at C, and down in front of arm to the level of scye in front at D. This is the over shoulder measure.
  • 10. Size of chest taken fairly close.
  • 11. Size of waist taken in the same manner.
  • 12. Size of seat taken in the same manner.

Measures 10 and 11 should be taken over the vest only for all kinds of garments, variations being easily made for different styles.

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For Vests

  • 13. Length from nape of neck to opening required (not to the top button).
  • 14.Continued on to full length, and where no jacket is ordered it will be necessary to take the size of chest, waist, and the four direct measures. 1, 7, 8, 9, those published in the scale, page 3, may be used when the customer is fairly proportionate.

For Trousers

  • 15. The full length of side.
  • 16. The full„ length og„ leg.
  • 17. The size of waist.
  • 18. The size„ of„ seat.
  • 19. The size„ of„ thigh (tight), both dress and undress sides.
  • 20. The size„ of„ knee, fashion width.
  • 21. The size„ of„ bottom.

For Breeches

  • 22. The length of side, from top to knee.
  • 23. The length„ of„ to knee from crutch.
  • 24. The size„ of„ to„ small from„ crutch„
  • 25. The size„ of„ to„ calf bottom, etc., from crutch.
  • 26. Size of waist.
  • 27. Size„ of„ seat.
  • 28. Size„ of„ thigh, (tight) dress and undress sides.
  • 29. Size„ of„ knee.
  • 30. Size„ of„ small.
  • 31. Size„ of„ calf and bottom.

For Shirt

  • 32. Size of neck.
  • 33. Size„ of„ chest.
  • 34. Size„ of„ waist.
  • 35. Length of sleeve.
  • 36. Length„ of„ body required.

When they will probably stand in the order book as follows: every detail likely to be of service to you being obtained from the customer at the time of measuring and entered in the order book:

  • S.B. Lounge. 2 x flaps, ticket flaps, 1 out b. left, 1 in b. right, 7, 15, 23, 5+3⁄8. 17, 27+1⁄2, 6+3⁄4, 11, 14+3⁄4, 30, 27, 31.
  • Step collar Vest, W.P., guard hole 2 and 3, 9, 21.
  • F.F., side pockets.
  • 37, 27, 26, 31. 18, 194, 16, 16.
  • Breeches. F.F., x pockets, seat strapped and lined chamois, 22, 12, 14, 16+1⁄2, 26, 31, 18, 19+1⁄4, 11+1⁄2, 10, 11+1⁄2
  • Shirt—13+1⁄2, 30, 27, 27, 27+1⁄2, 31.

As will be seen these measures are much the same as those usually taken. the principal addition being Nos. 1. 7. 8 and 9. and which come under the heading of Direct Measures, and despite the idea that many people have of being able to take these correctly, we fail to see the difficulty, as the way suggested is at once both simple and effective, and as the best of systems will produce but poor results in the hands of indifferent workmen, this will prove no exception with them, but in the hands of an intelligent tailor we are positive of the success of the method, far beyond any plain and simple breast measure plan. The purpose for which these extra measures are taken are as follows: No. 1 and 8, find the depth of scye and fix the balance in accordance with the requirements of the figure; No. 7 is to locate the scye in its proper position in relation to the front and back, and No. 9 is used to ascertain the height of shoulder or what is perhaps better known as the shoulder slope. Every one of these measures can be applied direct to the draught and as they are taken over the garment it will not be necessary to allow anything for seams.

In such garments as fasten up to the neck it would be advisable to supplement these measures with the size of neck and the height of front, which may be fixed as follows: Place the tape at collar seam behind and measure down the front to any point fancy may dictate, say 12, and having noted this quantity keep the tape fixed at this latter point 12, release it from the back and bring the tape up to the front of neck which measures applied direct will effectually find the height of neck in front. Having thus carefully considered the various measures and the qualities possessed by each, we will pass on to give the proportion they usually bear to the breast measure in a person whose height agrees with and is in general proportion to his chest measure.

In the majority of figures these four measures bear a relation to the breast as follows:

  • The depth of scye one fourth.
  • The front shoulder, 1⁄2 inch more than 1⁄3. ​
  • The cross chest 1 inch less than 1⁄4.
  • And the over shoulder, 1 inch less than half.

Another Way of Proving these

Is to take 1⁄3 scye and 1⁄6 natural waist for the scye depth, the front shoulder at this quantity plus one twelfth breast and 1⁄2 an inch, the over shoulder by adding these two together and deducting 1+1⁄2 times the shoulder slope previously fixed by 1⁄6 of the natural waist, and the across chest measure in the same way as above, for example, a 36 breast with natural waist at 18 and scye at 18 would be as follows: 1⁄3 scye and 1⁄6 natural waist equal 9, this quantity plus one twelfth breast and 1⁄2 inch 12+1⁄2. These two added together equal 21+1⁄2 less 1+1⁄2 times shoulder slope 4+1⁄2 equal 17, across chest 1 inch less than 1⁄4 equal 8, so that these four measures can be calculated in this manner if no opportunity occurs for measuring and the scale is not at hand. In such as case, however, it is better to have a set of block patterns to use from, drafted out to the measures in this scale which will be found quite reliable and better than the calculated divisions of the breast, as it is a generally recognised fact that various breast measures have different charcteristics, each of which has been specially treated of in this scale.

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