Cut another piece of sheet wadding a little larger than the mold and place it over the mold on the first piece of wadding. Draw it up on the under side of the mold with a few crosswise stitches to make it lie flat.
If the outside material of the button-mold is heavy the wadding may be omitted.
FOR THE COVERING cut a piece of the outside material the same shape as the mold, and a little larger than the button but not large enough to quite come together on the under side. (Ill. 238). If it comes together the button will be bunchy and clumsy.
Gather the cover about one-eighth of an inch from the edge with fine running stitches (Ill. 238) and lay it over the padded side of the mold. Draw up the gathering thread. The gathering must be smooth and tight over the mold without any folds or wrinkles, especially at the edges. A few stitches across the back will hold it (Ill. 238).
Ill. 239. Sewing on Patent Fasteners
If the button is to be used to fasten a garment the back should be lined with a piece of the covering material. Cut the lining the size of the mold and the same shape. Turn the edges in and fell it neatly to the back of the button. (Ill. 238). Put the facing on the back of the button so that it is slightly full. This fulness serves as a shank. (Ill. 238.) If a button-mold is covered with heavy cloth the lining should be of satin or some other thin material in the same color for the cloth would be too bulky.
If the button is to be used as a trimming, the lining may be omitted.
For molds which have a hole in the center and which are covered with material which is not too heavy, the covering may be just large enough to cover the mold with only as much material in the back as can be forced into the hole with one's needle.
SEWING ON PATENT FASTENERS—Patent fasteners are used where an especially flat closing is desired and where there is no strain on the closing. Where there is a strain, as at the center back of a waistline or at the closing of a close fitting skirt, patent fasteners don't hold as securely as hooks and eyes.
Ill. 240. Sewing on Hooks and Eyes
The edges of the closing may be finished with a hem or facing. Place the upper edge over the under edge in the position they will be in when finished, and mark the position of the fasteners by running a pin straight down through both edges about one-quarter or three-eighths of an inch from the edge. Separate the edges a little and mark both the upper and under edges just where the pin passes through the material. If you use these marks for the center of the fastener the two sides of the fastener will match exactly. The heaviest part of the fastener is used for the under part.
Several stitches should be taken through each of the holes around the edge of the fastener, enough to hold it securely. (Ill. 239.)
When a fastener is sewed through one thickness of material as at a trimming line, ribbon binding or tape should be used underneath the material to relieve the strain.
SEWING ON HOOKS AND EYES—Before sewing on hooks and eyes, stitch each edge of the closing one-eighth of an inch back from the fold edge and again three-eighths of an inch from the
