dye more readily and more evenly in that condition. Be sure to follow the directions given with the dye you use. A good reliable dye compound will be accompanied by explicit directions, which you must take care to follow. You must be especially careful in picking out a dye that will suit your material. White, of course, can be dyed any color. Pale shades can be dyed darker or changed into other slightly deeper colors. A material of one color dyed with a dye of a second color will emerge from the fray an entirely different shade from either. For instance, if you dye a yellow material with a light blue dye, you will get green; while the same light blue over light red makes purple, and over light green makes peacock. A dark blue dye over brown makes navy blue, and over yellow, bottle green. A brown over blue makes dark brown; over green makes olive brown; over red makes seal brown. There are dozens of combinations and variations of colors that one can bring out by a clever combination of dye and material. One should go back to the old safeguard of experimenting first and doing the actual business afterward.
After you've dyed your material, take it out of the dyeing fluid and hang it up until it is nearly dry. Then rinse it out in clear water to prevent its cracking. If a material has been dyed black, do not rinse until it has dried thoroughly. It will leave it, a better color. If you do not dye your material, clean it carefully. Directions for removing spots, stains, etc., are given in Chapter 34, pages 157–159.
REMODELING should be done with as much care and interest as you would give to making a new dress. Otherwise your dress, etc., will look "made-over" and you will be dissatisfied and half ashamed of it. If you do it skilfully you will enjoy the remade dress as much as if it were really new.
Before remodeling look over the Delineator and the latest editions of Butterick Fashions and consider your dress from the standpoint of the new styles. See exactly what it will need to bring it up to date. It must have the right sleeve and collar and the skirt must be the correct width and length. The waistline must come at the right place. Don't wear a high, Empire waistline when a low or normal waistline is the vogue. Don't wear a belt that gives you a pinched-in waist when a wide waist is in fashion.
Be sure that the collar is not only the right size and shape but is absolutely fresh. Collars get hard wear and a collar that is still good style might be worn and shabby. It should be replaced. The same thing is true of chemisettes, undersleeves, cuffs, etc.
If the dress is to be entirely remodeled, rip it apart with a sharp knife or pointed scissors. Do not stretch the material, especially at the neck and armholes. Brush the seams carefully, and remove all clipped threads. If the material has changed color, use it on the reverse side if possible, even if the weave is slightly different.
It should be cleaned if necessary and thoroughly pressed so that it can be cut exactly as if it were a new material.
After the material has been thoroughly freshened—washed, pressed or dyed—lay it out on the new pattern and see if it requires piecing. If piecing is necessary, make the seams fall in places where they do not show or when- they can be covered with trimming.
IN MAKING OVER A WAIST it is sometimes necessary to use new material; but when chemisettes, yokes and half-sleeves are in fashion, you can use net, lace, chiffon, etc. In remodeling a waist or dross, put it on a bust form and stuff out the sleeves with tissue-paper. Look it over to size where it requires alteration.
Put the lining on, and then drape the outside over it after you have cut it according to your pattern. By using fancy trimming-pieces, collars, yokes, etc., you can almost always model a waist so that the piecing will never show. Lace or net for yokes, chemisettes, etc., can be dyed the color of the dress either at home or at a regular dyeing establishment. Lace can be dipped in tea to give it a rich cream color that can be made lighter or darker according to the strength of the tea.
REMODELING A SKIRT is an easy matter if the new pattern is narrower than the old skirt. In that case it is only a question of recutting; but if the pattern calls for more material than you have in the skirt itself, you will have to do some piecing or combine with new material. Braided bands covering the skirt seams are an excellent way of increasing the width of a skirt. Or you can raise the skirt at the waistline, refit it, and
