for ladies' skirts do not allow for a hem and the quantities given on pattern envelope do not include enough material for a hem. In some cases a facing can be made from pieces that are left over. As a rule a skirt can be cut from less material if a facing is used but in some cases a hem is preferable while in other cases a facing is better.
For a sheer material a hem should be used, if possible, as the seam joining a facing to the lower edge of a skirt will show through a transparent fabric. A hem is the best finish for the bottom of a plaited skirt as a seam in the lower edge would be bulky in the plaits.
If the lower edge of a skirt has an inward curve as is usually the case when a skirt is much narrower at the bottom than the top, it is better to use a bias or shaped facing as a hem would be tight at the upper part when turned up.
If a hem is desired, allowance for it must be made in buying the quantity of material and in cutting by the pattern, unless the skirt pattern is too long for you. If you are two or three inches below average height the pattern will be too long for you and the quantities given will allow you to use a hem.
THE USE OF PATTERNS. After you have bought your pattern take it home, open it and identify the different pieces by the diagram on the back of the envelope.
If the two sides of the pattern are exactly alike you will find that the pattern is for just half the garment and that each piece is to be cut double or twice.
A front gore pattern is cut double with its front edge on the fold of the goods.
If one side is different from the other a pattern will be given for each part that is different as in the case of a skirt which is draped on one side and not on the other.
The two side gores are either cut singly or from a double thickness of the material.
After you have identified each piece of the pattern decide which ones you are going to use and put the others back in the envelope. A waist, for example, will often have two sleeves, and you must choose before cutting which sleeve pattern you prefer. You must also decide whether you will use a body lining, a collar for the high neck, etc. Always put the pieces that you are not going to use out of the way so that you will not make the mistake of cutting out things you do not need, and wasting your material.
The Butterick Pattern has a unique service of the greatest value in the DELTOR with its ILLUSTRATED LAY-OUTS FOR CUTTING. These lay-outs show how to lay out for cutting every size in which the pattern is cut and on material of every width suitable for the garment. If there are two or three ways of making a garment from the pattern, the layouts cover each method of making the garment.
The purpose of these lay-outs is twofold. In the first place they are intended to show a woman the most economical way of cutting this garment correctly with the least possible waste of material. In the second place they show her how to place each piece of the pattern on the correct grain of the material. If any piece is cut on the Wrong grain it will look badly when the garment is worn. If a sleeve is cut on the wrong grain it will crawl around the arm and never stay in the right place. With the new Butterick Illustrated Layouts
Ill. 13. Lengthwise and Crosswise of Material, Lengthwise and Crosswise Folds
any woman can cut her garment just as an expert dressmaker or tailor would cut it. This question of the grain or thread of the material is very important.
All materials are finished at the outside edges with a woven border called a selvedge. (Ill. 13.) The material itself is woven with lengthwise or crosswise
