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put it into the waist band, &c., arrange your folds of drapery on this till the desired effect is produced. There is no golden rule for this; nothing but practice and experiment can teach you how to drape artistically for all your customers, inasmuch as every figure has its peculiar feature, its points of beauty to bring out, its points of ugliness to tone down; in addition to which materials vary considerably in the way they form folds, or, in other words, drape; so that what might be a good rale for one material or one figure, would not apply at all for another. The artistic effect of folds across the figure as illustrated on figure 50, is to make it appear wider and shorter.
Diagonal Folds. Figure 51. Plate 39.
These are produced at the expense of both length and width, and are the most difficult to arrange for in any other way than by draping the figure or the dummy as already described; but if it is desired to form some idea of the shape the material required for this drapery, take the foundation pattern, mark where the folds are desired, and cut it across at each part so marked, and allow 4 inches (or more) space between the parts; but this will only give a general idea, and must be corrected by actual draping on the figure or dummy. Diagonal folds have a very graceful appearance, as they neither produce length at the expense of width, nor width at the expense of length; there is a grace about the curve which take away all hardness of outline, and makes it generally a favourite. It should be remembered that whenever a fold is introduced, the artistic effect is the same as if a line was placed on the figure, which makes it appear longer in the direction it is running. In arranging drapery it is always advisable to keep the straight thread of the material straight down the front; as if it is twisted more to the one side than the other, the bias would be greater on the one side than the other, and would consequently cause the folds to hang differently; in referring to this we are not ignoring the fact that draperies are often arranged on the bias, but the same rule applies. If it is to be arranged on the bias, see that the centre of front forms the true bias, when the folds (if diagonal) will come on the straight of the material in the same way as if the warp was placed down the centre of front, the folds would be on the bias. We will not dwell on this subject of folds, &c., longer, as any variety that may be introduced must come under one of the three heads: horizontal, vertical, or diagonal; and the same principles which govern them at one place must be applied to produce them in another in order to get similar effects. A most effective method of skirt making is arranged by the combination of material as illustrated on
Figures 52 and 53, Plate 39.
One of its especial features is its giving consonance to the costume, a rule of ornamentation that should never be lost sight of; thus, suppose the bodice has a vest in it, the skirt should have a panel of the same material as the vest at some part. If for a stout lady it could not be better than up the centre of front, as illustrated on figure 53. By such means the figure is made to appear narrower; the introduction of a front panel gives vertical lines, which divides the width and adds apparently to the length, which effect may still further be emphasized if the panels are slightly draped or of a striped material. A panel always appears to best advantage when it is of richer material than the skirt itself.
Figure 52, Plate 39,
Illustrates another method of using a combination of materials, which at different times has become very popular, especially when polonaises are in vogue. The same remarks we have just made as regards the repetition of idea from the bodice, applies to this; but there is one remark we must not omit, and that is: never arrange the darkest material to come at the bottom, as at a little distance the length of the figure terminates with the light part, and if this is arranged to be the apron, the figure would be very much stunted. A reference to figure 50 will illustrate this, the length of the skirt apparently ending just below the braid. Figure 52 illustrates how it should be arranged, the light material being at the bottom. Figure 50 shows how it ought not to be done. If it is desired to get the dark part at the bottom, this defect may be avoided by the introduction of a flounce or crossway band along the bottom of the drapery, and so attracting the eye to notice it. These are little points, but it is in the attention paid to such trifles that ladies' tailoring becomes a fine art.
Skirt for Check Material, Figure 54.
Checks have two serious drawbacks when used on any but the finest figures. First, they make the figure appear wider without adding to the height, and, secondly, they cut the figure up into squares, which at once enables the slightest difference in the sides of the wearer to be detected; indeed, when the checks are not true, as they more often are not, they give the wearer a decidedly one-sided appearance. The best method of avoiding this is to arrange the material on the bias, which course avoids the hard set square, and instead of crossing the figure on the true horizontal and vertical, they ran diagonally, and then have a tendency rather to add to the height than the width. This same
