Online Library: Ladies Home Journal: June 1895- Hints on Home Dressmaking

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The Ladies' Home Journal

June 1895

"Hints on Home Dressmaking"

Author: Emma M. Hooper

Hints on Home Dressmaking was a monthly advice column featured in Ladies' Home Journal. People wrote Ms. Hooper with questions about dressmaking and she responded in this column. Many times the answers were about textiles, construction methods, and current fashion trends. The following are her responses:

P.M.J.-: Rose pink Japanese silk or silk-warp goods trimmed with satin ribbon and chiffon.
C.C.G.-: Girls of four years wear their skirts to cover the bend of the knee-- say two inches below.
Bangle-: Bangles are out of style, but a single bracelet of an odd pattern is worn with evening dress very often.
A Florida Subscriber-: Front and sides of wash goods are slightly gored and they are from four yards and a half to five yards wide.
Helen-: The ushers at a wedding always wear gloves. (2) Ten o'clock is the earliest hour and twelve the earliest really fashionable hour for a wedding.
Blanco-: Light-weight whipcord, mixed cheviot or tweed. Have a short cutaway jacket, large leg-of-mutton sleeves, and moderately flaring skirt and wear with shirt-waists.
G.E.M.-: The skirts of wash dresses do not flare. (2) Crinoline or book muslin for sleeves. (3) Flexible steels, one to three rows, run in between lining and canvas in a casing. (4) Cotton sleeves are lined with lawn usually, if at all.
G.B.-: Striped dimity and wear with a black belt. Skirt four yards and a half wide; large sleeves; round waist having three box-plaits; crush collar of black or the goods. If to be more elaborate add stripings of Valenciennes insertion.
Illinois-: Navy blue duck for midsummer. (2) Short cutaway blazer and Eton jackets and shirt-waists. (3) Combine small black brocade with your black silk and make it all black; then wear color collars and plastrons as described in the February issue.
S.M.M.-: Do not put any trimming on the skirt; it should be at least four yards wide and each piece gored to reduce weight, with back laid in two box-plaits at the belt only. To keep it light in weight line with undressed cambric and face with canvas twelve inches deep. An unlined skirt never sets well and sags at the seams.
Polly Pry-: Have a godet skirt, large elbow puffed sleeves, pointed waist having a box-plaited loose blouse front; crush collar of satin, with pink roses on the sides; twisted ribbon No. 12 on edge of waist, tied in green spangled passementerie.
A Blonde-: A cutaway jacket is better for a young person than a coat of knee length. (2) Golden brown is the spring color; it requires eight yards of the double-width goods for a moderate godet skirt and short cutaway having large sleeves. (3) Wear loose silk fronts having a crush collar, white shirts, cotton or silk waists or double-breasted vest of cream or white serge or ecru pique.
M.S. McC.-: Short jackets with sleeves for boys. (2) Select striped goods for the girl. Her check suit may have an Eton jacket. White dresses and gingham can be made after misses' styles. Shirt-waists for the ginghams and white with front in alternate clusters of tucks and Valenciennes insertion; full sleeves and ribbon belt; fancy ribbon collar. She needs lengthwise effects. Skirts two inches above shoe tops, with gathered back and gored front and sides fitted with a few gathers.

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