Chapter 12 - Cutting And Marking The Work

When fabrics are napped, or have a definite up and down design, the pattern must be placed on the fabric and cut with all pieces facing in the same direction. If you do not do this, you will find that your finished velveteen dress seems lighter in some parts, and considerably darker in others, or that your new print is upside down in the back. A fabric that has a diagonal weave, such as gabardine, must be treated as though it had an up and down design. Thus, you may not fold material crosswise and cut out both skirt halves at once as usual. You must cut one on single fabric thickness, and then the second similarly but with the pattern on the reverse side. You may make lengthwise folds, however, without danger.

Where you are using a print of any considerable size, decide how you want the print motifs spaced on your finished garment. Don't cut without a little planning. Space prints so that joinings at seam will be graceful.

With stripes, plaids, and border designs, you must make up your mind to slightly unlearn some of what you have just learned, namely: to be careful to put pattern pieces on the fabric, watching that the markings indicating straight of goods are accurate. Sometimes, in order to match stripes, we must put pieces on crosswise grain. For example: with border prints, the designs are usually printed along the selvage, and therefore pieces which will have a border of this design are placed on the crosswise. If the border design is of such a nature that it need not follow a straight edge, then the pattern pieces may be cut on proper grain.

With plaids, it is necessary to study the plaid enough to see if there is an up and down to the design, or a right and left. With a right and left motif, be sure that the pattern is centered on a center line of the design. This is a crosswise line. With an up and down design, the pattern is placed on a lengthwise line that is central to the design. In some cases, in order to get the design right, pieces that would ordinarily be placed on a fold must be cut with a seam allowance and seamed together. See that matching notches, as at side seams, at sleeve and armhole, etc., are placed on same color or size stripe in the design. Darkest or heaviest stripes should face towards the bottom of the garment, and are most pleasing when they fall directly across the shoulder. Very often the design cannot be matched the whole distance of a skirt seam, or around the entire sleeve curve, and the matching of a small portion is sufficient.

It is necessary to buy extra fabric in order to be able to match designs. Some material must be wasted in this process. As little as ¼ yard, or as much as one yard, is necessary, depending on the kind of design. Sometimes it is said that you should buy a length equal to the size of the complete design without repetition, for each two places that must be matched.

Tailor tacks

Before you remove the pattern from the fabric, you must mark all guide lines. The most satisfactory way is with tailor tacks, because they mark all sides of the cloth at one time. To make a tailor tack, use a long double thread (heavy thread or darning cotton is the best) without a knot, and take a tiny stitch in the center of a perforation, leaving a piece of thread about ½ inch to ¾ inch hanging. To complete the tack, take another tiny stitch, leaving a good sized loop and another piece of thread. If there are several perforations in a row, save time by going from one to the other, leaving a good sized piece of thread between. Later cut these threads through the center between the loops. If the pattern is printed, use a hole punch or simply scratch a hole with a pin, so that you do not catch the paper when making the tacks. Tailor tack all marks for darts, tucks, pleats, and matching points. Tailor baste seam lines, gathering lines, pocket outlines, etc. To tailor baste, use a double thread, make lines of even basting, but leave loops instead of flat stitches on right side. Cut through the thread loops to remove the pattern from the material.

Now remove the pattern. The tailor tacks will come right through the holes. It is advisable to use threads of several different colors in tailor tacking and basting so that you will be able to distinguish the different markings later. Make a note of the color that is used for each purpose. Always mark the center front and back lines in skirt and bodice pieces.

After the pattern is removed, spread the two sections of material apart carefully and clip through the center of the threads. Thread markings will be visible on all four sides.

A tracing wheel will mark lines accurately and quickly but it can be used only on certain fabrics, like cotton and linen and silk. Use tracing paper with wheel.

The notches you have cut out will enable you to put matching pieces together properly. If you have neglected to cut any out, make a chalk marking in the proper place.

Seam lines can be tailor basted, or creased and marked in the following manner. Pin the pattern to the fabric very carefully along the seam lines, then turn the pattern back until the pins are visible, and press with a warm iron, paper side down. You can also use tailor's chalk to chalk a line along the pattern edge where the pins are, but be sure to use a ruler.

Tailor's chalk can also be used to mark perforations by putting a pin through the perforation and marking the spot on both sides with the chalk. Or, one piece of chalk may be placed on the underside of the perforation, and the top side marked with a second piece fairly heavily so that pressure will cause the under piece of chalk to leave its imprint also. Still another method is to use chalked thread. Thread a needle, run thread over tailor's chalk and put needle through perforation. Small chalk dot will be left on all pieces. Renew chalk frequently.

Marking accurate, true guide lines can not be overemphasized if you are striving for perfection. No time spent in marking your work is wasted.

After all guide lines are in, make a line of uneven basting on the center front and the center back. Have the long stitches on the right side of the garment. A line of running stitches or machine stitches ¼ inch from the edge of the armhole and the neckline and around the waist of the skirt will prevent stretching.

To pin baste, place pins (no more than four inches apart, and closer on curved seams) perpendicular to the edge of the material, with the heads facing out so that they may be easily removed as you come to them. Machines with hinged feet will sew over pins placed this way, and an experienced person can eliminate basting with thread. When you put pins in for fitting, be sure to pin them parallel to the edge.

You may baste in several ways when putting your work together. Dressmaker's basting is best on long seams because it is easily done and holds the material firmly. Diagonal basting is good for fabrics that slip easily, and slip stitch or alteration basting is used for matching plaids or when basting alterations made on the right side of the garment. (See pp. 8, 9 for complete directions and illustrations.)

For seams that will get a lot of strain in fitting, it is a good idea to use machine basting, because of its strength. Use the longest stitch (push the stitch regulator all the way down) to make it easy to rip later.

And speaking of ripping, this is how you do it. Break one stitch with a pin or fine scissors, scratch the loose thread with your nail and give it a firm pull. Break it off and scratch up loose thread on reverse side. Pull and break, continuing in this way till desired amount is ripped. Another method is to use a razor with seam edges held apart so that the stitches are visible. The first method is preferable because there is no danger of cutting the cloth and no bits of thread are left.

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