The Dressmaking Book

PART I—SO YOU WANT TO SEWl
Why Not?    
See How It Runs!    
Practice Stitching for the
“I Can’t Sew a Straight Line, Myself” Contingent    
Fabrics and Fibers    
Facts about Fibers    
“The Responsive Eye”    
PART II—GET READY!
As Exciting as the Fabric That Makes It    
High Style in an Envelope    
Try This for Size    
The Pattern, Structural Diagram    
The Pattern Envelope—What’s in It for You?    
The Tools of the Trade    
Shapes and Symbols—How to “Read” the Pattern    
The Proof Is in the Fitting    
The Pattern and You    
A Change for the Better    
PART III—GET SET!
Prepare the Fabric for Cutting    
Prepare the Pattern for Cutting    
Placing the Pattern on the Fabric    
The Preliminaries Are Vital    
No Trial, Much Travail    
Parenthesis—Pattern Placement on Figured Fabrics    
Cut It Out!    
Mark Everything!    
Stay Stitching Saves the Shape    
Progress Report on the work thus far    
Built-in Beauty    
Shoulder Pads—-Should I?    
Trial Fitting    
PART IV—KNOW!
The Head work in Handwork    
The Courage to Cut    
Inside Information    
The Needle Points the Way    
Press as You Sew!    
PART V—SEW!
Sew Right—Right from the Start!    
Facing—A Saving Device    
How to Apply the Interfacing    
Hold That Line!    
That All-Important Lining    
Thinking in the Round    
No Exit?    
Happy Ending—the Hem    
Make a Skirt    
The Waistband    
How to Line a Skirt    
On-the-Move Skirts    
Make a Shirtwaist Dress or Tailored Blouse    
Bound-to-be-Good Buttonholes    
And Sew On—the Button    
Snappy Snaps    
And Hooks and Eyes    
The Loop-and-Button Closing    
Fanciful Frogs    
Embroidered Eyelets—Eye Openers    
Flattering Frame for the Face—the Collar    
How to Set and Sew the Sleeve    
You Can’t Beat a Band for a Sleeve Finish    
The Kimono Sleeve and Its Gusset    
Pockets—Pretty or Practical    
To Belt or Not to Belt    
More Than Meets the Eye    
Beginner’s Luck?    
INDEX