Chapter VII: Preface (7)

This brings me to another point. An extremely broad frock coat back at the bottom line of the armhole requires a pretty straight sidepiece toward the back, and such a seam may be the better off, if the back is held a trifle full over the blade; while an extremely narrow frock coat back requires a very curved sidepiece toward the back, and such a back should be basted or sewed pretty close on the sidepiece toward the blade. Each of such backs assumes a different height of back when laid out in the angle of 15 degrees, and each requires a different treatment when sewed on the sidepiece.

All the heights of the frock and sack coat backs in this work are calculated to be of certain width at lines 9 and 11¼ over the front, and all back widths at that point should be as shown in the diagrams. The swing of the back, or the turning point of it, is calculated from line 9, no matter if the back lays in a square of 20, or if the back part of that line be turned 15 degrees. No article in this work is more important than this one, and every cutter should make himself thoroughly familiar with its meaning, because it is a new idea in garment cutting, and I will predict that in the Twentieth Century all cutters will recognize that principle. It may be brought to a finer point, but the principle will stand as long as the square and the compass are recognized and used. Neither do I expect such recognition without some “_tall kicking_” for few men will acknowledge that they have been groping in the dark while they have been claiming that they knew all that is worth knowing about garment cutting.

THE NECKHOLE AND SHOULDER SEAM.

If it is not desired to connect the sleeve pattern into the armhole and on both seams, the shoulder seam may be cut into any shape or form as long as the balance is retained; but whenever we intend to connect the sleeve with the armhole, as in Dia. II or VII, we must cut the normal shoulder seam with a lap or spring of from three-eighths to one-half at the neck, and which lap must be run down fully to the middle of the shoulder seam and then reduced to nothing at the armhole, and in such a shape that the front part is on a curve. On a vest the angle of 135 degrees furnishes the correct slope, and with the neck band properly worked and turned up, gives enough spring around the side of the neck. But a vest collar and necktie give more bulk, and a coat is also cut closer to the center of the neck, and consequently a coat requires more width, or spring, in and on top of the shoulder seam, of which three-eighths is enough and five-eighths not too much, but it is always better to cut that part close, so that the collar may be sewed on easily; that is, the sides of the neck stretched say about one-quarter of an inch. Again, the coat collar gives more bulk than the vest collar and for this reason the overcoat requires three-fourths spring, as in Dia. X, which is cut still closer to the neck.

Policy, no doubt, has caused the fashionable shoulder seam to be thrown backward of the center of the shoulder, for the reason that it passes nearer to the shoulder blade, and a curved shoulder seam helps to fit it. If the shoulder seam were located on top of the shoulders it could not be curved, but would necessarily be hollow in the center, though the back and front lap at the neck. The position of the shoulder seam as in Dia. II allows the sleeve to be connected with the coat on both the back and front seams, and the lap of sleeve and shoulder give the sleeve enough width for all fulling purposes, and the sleeve can never be too large or too small. I have tried my utmost to lay the shoulders in such a position that no lap would be found at the shoulder seam; but, after I considered that the back is never cut on the shoulders, I came to the conclusion that the said spring might just as well be there, inasmuch as by its use a more correct sleeve connection can be made.

On account of the lap between the back and front at the shoulder seam the top of that seam at the neck can not properly be connected, and for this reason should be notched at the center. The lap between the back and front of the shoulder seam and toward the neck may be accounted for in a different way, and as follows: The diameter of the body at the center of the back and center of front is almost double what it is at the arms, and if we turn the back forward and the front backward so that both meet at the shoulder seams, then the center of the body, or the side of the neck, requires a longer swing than the side of the body at the arms, hence the three to five-eighths more at the neck.

The five-eighths lap at about eight numbers from O, may also be accounted for as being required for the roundness of the shoulder blade, which is partially reached by the shoulder seam of a coat. Between the top of the shoulder seam and eight numbers from O, the lap, of whatever it is made, should not be even, but should be a trifle less a few inches below the neck, say one-eighth to three-sixteenth of an inch, as shown in the diagrams. This will give the finished shoulder a better appearance than if cut and made flat. The shoulders are hollow there, and the coat must conform to that, because a coat must fit there to the body and must be made to fit to the body there, it must hang and balance itself there, and if it don’t fit there it must make a break, and in fact this is the only place where a coat is required to actually fit the body.

The shoulder seam for a vest must also be considered in particular. Dia. IV gives the vest shoulder seam without lap or gore upon the angle of 135 degs., and the top of back is cut as wide, at point 5, as the angle of 45 degs., and it may be cut one-half inch wider in order to bring it fully to the side of the neck, where the spring is required, but it should not be over 3½ numbers. Dia. IV requires that in finishing the neck, the neckband must be cut long and sewed on full at the shoulder seam, say one-quarter inch, or plainer, the back should be stretched that much at and close to the shoulder seam. If a cutter prefers to sew the neck band even on the back, he must allow one-quarter to three-eighths spring at the top of the shoulder seam, and at the back, starting it about two inches downward.

Now it will be found that by reducing the spring at the neck of a coat to nothing, but leaving the five-eighths lap toward the blade, the great majority of stooping forms may be fitted, for it makes the front shoulder shorter, and that is all that a forward leaning neck requires. Stooping persons often throw their shoulders up, and such must be considered a combination of stooping and square shoulders. The lap of from three to five-eighths must always depend upon how the collar is sewed on. A three-eighths lap and one-quarter stretch of the neck-hole makes a better shoulder than a five-eighths lap with the collar sewed on close. A tight collar around the back and side will always spoil the shoulder. If a coat be too wide there, sew in the shoulder seam, but never draw in the side or the back of the neck with a short collar. A square shoulder may be produced by a lap of one-half between the back and front shoulder seam toward the shoulder blade, and no lap at the neck, and placing top of back at 3½. The armhole itself must be the same for both the square and for the low shoulder, or the long neck. The lap of the shoulder seam requires that seam to be nicked as shown in the diagram. It is better all around if the jour. has a sure point at the middle to connect said seam, when he can baste up and down. He is less apt to throw one side up and the other down than if he makes the connection at the neck or at the armhole. To connect the shoulder seam with a satisfactory result, square up from line 11¼ and in front of armhole, and nick each back and each front on said line, which is even, to moving the forepart down on the front plumb line until the shoulders meet. In sewing the shoulder seam together the back should always be a trifle the fullest, because the back passes over the round shoulder blade and the front passes over the hollow on top of the shoulders, and should be stretched a trifle. By a trifle I mean about one-eighth of an inch on each side of the nick.

Locating the connecting point at the center in the shoulder seam, the jour. must be instructed to baste up and down, and if any part is too wide at the neck or at the armhole, to trim it off or let it stand as an outlet, but in all cases insist that both neck and armhole must have a nice slope after the collar is sewed on, or the sleeve is sewed in. If the cutting is done according to this work, there will be no trouble in obtaining a nice round armhole.

COLLARS.

(SEE DIA. VII.)

All top collars should be cut bias and without a seam behind. All under collars should be put on rather loose, but not full, at the side of the neck. The principle of a standing collar must be well understood, for it is a permanent thing, and to be applied equally in the construction of all garments with collars, no matter if it is standing alone or if a turn-down piece is attached to it. It is true, a separate collar can be fitted to the neck in any shape, and may be so fitted that the forepart and collar meet in front, allowing the standing portion over the back to go down anywhere. But this is not the principle for a standing collar, for the reason that it cannot so be applied on a vest, or any other garment, with the standing collar cut on the forepart. The neck-band of a vest, or the standing collar of any garment, has a certain function to perform. Whenever a vest is on the angle of 135 deg., the neck-hand must lap over the back a certain distance, as shown in the diagrams. Whenever the neck is finished, said band is turned upward to the top of the neck, and in so doing it will form a spring near the shoulder seam to permit the neck to pass through; and it is just the same whether a turn-down piece or a turn-down collar is attached to it or not. If the neck-band is cut too low behind, it will form too much spring and the vest will be too wide at the side of the neck, and must be shrunk, which will never make a well-fitting job. If the band is cut too high at the back center, it will not have spring enough at the side, and the vest must be stretched, which, however, can be done better than if drawn in. But in either case, whether stretching or shrinking is required, I would advise the band being ripped open, the stiffening taken out, and re-shaped under the iron, which can easily be done. If a garment is worth altering at all, it is worth altering correctly.

A coat or vest of the present style, and likely to be for many years to come, is intended to reach up to the side of the neck where it (the neck) shoots nearly straight upward. The collar being an addition to the coat, it must be so constructed that it will turn aside and permit the neck to pass through. Now, the position of the standing part of a coat collar must be the same as on a vest, where the standing collar is not cut off, for it performs the same function. Take any good coat pattern that is furnished by a reliable firm and lay the parts out as in this book, and put the bottom of the standing part of the collar at the point indicated in the vest diagrams, and you will find that the front of the neck and front of the collar will not fit together, but lap over each other from 1 to 3 in. according to the size of the roll. The more it laps, the less roll it will produce, and if the collar and neck-hole were cut evenly in front, the collar would pull the lapel down to the bottom of the skirt. (See Dia. VII.)

I must repeat, however, that it is almost impossible to give a positive distance for the lap of the coat lapel, or a positive shape of the collar. We must watch fashion, and see how high the standing collar is, how much the turn-down is behind, or how wide the front is to be. A competent coat-maker can take almost any piece of bias cloth and canvas and press it into shape to make a good collar, but experience proves that not all coat-makers will or can do it. A vest with the standing collar cut off must have the neck cut out at the side, and at the angle of 45 deg., at least from 4½ to 4¾; because the sewed-on standing collar must fill the place of the neck-band of a vest with the collar cut on. All vests with the standing collar cut on should have the top of the back cut as wide as the angle of 45 deg. at least, in order to bring the spring, created by the turning upward of the neck-band, to the side of the neck. If the top of the back is cut too narrow the spring will locate too far behind, and will be loose there, while at the side of the neck it may be too tight. All vests, with and without turn-down collars, should be cut alike at the neck. The turn-down part of the collar is simply a piece cut just like the neck of the vest, as shown in Dia. IV.

Now, it should be observed that if Dia. IV is made without a turn-down collar the edge must be turned in, consequently it loses a seam at the side of the neck, which seam must be reduced on a vest with a turn-down collar, because the edge is not turned in, but covered over with the top collar, and the difference should be at least ⅜ of an inch—that is, for a turn-down collar the neck-band at the side of the neck should be reduced ⅜ of an inch, starting at the center of the back and running out to nothing anywhere in front. In all cases the bottom of the neck-band remains at 5 on the angle of 45 deg., as in Dia. IV. This manner of cutting a vest for a turn-down collar enables the cutter to curve the neck just as he pleases, as the turn-down piece will always follow the curve.

In this connection it would, no doubt, be proper to speak of the cutting of the top-collar and its dressing, or pressing in shape, before it is put on, in order to produce the curve of the flat top-collar.

To cut the top-collar, turn the underside upward in front and above the top button, and even with the fore-part as far up as possible. According to the prominence of the curve, the top of the under-collar will fall over toward the arm-hole and toward the shoulder seam, and in this shape the top-collar must be cut; and, by all means, should be on the bias, on the most hollow part of the curve. In making up, the inside part of the top-collar must be well stretched, and pressed over, and shaped to the curve of the under-collar, and for this reason must be cut bias. The collar and the whole facing can be dressed under the smoothing iron just as the curve of the vest requires it by turning and pressing the standing collar part under. It requires a few extra touches to shape the top collar, and some cloth may be wasted in order to get it bias, but this is the best manner in which to make a well curved collar on a low-cut vest.

If any one will look up the authority on the cutting of garments of from 30 to 40 years ago, and particularly the works of Genio C. Scott, he will find that at that time vests “_without_” collars were produced by sewing on a neck-band with a “V” attached to it in the same shape as I have shown the front of the standing collar part in Dia. VII. This “V” sewed in produced the spring at the side of the neck. That sometimes proved a difficult task for me while learning the trade in order to get in a nice “V,” and I suppose it would be a difficult task for some of our journeymen of to-day. But the world is progressing. To-day we accomplish it with a straight piece, and do it just as well, and perhaps better. All that is necessary for us to observe is, that the shoulder seam points to the side of the neck where the spring is required.

But, for the purpose of variety, I will propose another plan. Cut the vest as in Dia. IV. Leave off the neck-band and simply add ¾ of an inch to the top of the back and running out to nothing at about 3 inches below the shoulder seam. At the middle of the shoulder seam commence and put in a spring of about 1 in., giving half to the front and half to the back; then sew up, and you will find the same task accomplished.

If we turn the neck-band in Dia. IV upward until it meets with the top of the back, we shall find that a fold of about 1 inch will form on and above the shoulder seam, and all that is necessary is to imitate this by cutting a spring of ½ inch to both the back and front at the top of the shoulder seam or at point 5. It is somewhat of a question whether it would be advisable to cut vests in this manner, but they can be as far as the fit is concerned, more particularly those cut with a cloth back.

Now I must say a word about coat collars in particular. In visiting different tailor shops we find that the dressing of the under-collar is accomplished in many different ways, and for aught I know all may be right—if they suit the customer, or if the collar is on, as it is required by the coat. Coats which require a collar to be stretched nearly into a circle around the back are often cut too low or too wide at the neck. For such a round-shaped collar may be required to close well in at the neck, but it will never make an elegant job, and such coats usually indicate too much cloth in the shape of wrinkles below the collar, or on the top of the shoulders. A collar must not run with the slope of the shoulders, but must turn upward at the side of the neck to permit it to pass through. It must stand up, no matter if a turn-down part is cut on or if it stands alone, as on military or clergymen’s coats. A well fitting military or clergyman’s coat requires for its standing collar nothing but a straight piece of cloth, and sewed on straight. It will not be too loose at the top, nor will it “saw” the neck sore in half an hour.

Now, a coat collar, with a turn-down, represents a standing collar over the top of the back and side of the neck, as shown in Dia. VII, and on that piece or wedge the turn-down part is added. This wedge, or the standing collar as shown in Dia. VII, must retain its shape as on a vest, but as soon as the standing collar is stretched at the bottom the spring at the neck is destroyed, and a tight or flat collar is the result at the side of the neck. But to fit the standing collar and turn-down part together, so that the turn-down part is so much larger that it will go around the standing part without strain, the collar should be dressed as follows: Lay the whole under-collar flat on the table and turn and press the standing part up where it belongs, without stretching the outer edge of the turn-down part, and the collar is done. Whatever is trimmed off in front depends upon how far the lapel is to be drawn down. In this respect we all can learn something from an ordinary paper collar, which is a quite flat piece of paper—the break is not on a straight line, but on a curve of about half an inch at the center behind, and they all fit well. Many a cutter and many a journeyman would profit by studying the principle of a turn-down paper collar.

Of late years a great many overcoats, and especially ulsters, have been made with very wide collars, turning down about five inches or more. Such necks should be cut with the standing collar on the top of back and on the side of the forepart and running out to a point at or near the front sleeve base, and an extra spring of not less than one inch added to each shoulder seam, and evenly divided on back and on front. This addition furnishes the standing part of the collar, and the turn-down collar part is put on, just as it is put on to the vest, which will give form to the shape of the shoulder and not lie flat, as most of such collars are seen to-day.

See collar as it is to be pressed.

ARMHOLE AND SLEEVE.

(SEE DIA. VII.)

Both armhole and sleeves as well as the shoulder seam are very closely connected, and must harmonize. No matter in what position we choose to place the different parts of a frock or sack while cutting, they must all assume the same position at and around the armhole and shoulders when on the body. The question of locating the front of the armhole is solved in the application of the angle of 135 deg. The normal form has its arms at the center and side of the body, and Dia. I has its armhole in its center and side. If the old rule—front of armhole ⅔ half-breast from back—holds good, then the back of the armhole must also be equally good at ⅔ half-breast from the front base, as in Dia. I. There is no question but that the armhole may be made more or less without injury to the fit as long as the sleeve fits into the armhole. The front of the armhole is located two seams back of 45 deg., from the starting point, and on the front base, as shown in Dia. VII. This gives an easy-fitting armhole for a well-built form, but if the armhole is cut forward to meet the front sleeve base, it will not injure the coat.

It is generally claimed that a stooping form requires its armhole more forward, and an erect form more backward, but this is not always true. We find plenty of forms which bend the back, and throw the neck downward in front, but throw the arms and shoulders backward, and which forms do not require their armholes forward of the normal position. We also find forms which are very erect or straight in the back but throw their arms forward, and _do_ require the armholes forward from the normal position. Now, no matter if the form is erect or stooping, the armholes do not require to be larger or smaller. Because a man throws his arms forward or backward does not show that his arm becomes larger or smaller. If the armhole is required to be cut ½ an inch more forward the back should be that much wider. If the armhole is cut ½ an inch backward the back becomes ½ an inch smaller—the location of the armhole changes, not the armhole.

A cutter must also take into account the occupation of a customer. A musician who blows a great horn requires his armholes backward, and a full breast, while a person who plays the violin requires his armholes pretty well forward, or, at least, he needs extra length in the back sleeve seam, no matter if it is a trifle loose when the sleeve drops downward. But if everything is well balanced it is wonderful how small, and again how large, an armhole a man can have in his coat and feel good in either of them. But as stated, the sleeve must fit into the armhole, and for this reason we must consider the sleeve in particular.

When one or both arms are thrown into a horizontal position they show themselves as a sidewise growth of the body, like the limb of a tree, and consequently have their base in the center of the back, or in the center of the front. For the purpose of permitting the arms to drop down to the side, a wedge, or gusset, or a lap, is made between the top of the armhole and sleeve, which is taken up when the arm drops down into its natural position at the side.

At 60 deg. from the center of the back the sleeve and the shoulder lap 2¼ numbers for a close-fitting sleeve, and it is so shown in Dia. VII and X. At 45 deg. from the back, or at the top square line from the front base, the sleeve and shoulder lap 2 numbers. While the lap of 2 at 45 deg., may be considered as a permanent thing for all sleeves, the lap at 60 deg. may be considered as changeable, according to the style of the sleeve head, or according to the kind of the coat, as over or under coats. The lap of shoulder and sleeve, at 60 deg., also depends upon a low or a square shoulder, as well as upon a broad or a narrow style of the shoulder. Two and a quarter may be taken as the smallest amount to be allowed at 60 deg., and 2½ may be considered not too much for any style, and 2¾ may be considered plenty for a very full sleeve head and a narrow style of shoulders.

At right angles with the center of the back and through the point of the angle of 135 deg., is the front sleeve base, to which the front sleeve seam is connected at point 11, and from which line the normal form requires the front of armhole backward 2 seams, as in the position of Dia. VII, and which is intended for a close-fitting armhole. On the back the center of the sleeve is 8 from the point of the angle of 135 deg., and there the sleeve and the coat connect even, and there the sleeve length must be transferred.

In taking the sleeve length it makes no difference if the length is taken 1 inch higher or lower, but in transferring the measure to the sleeve, the cutter must know where to transfer, no matter where the seam may be located. After the front and back are formed the top sleeve may be made wider on either seam, and the under side that much smaller, and notches cut accordingly.

Sleeve and back are to be connected at 8 numbers from O, and at the back base, but this is for normal forms only, or for the normal position of the arm only. Persons whose occupation compels them to throw their arms forward should have some surplus cloth at that point even if the sleeve shows too much cloth when the arms hang down. Surplus length allowed there must not be accounted for in the sleeve length. Another good way, to provide such sleeves with extra length at the back seam, is to throw the front seam of the sleeve, say 1 in. forward of the base and at the hand, which will cause the sleeve to extend forward easily with the arm. Such sleeves may also have more width at the elbows. Persons who most always reach forward with their arms should also have a trifle allowance, say ¼ inch, at the shoulder blade, and between the back and sidepiece, at line 9 over the front.

The bottom of the armhole is marked ¾ above lines 9 and 11¼ and the front of the armhole is ⅜, or two seams back of the angle of 45 deg., all of which must be considered a close-fitting armhole, but there is no law to prevent the armhole to be cut ⅛ to ¼ deeper and that much more forward.

In Dia. VII and X the upper armhole nick is placed at 67½ deg. and the upper sleeve nick is placed at 60 deg., and both come very close together as long as the lap of sleeve and shoulder is not over 2¼ at 60 deg. Since Dia. VII and X were made, I have found that a right angle from the center of the back through 60 deg. at the armhole gives a rather better connection, and Dia. II, which was made later on, was made to show that way. At the same time Dia. II was made with the front of armhole close to 45 deg. and with a lap of 2½ at 60 deg. The back nick at 8 and the front nick at 11 must be considered correct, but that much must be said: If for any reason the sleeve and armhole nicks must be changed, the sleeve will be the better if it is turned down in front and up behind, than if it turned the other way.

Now, the position of the sleeve and back enables the cutter to keep them in true balance. If the shoulder becomes a ¼ of an inch broader the sleeve loses that much, and if the shoulder becomes narrower, the sleeve must gain that much. If the armhole is cut more forward the back becomes broader and the sleeve that much shorter behind. If the armhole is cut more backward the back becomes narrower and the back sleeve seam that much shorter.

The stooping form requires the front of the neck-hole further down, and the top of back correspondingly higher, and for illustration, I refer to Dia. V, and the dotted line at the neck. If the neck changes, the sleeve center remains at 8. If the neck is thrown further down, the top of the back must be longer, and the front becomes that much shorter, but the sides remain. Besides, a stooping form can always stand a trifle extra length at the back of the sleeve, and ¼ to ½ in. extra length there will always be found useful.

The top of the under sleeve I have represented in two different ways. The upper curve is especially intended for overcoats, because the overcoat armhole is cut deeper than the under coat armhole. The upward curve forms a gusset, or a wedge, which allows the arm to be raised on the same principle that the lap of the shoulder and sleeve on top allows the arm to be moved downward. When the arm is down, and in its natural position, the gusset on top is taken up and the one below the arm is hidden, and will not show at all. But if the arm is to be moved upward, it is there for supply, and the body of the coat is not required to go along.

The width of the sleeve, both at the elbow and at the cuff, most always depends on style or notion. A long sleeve must be smaller at the cuff than a short one, but a cutter should always inquire as to what a customer wants and write the measure down. In the absence of a positive measure, the elbow may be made 8¾ numbers, a little more for quite small sizes and a little less for quite large sizes. For the cuff, 6 numbers may be used for the medium sizes, so that size 35 may be made up 11 in. full. The smallest cuff, say size 23 to 24, should not be made up less than 9 in., and the largest cuff, say 48 to 50, is large enough with 13½ in., but may be made 14 to 15 in.—all changes to be made at the elbow seam. There is a variation of perhaps 6 in. in about 25 sizes, or about ¼ in. for every size. If we take 11 in. for the width of a 35 size cuff, we will be very near correct if we add ¼ in. for every size below that size, and deduct ¼ in. for every size above that number.

Dia. VII represents the armhole, sleeve and collar, and also represents the respective length of the cloak or cape. The cloak part of Dia. VII shows the full ¾ of that garment without any seam at the shoulders, but that would be too full for the present style; and the reduction must be made sidewise by folding the pattern at the center of the side, or at 67½ deg., but point toward the shoulder seam and top of the sleeve, where the shoulder will open toward the neck as the shoulder seam. This shoulder seam may be called artificial because the real reduction is made at the side below. By making the fold, the circle must be re-shaped at its bottom, but the respective lengths remain as in Dia. VII. (See Dia. VIIa, which was made later.)

The armhole must be considered a center, or a permanent thing, and must not be changed for either the stooping, or erect, or long or short neck. If the neck be long, allow more shoulder strap, and if short, give less, as in Dia. IX. But if for any reason an extra loose armhole is desired, and it is thrown forward, then the front sleeve base must be advanced accordingly—that is, two seams must lap between the front of the armhole and sleeve, at 11, as in Dia. VII.

To sew the sleeve in the armhole: Clean the front of armhole of all hair cloth, if any is used. Between the front and the top nicks, cut all canvas and padding in, in three or four places, and cut the lining in, in one place, about 1 in. above the front sleeve nick, and about 2 in. deep, and cover it with a V. If the padding is thick, it should be so cut that no two cuts meet each other, so that when the cuts are stretched apart, that they still form a solid edge and not show the offsets on the outside. The front of the armhole should then be stretched under the iron, from point 11 to 60 deg., and care should be taken that the front of armhole is not torn, especially at the nicks. After such stretching the sleeve and the armhole will be nearly even, and the sleeve will require no fulling, or very little. Below the front sleeve nick the armhole is not to be stretched, unless it is done to make the coat larger. On and along the back sleeve seam, up to 45 deg. and down to the under arm cut, the back of the armhole should be secured from stretching by some kind of a stay, and after the scye is solid there, the sleeve should be held a trifle full, which makes a better hanging sleeve than if the sleeve be stretched. No sleeve hangs well in front if it be stretched above the front sleeve nick: and the same thing is true to the back part. A sleeve can be made to hang well in the back, as well as in front, if the coat maker knows how to work it, or the cutter knows how to cut it, and be able to give positive instructions.

Whatever the top sleeve is made broader than 8 numbers is taken off on the under side and the nicks for the sleeve seams follow the width of the top sleeve on both front and back. The center of the top sleeve is 8, which will produce a medium top sleeve, but the under sleeve will be rather full and must be reduced, say ½ to ¾, on the front seam, or a fold must be laid under the arm.

By the normal position of the armhole, I mean that the front of the armhole is located within ⅜ in. or two seams of the angle of 45 deg., and the sleeve on that angle as a base, so that the sleeve and armhole always lap two seams, one for the sleeve and the other for the coat, as in Dia. X and VII. For the bottom of the sleeve, sweep from 8 on the back, which is the center of the sleeve.

On the same principle that the back lining of a coat is put in large, the sleeve lining ought to be put in large around the armhole, particularly the top sleeve lining, which should be at least ½ in. wider at each seam than the outside, running out to nothing at and below the elbow. Speaking of sleeve lining, it may be said here that fine tailoring may require the top of the sleeve lining to be felled all around, but it is often noticed that even on fine work the top part is sewed with a seam and the under side felled. Now, if we sew the top sleeve lining with a seam we may as well sew the under sleeve, for it makes clean work all around. It is done as follows: Sew the top sleeve with a seam as far as you can, then turn the sleeve lining right side out, gather up the whole sleeve lining from the bottom, and reach up through the front and sew around the balance. It is rather an awkward job for one not accustomed to it, but it works quite easily after a short trial. This would not have been mentioned here but for the fact that I have seen only one coat which had the sleeve lining sewed in that way, which was not made by me, and that coat was made in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Sewing in sleeves is a particular job in order to make them both alike, and it will pay a cutter to be particular in cutting the notches and requiring the jour. to place them together; or, if from any cause, notches on one sleeve are changed that the other sleeve is changed in the same manner.

Another fact must be observed: By sewing in the undersleeve a coat may be made a good deal larger or smaller. If the undersleeve is sewed in full and the lining gives, a coat may be made from one to two sizes larger than if the undersleeve is sewed in close, or the fullness laid in a fold. I have made many a three-seamed sack coat larger by enlarging the undersleeve and by well stretching the coat under the arm, and then piecing the lining down to the hips. A coat which is too small in the armholes and which is cut forward is usually ruined, because cutting the armholes forward will be at the expense of the width of the breast, but if a wedge is put in under the arm, either by stretching the bottom of the armhole or by the help of outlets, then the coat will be large enough in the arms and remain wide enough at the chest.

In general practice it is found that a great many coats fit better at the shoulders, without the sleeves in, and in all such cases it may be presumed that the top sleeve is too short, which causes the shoulder to break somewhere. Again a short top sleeve at the angles of 45 and 60 deg. causes the back sleeve seam and the whole back undersleeve to appear too long, while at the hand the sleeve is that much too short. The top sleeve is better if it laps ½ inch too much than ¼ inch too little at 45 and 60 deg.

Between the square and the low shoulder there should be a difference made in the sleeve head, independent of style. The low shoulder requires a flat sleeve on top of the shoulder, and such armholes should not be stretched much, while the more square shoulder may have a sleeve cut with a fuller head, and the armhole may be stretched more. The width of the shoulders varies in style also, and it must be observed that whenever the style of the shoulders is broad the sleeve head cannot be as full as it may be made on a coat with the shoulders cut narrow. On the present style of female sleeves we can notice that they are all cut narrow in the shoulders, and with an extremely full sleeve head. Such shoulders would look horrid, if they were cut very broad, and with such big sleeve heads running up, and above the shoulders, several inches.

In making up, the jour. and the cutter must work in harmony, and in all cases, the jour. ought to know if the coat is for a low or for a square shoulder, and he ought to be able to work the shoulders accordingly. There is no sleeve system in existence which is as good as this, and I claim that there is no probability that anything better will be brought forth. Others may be able to give it a finer polish, but the principle will remain.

CENTERS OF THE BACK AND FRONT.

Both of these centers must be very nearly on straight lines, as is proved by the fact that a vest can be fitted with very little curve on the center of the back or in front; and in fact, can be fitted from the waist to the neck with quite straight lines by simply cutting a trifle of a gore sidewise, either at the waist or at the neck, or at both. When we examine the body closely we find that it is not round, but has four well-defined corners, two in front at the center of the breast or at the nipples, and two in the back at each shoulder blade. If any reduction is required at the waist it should be made at these locations, for they are the turning points of the body. Between these points the normal body is perfectly flat in front and at the sides, though in length the front is curved, while the back is mostly hollow; but for all that, the normal back may be considered flat from blade to blade, as the hollow between is not intended to be shown, but concealed. If we view the body from side to side, the back and front appear to be a sharp curve, as is shown in Fig. 2; but if we look at Fig. 1 we see both back and front flat. If a body were to be pressed flat from side to side, and then a cover cut for that form, both the center of the front and back would necessarily be cut on curved lines, because it would be essential to fit from front to back, or from back to front, just as we may take it. But on the human form both front and back must be fitted sidewise from their respective bases, and as both of the bases are on a flat surface it follows that both of them must be fitted, or nearly so, on straight lines, at least as far down as the hollow of the waist.

If we take a sheet of stiff paper we can fit it over the back and chest, and from arm to arm, all the way down to the hollow of the waist in the back, and to the turning points or pit of the stomach in front, with scarcely any break or wrinkle in the paper, which shows that the center of the back or front must be fitted on straight lines, and that all reduction, as shown in Dia. II, or all additions, as shown in Dia. I, at the waist must be made sidewise or nearly so. The reduction of the back of the waist depends entirely upon the position in which we choose to place the different parts. In fact, it may be claimed that the waist reduction of the back is wholly imaginary, because the whole part of the body between the arms and waist is a flat surface, and can be fitted with a straight piece of cloth. Considering that the natural position of a garment when on the body runs from the shoulder blade downward and into the hollow of the waist, it must come in contact with the seat below, and must be sprung outward, but differs somewhat according to the nature of the garment—all of which is clearly shown in the diagrams.

All the different shapes of gores or wedges in the back of a frock coat we can make, because we can open or close the sidepiece and back, upward or downward. On a vest with a straight back, we must cut it just so, and not otherwise; and a vest back must have a trifle spring over the seat in the center of the back. If we cut a vest off at the hollow of the waist, we can connect the sides also on straight lines and the whole garment can be cut with but one seam in front. In this case, however, we must consider the following: If the square of 20, with one inch cut out under the arm, and sewed up, fits the body, the back and front are not in that square any longer; but that square spreads on top, and contracts below, about 7½ deg.

But while the square of 20 is thus contracted at the waist, it spreads apart on top, or above line 9, and here a reduction of the waist would be visible as a gore above the armscye line in the armhole, but which is cut away and that gore is invisible on a vest. But even a vest on a square of 20 would necessarily have a gore there if the armhole would not take it away, and if the seam is thrown further backward, as in a sack coat, that gore will show; and if the seam is thrown still further backward, as on a frock coat, it will show still more, because the armhole does not approach it so closely.

Now, all of this shows that two straight edges can be joined together and fitted over the center of the back or front by cutting the gores sidewise, and thus compelling the straight back and front of a garment to conform with the bend in front and the back in length. The center of the front cannot be manipulated like the back, because there are no seams in the forepart passing from one end to the other, except in a double-breasted coat with the lapels cut off. It is true, we can cut small gores under the lapel or at the waist to make the forepart conform to the body, but they must be well understood by the cutter as well as by the coat maker.

We all know that a great many good coats are made every day without any gore whatever in the forepart, but we also know that such coats are pretty well worked, and the front edge drawn in, which is equal to cutting a gore somewhere. A gore under the lapel is always vexatious in the hands of an inexperienced journeyman, for it is quite easy to throw the shoulder of the garment out of place when basted on the canvas. For this reason no gore under the lapel should be sewed up until the forepart is basted on the canvas or padding, after which the canvas should be cut in just the shape of the gore, because a flat canvas will spoil all effects of a gore. On a double-breasted coat, with the lapels cut off, an exception must be made, when the lapels are sewed on before the foreparts are basted on the canvas. Within said lapel seam may be obtained all necessary oval form required for a forepart, and all other gores under the lapel are apt to do more harm than good.

But there is no question about the usefulness of a gore under the lapel of a double-breasted sack coat, and I may say it is indispensable there, for no double-breasted coat can be made to conform with the shape of the body unless one or two gores are cut somewhere. A lapel may be obtained without a gore in it, but as soon as the coat is to be buttoned up completely, there will be surplus cloth between each button and buttonhole, or the collar will be too loose under the chin, or the front of the waist will be too wide.

Now all of these faults—loose collar, long front, or large waist—may be overcome by simply cutting a gore of ⅜ in. in the center of the forepart at the waist seam of a frock coat, and I deem it necessary to give that gore particular attention. When we take a sheet of paper and spread it over the front of the breast, we can fit both fronts from the neck down to the pit of the stomach with that straight paper. From the pit of the stomach down it will stand off from the body, just as the front line of the angle of 15 deg. stands off in Fig. II. Now, to bring that surplus width in front of the waist to the body it must be reduced by cutting gores. One large gore in the center of the front would be all that would be necessary to bring the sheet to the body, but that would throw too much surplus cloth on the top of that gore, and all on one spot, and wrinkles would form across the front of chest, as in the case with all coats which are cut away in front of the waist and forced forward in order to button up. To reduce the front edge only will make it a cutaway; but that will never conform a coat to the oval body in front. Now, the more gores we cut the more will everything be divided and the better it will fit. So, in place of taking one large piece from the center of the front, we may cut three small gores—one in the center of the front and one in each middle of the foreparts under the nipple. The one in the center of the front is made in the edge, or the seam, and is simply a reduction of the front edge. The two gores in the middle of each forepart may be considered ⅜ in. cut, and two seams, or ¾ in. in all. These cuts will balance the front and give all the oval shape which the chest of a male requires.

On military or clergymen’s coats a cutter is compelled to make one cut in each middle of the front if he wants a good front. On such coats no gore can be cut at the front of the neck. The natural run of that gore is straight downward, starting at the nipple, or wherever the front of the body turns backward toward the front of the thigh. But we cannot cut them all the way down through the skirt, and so we turn it forward at the waist seam.

It will be noticed that Dia. II is cut without that gore, but it is thrown into the lapel seam, and the large gore upward is the result. If Dia. II is made with that gore, then the front must receive whatever said gore takes up, say about ¾ in. more.