Sewing Gored Skirts
for a smooth sheath effect
from the November 1908 issue of The Delineator
“MY SUBJECT this month is the new gored skirt, which, under the influence of the Directoire sheath, has grown narrower and closer fitting than we have seen it for some time. It is a timely subject, for the reversion to the plain gored skirt makes it probable that more women will be making their skirts this Fall than for many seasons past. The gored skirt is easier to handle and requires less material than the plaited, and, therefore costs less—a point that will appeal to the economical.
Most women—even among those who pride themselves on the neatness of their handiwork— recognize but two principles in skirt construction: that a skirt must hang evenly around the bottom and must fasten with hooks and eyes at the placket. Other requirements, better understood in professional circles, they ignore; consequently, when their skirts set badly and develop unexpected peculiarities, they are dimly conscious of the effect—never of the cause.
In this lesson I intend dealing with the best method of constructing a gored skirt and avoiding the difficulties and mistakes in balancing and fitting encountered by women whose figures are not of average proportions. And right here I want to explain a point that
few women understand, and that is that average proportions and average measurements are not one and the same thing. For instance, two women may measure exactly the same around the hips, and yet one of them may have acquired most of her inches across her abdomen and the other across her back. Will the same skirt fit them both? Not at all. The first woman’s skirt will poke forward and upward in front, while the second woman’s will be shorter at the back.
This is just one of the many things that puzzle and vex women, and which are rarely handled in dressmaking lessons, either because the writer has not the technical knowledge to deal with them or is not willing to take the trouble to give women the help they really need. The solution of this and other difficulties is simple and easily grasped, and it is my intention in these lessons to give you the benefit of my experience on technical matters that have so far only been understood by dressmakers and tailors.
In the first place, I want to speak of a few things that do not really come under the head of dressmaking, but which are absolutely essential to the well-dressed woman. So many little things make a difference in the set of clothes—corsets, garters, underclothes and the way one stands. I haven’t space to go into them all here, but I think you should have the benefit of the same advice that I give to all my clients: Buy the best corsets you can afford and use good, strong hose supporters at the sides and front of your corsets. Make your own lingerie if possible and see that it sets smoothly with very little fulness over the hips and around the waist.
And, above all, stand well on both feet, with the weight thrown forward, your shoulders back and your abdomen in. Don’t let your back slump and your weight sag to one side—the stork itself is not more given to the one-legged habit than the average woman. Perhaps dressmaking and physical culture are not allied subjects, but the best-built clothes in the world will not look the part on a badly-built woman.
To go back to the skirt: The pattern is bought by the waist or hip measure, but you must know both in order to be sure you are getting exactly the right size. Take the measurements over your dress, drawing the tape snugly around the waist, but easily around the hips six inches below the waist. Compare your measurements with those of the pattern, and never buy one that is too small for you in the waist or hips, for it is always easier to take in a pattern than to let it out. A skirt pattern is generally bought by the waist measure, except when the hips are large in proportion to the waist. In that case the pattern should be bought by the hip measure and taken in at the waist in fitting.
The amount of material required for this skirt is given in the table on the envelope. You will see that the amount depends to some extent on the material— if it is a plain color and without a nap it will take less than if it has a nap. Plaids and stripes have to be carefully matched in cutting and are sometimes rather wasteful materials to handle. The quantities given are for plain materials, but a stripe or plaid will require more.
This particular gored skirt is suitable for plain, striped or checked materials or those with a small and not too emphatic a plaid. A large, pronounced plaid would not be advisable for a skirt that is composed of so many narrow gores.
Before cutting your material, take your own measure from your waistline in front to the floor and compare it with the front length of the pattern. Do not overlook the three-eighths-of-an-inch seams that will come off the top and bottom of the pattern in finishing the waistband and bottom, and be a little generous in allowing for the give-and-take of making.
You must also take into consideration, in calculating on the length of your skirt, the use you intend to put it to. For a handsome tailor-made suit in broadcloth or velvet for formal wear the sweep length is very smart just at present, but a convenient length for walking is about two inches off the floor.
If you are not going to use the sweep length cut off or turn up the lower edge of the pattern at the crossline of large single perforations.
If the pattern is either too long or too short for you it may readily be altered by slashing or laying plaits in it portion by portions. (Illustrations 1 and 2.) If the pattern is too long lay a plait of the required depth straight across each gore about six inches below the hip line. In this pattern these plaits will leave an uneven line on each side edge of the gores. This unevenness should be filled in in cutting, as indicated by the black background. (Illustration 1.)
If the pattern is too short slash each portion at the same distance below the hips and separate the pieces as much as necessary.
If your figure is of average proportions, and you stand correctly, you are now ready to cut out your material. But right here I want to meet the needs of the women who are not of average proportions and who do not stand correctly. They are the women with the slightly rounded abdomen, the decidedly prominent abdomen or prominent hips, in place of the flat abdomen, rounded hips and back, and erect pose.
In the first two instances, of the woman with a slightly rounded or prominent abdomen, the skirt, if left to itself, will stand out in front to a greater or less degree, depending on the size of the abdomen. On the third type of woman the prominent hips will make the skirt stand out at the sides. All these women have, as a rule, flat backs. While I certainly am not an advocate of the bustle, I would advise that a very small pad be worn under the corset at the back, to fill in the hollow of the figure below the waistline.
I am going to explain the principles by which such women can have perfect-fitting garments, but each woman will have to apply them to her own case. I should strongly advise her to experiment first with a skirt of coarse muslin or old sheeting. Then, when she has found just what changes must be made to make a skirt fit her perfectly, she can cut into her good material without fear of making mistakes.
For the first type— the woman with the round abdomen— take the side-front gore of your pattern and mark the hip line on it six and three-eighth inches below the upper edge. At the hip line on the back edge of the gore take up a dart-shaped plait one quarter of an inch deep, and tapering away to nothing three-eighths of an inch from the front edge of the gore. (Illustration 3.) This quarter of an inch may seem to you an alteration unworthy of attention, but you will find that it. changes the balance of your gore.
If it is neccessary, do the same thing to the next side gore, but do not go back of the hip. In making these alterations you can keep increasing the size of the dart-shaped plait until the back edge of your gore above the hip forms a straight line with the back edge below the hip. (Illustration 8.) Stop at that point, for the back edge must never become hollow or concave. For the woman with the prominent abdomen an allowance of an inch or more should be made on the upper edges of the front and side gores, tapering the allowance away to nothing over the hips. (See illustration number 4.)
Extending the gores up an inch will make the waistline smaller, so the side edges of the gores must be increased to keep the waistline exactly the original size of the pattern. It is a good idea to outline the original pattern on your material to be used as a guide in fitting, but leave sufficient material around it to raise the waistline and widen the gores as much as may be necessary to fit your prominent abdomen and let the skirt drop in a straight line to the floor.
For the third type—the woman with the prominent hips—select from the pattern the gore with its front edge coming over the fullest part of the hip. In this particular pattern it is the gore numbered 4. In another skirt pattern it might be necessary for you to pin the pattern together in order to find the right gore.
This gore must be altered in exactly the same way that the pattern was altered for the woman with the round abdomen. (See Illustration 5.) If necessary the next gore toward the back may be altered in the same way, but the shape of the back gore should never be changed in altering the skirt to fit a prominent hip.
After having tried any of these alterations that are necessary for your own case in a skirt of coarse muslin, and made sure that the skirt drops in a straight line all around from the hip line to the floor, you will be quite safe in cutting out your material by the altered pattern. These principles apply not only to this particular gored skirt, but to any gored skirt pattern that you may care to use.
All woolen materials should be sponged and the selvage cut off before using.
Whatever material is used, the pattern must be laid on it with the triple perforation in the front gore on a lengthwise fold and the large double perforations parallel to the selvage. (See illustrations 6 and 7.) Where stripes or plaids are used great care must be taken to make them match at the seams. A plaid that misses connections by about half an inch at every seam all the way around is a very slipshod-looking affair, and betokens either ignorance, carelessness or indifference.
In stripes the lines run lengthwise and match at the seams, forming Vs. In plaids the lines run both lengthwise and crosswise and must match both ways. In cutting a skirt from a stripe or plaid it is better to cut one entire side first, cutting the front gore first, carefully matching the lines at the seams. Then remove the pattern and lay the first half of the skirt, portion by portion, on the material, matching the stripes and plaids at all points before cutting the second half. In doing this be sure to place the right sides of the material face to face, otherwise you will have cut the two halves for the same side—one of the most frequent and expensive errors of the amateur seamstress.
In using a plaid or stripe you must take care in cutting that the center of the plaid or stripe is exactly in the center of the front gore—otherwise your skirt will have a one-sided appearance. In using a plaid you must work slowly and with painstaking care. Study the plaid minutely and do not be in haste to use your scissors. The matching is not difficult, and the result amply pays for the labor and trouble, but it undoubtedly requires time and patience.
In pinning the pattern on the material make sure that the latter is perfectly smooth and unwrinkled. Cut carefully, marking the notches distinctly but no deeper than necessary.
In basting the skirt together you will have two bias edges at each seam. You must therefore handle the skirt as deftly as possible, taking the greatest care not to stretch the edges. Do not touch the gores any more than is necessary. In basting lay the gores flat on a table—pin the seam at the top and then straighten the breadths by smoothing down and across on the thread of the goods. The edges may then be pinned together as notched and basted with a three-eighths-of-an-inch seam. (Illustration 7.) Leave an eleven-inch opening on the center-back seam for a placket...
For the inverted plait in the back make a crease through the large single perforations in the back gore and bring the crease over to the opening. Baste the belt on the skirt with the perforations at the joining of the underlap.
Try the skirt on, fastening the belt and placket carefully. No change will be necessary unless your measurements differed from those of the pattern. In that case the skirt may be a trifle large for you either at the waist or hips. It is a simple matter to take in a little on each seam until the skirt fits smoothly. Do not try to make it too snug nor to make all the alterations on one seam, or you will change the proportions of your gores.
Take off the skirt and baste in any alterations which may have been necessary. Try it on once more as a precautionary measure, and if it is exactly right stitch the seams. They should then be pressed open or to one side and the edges bound separately or together with a strip of thin lining or silk, or binding ribbon. If the skirt is made of cloth, the edges may be notched or pinked...
Sew one edge of the belt to the skirt and turn the other over the top of the skirt, turning in the edge and covering the seam. Stitch the belt firmly by hand or machine and sew on the hooks and eyes...
Try the skirt on again, and if your figure is of average proportions and a good pose it will hang evenly around the bottom and will only need to be hemmed or faced. If, for any reason, the skirt does not hang evenly there is a very simple method of obtaining a good line around the bottom:
Get a small piece of stiff cardboard that has an edge that is perfectly straight. Make a notch in it the distance you want your skirt to clear the floor, or use a patent marker if you prefer. Then stand on a table and have some one move around you with the marker, designating on the skirt with pins or chalk the distance from the table. (See Illustration 9.) Put the marks close together, so that when you take off the skirt you can get an even line. Trim off the skirt where too long, as indicated by the pins or chalk, and try it on once more, to make sure that the result is satisfactory.
The lower edge of a skirt may be hemmed or faced. This pattern does not allow for a hem, as it is generally more economical to cut a facing from left-over pieces of the material. The top edge of the hem or facing may be finished, like the seam edges, with binding, ribbon, or with pinking if the skirt is of cloth...
The facing may be cut bias or the shape of the bottom of the skirt—in the latter case using the skirt pattern as a guide. Either way is satisfactory, and it is simply a question of which will cut best from your material. If the bias facing is used it may be shaped to the skirt by pressing it with a warm iron, stretching it slightly at its lower edge.
Three inches is a good depth for either hem or facing. If the skirt is hemmed the fulness at the top is gathered slightly with a fine running stitch. (See Illustration 10.) It is then basted down to the skirt. The fulness in the top of the hem may be shrunk out by dampening and pressing with a warm iron...
If the skirt is faced the lower edge of the skirt should be turned up three-eighths of an inch on the wrong side and basted. The lower edge of the facing should also be turned under three-eighths of an inch and basted to the wrong side of the skirt. Facing and skirt should be stitched together. The raw edge of the facing should be bound with binding ribbon or a binding of silk or some thin lining material. (Illustration 11.)
This completes the plain gored skirt— a simple subject, as you see, for the woman of average proportions; and one that may easily be handled by the woman who is not, if she understands the principles I have been explaining.
This same lesson may be applied to the construction of the petticoat, for the effect of a well-made skirt may be quite ruined by a badly-fitting petticoat. A sheath skirt should be worn over a sheath petticoat that has been carefully cut and fitted to the figure.
One of the best petticoat models of the year is a seven-gored petticoat with the fulness laid in an inverted plait or eliminated entirely in the habit-back fashion. Personally I prefer the latter style, for it keeps the figure flat across the back. Where the habit back is used the skirt opens at the side front with an ordinary placket-hole. All gathers and fulness at the waistline are scrupulously avoided, and the petticoat fits the figure closely to about knee depth. Around the bottom the necessary fulness is procured by a straight or circular flounce.
There has been a decided change, not only in the shape of petticoats but in the materials as well. The loud rustle of a stiff silk that used to be the delight of every feminine soul has lost caste. Petticoats are now made of pliant materials—soft silks or satins, preferably—that cling to the figure and fall limp around the feet.
(c) 2006
