Fashion and Things Feminine.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 18, 5 March 1915, Page 7 (Supplement)

Fashion and Things Feminine.

ONE-PIECE FROCK WITH RAG LAX SLEEVE.

By IDA ffI£LLER

The blouse with long raglan sleeve is the one that carries all before it, and this i; the one that is used, also, in blouse-bodices to one-piece frocks. It may proceed from a yoke or direct from the neck of the bodice. With a yoke, a little fullness is usually allied to the

The raglan sleeve is a very comfortable one—more so than the ordinary Magyar, which is inclined to drag under the arms.

Front fastenings on dresses are very much more convenient than back one's to the woman who is her own waitingmaid, and numbers of smart as well as simple frocks are nowadays fastened in front. A pretty and serviceable style with front fastening is illustrated. Here we have a dress of the one-piece kind, suitable for plain or striped material, with simple skirt and blouse-bodice made with the new sleeve.

The pattern of the blouse is in five parts, and these are indicated on the diagram, which represents from 11 to 2 yards of 40-inch material, folded

lengthwise. The pattern pieces are: One front of blouse, No. 1; one sleeve with yoke, No. 2; half the back, No. 3; half the collar, No. 4; and one cuff, No. .j. Lay the straight edge of back, of yoke-back and of collar to the fold, so that seams are avoided, and cut out the front and cuff in duplicate. In making up, the fronts are gathered to the yoke and the back is also eased. The skirt, high-waisted, is mounted to a petersham belting and is stitched to the bodice, and both fasten with buttons and button-holes. The skirt is a two-piece one, and the pattern is of half the skirt, The wider diagram shows the half-pattern supposedly laid on from 2| to 3 yards of double-width material opened out wide. Space is marked out for the lacking half of the skirt. A SET OF UNDERWEAR. So long as there is no indication of greater width coming into skirt fashions, under-skirts must necessarily remain as simple as possible, and the plain-fitting petticoat with knife-pleat-ed flounce remains, not unnaturally, the favourite, for it in every way suit' the

needs of fashion, the flounce providing a filling-in for the slit skirt, while it does not in the least interfere with the set of the closed skirt. Petticoats of violet, ochre, and navy alpaca are useful and inexpensive, and others of soft moirette wear well. The flounces are always well-pressed so that

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they hang straight. Girls who make up their own underclothing and lack a petticoat of tho kind may be recommended to try alpaca, which is lightweight and inexpensive. The articles of underwear illustrated give some ideas for home-made garments, the patterns selected being simple ones such as the amateur dressmaker can readily deal with. The girl who is clever at embroidery can work for herself some dainty floral designs across the front of a night-dress, chemise, or underbodice, and make a goodly show at littlejfost. , A French knot trimming is always effective, and where flowers are not used, the French knot should be adopted.

No. 1 in group-sketch is a chemise, made ) without a placket after the Frem-ii manner preferred to-day. Slits distant from the top edge, and through are made in the material about an inch distant from the top edge, and through these a ribbon is run. A line of embroidery, in a shamrock or flowered design, also trims the neck and is repeated as a border to the short sleeves. A complete underset trimmed in this way would be very pretty. A picot edging is added to the chemise.

No. 2 is a divided petticoat, with flounce of lace or embroidery and per-fect-fitting waist. This type* of undergsirmcut is easily made up. No. :j is an under-bodice with straight-across top. This, again, is very simple to make, as the pattern does away witli the shaping of an armhole. The top of the hodice is composed of a wide band of embroidery, put on with a heading and threaded with rilihon, and the shoulder straps are also of embroidery, edged, like the neck of the bodice, with lace or frilling. No. 4 is a placketless night-dress, drawn up at the neck with ribbon, and the sleeves are nnished in a similar way.