Fashion and Things Feminine.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 209, 15 September 1916, Page 3 (Supplement)

Fashion and Things Feminine.

A SPRING BLOUSE AND SKIRT. The blouse has lost no whit of itc popularity, and a fresh white or cream siik blouse, of washable quality remains among the of a girl's wardrobe, and few things, in truth, are prettier or more becoming. Colours flay an important part in blouse fashions, and the return of the high collar is welcomed by those whose throats are tlr'n. Of course, there are numbers of blouses with low turneddown collars, but even many of these are somewhat high at the back of the nc-ck, though they are open ;n front. It sometimes happens that a turneddown collar strains at the neck, and is too tight along the outer edge to set correctly. When this is the case, the best and simplest plan is to slit up the collar at the back, which will allow the necessary spring, and turn in tin' edges, stitching the collar all round. flic stretch thus given by the split back wi!! ftlloTi- the collar to turn over easily at the neck and lie flat.

A simple but very useful and becoming blouse is illustrated, together with a pleated skirt of plaid woollen. The blouse is quite plan, and is buttoned in front, and is made with inset sleeves and a lfgh, straight collar, with closed front.

The paper pattern is in six parts, and consists of one front and half the seamless back of blouse, one .sleeve, in two parts (upper and under), one cuff, and half the collar. These pieces are indicated by the diagram, and should be laid on 1} or 1J yards of 41in. stuff, or its equivalent in narrower material, folded in half lengthwise. The stra ; ght edges of back and collar should be laid to the fold to avoid seams. The other pattern pieces must be cut out in duplicate.

Where a material that fra'ysf such as washing silk) : s concerned, the neatest way to do the seams .s to stitch them first on the right side, then Non the wrong, taking the raw c'ges between the st'tches, .so that the wrong side is as neat ast he right. The armboles should be bound with sarcenet ribbon, and the bottom of the blouse hemmed and run with an elastic. This is now cons'dered a more convenient way to fin-

ish a blouse than by drawing it into :•, basque at the waist. The. elastic s united by a hook and eye. The collar must be lined, of course, and the lining can be cut from the waste of material. Aft£r the cottar h.as been stitched into the neck in the usual way, a band of sarcenet should bo sewn flat over the raw edges of neck and collar. The fronts of the blouse must be faced on the inside before buttonholes are made and buttons sewn on. The sleeves are of the ordinary >lnrttaccve typ. j and are iinshed with turned-back cuffs, which must be lined, of course. Each cuff is trimmed with two buttons.

Simple as the blouse is. it has a style of its own and would look well in cream delaine or fine flannel, or in pale, blue or dark green cloth, trjmmed with black buttons, and met by a black waistbelt. A blouse in one of the colours of tin 1 plaid skirt would be effective. DItESS NOTES. It :s a careless and bad habit to leave, dresses and costumes lying on chairs or bed-rails. Thev should be put on hangers in the wardrobe directly they are removed from the person, and in this way will "last fresh twice as long, it ix sirnplv a matter of habit to be careful of one's clothes or otherwise, and it :s just as essy to learn to slip a hanger into a coat and put it in the wardrobe ,it ome as it is to leave the coat on a chair and hang it up later. Creases <ind wrinkles wear out cloth, and the surest way to keep clothes free of wrinkles is to hang them up when they are not in us*. When tailored skirts become wet from ram thev (should not lie allowed to stav wrinkled, but be pressed with ;i warm iron before they become quite dry. By the way, it : s real economy to provi.de oneself with a nice looking raneoat. because it will protect good costumes from damage. Shoes, like dresses, should be tarefully treated directly they are taken off the preson, and the way to encourage them to retain their shape is to put them on boot-trees, which will provent them from wrinkling and losn<.c their form. It is but a matter of a moment or two to slip a pair of shoes on to boot-trees and thus prevent the leather from relaxing,

Foot wear that has no acquaintance with boot-trees usually splits and cracks tvrco as quickly as the well-cared-for variety. It is a good plan when shops are mvr to rub a little vaseline into them, as th's will prevent damp and wet from splitting the leather. When shoes are wet from rain, they should never be dried at a fire, as this method rots the Miles and kid.

By IDA MELLER - - Copyright.

COAT FOR A LITTLE GIRL. Fashions for children are very smart, especially some of the spring coats, which, for quite young children, aro cut short, in order to display a good

No. 1°65. length of stock : ng, either brown or black. Saxe-blue coats, made of friezecloth and accompanied by tan-coloured stockings and boots, are very attractive styles for littla girls. One' such coat, seen recently, was made with a straight bodice, piped in largo scallops at the waist and joined outwards to the skirt of the coat, which was on the cross of the material. At the neck was a flat, white muslin collar, and the hat worn with the coat was of uiack sat'.n, trimmed with a knot of mixed flowers. Saxe-blue is a very becoming colour to the young, and another coat of similar hue to the above is of smooth cloth and is made quite simply, with straight-hanging fronts and a turneddown collar of its own material at the neck.

Also very pretty for a girl of about «ix years is a coat of strawberry-colour-ed cloth, the sides of which are gathered in by strap-belts, while the front and back are free. At the neck is a round, turned-down collar of black velvet, trimmed with French knots in straw-berry-coloured silk. The coat illustrated is suitable for a tittle girl of six or seven years of age. and would copy well in any cloth material. There is novelty in the cut of the skirt, which is apparently buttoned on to the belt at each side, the belt being of braided cloth, winch :s introduced again as a collar and as inlets to the btrap-cuffs. This little coat fastens invisibly beneath the fold of the front.

FRUIT FOR CHILDREN. Well-cooked oatmeal with a raw apple, is claimed to be an ideal diet for humanity, and is recommended as a morning repast for children. Apples, and such-like fruits, for nursery use, should be shredded fine and mashed with a fork, as eaten in this way they are more easily digested. The addition of a little cream, skf.mnied from the milk in the home larder, and sweetened, renders the apple more palatable and nutritious. One of the reasons why it is advisable to shred hard fruits served for children's meals, is that little folks are apt to bite off large pieces and to fail to masticate them properly, which leads to a good deal of trouble jn the matter of digestion. For a. child's supper, a baked apple is recommended, and for breakfast or lunch, a banana, sliced and mashed with fresh cream, is very nourishing and a change from the ordinary meal. A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK. Between the great things that we cannot do, and the small things we will not do. the danger is that we shall do nothing.—C. H. Spurgeon.