FOR THE NEEDLEWOMAN.

Shannon News, 17 July 1925, Page 1

FOR THE NEEDLEWOMAN.

THE MAKING OF TUCKS. Tucks so often form the principal trimming of baby garments and dainty lingerie that, the ability to. tucW well should be acquired by every homo dressmaker. Tucks, when used in children's garments, may be practical as well as ornamental, but for the purely ornamental the pin tuck' is generally used. No more than a few threads should be taken up for each tuck, arid the running stitches should be as fine as it is possible to make them. The tucks should nearly touch each other, and to be most effective should be set in groups. Where a slightly wider ornamental tuck is employed, the space between each must be decided upon beforehand, and a guide-card cut showing the width of both tuck and space. To make it, cut a strip from a postcard, and place the top of the strip at the fold of the tuck. Now, at the depth uf the line of stitching make a straight cut into the card, and then a sloping cut beneath it, thus taking a notch right out. When working the tuck, if this guide-card is run along the fold, the line of stitching will be kept perfectly even. According to the width desired between each tuck, another notch is made in the same card, and is used as a guide in turning down the suceeding tuck. Sets of graduated tucks may be often used in the' skirts of children's dresses and petticoats. They serve the same useful purpose of letting down when necessary, but their varying widths are not quite so obviously utilitarian as two or three tucks of equal width.

A paper pattern invariably allows for tuck's, but if they are added, it should be remembered that a tuck takes yp twice its own width of material. Where extensive tucking is contemplated, it is safer to tuck the material first before cutting out, arid it also saves a lot of complicated calculations.

The ordinary method of hemming fine*'materials, such as voile, organdie, and georgette, is riot always effective, and many amateur dressmakers feel that a plain hem, no matter how narrow and neat it may be, detracts from the smartness of their work. As a change from lace or other fancy trimming, a neat, pretty finish can be made by turning in a very small portion of the edge of cuffs or collars, and so on, and, after pressing the hem between the fingers, or tacking it to keep it in position, to crochet one treble, two chain all along the edge, making the trebles over "the hem, and carrying the hook and cotton through the material. The effect is similar to blanket stitch, and looks effective if worked in brightly-coloured cotton on muslin. Scarlet mercerised thread looks well on white voile, and so does a bright, shade of blue.