New Kind of Slip-On Frock
Lesson 78 - The Home Dressmaker

          A dress that doesn’t need buttons, or hooks and eyes, or snaps, or any kind of fastening! It sounds like magic, but it is absolutely real as you can see from the illustration shown right here. It looks just like any other dress, but the secret is that it slips on over the head, and the waist and skirt are joined together and adjusted by an elastic which is run through a casing on the inside of the dress.
          Now doesn’t it sound like the simplest thing in the world, and can’t you see yourself making it up in less than no time? Think of having no placket to fuss with, no buttonholes to make, and no hooks and eyes to sew on!
          Of course, you will want to make this dress in gingham just exactly as it is pictured. There are ever so many kinds of ginghams you can get, for there isn’t a more popular summer material this year. There are the pretty blue-and-white and pink-and-white checked ginghams that we used to think were very sweet for children’s school frocks but not quite dignified enough for grown-ups. Well, nobody thinks that way any more – at least, not this summer. In addition to these checked ginghams, there are the many-colored plaids, and the brown-and-white plaids which are altogether different from anything else and are very attractive.

          Whatever kind of gingham you select, you should have white organdie collar and cuffs to go with it, for this is the finish most of these frocks have. If for any reason you cannot get organdie, very fine white voile will do just as well. The collar and cuffs will be exceedingly dainty if they are hemstitched by machine as shown in Fig. 1. The machine hemstitching cannot be done at home unless you have a special machine for it, but it is done very inexpensively by sending it out to any store that does pleating and hemstitching.
          In preparing the collar and cuffs for the hemstitching, cut them just like the pattern, and with a basting thread mark the lines where the hemstitching is to be. For the picot edge which finishes the outer edge, let your basting line follow the shape of the collar about 3/8 of an inch from the edge. The picot edge is made by cutting the finished hemstitching in half, through the center. This is quite firm when cut and makes a dainty finish. The inner line should be marked an even distance apart from the outer, allowing about one inch between the two.

About The Pattern. – The pattern for this dress is No.7887, price, 15 cents. It is cut in 5 sizes; from 34- to 42-inch bust measure. It has a straight skirt in instep length which you may pleat or gather at the top as you prefer. The skirt measures 2 ¼ yards at the lower edge. For size 36, 5 1/8 yards of 32-inch gingham will be required and ½ yard of 36-inch organdie for the collar and cuffs. 

Taking Your Measurements. – Get your pattern according to the size corresponding to your bust measure. This measurement should be taken with a tape-measure drawn, not too tightly, around the fullest part of the bust. If your bust measure is between the measurements the pattern allows for, always get the larger rather than the smaller size. If your material is once cut too small, it is impossible to do anything with it, whereas a large size can be easily taken up to fit the required measurements.
          Of course, you know that the directions for cutting, given on the envelope, must be accurately followed. Before cutting, if you are not the average size, make any allowances in the pattern that your figure might require. For instance, if you are short-or long-waisted, take up or lengthen the blouse pattern as much as necessary.
          Mark the perforations for all seams, also those at the lower edge of the blouse, and at the top of the skirt for pleats, unless the skirt is gathered. The pattern does not allow for a hem.

Joining The Blouse And Skirt. – The joining of the blouse and skirt and arranging the casing for the elastic are perhaps the only points about this dress which may need explanation, and even this is absolutely simple as you will see.
          When the seams of the blouse have been basted, slip it on over the head to see if it fits just right.
          On each side of the skirt make eleven backward-turning pleats by creasing according to the perforations. Crease at the single crosses and bring the creases to the single small circles. These are soft pleats not to be stitched down.
          Baste the pleats across the top of the skirt, then sew up the seam at the center-back. Now, turn the skirt on the wrong side and slip the blouse in with the right sides facing, and lower edge of blouse even with upper edge of skirt. Pin the center-fronts and center-backs together and baste. At this stage the dress may be slipped on to see if it is ready to be stitched. In stitching on the machine, the casing may be sewed on at the same time (Fig. 2). After the lower edge of the casing is stitched along the line joining the blouse and skirt, turn the free edge back and stitch to the blouse (Fig. 3).
          The casing is cut from a straight strip of cloth cut lengthwise. It should be cut 2 inches wide in order to measure 1 ¼ inches when the edges are turned under and stitched. Let the two ends meet at the center-back seam of skirt with edges turned under. Insert a one-inch wide elastic, and draw it up to the size you desire, which depends upon whether you want it tight or loose at the waist. Cut the elastic and fasten by lapping one end over the other and sewing firmly together. Adjust the gathers around the waist in the way most becoming. There will naturally be slight gathers between the pleats but they will loosen themselves when the outer belt of the dress is arranged over the joining.
           I should not advise drawing the elastic tightly around the waist. The looser it is, the easier it will be to slip the dress off and on, for there is no opening except at the neck. In taking off the dress, raise the elastic up under the arms as far as possible, then slip your arms under and take the dress off over the head.
          The belt is a straight band made of the same gingham. Make it double in order to have it firm. A celluloid buckle, as pictured in Fig.1, will make it more attractive.

Collar And Sleeve. – If the collar is hemstitched beforehand, you have only to sew it to the neck-edge of the blouse with edges even, placing notches together with center of collar at center-back of blouse. Cover the seam with a flat bias facing on the inside and roll the collar becomingly. The cuffs are applied in the same manner as the collar. Sew the sleeves in the armholes with double notches matching, and single notch in top of sleeve meeting the shoulder seam of the blouse. The armholes may be put in with the French seam or bound with a narrow binding. Sew the sleeves in after the dress is complete. Then put on the organdie cuffs and lo! The dress is ready to wear. A great advantage which this dress has is the quickness with which it can be slipped on, as it has no hooks, eyes or buttons to bother about.