PLEATINGS

A pleating is difficult and requires patience. Unless accurately made, it should never be used on a hat, for upon its accuracy depends its attractiveness. The simplest pleating is a side pleating. This may be made from paper or stiff muslin for practice work. There should not be a thread's difference in the width of each pleat. Any simple pleating requires three times the length of the s.p.a.ce it is to cover. If a half-inch pleating is to be made, the folds will come every one and one-half inches. As each fold is laid, baste it down with silk thread.

Press slightly on the wrong side before using.

BOX PLEATING--

This is made by turning the first pleat to the left and the next to the right. The same amount of material is required as for side pleating. If the pleats are to be one-half inch deep, the box pleat will be _one_ inch across. Baste with silk thread at the top and bottom, and press on the wrong side. A simple box pleating may be basted through the center and the edges caught together.

DOUBLE OR TRIPLE BOX-PLEATING--

This is made by adding one or more pleats, one on top of the other.

Begin by making two or more pleats turning to the left, then the same number turning to the right. Be very accurate, being careful to keep the box pleat the exact width desired. Baste at the top and bottom. This pleating is nearly always used by basting through the center, after having slightly pressed. The top and bottom bastings are then removed.

The pleating may be caught together at top and bottom of box pleat, and it is then known as _rose pleating_.

RADIATING--

This is the most difficult pleating to fashion, but very handsome ornaments are made in this way. A foundation of buckram is usually required to sew the pleats on as they are laid. The two ill.u.s.trations given will suffice. After these two examples are correctly copied, other models and original designs can be easily made.

FOUNDATIONS OF BUCKRAM--

The foundation for the second is in the shape of a low pyramid made from buckram. Cut a small circle of buckram, slash in three equally distant places from the outer edge to within one-eighth of an inch of the center. Lap a small amount and sew. Three rows or more of pleating may be used on this ornament. An ordinary ornament will require about five yards of inch-wide ribbon. The first row would be placed near the outside edge of the buckram and each pleat sewed as it is laid. The pleating should radiate from the center. To do this, the inside of the pleating will lap more than the outside. The next row will overlap this first row and the same method will be used. The pleating may be tested by holding a ruler on a line between the top and the lower edge of the pleating. The pleats should all be on a straight line between these points. The last or finishing row is the most difficult of all. The pleats at the apex should meet, and pleats at the lower overlapping edge be on a line with the rest of the pleating. A tiny bow or b.u.t.ton is sometimes used to finish the top, but it is much handsomer if finished without either bow or b.u.t.ton.

POMPONS

Maline pompons make a very pretty ornament for any hat. They may be made perfectly round or elongated like the ill.u.s.tration. Several thicknesses of the material may be cut at one time. The shape of the pieces for the elongated pompon would be cut like pattern "a." Each piece is folded lengthwise of the material, and this fold is fastened to a wire which has been previously wound with maline. The edges of these pieces are left raw, and enough are used to make the pompon appear quite compact.

RIBBON ROSETTES

There are many different kinds of rosettes made from ribbon. Sometimes several loops of ribbon are made very close together and wound with thread as they are gathered. A very pretty rosette is made of narrow ribbon one-quarter of an inch wide. Many loops three inches long or more of this width ribbon may be fastened to a small piece of buckram. A knot placed at the end of each loop adds to its attractiveness.

ROSETTES FROM OLD PLUMES--

An old plume may be used to make tr.i.m.m.i.n.g for a hat by cutting it from the quill with a very sharp knife or razor blade, retaining a small portion of the quill which will be sufficient to hold the feathers together. This should be sewed onto a fine wire, and it may then be wound into a rosette. A small flower placed in the center is a pleasing addition.

CHAPTER VIII

HAND-MADE FLOWERS

FLOWERS

MATERIAL REQUIRED:

Tie wire, green Gum tissue, brown and green Cotton batting Milliner's glue Yellow stamens Dark green tissue paper

Flowers may be made from almost any fabric--satin, velvet, georgette, maline, ribbon, soft leather, oilcloth, yarn, and chenille. A sc.r.a.pbag for odds and ends should always be kept for small pieces of materials.

Any piece two inches square may be used for flowers or fruits. Such a bag of pieces will prove a veritable gold mine to use in making flowers and fruit tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs. Each year brings out novelties in tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, but hand-made flowers are always worn more or less on hats, gowns, suits, and m.u.f.fs. They are especially beautiful on evening gowns. A generous number of the best examples are given here with ill.u.s.trations.

To prepare the petals of any flower is not difficult, but to arrange them is another matter. Study the face of any blossom which you are making and try to make it look as natural as possible. Pinning the petals in place before sewing them is of great value, otherwise they are apt to slip back on the stem as they are being sewed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A. AMERICAN BEAUTY ROSE WITH DETAIL. B. RIBBON ROSE. C.

CHERRIES WITH DETAIL. D. ORCHIDS WITH LILIES OF THE VALLEY. E. RAISINS.

F. WIRED ROSE WITH DETAIL. G. POINSETTIA.]

AMERICAN BEAUTY ROSE--

This rose may be made of silk or satin; it may have as many petals as desired. Each petal is cut from a piece of folded material like the diagram (1). It is highly important that the folded edge be on a _true_ bias. Begin the rose by cutting three petals like the ill.u.s.tration, with the bias edge one and one-half inches long. Run a gathering thread one-eighth of an inch from the curved edge, leaving a thread one inch long so that the petal may be adjusted as it is pinned in place. Make a loop one inch long on the end of a piece of wire six inches long. Cover this loop with a small circle of the material like the rose. It is sometimes found to be advantageous to fill this circle with cotton to make a soft center for the rose.

For an ordinary-sized rose there should be eighteen petals. The first three are already described as having a one and one-half-inch bias. The next larger in size should have a two-inch bias and be correspondingly wider; the next five should have a two and one-half-inch bias, and the next five a three-inch bias. The three small petals should be arranged around the covered loop of wire and pinned in place before sewing. Sew securely. Each row, as it is arranged according to size, should be pinned in place and scrutinized carefully to see that it is placed effectively. Each row should be placed a little higher than the preceding one. See that the face of the flower looks as nearly like a real rose as possible, allowing the back to look as it will.

With a little experience one soon becomes efficient and learns how to adjust the different materials. Some materials being more pliable than others, the shape of the petals may be changed slightly to meet the need. The back of the rose may be finished by adding a sufficient number of green leaves taken from some discarded flower or bought for the purpose. A small green cup is also added to finish the base; these may be bought at ribbon counters. The bud used with this rose may be made by using the three smallest petals. Some green foliage must also be used with this rose and the stem bound with a narrow gray-green ribbon, or with gum tissue which should be warmed before using. The inside petals may be of a darker shade than the outside petals.

RIBBON ROSE--

To make a medium-sized ribbon rose requires two yards of satin ribbon two inches wide. There are several different methods of making the center for this rose. A simple center for this rose may be made from a piece of the ribbon, four inches long. Fold this in half. Sew the selvages together along one side. Turn and fill with cotton around which has been wound the end of a six-inch piece of frame wire. A little rose-scented sachet powder may be sprinkled on this cotton to add perfume to the blossom. Gather the satin down close to the wire after rounding the corners at the lower edges. Two yards should make this center and eighteen petals. More may be added or fewer may be used. For the first row cut three lengths three inches long; the second row, five lengths three and one-half inches long; third row, five lengths four inches long; fourth row five lengths four and one-half inches long. Each petal is finished the same before it is sewed in place Fold the two ends together, turn each corner of the folded end down diagonally and pin in place. Now raise the end on the back of the petal and catch the corners down with a few small st.i.tches. Replace the end and gather the raw edges together, but do not draw up close. Prepare all of the petals in the same way before beginning to sew them to the center. Sometimes a tiny bit of cotton is placed inside each petal to make the rose look larger. When all the petals are finished, begin the rose by adding the three smallest petals first. Pin in place around the center, wrapping them closely around it and letting them extend about one-eighth of an inch above the point. Add the next row, pinning each petal in place before sewing. Place each succeeding row one-eighth of an inch above the preceding one. Watch the face of the blossom carefully and see that it looks as natural as possible. The back of the blossom will be covered when finished, either with a few old rose leaves and a rose cup, or points of green ribbon sewed to resemble leaves. A rubber stem may be bought to slip over the wire on which the rose is sewed, or the wire may be wound with green floss, baby ribbon, green tissue paper, or gum tissue. If the rose is to be full blown, it would be much better to make the center of yellow stamens.

WILD ROSE OF SILK--

The petals for the wild rose may be cut from the same pattern as for the first rose given. This same pattern is used for many different flowers--the wild rose, apple blossom, sweet pea, and for foliage.

For the wild rose use the size having the two-inch bias. Gather one-eighth of an inch from the curved edge, draw down tight and fasten the thread off. This rose requires five petals, and will look more natural if two of the petals are of a darker shade than the other three.

For the center wrap a piece of tie wire around several yellow rose stamens which may be bought at a millinery store, leaving the ends of wire five or six inches long. Arrange the petals flat around this center and sew in place. The petals should lie out flat, or nearly so. A bud for this rose is made by folding a petal together after having gathered it. The bud may be effectively finished by using two leaves of foliage, placing one on either side, partially covering the bud and then finishing with the wire or a small green rose cup. To finish with wire, make a loop in the center of a ten-inch piece of tie wire. To this loop sew the bud. Twist the wire several times for an inch below the bud, then turn one end of the wire back and twist it around the stem until the bud is reached. Wind it several times over the base of the bud, draw it tight and see that the wire is close together. This will make a finish for the bud.

FOLIAGE--

The rose foliage may be made if desired. Cut the leaves from green satin or velvet, or color them green with water-color if a light-colored material must be used. After cutting the pieces in the shape of rose leaves (it will require two pieces for each leaf), lay one wrong side up, cover with milliner's glue. Lay on the center of this a piece of tie wire long enough for the stem. Place another leaf on this and press together. When all the leaves are made after this method, arrange on a long stem or wire, and if wound with brown gum tissue it will look very natural.

SMALL WOUND ROSE OF FABRIC--

Cut from a true bias a strip of material one inch wide and four inches long. Fold lengthwise through the middle. Turn the raw edges in on one end, and gather one-eighth inch from the edge along the raw edges. Draw the thread up to one inch and roll, beginning with the folded end, and sew. A piece of tie wire may be glued inside the fold before gathering, if desired. These little roses may be sewed on a stem or sewed to a shaped piece of buckram which has been covered with silk. It may be in the shape of a buckle or a circle and covered with these little roses in several colors, pink, blue, and mauve. Sewed flat against a crown or on a brim, they would trim a hat effectively.