Dressmaking 
 
 
importance than for any of the others; the skirt should 
be put on, the .placket should be fastened, and the skirt 
settled into its proper position. The turning or sewing line 
should be distinctly indicated, the skirt should be removed, 
and the line marked by a row of basting. Although a line 
may have been indicated when the skirt was cut and 
marked, its direction is easily changed during the necessary 
fitting and making, and it should not be used until tested. 
The seam allowance necessary beyond this turning line de- 
pends on the finish. It should not be less than 3 /". After 
the seam allowance is carefully measured the extra ma- 
terial should be cut off to give an even edge. 
  To finish the top of the skirt it is to be turned to the 
wrong side exactly on the indicated turning line and 
stitched. The details in this finishing may vary some- 
what. A facing or reinforcement may or may not be 
placed in this turning. Its use is determined by several 
factors. If the material is firm or heavy and the worker 
experienced, the turning can probably be made and stitched 
without stretching the edge. If the worker is inexperi- 
enced or the material has a tendency to stretch out of 
shape easily, the facing or reinforcement is of assistance 
in maintaining the correct shipe and size of the top of the 
skirt. 
  The facing is cut a true bias, about i" in width and of 
the required length. Thin material, such as silicia or cam- 
bric, is used to avoid a clumsy fold. It is necessary to 
shrink the facing, otherwise it will pucker when wet or 
dampened in the subsequent laundering or pressing which 
the majority of tailored skirts require. The facing is at- 
tached before the top of the skirt is turtmed. It is placed 
to the wrong side, with its raw edge to the raw edge of the 
skirt, and is basted, without stretching or fulling, along the 
line of basting which indicates the turning line of the skirt. 
If the facing is not held securely in place along this line it 
may not turn evenly with the skirt. If the seam allow- 
ance of the skirt is 0'" and the facing is cut, as directed, 
I" in width, the two edges of the facing will not fall to- 
gether when the turning is made. The facing should al- 
 
 
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