1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



59 



you fold, and baste them at each end of the front, 

 so that it shall be exactly as wide and as long as 

 the pattern ; and from the front of the body cut 

 the cloth of the same shape, to make a place for 

 its insertion. Beside lining the back, the front of 

 the shirt fi'om the arm-size to the linen, should be 

 lined. 



Make a strap one and one-quarter inches long 

 and one inch wide, in which cut and work a but- 

 ton-hole. This strap is to be stitched at the bot- 

 tom of the hem, with the linen front, into its place. 

 It is to fasten down the front to a button at the 

 waistband of the pants, and prevents its rising and 

 setting out. 



Stitch the bosom into its place ; hem the lining 

 ov6r the side-seams, and cover the belt-seam with 

 linen tape, or a folded strip of the cloth. Stitch 

 the shoulder parts of the yoke to the sloping top 

 of the shirt band, both front and back. Gather 

 the fulness of the back — the lining separately from 

 the outside — stroke the gathers carefully, and fell 

 the middle of the yoke to them. Then cut the top 

 of the linen front to match the slope of the re- 

 mainder of the yoke, and fell it on. Take the 

 measure of the neck, and calculate by it how deep 

 to hollow the centre of the linen front, — if you 

 have a pattern, shape it by that. 



Next, stitch a binding — one inch wide in the 

 middle, but sloped from the bend of the yoke till 

 it is half an inch at the ends — around the neck. 



For the length of the sleeve, measure the arm 

 from the top of the shoulder to over the wrist- 

 joint — the elbow being bent at a right angle. The 

 width is determined by the arm size, which it 

 enters straight. It may be cut away to half its 

 fulness at the wrist, and finished with a binding 

 an inch wide, to which a wristband may, or may 

 not, be sewed, according to the fancy of the 

 wearer. 



The sleeve should be left open three inches, at 

 the wrist ; the opening being hemmed as narrow 

 as it can be with neatness. The beginning of the 

 opening should be button-hole stitched for one 

 sixteenth of an inch, and also barred across in 

 button-hole stitch, to prevent tearing. 



Stitch the sides of the shirt, and fell them, to 

 within twelve inches of the bottom ; and then 

 hem this ; and finish the beginning of the side 

 hem like the sleeves ; or else cut a two-inch 

 square of cloth into two three-cornered pieces, 

 and sew in the straight sides of each from the 

 point, one half their length, and then hem the re- 

 mainder, smoothly, over upon the wrong side of 

 the shirt. 



In shaping collar and wristbands suit the fancy 

 of the wearer, and also in attaching them to the 

 shirt, or not. Even when they are sewed to the 

 shirt it is well to have others that can be buttoned 

 on. Don't use or, rather, don't consent to the use 

 of any of the paper abominations — either collar, 

 bosom, or wristband — by any one of whose linen 

 you have the oversight. None but slack and in- 



efflcient seamstresses would ever feel satisfied 

 with the sight of them. Pretence and sham fol- 

 low in the same category with flashy-and-fine and 

 shoddy. 



The needlework of a shirt is simple, except the 

 making of the buttonholes ; but a little care and 

 attention will soon conquer those. Be sure to cut 

 the slit straight, and no longer than will admit 

 the button. Then sew its edge overstitch— take 

 up not more than three threads. Then pass a 

 strong, coarse thread around the aperture, sewing 

 it securely at each end, to form bars. Take thread 

 of the same size that you have stitched with and 

 begin it at the left hand corner. Put your needle 

 through the cloth, from the inside, exactly under 

 the coarse barring thread, as if for over-stitch. 

 But do not draw your thread wholly through — 

 leave a loop, which must be taken upon the needle, 

 and through which, then, the whole length of 

 thread is drawn tightly. Continue the work in 

 this way around the button-hole, making the 

 stitches all of the same depth, (three threads,) and 

 make them lay exactly together, so that the chain 

 formed by the loops on the edge is perfectly even. 

 To finish the comers — after working all around — 

 bar them stronglj% and then work over those bars 

 with the looping stitch just as the sides have been 

 done. The beauty of a button-hole consists in the 

 evenness of its chain and the regularity of its 

 stitches. 



If studs are worn in the front, make afine strong 

 cord by twisting two or three coarse threads to- 

 gether, and fasten it securely to the end of the 

 lowest button-hole on the right hand side of the 

 front. This cord should be long enough to wind 

 around the neck of each stud after it is placed in 

 its buttonhole, and to pass from the lowest one to 

 the highest, and then to return, in the same way, 

 to the lowest one, where the two ends of the cord 

 should be tied. By this means the studs will 

 never drop out, as they are so apt to do if not se- 

 cured. 



In sewing on buttons give each six stitches ; 

 (of course you will use those that are pierced — 

 metal eyes would corrode, and stain the cloth ;) 

 then take the needle through to the outside of the 

 cloth and wind its thread around, between the 

 button and the cloth till you have formed a good 

 neck to the button. Then pass your needle back 

 to the wrong side of the cloth to fasten oif, — which 

 do, strongly. 



I have been minute in these dii-ections because 

 the work required for a shii't includes all that is 

 needed in the making of many articles of clothing, 

 and if you can cut and make this properly, you 

 can easily manage all other under-garments. 



In mending shirts, when a patch is needed, put 

 it on of a square shape, and see that it lies flat ; an 

 irregular patch, or one that looks like a pancake, 

 is very ugly. Put as few patches as possible on 

 the right side. Line all thin places as soon as you 

 find them ; this will prevent, for a long time, the 



