Blouse

“ But whatever may be the condition of the French, man or woman, interiorally, the outside is as delightfully clean as could be desired. The blouse of the workman is outwardly as fresh and clean as the coat of the swell on the boulevards, and the said swell would sooner lie down and die than to wear soiled linen or uncleaned boots. The women, high and low, are invariably neat and tidy in appearance—immaculately so. ”

“ The right blouse with the right skirt makes a smart costume. The right blouse may even help a mediocre skirt to be passable. However, the wrong blouse will spoil even the most stylish skirt. Fig. (1) If you are inclined to be stout, choose an overblouse About the most important blouse in a woman's wardrobe, nowadays, is what is known as the "costume blouse." It's the waist that is dressy: the one you can put on with your suit for a matinee or an afternoon call. Over-the-skirt blouses have come to be popular in this particular type. ”

“ For the woman who doesn't have to consider her height, a costume blouse in a lighter shade of the suit color is often effective, as a tan blouse with a brown suit or a grayish light blue with a navy blue suit. If the blouse in another color is used, it is well to work the suit shade into the trimming. For instance, a dull red blouse might be quite effective with a dark blue suit, if it were embroidered with dark blue yarn. ”

“ The high collar of the white blouse, fitting tightly to the slender neck, the coat and skirt of blue serge without ornament of any kind, but well cut, emphasized the thinness, almost emaciation, of the form. Her attitude, dress, and expression conveyed the idea of something amazingly taut and ready—like a ship cleared for action. The body with its clothing seemed to have been simplified as much as possible, so as to become the mere instrument of the will which governed it. ”

“ The modern idea is to suit your individuality and wear the style of blouse that is becoming to you, but the type of the blouse is a different matter. Blouses are divided into several distinct classes—blouses for sports, blouses for informal wear and costume blouses. Pick the blouse that is appropriate for the occasion and one that suits the skirt you intend wearing with it. ”

“ A respectable blousard—a carpenter or a shoemaker or a member of any honest trade—would scorn to be seen in any other dress but his neat blouse, unless on some great day, a fete, his wedding or at church, when he wears his only coat, or his father's or a friend's. The blouse is in its sphere a badge of respectability to the wearer, and honest blousards look upon the assumption of a blouse by a thief as a gross imposition upon the public at large and an outrage upon honest workingmen. ”

“ A storm-tried mackintosh-cape, looped over her arms and falling loosely down her back from the shoulders, and the print blouse, evidenced by her bust above the table and her sleeves, and the serviceable skirt of blue serge that the Spawer had caught sight of in the cleft between the table and sofa, completed the girl as revealed through her dress. ”

“ In cutting out the cuff, allow the seams at all points.
Making the Tailored Blouse: In making any garment, it is best to do as much finishing as possible while the pieces are on the flat. Do not join the seams of the blouse until after the front closing is hemmed.
As the collar of the blouse, shown in Fig. 32, only comes to the center-front, the portion of the hem which comes beyond the center-front ought to be finished before the collar is joined to the waist. Fig. 42 shows one of the easiest ways of finishing such a hem. ”

“ She tucked in her blouse, so as to leave her slender neck and shoulders bare. She took the net off her smooth, neat coiffure, and produced a fascinating effect of wildness by a few deft touches. Cosmetics she needed not, for her eyes were starry, her cheeks flushed with delight. She slipped two or three rings on her fingers and a broad gold bracelet on one childish arm. ”

“ To assemble blouse—whip shoulder and underarm seams together, also join sleeve seams—using color as on collar—work down right side of blouse front from neck edge allowing 4 ch for each buttonhole and 12 s c between each buttonhole making 1 st buttonhole after attaching red thread—work eight down front of blouse and continue colored trim around blouse and up front point to first button. Finish left side of blouse with 3 rows s c in material warp. Work colored edge on sleeves. ”

“ The blouse is made like a big full shirt, and reaches nearly to the knees. You will see men well dressed in black broadcloth, white shirts and neat ties, and over all the blouse. It is really worn now to protect the clothes, but is a survival of the olden times when all trades wore a livery. ”

“ How to make a middy blouse. After the pattern has been carefully laid on, and the material cut out, this is the way to make and finish a middy blouse:
1. Baste, with the seams on the outside, shoulder, and underarm seams. Try on. If necessary in order to fit more smoothly across the chest, let the front drop; if extra fullness across the chest is desired, let out under the arms. The shoulder seams will be finished, but not the underarm. Mark with tracing or pencil the new seam for underarm if you must change it.
Make a flat fell seam at the shoulder, 1⁄2 inch wide finished. ”

“ The blouse of the French workman and the bare head of the Parisian factory-girl or flower-girl are infinitely more pleasing than the soiled and frowsy woolens or the dowdy hats of their English fellows, nor does the difference of climate afford an adequate explanation of the difference of habit. ”

“ The other dresses are plaids, and show the way in which plain materials are mixed with them. The bodice is of plain material, with a waistcoat-front, and cords and buttons. The figure at the back is an illustration of this month’s paper pattern, the new “blouse polonaise,” which is a very charming adaptation of the “Norfolk” or pleated blouse, now so much worn; it is both easily made and cut out, and is a very useful garment. It may be cut long enough to reach to the edge of the underskirt, and thus follows the fashions of the long lines now in vogue. ”

“ Follow the directions in your pattern for making your blouse. Learn what all the markings mean. Stay-stitch the bias edges. Page 13 tells you how to stay-stitch.
Select cloth for your blouse that will look good with your skirt. Be sure the cloth is firm, pre-shrunk, and colorfast.
Gathered skirt
Select fabric that is colorful and gay for your skirt. Closely woven cloth will be easy to sew and will hold a sharp crease.
You will need from 3 to 31⁄2 yards of fabric for your skirt. The more fabric you try to gather in your skirt the harder it will be to make. ”

“ There's feminine charm in the frilled lingerie waist Color in such a waist does not follow the same rule as in the costume blouse. In a tailored blouse, no color quite comes up to a crisp, freshly laundered white waist. Cream, ecru, flesh color, light yellow and a delicate green are also worn in tailored waists. Sometimes, in silk a tailored waist is made to match the color of the suit. ”

“ Only occasionally short sleeves were added to this very simple garment; they are considered effeminate, and are not esteemed. If one’s arms get cold, one can protect them by pulling up the skirt, and wrapping the arms in the blouse thus created. ”

“ Either the sleeve shown on Diagram 91, or an ordinary sleeve, are suitable to be worn with the blouse, but whichever style is adopted, looseness must be a marked feature, otherwise it will not be in harmony with the body part ”

“ I noticed also that her blouse was very fine and delicate, a very different thing from the cheap lace fineries which she had worn when I first saw her. She followed the direction of my eye, stroked down an upstarting frill, and coloured furiously. “Ah, my blouse! Do you admire it? I wrote to town for it, to your dressmaker, and I’ve ordered a lovely frock. You’ll see. For once in my life I shall be really well dressed! Seeing you and Mrs Fane has made me discontented with my dowdy old rags!”
Chapter Eleven. The Garden Fête. ”

“ The blouse leads to the conventional black and white gloves. But he who wishes to commence by a black suit, ought to put a napkin on his arm, and place himself as a servant, behind the man who wears a blouse. ”

“ Separate waists and skirts of different colors will never make you look slimmer. A three-piece suit which consists of a one-piece dress and coat is the admirable solution of the suit problem.
If you wear a blouse at all, have it in a color that matches the skirt and in a style that laps over the skirt to avoid the break at the waistline. Of course, you have to have a belt, but make it a narrow one and always of material the same color of the dress. ”

“ Usually the neck edge of a costume blouse is bound. Finish the lower edge of the sleeve with a narrow binding.
In silks, the best finish at the shoulder, armhole and under the arm is French seams. Leave the underarm seams open for a ways at the bottom so the blouse can be slipped on over the head easily. Bind these vents and finish them with snaps. Bind the lower edge of the blouse with self material.
Making a Pattern for a Sports Blouse: Figs. 94 and 95 show diagrams for making a sports blouse, such as is shown in Fig. ”

“ Her heliotrope and white muslin skirt was somewhat faded, it was true, but still, it was good material, and was pretty. The same could be said of her cream blouse. The marvel and the mystery lay in hat, necklet, and shoes. ”

“ The next lesson that you take up is skirts. Here you will have more practice in working with a block pattern and copying different styles. You will find, too, that you can apply some of the blouse information to skirt, or in in fact, any garment. The adding of tucks and pleats is the same whether it is blouses, skirts or dresses on which you are working.
The principle of adding fullness, too, applies to all patterns.
If you have studied BLOUSES carefully and understand each step in the lesson you will find the lessons to come easy to understand and apply. ”

“ The blouse was white, with a little sprig of heliotrope and black.
“Too young for me, though, I’m afraid,” she said.
“Too young for you!” he exclaimed in disgust. “Why don’t you buy some false white hair and stick it on your head.”
“I s’ll soon have no need,” she replied. “I’m going white fast enough.” ”

“ Sew bright red buttons to blouse, attach belt ends to underarm seam three inches from blouse edge—pull straight end over center of red buckle and fasten, pointed end is to be drawn through this buckle at center back to adjust waist of blouse—Match sleeve seam and underarm seam and whip together 6 inches on both sides from this place—make 4 pleats across top of sleeve using fullness and continue sewing in sleeve. ”

“ Blouse Materials and Trimmings—Seams—Collars—Cuffs—Collarless Neck—Blouse Closing—Plaitings or Frills—Bottom of Blouse—Shirt-Waist Materials—Seams—Front Closing—Blind Closing—Gibson Tuck—Back Yoke—Neckband—Slash in Sleeve—Cuff—Sewing in the Sleeve—Bottom of Shirt-Waist—Buttonholes——Detached Collar
THE SEPARATE BLOUSE is made on easier fitting lines than the dress waist with a fitted lining. The style, use and materials demand this easier fit. When a blouse is made of a material that is not transparent the general principles for making it are the same as for finishing the dress waist. ”

“ You desire fine black cloth, varnished shoes, to have your hair curled and sweet-smelling oils on your locks, to please low women, to be handsome. You will be shaven clean, and you will wear a red blouse and wooden shoes. You want rings on your fingers, you will have an iron necklet on your neck. If you glance at a woman, you will receive a blow. ”

“ When his son was dressed Mr. Button regarded him with depression. The costume consisted of dotted socks, pink pants, and a belted blouse with a wide white collar. Over the latter waved the long whitish beard, drooping almost to the waist. The effect was not good. ”

“ A thirty-six inch bust soft blouse will be larger than a thirty-six inch bust close-fitted basque but both of them will fit correctly a woman who measures thirty-six inches at the bust.
In buying a pattern you can not rely on the size that you buy in ready-made clothes. ”

“ Making a Bloused Dress: If you are using cotton material or silk, make French seams in the waist joinings. In woolen goods, open seams that are bound will look better. Your best plan will be to finish the waist and waist lining separately and just join them at the waistline. Make French seams in joining the lining pieces, and turn narrow hems at the neck and armhole of the lining or finish these edges with narrow lace.
Hem the edges at the closing of the lining and run gather threads around the bottom, first marking the center-front and center-back. ”

“ The over-part of the dress and the skirt beneath it were boned and wired, and tight lacing ruled in an injurious degree, though the enormous sleeves, ruffles, and skirts might well have accorded such an effect of slimness as to render stringent measures unnecessary.
Dress was a magnificent affair altogether; velvet and taffeta and fine scarlet cloth were used, lace played its part bravely, and silken scarves fringed with gold and silver were thrown over the shoulders, with deep capes of satin or velvet edged with lace. ”

“ You will find, if you look into the lady’s wardrobe, that she has other fashions than the close sleeve: she has a close sleeve as an under sleeve, with a long hanging sleeve falling from the elbow; she has ruffs at her wrist of pointed lace, more cuffs than ruffs, indeed. She does not always follow the fashion of the short Dutch waist as she has, we [Pg 336] can see, a dress with a long waist and a tapering front to the bodice. Some dresses of hers are divided in the skirts to show a barred petticoat, or a petticoat with a broad border of embroidery. ”