Ill. 71. Seams Slashed, Overcast and Bound
camisole lining is used for an evening waist. Draw the lining up well at the shoulder seams, but not enough to draw it from your waistline. It may be fitted at these seams a little more snugly in a final fitting.
ALTERING THE LINING. Sometimes after the shoulders are carefully pinned there will be wrinkles in the front between the shoulder and neck. These wrinkles are caused by the natural hollow of the shoulder. In this case the shoulder seams must be ripped open and the front stretched to the back from the center of the shoulder to the neck. Wrinkles at the back near the neck are often caused by the lining being too long-waisted. Or the shoulder may have been sloped too much if the person is very square-shouldered. It is better to rip the basting and pin the seam again.
If the waist draws to one side it means the waistlines have not been pinned together at the line of basting. The top of the darts, if there are any, must come just below the curve of the bust and they may be raised or lowered if necessary. If the armholes feel too tight be careful not to gouge them out under the arm or at the front. Snip the armholes about ⅜ of an inch, to give sufficient spring for the arm. If it isn't enough pare the edges off a little and snip the seams a trifle deeper. If the neck is too high or tight cut it out the same way, taking care not to do too much at once.
Pin the alterations and mark carefully the line of pins with tailor's chalk. Without removing the pins baste through chalk marks keeping a well-shaped line for the seams. Try the lining on again to be sure that the alterations are right. Stitch the seams just outside the basting so as not to make the waist smaller, bearing in mind that the sewing of the seams will tighten the lining a trifle. Stitching outside the bastings also allows you to take them out, for if you stitch on top of them it will be impossible to pull them out.
THE LINING SEAMS. In stitching the side-back seams have the back next to the feed of the machine and the side back next to the presser foot, and hold the parts well up at each end of the presser foot. Otherwise the side-back seams are liable to pucker and pull when being sewn. In making seams in which one portion is fulled on to another, place the full portion downward next to the feed because if it is placed next to the presser foot, the foot would be likely to push the fulness out of place.
In a blouse or camisole lining the seams can be French seamed (Chapter 17. page 86), or bound with seam-binding, (page 88), or finely overcast. (Chapter 16, page 82.) Use ribbon seam-binding on silk, and lawn binding on a cotton lining.
In a fitted lining notch the seams at the waistline and two or three times above and below it, enough to allow them to lie flat when pressed. Bind the seams neatly with ribbon seam-binding, run on loosely and press them open. (Page 88.) Some dressmakers prefer to overcast the seams closely and most imported French dresses are finished in that way.
In some linings, especially those of lawn, the seam edges are simply pinked. Illustration 71 shows a seam edge bound, another overcast, a third notched and ready to bind. It also shows the notching necessary to make a side seam lie flat when it is pressed open.
THE LINING CLOSING. If a hem is allowed at the closing edge, the hem or closing line is usually indicated by a notch at the top and another at the bottom of the pattern. Fold a line from one of these notches to the other, keeping the hem an even width. Later this will be turned over for the closing. Make a stay for the hooks and eyes from an extra strip of thin lining two inches wide. Fold it lengthwise through the center and place it
