The workwoman's guide

“But here the needle plies its busy task.”—Cowper.

See that the edges of the work are perfectly even before turning down, which should be done to a thread, unless the work is not cut straight-wise.

The needle and cotton should be adapted to the quality of the work, and when the latter is very fine, rovings taken from it, and used as thread, are very good for the purpose.

The cotton should be always worked the way it unwinds from the reel, for this reason, the needle had better be threaded before cutting off the cotton.

The thimble should be worn on the second finger of the right hand. The needle, while being threaded, is held in the left hand, and the cotton in the right.

The scissors, when used, should have the thumb placed in the upper ring, and the third finger in the lower: they should also be held with the sharper point uppermost.

When work is very strong, the thread used in making it up should be strengthened by waxing.

Thread is much more durable than cotton, and it should therefore be used in working all kinds of linen.

Cottons are better for calico, muslin, &c.

All kinds of threads and cottons, especially when coloured, should be kept (when not in use) wrapped up in brown paper, as the air is apt to decay them.

Sewing silks should be wrapped up in soft wash-leather.

Buttons, hooks and eyes, tapes, &c. are all better kept folded up, as they are apt to tarnish and decay.

Needles, scissors, and all kinds of steel, injure materially when exposed much to the air, especially at the sea coast.

HEMMING.

Turn down the raw edge twice very evenly, and flatten it with the thumb and finger, taking care to arrange the corners nicely.

In beginning to hem, point your needle from your chest towards the right, and after drawing the thread nearly through, stroke the end under the hem, so as to keep it fast without the assistance of a knot, which is always untidy. When your needleful is used, cut off the end, leaving just sufficient to stroke under the hem. In fastening off effectually, sew several stitches close together, and cut off the thread closely. Hem from right to left.

SEWING AND FELLING.

The work for sewing is thus prepared: the two selvages are placed together, or if there are no selvages, the raw edge of one piece is turned down once, and the edge of the other piece is turned down double the width, and then half the width is turned back again for the fell. The two pieces are pinned or basted together, with the parts turned down face to face, and held firmly between the finger and thumb: the thread is fastened on by pressing the end carefully into the seam with the needle, and working over it. The stitches should be just deep enough to keep the parts strongly together; they should also lie in a slanting direction, at even distances from each other. When the seam is sewn, the finger should be placed under it, while the thumb nail flattens it down. Turn the work on the other side, and fell the seam just the same as in hemming.

MANTUA-MAKERS’ HEMMING.

This is often used instead of sewing, for bags and sleeves that have no linings, or skirts of petticoats, &c., and the work is prepared as follows. Lay the raw edge of one piece a little below that of the other, then turn the upper edge over the lower, twice, as in hemming, and fell it securely down.

STITCHING.

Having observed that your work is quite even, turn down a piece to stitch to, count twelve or fourteen threads from the edge, and draw a thread to stitch upon. In stitching, take two threads back, and pass the needle so as to come out from under two before. Join on a fresh piece of thread by passing the needle between the edges, and bringing it out where the last stitch left off.

GATHERING.

Observe that the part going to be gathered is cut evenly and straight. Divide the piece into half, and then into quarters, putting pins at the divisions as marks; do the same with the piece to which it is to be gathered, by which means the fulness will be equal.

Begin about twelve or fourteen threads from the top, take up three threads on your needle and miss four, more or less according to the fulness required: when a quarter is done, draw the gatherings pretty closely, and secure the thread by twisting it round a pin; then stroke the gathers nicely down, one at a time, with a large needle, so as to make them lie closely and evenly together. Afterwards, untwist the thread from the pin, and loosen the gathers till you have made the quarter gathered, correspond with the quarter to which it is to be sewn. Fasten the thread again firmly to a pin, and sew the gathers strongly on, one at a time, letting the stitches take a slanting direction, so as to slip between the gathers.

RUNNING.

The work for running must be prepared by putting the two edges exactly together, if they are both selvages; but if they are raw edges and afterwards to be felled, one raw edge must be turned down once, and the other laid upon it a few threads from the top. It should be run about six threads below the turned down part. Take three threads and leave three, and back-stitch occasionally, to keep the work firm.

DOUBLE GATHERING
OR PUFFING.

PLATE 1. FIG. 3, 4.

Double gathering or puffing is sometimes used in setting on frills, and gives a very neat finished appearance; it is done in the following manner. Gather your frill at the top, in the usual way, and stroke it strongly down; then gather it again below the first gathering, according to the depth of the puffing you wish to make, about half an inch, more or less according to fancy, and sew on the first gathering to the dressing-gown, frock, or whatever you wish to trim, at a distance that corresponds with the width of the puffing: the second gathering is to be sewn to the edge of the dress, so that the part between the two gatherings forms a full hem. Some people make three gatherings, and proceed in the same way, forming the two full hems or puffings. It is usually put on straight, but sometimes in sewing on, the hem is drawn obliquely, or to one side, which makes a little variety, and when there are three gatherings, one hem is drawn to one side, and the other to the opposite one, but this requires much exactness to do it equally.

GERMAN HEMMING.

German hemming or felling is a neat substitute for sewing, where it is desirable that the seam should lie very flat; it is sometimes employed with great advantage for sleeves, and even in the long seams of shifts. It is quite as strong as the old method of a seam and fell, and looks better, as it is all done on the wrong side.

Turn down the raw edges of both your pieces of cloth once, (having them both turned down next you,) and lay one below the other, so that the smooth top of the lower one does not touch the edge of the upper one, but is just below it, then hem or fell the lower one to the cloth against which it is laid, still holding it before you, as you had prepared it, which is exactly like hemming upside down. When you have got to the end of your seam, open your sleeve, or whatever you are doing, and lay the upper fold over the lower edge, which you must then fell neatly down, and it is completed.

WHIPPING.

The edge for whipping should be cut particularly smooth, and divided into halves and quarters; the muslin is then rolled very tightly with the left thumb upon the finger, about ten threads from the edge. The cotton with which you whip should be very strong and even, and the needle should be stuck in on the outside, and brought out on the inside, the needle pointing towards your chest. Take the stitches very evenly, and so as to draw easily. Draw the whipping up to the width of the piece to which it is going to be sewn; pin it down, and sew it firmly, holding the whipping towards you, and letting the stitches lie athwart, so as to be hidden between the whips. If you stroke whipping with a large pin or needle, in the same way as in gathering, it adds much to its neat appearance in setting on, and makes it more easy to do.

BUTTON-HOLES.

PLATE 1. FIG. 5.

Cut the button-hole with a chisel (or the proper scissors made for that purpose) by a thread, the same size as the width across the button. In holding the work, let the button-hole lie length-wise along the forefinger. Begin at the side opposite the thumb farthest from the point of the finger. Put the needle in through the wrong side of the hole, and bring it out five threads down on the right. The stitch is made by putting the needle through the loop of the thread before it is drawn close. Observe that you keep your work evenly by the thread, and do not turn the corners too soon; the needle should be put in between every two threads, else the work will not be thick enough. It has a neat effect to stitch all round the button-hole.

HERRING-BONING.

PLATE 1. FIG. 7, 8.

This is a stitch generally used for flannels and other woollens, also, for carpets, druggets, window blinds, &c. when a hem would be thick and clumsy from being turned down twice; whereas in herring-boning the edge is turned down only once, and lies flat and more compact.

Turn the work down once evenly, first cutting off any woollen fuzz at the raw edge which looks untidy, and then beginning to work from the left of your piece of work towards the right, take a stitch of two or three threads close under the raw turned-down edge, then put in your needle half way up the turned-down part, and four or five threads towards the right hand, and make another stitch of three threads; bring down the needle, and make another stitch as before under the raw edge, still working a few threads each time farther to the right hand, and so on forming a stitch something like the backbone of a fish, and therefore termed herring-bone. This same stitch done on muslin with fine cord or braid is very ornamental, and is often used at the tops of hems or bodies of infants’ robes.

DARNING.

The stocking or work should be held across the first and second fingers of the left hand. In beginning to darn, the needle should be held pointed from the chest. The work should be begun a few threads before the hole, or even the thin place, to give a firmer hold to the cotton. Take one thread and leave one, alternately till the row is complete; afterwards, point the needle towards the chest, and take up the intermediate threads which were left before. The cotton must not be drawn tight, as it is apt to shrink in washing, therefore a loop should be left at each end. Continue darning backwards and forwards till the hole and thin parts are covered, afterwards begin to darn crosswise, being particularly careful to avoid splitting the threads or pulling the loops tight.

Some people make a point of running the feet of new stockings all over, which is very advisable for men and boys who wear boots, as it preserves them much longer.

There are a variety of stitches in darning, some of which have a very neat appearance, among others the following:-

Table linen, when darned, looks neater if the work is done in some pattern; thus, a diamond or circle looks more tidy than an irregular patch of darning.

ON MENDING A CRACK.

In taking up a crack in a stocking, fasten the thread firmly on, and then take the two half loops which are next each other on one side of the crack, upon the needle, and having drawn the thread through them, do the same on the other side, making the half loop, which was last taken up on either side, the first of the next stitch.

ON TAKING UP A LADDER.

A ladder is caused by the fall or dropping of a stitch, which it is necessary to pick up as soon as possible, by putting the needle into the loop that has fallen, and drawing the bar immediately above through the loop, thus the bar becomes a loop in its turn, and the next bar above is in like manner draw through it, till all are taken up, when the last loop is well secured and darned over.

ON MAKING BUTTONS.

PLATE 1. FIG. 6.

Cover your piece of wire with a square piece of calico, which you must double over the corners, and sew firmly in the middle; afterwards stitch the button round close to the wire, or else work over the wire the button-hole stitch, and in the centre, work a little regular star to set it off.

ON MAKING TUCKS.

Tucks should be very even; for this purpose, have a bit of card on which is notched the depth of each tuck, and also the space between them. Tucks should be run firmly in small regular stitches, constantly taking a back-stitch as you go on.

MARKING.

In marking, two threads are generally taken each way. There are three ways in which the needle is passed before the stitch is perfect. One is aslant from you towards the right hand; the second is straight downwards towards you; the third is across or aslant from you towards the left hand, taking care to bring out the needle at that corner of the stitch nearest the one you are going to make. The generality of markers make the first stitch aslant twice over, to make it clearer before proceeding onwards; thus, in Plate 1, Fig. 2, the thread, being brought out at A, passes across to B, and out again at A; again, across to B, and out at C; then, aslant to D, and out again at B, ready to proceed to the next stitch. Where there are two or three letters to be marked, the thread should be neatly fastened off at the end of each letter and not carried on from one to the other. Two or four threads are left between the letters, according to the quality of the article to be marked. In linen, eight threads are generally left. In gentlemen’s families, house linen is either marked with the gentleman’s initials, or else with those of the lady’s christian name added to the gentleman’s full initials, his christian name coming first: thus, supposing Edward Montagu’s wife is named Louisa, the initials would be E. L. M., afterwards the name of the cloth and the number are marked thus:

signifying, Edward Louisa Montagu, Glass Cloth, Number 8, 1837. There are many pretty marking patterns for samplers, flat canvass pincushions, or needle-books. In noblemen’s families, the marks are surmounted by coronets. There are also two other kinds of marking; the one is the same stitch as that above described, but differing in the form of the letters, which are in writing or Italian characters; this may best be done by copying written letters accurately: the other kind of marking is, by making the letters perfectly straight, as in printing, and instead of the marking stitch, working them in small oylet holes.

In Plate 1, Fig. 1, the sampler drawn gives an accurate idea of the canvass, and the shape of all the letters in the different alphabets. The first alphabet is that in most general use; the second contains the small letters; the third is a correct representation of the Italian characters, which are much used for marking pocket handkerchiefs and other fine articles of dress; the fourth and last is quite a fancy stitch, and rarely employed. The oylet-holes are formed by working in small stitches round each square, about four stitches in the four corners, and four intermediate stitches between, are necessary to form each oylet hole.

PIPING

Is a neat mode of finishing capes, sleeves at the wrist, waistbands, tops of bodies, &c., and is sewn on in the following way.

Cut crosswise strips of silk, (or whatever other material you are piping with,) sufficiently wide to admit well the cord, run these strips neatly together, to make them of a proper length for the piping you want. Some people run the silk on the cord first, before sewing it to the piece of work; others, however, merely lay the cord neatly inside the silk, which is then placed on the edge of the work to which it is piped, so that the two raw edges of the strip of silk enclosing the cord should lie on the raw edge of the work; the three thicknesses are then all firmly run together, the stitches being made just below the cord. When it is sewn on, the raw edges are pressed inwards, so as to make the cord set at the edge. The lining is then neatly put in, which covers these edges and makes all look tidy.

PLAITING.

Care should be taken that the plaits lie evenly one against another, and that they are of the same size, especially in frills, sleeves, &c. In double plaiting, the plaits lie both ways, and look very handsome and full in frills: it requires great care to do them evenly, without which they will not look well.

ON LINING SLEEVES, BAGS, &c.

After cutting out the lining exactly the same size as the sleeve, fold it very carefully, so as to make the raw edges lie exactly one on the other; do the same with the sleeve, taking care to fold the wrong side outwards. Place the lining on the sleeve and pin them evenly together; after which, run all the four thicknesses strongly down the seam. Put your hand in the sleeve, and turn it inside out, drawing the lining inside; the seam is then quite neat, both inside and outside, as the stitches lie between the lining and the outer silk. The same should be done with bags, and any other thing that will admit of it.

ON BRAIDING.

This work can scarcely come under the head of plain work, still, as children’s dresses are so much ornamented with it, a few observations may be useful. The very fine flat braid should be used, as it looks so much neater than that which is thick; it is sold in knots. Silk braids look well on silk, merino, or muslin; but cotton is the best for jean, prints, or stuffs. The pattern should be drawn on silver paper, which is tacked on the piece of work, and the braid worked on it with the same coloured sewing silk, as thread washes white. To sew on silk braid, you should use the silk drawn out of the braid, as it is finer and more even, and will match the colour better than any other you can procure: cut off, therefore, a bit the length of a needleful, to keep for the purpose of unroving. If you want to take the pattern of a piece of work upon paper, place some letter paper on the work, and while holding it firmly, rub the paper well with half a nutmeg, which will mark the pattern correctly, and sufficiently distinct on the paper to admit of its being inked afterwards. Two shades of braid sewn close together have a pretty effect.

BIASSING.

PLATE 1. FIG. 9.

In biassing, the first part of the stitch resembles gathering, and after stroking in down with a large needle or pin, you lay, upon the right side of the gathers, a thread very much thicker than that you are using in your needle; you then sew over this thread, taking hold, at the same time, of the gathering thread, and pointing your needle to your chest; you must be very careful to put your needle between every gather: the thick thread, thus worked upon the gathering, has a very neat effect, and adds much to its strength; two or three rows of it, at short distances from each other, look very well: it is particularly suitable for the shoulders and sleeves of dresses, and for children’s saccarines, pelisses, &c. It is a good plan to bias with sewing and netting silk, in preference to thread, as it is much stronger.

GAGING.

This is very suitable for the fronts of children’s dresses, and the tops of the cuffs of sleeves; it is done as follows. Take up the stitches at regular intervals of half an inch, for the first row. For the second, continue doing the same; letting the needle, however, take up the intermediate parts. The third row resembles the first, and so on. For the purpose of securing the gathers firmly, work them as follows, with very strong netting silk. Take on your needle the two first gathers, and the thread on which they run, pulling your thread firmly through. For the next stitch, again take two gathers and the thread upon your needle, letting the first of them be the last gather that was taken up at the former stitch, so that the work proceeds but by one gather at a time. Observe to draw the netting silk as tightly as possible, so as to make the stitches lie very closely together, in a slanting position.

HONEY-COMBING.

PLATE 1. FIG. 10, 11.

This sort of work is much used for the inside of the tops of work-boxes, and sometimes for the tops and heads of beds; it is usually done with silk, satin, or velvet, for the former; and highly-glazed chintz or calico, for the latter. Crease your material in even folds, taking care to have them very regular, and of a proper depth to suit the purpose for which it is intended; with a strong thread, tack the folds together with long stitches, so as to make them lie compactly one against another; then, with sewing silk of the proper colour, stitch firmly together, at moderate equal distances, the first and second folds: afterwards, stitch the second and third folds, at equal distances, taking your stitches in the intermediate intervals (see Plate 1, Fig. 10 and 11). The third and fourth folds are only repetitions of the first and second, and by continuing your work in this way, the stitches of the alternate rows will accord with each other. When the piece is completed, and the tacking-thread drawn out, pull your work open, and it will form puffings, in the shape of diamonds, on the right side.

BINDING.

Flannel is generally bound with sarsenet ribbon, or a kind of thin tape called flannel binding. This is generally put on so as merely to shew a little way over the edge on the right side, and should be neatly and firmly hemmed down. On the other side, run the binding down with small neat stitches, so as to look very tidy on the right side. Some people, in binding flannel, turn half on the other side of the edge, but this is not nearly so neat in appearance.

QUILTING.

PLATE 1. FIG. 12, 13.

Is generally employed for coverlets, silk shoes, cushions, linings of work-baskets and boxes; also, for babies’ bonnets, hoods, &c. &c.; and is well adapted to those purposes for which warmth and softness are essential.

It is done in the following manner. Lay a piece of flannel, demet, or other soft substance, between the satin (or other material forming the outside) and the lining of whatever you are going to make. Run it firmly together, taking care that the stitches go through, not only the satin, but the flannel and lining. The running is done in diamonds, squares, octagons, or any other pattern with very small stitches, in silk the same colour as the material. Coverlets are often quilted with patterns of birds, fishes, stars, &c. &c.

Another kind of quilting, which looks very neat, is done as follows. Baste the piece of work in diamonds, with very long stitches of thread, and then, with your needle, work a little star at each of the intersections or points of the diamonds, putting in your needle between the material and the lining, when the thread is ready to be carried from one star to another, to conceal the stitches.

MAKING ROULEAUS.

These are used for trimming dresses, capes, &c., and are made of satin, silk, or velvet, in the following manner. Cut pieces of the material crosswise, about one or more nails, and join a sufficient number of them to form the length required; after which double the strip in two, on the wrong side, and run along near the edge. When you have got to the end, see that your needle is fastened firmly, with strong thread to it, and turn your needle inside the roll, running it through as you would a bodkin, and, on pulling it gently out, it will pull the rouleau inside out, and make it look neat; after which, draw sufficient wool through the rouleau to fill it.

CORONATION BRAID.

This kind of braid is bought in knots, and resembles Fig. 10, Plate 1. In putting it on frocks, it may be sewn in various patterns of leaves, &c.: it looks pretty, and both wears and washes well. (See Plate 5, Fig. 28, 29.)

CORD SEWN ON.

This is often put on infants’ frock bodies, it looks neat and washes remarkably well. It is sewn on in waves, diamonds, vandykes, or any other pattern. The thread for sewing it on should be fine, and the stitches very small.

CHAIN STITCH.

PLATE 5. FIG. 21.

It is a kind of ornamental work, which, as it is often used in frock bodies for children, will be here explained; together with some other fancy stitches, although they do not strictly come under the head of plain work.

Chain stitch is done as follows. Thread your needle with fine round union cord, braid, or bobbin; tie a knot at the end of it, and draw the cord through to the right side of your work. Let your cord hang loosely in front, while you stick in your needle, as in the Plate, and bring it out below, inclining it a little to the left, passing your needle over your thread as you draw it out, so as to form a loop. Draw out the needle, taking care not to pull the stitch tightly, and repeat the same, putting the needle in a little higher, and to the right hand of the place where it was last drawn out: thus each new loop begins within the lower part of the preceding one, and you produce the effect of a chain.

FANCY CHAIN STITCH.

PLATE 5. FIG. 22.

This is a very pretty stitch for ornamenting babies’ dresses, and especially their hats, and should be worked in netting silk, silk cord, or braid. The stitch resembles that of the common chain stitch above mentioned, excepting that very little is taken up on the needle at a time, and the stitches made far apart. The stitch may be varied according to whether the needle slants little or much. If it is made to lie quite horizontally before the work, it becomes button-hole stitch at once.

CHAIN STITCH ON GATHERS.

This has a remarkably neat effect, and if done with coloured worsted upon Holland dresses, when biassed or gaged, it will wash and wear well. Take up two gathers at a time for each stitch, always taking one old, and one new gather on the needle at a time.

FANCY BOBBIN EDGING.

PLATE 5. FIG. 18.

This is pretty for the edges of frocks and robings, and is a very simple stitch, which wears well. After hemming the edge, tie a knot at the end of your bobbin, and draw it through to the right side of the work, just below the hem. Carry the bobbin over the hem, by sticking in your needle at the wrong side, bringing it through; after which, on drawing the loop to the proper size, pass your bobbin through it, and begin the next stitch, and so on, forming a succession of loops.

FANCY HERRING-BONING.

PLATE 5. FIG. 23.

This stitch resembles that of the common herring-bone, except that it is worked perpendicularly instead of from left to right, and the thread is brought round behind the needle, as represented in Plate 5, which gives a greater finish to the stitch.

DOUBLE HERRING-BONING.

PLATE 5. FIG. 27.

This pattern is too intricate to describe, farther than by saying it is a kind of double herring-bone on each side. The Plate gives a tolerably accurate idea of the stitch. As great care is requisite to keep the pattern even, it is better to run a tacking-thread, as a guide, down the middle of it.

THE ANGULAR STITCH.

PLATE 5. FIG. 24.

This is a neat ornament for capes, cuffs, and the skirts of children’s pelisses, and resembles the button-hole stitch, but is carried angularly from right to left, to form the pattern. Care should be taken to make the pattern of equal width and very even and straight, as much of its merit depends upon its regularity.

THE SERPENTINE STITCH.

PLATE 5. FIG. 25.

This is a peculiarly pretty work, and much employed for children’s dresses. It is worked with the hand, and sewn on to the material when made. Take the cord, knot it so as to form a loop at one end, and pass the other end through the loop towards the front, to form another loop to the right hand; continue passing the bobbin first through the loop on one side, and then through the loop on the other, directing the cord so as to pass from the outer side of the work invariably towards the inner, or that part next the work. The Plate will give a clearer representation of this than can be easily done by words.

THE HORSE-SHOE STITCH.

PLATE 5. FIG. 20.

This stitch is worked from left to right, as seen in the Plate, and is pretty when worked near to the edge of robings, hems, &c. The Plate gives so clear a representation of the way to hold the needle and thread, that no explanation is necessary. It is done with thick loosely twisted cotton or bobbin.

FANCY BUTTON-HOLE STITCH.

PLATE 5. FIG. 19.

This is very pretty for the fronts of bodies, also for the bands and shoulder-bits, and above the broad hems or tucks of frocks. It resembles a very wide button-hole stitch. It washes and wears well.

CORAL PATTERN.

PLATE 5. FIG. 26.

This pattern is particularly suitable for the tops of broad hems, or the waistbands of children’s frocks. It requires great accuracy in the working; and if attempted by an inexperienced person, it would be desirable to run lines, in long stitches, to determine the middle and outer sides of the pattern. It can be best understood by reference to the Plate, merely remarking that the stitch is begun on the left hand, and continued alternately from left to right, always pointing the needle towards the centre.

GENERAL RULES FOR COMPLETING WORK.

In making up dresses, all openings of pocket holes, of sleeves near the wrist, &c. &c., should be very firmly fastened off, as they are apt to tear. There are two or three modes of making them strong: one is by working round the pail in button-hole stitch, and also by making a bar from one side to the other, by passing the needle backwards and forwards several times, working the button-hole stitch upon the bar; a second is by sewing a piece of strong tape upon the hem, about an inch on each side from the bottom; and a third way, which can only be done when the pocket-hole is in a seam, is by making one side lap over the other considerably, by which means the slit is not only strengthened, but it does not gape open, which always has an untidy appearance. To prevent dresses from opening at the slit below the band, it is a good plan to extend the gathers, on one side, an inch beyond the band, by joining a piece of strong tape to the end of it, and sewing the gathers neatly upon it. This piece of tape must be contrived so as to hook or button on to the band on the other side, so as to lap over the slit, and thus prevent its opening.

In fastening on tapes, sew firmly in close small stitches round the three outer sides, and back-stitch across the fourth.

In sewing on buttons, it is best to put the needle in and out, so as to form a cross-stitch in the centre over and over again, till firmly fastened.

In sewing on the long tapes to the bands of petticoats, gowns, &c., it is an excellent plan to make a large button-hole near one end, through which the tape of the other end is passed, before brought to tie in front.

The gussets of sleeves, &c., are put in as follows. Take the piece intended for the gusset and prove, by folding it crosswise, that it is a perfect square; after which, it is the best and most durable plan to hem it all round: next hem the two ends of the sleeve, and fix on the gusset by sewing one end of the sleeve firmly to one side of the gusset, and the other end of the sleeve to the next side of the gusset, immediately round the corner. The easiest mode of ascertaining which sides of the gusset are joined to the sleeve, is by folding the gusset corner-wise, and the two sides that lie one above the other are sewn to the two ends of the sleeve, and the other two sides, lying also one above the other, form that part of the sleeve fastened to the body of the dress. Sometimes the gusset is cut out much smaller than the ends of the sleeve, especially for baby clothes, in which case the sides of the gusset forming the part fastened to the skirt, ought to be still placed so as to continue in a line with those sides of the sleeve sewn on to the skirt. That part of the ends of the sleeve which is longer than the gusset should be sewn together.

Some sleeves are cut with the gussets in one length, so that it is only necessary to turn up the one corner of the piece, like a half handkerchief, so as to make it lie upon the side of the strip which is folded just in half, and when the second end is sewn to that part which meets it, the sleeve is formed, and only requires hemming at the bottom to complete it, before putting it in.

In setting a long sleeve, such as a shirt or night-gown sleeve, into a wristband, let the slit be sufficiently long to admit of the wristband being laid open and easily ironed. The gathers at the top of the sleeve should be set into a space exactly the same as the wristband, to make it lie flat also. These little attentions are a great assistance to the washerwoman.