The girls of Pleasant Valley have decided to make the petticoats for the children at the summer home. The ladies of the board furnished the materials. They have chosen gingham for some and outing flannel for others. The belts are to be made of muslin. The material is all one yard wide. By folding the outing flannel selvedge to selvedge, and placing the triple perforations of the pattern of the front gore on this fold, the front can be cut all in one piece. It is rather a circular gore. Not all gores are the same shape. See if you can find other shaped gores in dress skirts. The two back gores of the skirt can be cut from another width. Be sure to obey the directions for placing the perforations on the warp. How many lengths of cloth are needed to cut such a skirt? How much will you allow for hems at the bottom? As the girls of Pleasant Valley had decided on two inches finished, they allowed 2½-inches extra in cutting. One must always think about this. All seams have been allowed on their patterns. Be sure to lay all the pieces of the pattern on the cloth before cutting. Find a flat surface. Remember that the wide end of a gore is apt to cut to better advantage at the end of the piece of cloth. Can the gores be fitted so as to cut more economically? (Fig. 34.) Pin the parts carefully, not using too many pins. Mark all the notches with pencil, chalk, or basting thread. Do not cut notches; one is liable to be careless and to make them too large. Use long cuts, and make even edges in cutting. Good shears help. EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS 1. Draw on the blackboard different shaped dress gores which you have noticed. 2. With the tiny patterns of the skirt which your teacher has cut, show how to lay them most economically on the red muslin which represents your material. 3. What would you do if you were using a pattern which did not allow for seams? LESSON 12 MAKING THE PETTICOATS Let us begin to sew the petticoats. Notice all the notches which were marked lightly with pencil, and follow all the steps carefully: 1. Place the two back portions so that they join the front as the notches indicate. 2. Pin from the top of the gores. 3. Baste the three gores together with ½-inch seams, beginning at the bottom. Can you tell why? 4. Sew the seams on the wrong side, using the stitching stitch. The back seam is to be left open five inches at the top for the placket opening. 5. Overcast all the seam edges, overcasting the two thicknesses of the seams together. 6. Turn hems at the bottom of the skirt. First, turn ¼-inch; second, turn two inches. Baste carefully, laying little plaits neatly where necessary on account of extra fullness. Always have the seams of the turned hem lie on seams of skirt. Sew hem with hemming stitch or featherstitch (see page 120).