Garment cutting in the twentieth century

by Günther F. Hertzer

But there is no law to prevent a cutter from adopting a middle way, by leaving the forepart as it is and to make the whole back, say ½ longer and reducing that length again somewhere at the armhole, because a back that becomes longer behind requires no extra length at the side. This alteration is even to altering the back as for a long neck, leaving the front as it is for the normal form. If a coat fit at the neck but swings off at the waist, reduce the back of the side piece, say ¼ in., at the waist and stretch it downward to make it again long enough—all of which is required to lengthen the back ½ in. But if the stooping form should require his armhole further forward, ¼ is enough for the extreme. Point 8 remains the center for the back sleeve, all extra length being allowed on top.

In the conclusion of this article, I will say that I have given different views as to the making of alterations, because while cutting we can alter as we please; but if a garment must be altered after it is made, it must be altered as best we can, and if a garment is worth altering at all it is worth altering right. I will here again point to the fact that coats for stooping forms usually have a tendency to swing off at the back of the waist, and such garments can most always be brought to the body by giving the center of the back and the back seam of the side piece a good stretching under the smoothing iron from a point over the shoulder blade downward.

All alterations between the stooping and the erect forms can be better comprehended if we consider a well-fitting coat on a normal form as follows: Consider the coat cut through from each side to each back, and to each front, and consider the sides as on hinges, and then consider what the result would be if the form imitates the so-called erect or stooping positions. In that case the cuts across the hollow of the waist would open in front or back, as the case may be, and contract at the opposite. The result of the backward and forward moving of the body must be imitated by contracting or folding the pattern, just as a coat will full up in the back when the body becomes erect. Under the head of stooping forms also belongs the so-called “hunchback,” and to fit such forms will always be a hard job.

To fit them is not the right term in my opinion. They do not want to be fitted, for to fit them would just show their deformity, which should be hidden by his coat, at least in the back of the waist. Such forms are often very erect ones, and most of them throw their arms and shoulders up, making them extra square, and may be at right angles with the side of the neck. If the armhole is left, as for the normal form, as it should be, then the angle of 135 deg. must have a gore cut at the neck, and in the shoulder seam, of at least 1 in., and the top of the back placed say 1 in. lower, and the front of the neck 1 in. lower, while the side of the neck may be widened ½ in. only. This will not disturb the armhole and sleeve. The top of back and the top of front must be shortened, because there is no slope of the neck; the cloth runs straight over, and for this reason the side of the neck is to be cut out more, while there is no change whatever at the armhole.

Now, while the upper part of the back must be made shorter, that part of the back which passes over the shoulder blades and which is in this case extremely large, must be made longer, as far over as the enlarged shoulder blade requires it. But at the armhole the back requires the normal length only. On a frock coat such length may be given in the back, and that length again reduced by a larger gore between the side piece and the back. But on a sack coat this cannot be done, as no seam runs over to that point, and in consequence the extra length must be put in otherwise, and I will here give the best way to do it, but it may not be the shortest way.

If the back requires say 1½ in. extra length over the haunch, cut the whole back ¾ longer in the portion of the back armhole, and reduce ¾ at the shoulder seam toward the armhole again, which will leave the balance of the armhole as it was before. Next, stretch the center of the back ¾ over and along the shoulder blade, and over toward the arm, say about 4 to 5 in. each way, or as far over as the enlarged shoulder blade requires it.

In the article on “[Center of Back and Front],” it is shown why the center of the back can be fitted on straight lines, and this is true of the back of a hunchback, though a modification may be made for such a form and some taken off above or below the hunch, or something be thrown out over the center behind. But it is not width, that such a coat wants; it is length over the blade, not over and clear across to the armhole, but only as far over as the deformation requires. In this respect let me allude to an article and diagram in “The American Tailor and Cutter” of August, 1890, pages 34 and 35:

“That pivot, from the armhole across to the center of back, which must be done on straight lines, can not work, unless the body of a man is first pressed flat from side to side, leaving the center of front and the center of back on a sharp edge, or what would be the same illustration: on a form cut from a one-half inch board, the sides being flat. In this case only, the form can be fitted from back to front, and on curved back and front centers. But as long as we must fit men having the present form the back must be fitted from back to side and on straight lines at the center of back. The opening of the lines over the back, as shown in that illustration, is too straight, it will make the back either too long at the center, or too short at the middle of the back, and may fall smooth over the middle of the back, but will draw at the center and at the armhole.”

The above should receive the attention of every cutter, as the term “Hunchback” is simply a combination of extremely stooping and extremely erect forms.