How to amuse yourself and others

by Lina Beard; Adelia B. Beard

If you wish to gather an apron or a skirt divide it into halves, then into quarters, in order to make the fulness even on each half of the band; mark the four places and gather on the right side; when finished draw the stitches tightly together on the thread and stroke down evenly with a needle. To sew in the gathers, back-stitch each one in separately.

STITCHING.

Take two threads back of the needle and two before, having each stitch meet the last one, as in Fig. 296; keep the stitches even and in a straight line.

Fig. 296.—Stitching.

BACK-STITCHING.

Proceed as in stitching, only make the stitches longer and do not have them meet.

FELLING.

First baste up the seam, allowing the upper edge to extend five threads beyond the lower edge (Fig. 296); then back-stitch or stitch the two edges together; next turn the upper edge down over the lower one and lay open the seam so that the fell will lie down flat like a hem (Fig. 297); then hem it down neatly.