A LITTLE GIRL IN HER PINAFORE.
Every little girl would rather make something that is pretty and useful than something that is useful without being pretty. Now here is a very delightful pinafore that you can make for yourself, that is pretty, useful, and also easy.
PUTTING PLEATS INTO A BAND.
The little girl in the picture looks so stylish in her pinafore that you would hardly believe you could so easily make one like it. But look at the picture on [page 19] and you can see better what an easy little pattern it is—just a straight piece of muslin, hemmed and tucked and pleated into a band. This band comes across the chest, the two ribbons are taken over the shoulders, crossed at the back (just like a nurse’s apron straps), and brought round the waist to tie in a bow in front. The pinafore is made of white spotted muslin, trimmed with a sweet little insertion and tucks, and the ribbon used on it is pink. A pinafore like this would brighten up your school frock, and I am sure you are wanting to set to work to make one at once.
You will need a yard of spotted muslin 24 inches wide, a yard of insertion, and two pieces of 1¼-inch pink ribbon each 1¼ yards long. Now ask mother to tell you what length you require from the yoke to the bottom hem, because you want to have your pinafore the right length. The little girl in the picture is eight years old, and she measures 28 inches from where the pleats are put into the band, to the bottom of her pinafore. Then another 3 inches is allowed for turning up the hem, making 31 inches altogether.
MAKING A TUCK.
Now, having cut off this length, the sides have to be hemmed. For this the edges must be folded over twice. The first fold is only enough to turn in the raw edge, the second fold should be ¼-inch wide. Now tack it, so as to keep the turnings straight, by making a long stitch on top and a short stitch underneath.
If you are not sure how to hem, look at the little picture on this page. Put the needle in just under the fold, slant it towards you, and put it through the fold near the edge. Repeat this stitch, taking up only a few threads of material each time.