The petticoat is fastened with a button and buttonhole. If you do not yet know how to make a buttonhole, turn to [page 6] for this. You have an illustration on this page showing how the button is put on. Use a small white linen button, make a little bar of threads across the centre, just working over and over through the button and the band, then bring your needle out at the left end of the bar of threads and work buttonhole stitches closely together along the bar. When you have worked to the other end, put your needle through the button and bring your cotton out between the button and the band, wind the cotton round four or five times, then put your needle down through the band and fasten off your cotton on the wrong side.
The Knickers.
In joining up the little knickers you must first join each of the leg seams, then you join the two legs together from the front to the back, leaving a placket at the back as you did in making the petticoat. Finish the placket as before, then make a narrow hem round the top of the knickers, and thread a piece of tape through this to tie round dolly’s waist.
Gather the knee edges and place them into bands, and trim with a narrow lace or embroidery edging. Perhaps you will like to feather-stitch the bands; this stitch was described on [page 7].
The Flannel Petticoat.
Now take the piece of flannel for your other petticoat. The seam of this has to be joined in a different way to the other garments you have been making. You first run the two edges to be joined evenly together, then fold them over and herring-bone the raw edges down flat. Herring-bone stitch is worked from left to right; you hold the edges of the seam down, and first take a little stitch below the edges, and then one just above, putting the stitches fairly close to each other so that the threads cross evenly. If you don’t feel quite sure of this stitch, take a small piece of flannel for practice and copy the little picture. Then, when you can work the stitch evenly, you can do your seam.
Place the top of the petticoat into a band and finish with a button and buttonhole. You will see that little pleats are made instead of gathers to bring the petticoat to the size of the band; the pleats set better in the flannel than gathers.
Finish the bottom of the petticoat with a hem and tuck. How to make a tuck was described on [page 18].
The set of underwear illustrated was made for a doll 18 inches high, measuring from the top of the head to the sole of the foot. For this size set, about one yard of nainsook and a quarter of a yard of flannel will be sufficient. Two yards of lace edging, a yard of embroidery edging and two yards of bébé ribbon will also be needed.