When sleeves are to be shortened or lengthened, have customer try coat on, and mark with chalk, the length desired. Then remove coat and run a basting of cotton around both sleeves, five inches above cuff, to hold lining in place, while doing the work. Then with a knife or scissors, rip lining around both cuffs. Unfasten turn up from wigan. This will allow turn up to fall down. Now mark with chalk, around both sleeves, the correct length. Turn up and baste solid, and fasten turn up, to wigan, same as before. Now allow lining to fall down, and cut off even all around the end of the cuff. Baste lining two inches from the edge of cuff, and fell with silk same color as the cloth or lining. These instructions are for shortening sleeves.
When sleeves are to be lengthened, proceed as before, but with this difference,—should the lining, and turn up of cuff not meet, it will be necessary to piece the lining or sew hand facings to the bottom of sleeve, same as the cloth in garment, or as near as possible. Then fell sleeve lining to facing.
When sleeves are to be lengthened, baste a piece of wigan to that which is now in place, the amount to be lengthened, and fasten turn up to the wigan, and turn sleeve lining in two inches from the end of cuff. Fell sleeve lining to turn up as before.
Sleeves may be lengthened all of the turn up, by sewing a piece of cloth to the sleeve, same as the garment, same size around, and sewn in a seam on the machine. Baste and turn edges out even, and press firm, stitch around with machine, thereby making it firm and solid.
Stitch edge of sleeve to match edge of coat.
Fasten ends of silk thread by threading them to a needle and taking a stitch or two, then cut off. Sew buttons on as required. This completes the lengthening of sleeves.
Should coat collar be too high, run a row of basting cotton, two inches below the collar seam; mark with chalk the amount to be lowered, then rip with knife or scissors, inside and out from crease to crease. Now baste under collar to neck of coat first, and fasten inside of coat to the stand of collar. Now baste the outside or top collar on the inside to the coat in keeping with the amount lowered and fell inside and outside of collar. Sew loop on back of coat collar inside, and remove basting. Place coat collar on press-jack in a convenient manner and press in same crease as when worn.
Place on a coat hanger, to retain its proper shape and to dry before wearing. (When basting under collar to coat neck, start basting from center back seam, forward to each side.)
When coat collar is to be raised, run a row of basting cotton two inches below the collar seam, from end to end. Rip under collar and unfasten coat from stand of collar inside and rip inside collar from crease to crease. Mark with chalk the amount to be raised, and start basting from the center back seam, forward to each side; then fasten coat to the stand of collar, and baste inside or top collar to the inside of coat the amount raised on the outside. Fasten loop to stand of collar inside, remove bastings and place coat collar on press-jack in a convenient way, press as before and hang to dry before wearing.
If however, the coat collar is to be raised and one finds that by raising, that the collar will be too long, the collar may be cut in the center and seamed or taken off at one end (if only raised on one side) or both as the case may be; if raised all around, the collar must be shortened at both ends.