10
THE CHEMA WA AMERICAN
It is a proud day for him w hen these m inor processes are com plet
ed and he is given a pair of trousers to m ake. H ow ever, I do not wish
to im ply th a t th e m aking of trousers should receive less care, taste,
and ju d g m en t th an the m aking of o th er garm en ts. As tim e will not
perm it me to go into full detail in describing th is su it, I shall take up
w hat I believe to be th e most im portant steps. F irst, th read -m ark the
tro u sers, and, if necessary, serge the edges. Seam the v ’s and press
th e fullness to th e prom inent p art of the seat. F it in the linings and
baste on the fly. In sert th e pockets w ith care th at they are properly
placed and stitch ed . O ften little heed is given to sh rin k in g which
should, how ever, receive careful atten tio n . Lay th e fore-parts to g eth
er w ith the knee and bottom notches even and sh rin k to the am ount
th a t th e style may require, likew ise w ith the u n d er side. Baste up the
leg seams and the w aist-band. A fter sew ing, press open th e seams and
shape the trousers to form . T u rn up th e bottom s and in sert the heel
stays. T h e tw o sides are now ready to be joined. Care should be
taken th a t the fly notches in the tops are even. A fter stitch in g , press
open th e seams and press the tops h ard . Sew on the fly b u tto n s, fell
in the waist linings and press off. T h u s th e trousers are finished.
A fter becom ing reasonably skillful in trousers m aking, the boy is
then given a coat to m ake. T h is is a m uch more difficult piece of work
than tro u sers m aking, and, in consequence, requires m uch more p rac
tice. As well as trousers and vests, there are m any different styles of
coats. T h e coat I shall describe is a sack coat. F irst, sponge the c a n
vas well, and w hile w aiting for it to d ry , th read -m ark the fronts, bot
tom s, backs, and the sleeves. F ollow ing th is, p u t in the pockets and
th e coat is ready for the canvas. Cut the canvas, hair-cloth, paddings,
and tack them in th eir proper places and press to shape. Like trousei s,
the coat should be properly shaped.
Lav th e fore-parts trg e th e r
evenly, straig h ten out the back seam and shape the shoulders. Now
lay the fore-parts on the canvas and baste. Join th e shoulders and
baste up th e backs. It is always necessary to press th e u n d er collar
half into shape before padding, w hich will render it easier to shape than
after it is padded. Baste on the collar and baste in the sleeves. T u rn
in th e front edges and the bottom and the coat is ready for “ try o n .”
A fter the necessary alteratio n m arks have been m ade, rem ove th e collar
and th e sleeves and jo in th e shoulders and th e back seam . M ake the
alteratio n s, if an y , and the coat if. ready to be p u t together for the last
tim e. Pad th e lapels and cu t th e canvas about a q u arte r of an inch
from the edge of th e goods, baste in an edge-stay and press h ard . Put
in th e facings and com plete th e linings. T h e lin in g should be put in
sm ooth and not tig h t. T ig h tn ess will cause th e goods to draw and
w rinkle, and if draw n too tig h t across the sh o u ld er seams will result in