1910 #17 Dress Embroidered With Couching -- Robe Brodee au Point de Boulogne

The Boulogne stitch [couching] gives rise to charming effects of passementarie, and it is not difficult to carry

out. Figure no. 3 shows you the needle embroidering along the soutache that is conducted following the

directions of the drawing. It is held by a buttonhole stitch extremely spread out.

The dress calls for two patterns for the bodice – back and front – two for the sleeve – on top and

underneath – one for the soutached yoke front, two shaped for the circumference of the armholes, plus the

waistband which is drawn in half, and finally the skirt.

Figure 1 shows you the finished dress. It is very elegant and very easy to make.

Fig. 6: The front must be cut on the fabric folded double and along the length. If one lines the dress, the

pattern for the lining will stop at the dotted line D. Cut nothing on line A (middle of the front, fold of the

fabric). The fabric opened, one has in hand all of the single piece of the front. To cut the lining, one will copy

the pattern by stopping it, like we said above, at the vertical line D and at the horizontal line D; the pattern,

once cut will be placed on the lining folded in two, the line D of the pattern edge to edge with the fold of the

fabric.

Then put the two fabrics on each other, while making the top [layer, dress fabric] blouse [i.e. puff out].

Fig. 7. Back of the bodice – Is prepared exactly as the front, that-is-to-say with the lining narrower than the

top [layer], because the bodice blouses all around. On the line F of the back and on this of the front, the little

black lines, grouped three by three, indicate the need to gather the part of the top, on the lining.

The back and front are sewn together by the seams DC, EF. It is only for the record that I remind that figure

7 (back of the bodice) must be cut twice. After having cut the pattern, you will place it so on the fabric folded

double, or on two pieces placed wrong side against wrong side, or right side against right side.

Fig. 8 and 9. Sleeve. – I here remind the newcomers that the four black lines, forming the frame of the

drawing, represent the straight-threads of the fabric. It will be necessary therefore to place your patterns on

the fabric relative to the straight-thread of it, exactly as they are placed on the gray background of the

drawing. The two parts of the sleeve are assembled following the lines GH and IK. This last seam includes

some gathers at the elbow, made just on the top [layer].

You hem the sleeve, at the bottom, all around, and mount it onto the armhole, by placing the point G of the

seam to this point G of the armhole, there where you see a little arrow.

Fig. 2 Yoke. – It is simulated on the front of the blouse with embroidery in Boulogne stitch [couching]. You

will take the image on transparent and lightweight paper, and you will apply this tracing by placing its point A

on the point A of the front of the bodice (fig. 6) and its two points B to point B of figure 7, bodice back.

This tracing will be held by a basting; then you will embroider on top, as shown in figure 3, by following the

drawing. The work finished, you will remove the basting and will slash through the tracing, so that you can

remove it by fragments, without pulling on the soutache.

Fig. 4. Armhole. – The drawing only gives you half. One must therefore take the image two times and place

these two parts side by side where you see the word pli [fold], then you will do as [you did] for the yoke.

Fig. 5. Skirt. – The skirt is 36 actual centimeters wide, and as the height that of the drawing; you hem it all

around at the bottom. It is decorated on the front with two motifs whose design is in figure 8 and which are

separated by 5 centimeters; the remainder of the dress is pleated with small knife pleats in back. The skirt is

mounted onto the bodice, in a way that the space between the two stitchings of soutache form the front. The

junction is hidden by the waistband.

Fig. 10. Waistband. – The drawing is only given here in half, it will be necessary to repeat on one side what

one will make for the other. The waistband is placed on the dress mounted by means of a slip stitch; the

waistband closes by the back. One can put on hooks or small snaps, such as those that are used for gloves.

Several observations to make, in addition, for the making of this dress:

#1 Whatever will be the fabric selected, the bodice should be lined, since the top must blouse over the

underneath;

#2 If one has chosen wool, one will carry out the Boulogne stitch, as we have said above. If one makes the

dress in a lighter fabric, it will be necessary to baste under the part to embroider a piece of heavy muslin white

or black, depending on whether the fabric will be light or dark, and which will support the embroidery in

preventing it from distorting. On will remove the basting, and the muslin stays because it is taken in the

embroidery stitches;

#3 It will be necessary to embroider the yoke, the armholes and skirt before assembling.

The fashion at the moment is for tone on tone embroideries, that-is-to-say lighter or darker than the fabric

for the dress of the same color; but it goes without saying that you will make to your liking. If the dress is pale

blue or navy blue, you can soutache in black, gray, red, or white.

Translation copyright 2014 Deirdre Gawne. Not for sale. www.dressingbleuette.com