How to Make a Dressing-Sacque

(January, 1912, page 6)

The Art of Dressing By Dora Douglas
       Practical Suggestions for the Home Sewer

Simplifying the Making of Garments

How to Make a Dressing-Sacque

     Dressing-sacques are among the easiest garments to make and the most useful to have.  All sorts of materials adapt themselves to the pretty dressing-sacque-styles – crepes and flannels for winter, and silks and muslins for the warmer days.  Perhaps the simplest, most serviceable style of all is the one pictured here, No. 3519, because it can be copied in almost any material, and combines many desirable features with plain and easy construction.  (Price of pattern, 10 cents.)
     The collar is comfortable, without being too low, the sleeves moderate in size (can be made full or three-quarter length), and the peplum takes the place of fullness below the belt, which in the heavier materials is often bulky.
     The first thing to be decided is the length of sleeve.  If you prefer the shorter, cut off the sleeve-pattern at the crossline of perforations, or if the longer, cut two inches off the sleeve-band to make a wristband of it.
     The medium size requires 3 ¾ yards of 27-inch, or 2 1/8 yards of 44-inch material.  While trimming is not necessary, a little lace is often pretty, and if you wish to use it as illustrated, you will need 2 ¾ yards of insertion and 3 yards of edging; 1 ½ yards of ribbon will make the bows.
     Lay the pattern-pieces on the material, placing back, belt and collar so that the edges marked by the triple perforations will be on a lengthwise fold, and place the other pieces with the line of three small perforations in each, exactly lengthwise of the material.  Cut along the edge of pattern, cutting all the notches, and transfer the various perforation-marks to the material with chalk or small basting-stitches.
     Turn under the front edge of each front 1 ½ inches for a hem, which may be stitched or hemmed by hand.  Now arrange the fullness at the neck in plaits, making three in each front.  Crease the material at the large perforations and bring the creases forward to the small perforations, basting in place.  The lower edges of front and back must be gathered between the double perforations.  Do not fasten the gathers, but leave five or six inches of thread at the free end.  Then baste the shoulder and underarm seams, matching the notches, and taking up not more than 3/8-inch allowance.  Try the sacque on, pinning the right hem over the left.  See that the underarm seam hangs straight to the waistline, and pin the lower end in place so that it cannot be bulled forward or backward.  The gathers must now be drawn in to fit the waist; hold each in place by winding the thread over and under a pin stuck through the material at the free end of the gathers.
     Any alterations needed must be made at the seams, and then they can be stitches.  For lightweight wash-materials the French seam is the most satisfactory.  Take a 1/8-inch seam in the right side, and then turn to the wrong side and take a ¼-inch seam, which will conceal the edges of the first seam.  If the sacque is of flannel, the seam-edges will not fray, and they can be merely pinked.
     Cut an inside- and an outside-section for the collar, and also two sections for the neckband.  Join the collar-sections along the lower and front edges, turn right side out, and sew upper edges to the neckband-sections, with notches even.  Baste the outside section of neckband to the neck-edge of sacque as notched, try on, and if the correct size, stitch.  Then hem the inside section of neckband down over the raw edge.  The sewing of the neckband will hold the front plaits, and now you can remove their bastings.
     The gathers at the waistline are held in place by a belt, which must be sewed to the lower edge according to the notches.  After it is basted, the pins holding the gathers can be removed.
     The peplum may now be prepared   Close the back seam as notched.  Turn under the lower and front edges 3/8 inch, and finish with a small hem.  An under box plait is made at the back by creasing the material at the large perforations and bringing the creases to the seam; baste the plait.  Now sew the upper edge of peplum to the lower edge of belt, matching notches, and take out the plait basting. 

The belt-finish will be neater if you will cut an inside section to cover the seam edges and hem it in place.
     With the body of the sacque now finished, the sleeves must be made and set in.  First close the sleeve-seam, and then gather the upper and lower edges between the double perforations.
     The three-quarter sleeve is finished with a cuff sewed to a sleeve-band, and the long sleeve with the wristband only.  Join the ends of the wristband or sleeve-band, and sew its upper edge to lower edge of sleeve with the seam even with sleeve-seam, drawing the gathers in to fit the band.
     To make the cuff for the three-quarter sleeve, cut two cuff-sections and join them along the outer edge and ends, as described for collar.  Now sew the hollowing edge of the cuff to the lower edge of the band, with cuff ends at the perforation in band.  The sleeve-band or wristband should be lined with the material, if thin enough, or otherwise with lining.  Cut it by the pattern and hem it inside.
     Place the sleeve in the armhole with notches even, and the perforation at the shoulder-seam.  Draw the gathers in to fit.  Baste and try on before stitching, to see that the gathers are not too far forward or backward.

     The sacque in now complete, except for the trimming, if you have decided to use it.  Sew the insertion by overhand-stitches, to the edges of collar and cuffs, easing it considerably when making the turns.  Then overhand the edging to the insertion, fulling it as you go.  Place a strip of the insertion over the belt, using the running-stitch along both edges.