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The dainty accessories of a costume are as important as the gown itself, and can make one gown produce the effect of an extensive wardrobe. Schoolgirls, ordinarily, and many other girls, have the make the same old gowns do long-continued service, and they ought to know how to freshen them with new sashes, corsage bouquets, and other frills. During the coming winter, dancing promises to be more popular than it has even been, and no gown gets he hard usage or needs more care and freshening than the dancing dress. The girdles and bandeaux which are the subject of our lesson this month will aid materially in lending charm and distinction to the party and evening gowns of the new fall wardrobe.

These accessories of your wardrobe may cost exorbitantly, or they may be as cheap as you like-the expense of them depends wholly upon your enterprise. For example, a long sash or girdle (Fig. 3 [click on thumbnail for larger view]), seem in one of New York's exclusive shops, cost ten dollars, but you reproduce it exactly for about $1.10. It is made of pale blue ribbon, six inches wide, with the ends and front trimmed with wreaths of pale blue ribbon flowers, and groups of pink and old-rose buds. The belt and sash require three require three yards of the six inch ribbon at twenty cents a yard; the forget-me-nots, four and one-eighth yards of three-inch ribbon at four cents a yard; and the buds about three yards of three-quarter inch ribbon at eight cents a yard. The total cost of the ribbon is thus one dollar and one cent, leaving nine cents for hooks, featherbone, the few stamens and the small amount of floss necessary. Everyone has these last things tucked away in some corner of a piece-bag.

To make this fashionable girdle, cut two strips of the wide ribbon, each the length of your own waist measure, with an extra inch allowed for turning under at each end for finishing. Sew the strips together, and pleat the double strip thus secured the long way of the strip. Sew a piece of featherbone four inches long at the back of these pleast, about twelve inches from one end. Then, every five inches, sew more featherbone strips about three and one-half inches long. One each end sew three-inch pieces of featherbone and fasten with three hooks and eyes.

The sash is a "stole" sash, and is made of one strip of the ribbon one and one-half yards long. This is laid over the belt, even with one end, leaving one streamer to hand about thirty inches from the top of the belt; the other lies on top of this longer one, and is about twenty-four inches long. The ends are rounded, and hat wire is sewed under, with a hem only wide enough to cover the wire. On the very edge of these rounded ends, the forget-me-not wreaths are fastened so that the petals of the flowers extend over. The pink buds are grouped in he middle. A larger wreath is placed on the left side of the front of the girdle.

The forget-me-nots are each made of a four-inch strip of three-eighth inch satin ribbon. The petals are shaped by a gathering thread, which follows the lines indicated in our diagram (Fig. 5). Tiny running stitches are taken down each end and along one selvage, repeating this for the length of the strip. When the thread is drawn tight, the ribbon shirrs in such a way as to form four distinct petals. Sew each glower to a short piece of single-stem wire (one and one-half inches long) and fasten one yellow stamen in the center. There are ten forget-me-nots on each end, and seventeen on the wreath on the girdle. Twist the stems together to make the wreaths eight inches long for the ends and ten inches for the large one on the girdle. Arrange as in Fig. 3; then twist green embroidery floss over these wires. Sew four old-rose buds and four pink ones (see our January lesson, Fig. 4) in a group in the middle of the large wreath. As a suggestion for different color schemes corn-color could be obtained with burnt-orange and deep yellow; Nile-green with violet and pink; French blue with American Beauty and pink; pink with pale blue and old-rose. If one could bear to part with these sashes, they would handsome Christmas presents.

The girdle, trimmed with the black velvet poinsettia (Fig. 6), is a simple crushed one made of a bias strip of the material like the gown. A pattern would better be cut before making the poinsettia. Fold a strip of paper, three and one-half inches by one inch, through the middle lengthwise, and round off each end by cutting from the raw edge to the folded edge. Open the pattern, lay it on the velvet, and cut twelve petals exactly like it. Then cut twelve pieces of black tie-wire six inches long. Glue one piece to each petal along the middle of he back. The edges of the petals are left raw, you see, but if the back of the velvet is firm, they will not fray. Fasten to a bunch of stamens to a wire stem by twisting the end of the stem around the middle of the stamens. Assemble the twelve petals around the stamens, and twist the wires tight-so that the petals sit tight and close. Finish by wrapping these twisted wires with a strip of green tissue paper about one-quarter of an inch wide. These flowers are very effective on a hat which needs the ever popular touch of black velvet daisies, make them in this way, but cut your pattern only half as large.

A very pretty bandeau can be made of three narrow bands of ribbon wire, each fourteen inches long, over which ribbon, one-half inch wide, has been twisted. The ends of the three wires are fastened together under a rose on the left side and are tied together and hidden under the hair near the right ear (Fig. 1). This rose, with its rolled-corner petal, can be made from the directions in our January lesson (see Figs. 5 and 10 in that lesson).

A buckle for a wide ribbon bandeau is made of pale blue chiffon, trimmed with pink buds and green ribbon leaves (for directions for making, see the January lesson). It is fastened to a six-inch ribbon band, which is first twisted around the head (Fig. 2). The high hairdressing which this accompanies is the latest fashion, the hair being drawn up tight from the back of the neck and twisted easily and naturally high on the head. The ribbon band is clear of the forehead, and the hair is parted in the middle and combed soft and low. A piece of bronze gauze ribbon drawn tight around the head and quite low on the forehead and the back of the neck, makes an especially appropriate bandeau for a young girl (Fig. 6). A rosette on the left side is made like the petals on the rose on Fig. 1. It has no center and only four petals, but is immensely effective.

A bandeau made of a string of pearl beads, fifty inches long, is immensely effective when wound twice around the hair and held in place with invisible hairpins (Fig. 4). One row of rhinestones, arranged in this way, would also be very effective, as would a pearl and rhinestone dress-banding of greater width. If you have an aigrette, it may be utilized as a bandeau ornament. Such a bandeau is more appropriate for girls and women out in society than for schoolgirls. The aigrette will make a short woman look taller. It is usually worn with high hairdressing.

For another bandeau, which is very easy to make (Fig. 3), cut two pieces of ribbon wire long enough to of around your head (about twenty-five inches). Twist silver or gold gauze ribbon or satin ribbon, one-half inch wide, around the wire so to cover it completely; then cut another piece of ribbon wire fifty inches long, and cover it in the same way. Pin the first two lengths of wire to the ironing board and, following one wire, mark with a pencil every two inches on the ironing sheet; then do the same along the other wire, but starting one inch farther back, so that one row of marks will alternate with the other. These marks indicate the position of the twist or knots to be made along each straight wire, as follows: braid the fifty-inch wire, first over, back and under the first wire, and across over the lacing wire, back and under the second wire at the mark which is one inch ahead of the first mark on the first straight wire. Continue until you have a knot at each mark. Practice with twine if you have trouble. When you have braided to the end, catch each knot by taking several small stitches on the underside, so that it will not slip. Finish the ends by drawing them together and twisting some of the ribbon around. This bandeau is pretty finished with a rose or a bunch of buds. A small poinsettia to match one worn on the gown is attractive. A large rose, a little one to one side, or low in the neck back of the ear, is effective when the hair is worn low in the back.

Note: At present, I do not have the January, 1913 issue, which is referred to several times in this article. However, I am looking for a copy, and if one can be obtained, I'll add the lesson from that issue to the site.

Note:This article was taken from a 1913 issue of McCall's Magazine. The techniques describe here have not been tried, and therefore Across the Ages cannot vouch for their work-ability. The instructions and/or patterns provided here are for your own use only, and may not be reproduced in any form for sale or commercial use.

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