Republic of the Philippines

BOHOL ISLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

Main Campus
Tagbilaran City
Vision: A premier S&T university for the formation of world class and virtuous human resource
for the sustainable development in Bohol and the Country.
Mission: BISU is committed to provide quality higher education in the arts and sciences, as well
as in the professional and technological fields; undertake research and development, and
extension services for the sustainable development of Bohol and the country.

Subject: TEG CHILDRENS DRESSES

Curr : MATVE- Garments
Semester: SUMMER 2020
Topic: UNIT VI – FITTING THE DRESS
1. Standards of a well-fitted child’s dress
2. Letting out seams
3. Seams and neckline Finishes
a. Collar
b. Gathered Neck
c. Ruffling
d. Scallops
Student: MICEL B. LAURONAL
Professor: JO-ANN S. INGKING

FITTING THE DRESS

I. Characteristics of a Well-fitted Children’s Wear

Selection

When selecting clothing for young children, toddlers’ and preschoolers’ always consider the
physical characteristics and the comfort they give to the children.

A. Toddlers

1. Look for soft, unstructured styles that allow maximum freedom of movement, such as
one-piece garments that fall from the shoulder. These are also practical because toddlers
wear diapers and have not developed a waistline.
2. Leg openings with snaps on toddlers’ pants help make changing diapers easier.
3. For necklines, select collarless styles or flat collars, such as Peter pan and convertible
collars.
4. Avoid collars that may bind or restrict movement, such as a high button collar.
 5. When toddlers are first learning to dress, pull-on garments with large neck and armhole
openings are the easiest to manipulate. Because the toddler is always on the move.
6. Design features should be functional as well as decorative. For example, shoulder straps
should criss cross in the back to prevent them from sliding off shoulders.
7. Shoulder tabs on shirts are another way to secure straps.

B. Pre Schoolers

1. Look for styles that allow preschoolers to move and jump about freely.
2. Pockets are important features because preschoolers need places for the treasures they
collect.
3. Shoulder tabs on shirts are still valuable.
4. When selecting a garment with long sleeves, avoid buttoned cuffs that restrict movement.
5. Jumpsuits are practical garments for preschoolers because they allow for mobility and
will maintain a neat appearance.
6. Preschoolers can also wear pants and skirts with elasticized waists because their
waistlines have become more defined.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Growth features - are important because children grow rapidly. Children tend to grow faster in
height than in width; therefore, the length of waist, arms, and legs will change more quickly than
the width of shoulders, chest, and hips. Select clothing that allows for growth. Look for features
such as one-piece garments without a waistline; raglan, kimono, or sleeveless designs; adjustable
shoulder straps; and elasticized waistlines. Two-piece outfits and wrap styles will also allow
room for growth.

To promote self-dressing and prevent bathroom accidents, closures should be on the front of
garments so children can see the fasteners and manipulate them easily.

Select or adapt closures that are easy for young children to manipulate.

1. Zippers can be easy for a child to operate if a charm or string is added to the pull tab.
2. Buttons that are large or have a shank are easier to grasp. Many types of decorative
buttons are available to add interest to children’s clothing. Avoid buttons with irregular
edges as these are more difficult than smooth, round buttons to manipulate.
3. Hook and loop fastener tape is easy to manipulate and can be used in place of buttons or
snaps. It is available by the centimeter or inch, in pre-cut shapes, and in a variety of
colors.
4. Gripper snaps are easier to manipulate than regular snaps.

Safety features should also be considered when selecting clothing for children. Avoid styles with
long, flowing skirts; tie belts; drawstrings; or very full sleeves that may cause children to trip or
get tangled.

Requirements of children's clothing 

The ideal baby clothing should be: 

 Soft, comfortable, easy to put on and take off and comparatively loose. 

 Easy access to his/her nappy because it requires frequent changing.

 Non-flammable. 

 Lightweight. 

 Non-irritating. 

 Underclothes should be essentially made of organic fibres. 

 Allow quick transmission of sweat from skin to environment. 

II. Letting Out Seams

Letting out seams of a dress means that you are going to make it bigger by using fabric
from the seam. It is called ‘letting out’ because you are ‘letting’ the fabric ‘out’ of the seam. Seams
are the leftover fabric on the other side of the stitching that holds a garment together. Follow these
simple instructions to adjust a dress that fits too tightly.

“Letting out” means making the garment bigger. This is done by unsewing the seam and re-
sewing it further out, toward the edge of the fabric.

STEPS:

1. Inspect the Dress

Turn your dress inside out. Use your measuring tape to see how much seam allowance
you have. Some wedding gowns or cocktail dresses will intentionally have a lot of seam
allowance to allow for letting out.
If your dress only has a 1/4" or less seam allowance, then there probably isn’t enough to
let out the dress.
Once you have determined whether or not you can make your dress larger, move on to
measuring your new seam.

2. Measure Your New Seam

Measure around your waist and hips. Measure the front and back of the dress at the waist
and hips. Subtract the difference of each measurement. This is approximately how much
room you need to let out of the waist and the hips, respectively.
You will be calculating a quarter of the amount you need to let out. For example, if you
need to let out two inches, then you would mark 1/2” from the stitching on each side. Using a
small piece of chalk, mark your seam where you will be sewing it.
Once you have marked both sides, you can remove the stitching.

3. Remove the Stitching

Using your seam ripper, remove the stitching on each side of the dress, only where it is too
tight. Stop where your seam may cross any other seams, such as at the skirt or armpit. Be very
 careful when removing the stitching, because pulling too hard can cause the seam holes to
stretch or tear.
When your seams are loose, go ahead and start stitching.

4. Stitch up the Seams

Begin sewing at one end of the open seam, at your chalk mark. Use a needle and thread or a
sewing machine to stitch up the sides with a similar colored thread. Tie off the ends of the
thread when you’re done.
Iron each seam flat. Read the tag on the dress and test a small area with your iron first to
make sure the fabric won't be damaged by heat.
Try on your dress again and judge the fit. If you have not let it out enough, repeat these
steps to try again. It is easy to let out too much by mistake. If you have let out too much, take in
the dress.

III. Seams and Neckline Finishes

A. Collars

Collar is a part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck.
Among clothing construction professionals, a collar is differentiated from other necklines such as
revers and lapels. It is being made from a separate piece of fabric, rather than a folded or cut part of
the same piece of fabric used for the main body of the garment. A revers or rever is a garment or
part of a garment that is reversed to display the lining or facing outside. A collar may be
permanently attached to the main body of the garment.

Types of Collars

 Standing or stand-up, fitting up around the neck and not lying on the shoulders.

 Turnover, standing around the neck and then folded or rolled over.

 Flat or falling, lying flat on the shoulders.

TYPES OF COLLAR

Sailor collar (from midshipman), a flat collar comes of

several shapes in front and almost cover the back of the
wearer.
Peter Pan Collar - A flat, round-cornered collar, named after
the collar of the costume worn in 1905 by actress Maude
Adams in her role as Peter Pan and particularly associated
with little girls' dresses.

Convertible Collar - A collar designed to be worn with the

neck button either fastened or unfastened.

Flat collar – is sewn on the neckline either for front only or

front and back of the neckline.

Bertha Collar - A wide, flat, round collar, often of lace or

sheer fabric, worn with a low neckline in the Victorian era
and resurrected in the 1940s

Mandarin collar - is a short unfolded standup collar style on

a shirt or jacket. Mandarin collars start at the neckline and
typically rise vertically two to five centimeters. The style
originated from Western interpretation of dresses worn by
Mandarins in Imperial China, especially in Qing Dynasty, as
part of the traditional garment of Manchu
 B. GATHERED NECK

Gathering is a sewing technique for shortening the length of a strip of fabric so that
the longer piece can be attached to a shorter piece. It is commonly used in clothing
to manage fullness, as when a full sleeve is attached to the armscye or cuff of a
shirt, or when a skirt is attached to a bodice.

Gathered Neck is creating fullness in the neckline of a dress or t-shirt without

having making the item baggy and ill-fitting lower down.

Types

1. Pleating or plaiting is a type of gathering in which the folds are usually larger, made by
hand and pinned in place, rather than drawn up on threads, but very small pleats are often
identical to evenly spaced gathers. Pleating is mainly used to make skirts, but can have
other uses.

2. Shirring or gauging is a decorative technique in which a panel of

fabric is gathered with many rows of stitching across its entire length and then attached to a
foundation or lining to hold the gathers in place. It is very commonly used to make larger
pieces of clothing with some shape to them.
 C. RUFFLING

Ruffle a piece of cloth that is gathered together along one edge and used to
decorate something. It is also a break in the smoothness or evenness of some
surface

Different Types Of Ruffles

Apart from giving fullness to fabrics, ruffles look very pretty on a dress. But many people
add ruffles just because they add beauty and femininity to the overall look and their functionality is
just a bonus.

1. Single edge Ruffles- This is a single strip of fabric gathered along one edge and stitched
to the edge of a garment. The raw edge of this strip is usually finishes with any of the fabric edge
finishes.

2. Double edge
ruffles - This is a single strip of fabric gathered in the middle. The result is two edges of ruffles
along the middle stitching line. you must have seen this ruffle in the back of a baby panties.
 3. Double width ruffles - This is a folded strip of cloth gathered in the middle ; Unlike the
double edge ruffles with separate ruffles, this one has two edges of the strip of fabric together, or
layered.

4. Waterfall ruffles - This type of ruffles is mostly used along the neckline of shoulder
dresses. These ruffles are gathered like the single edge ruffles, but here, an elastic thread is used
along the seam of the fabric. Waterfall ruffles are used for off-shoulder dresses and any type of hem
that uses elastic.

5.

Circular
ruffles - These ruffles are made as an accessory or a decorative item. A circular strip of fabric is
gathered in the middle to make this one. This style is used for making ruffles in flamenco dresses.

6. Cascading ruffles - This type of embellishment

is typically used in necklines and the back of gowns. This is just a modification of the circular ruffle
wherein the ruffles are made to cascade along the hem of a neckline. The piece of fabric needs to be
large to allow for a cascading effect.

D. SCALLOPS

Scallop refers to the arch-shaped / dome shaped stitching usually done along a
fabric edge. It is usually drawn and stitched as half a circle or a little smaller with
the dome facing outside the fabric.

Different methods to make the scalloped edge

a) Faced scalloped edge- This is my most preferred way of adding a scalloped edge to fabric.
You need to make a facing for the fabric edge to sew this scalloped edge. The depth of the
facing should be equal to the depth of the scallop needed plus 1″ extra. Another easy way is to
add this much extra to the edge at the cutting stage itself and fold this fabric and use it as a
facing.

b) Hand stitched scalloped edge with satin stitch or buttonhole stitch - You will need a
medium weight fabric for making these scallops ( do not use thin lightweight fabric).
Mark the scallops wide at the center and thin at the ends. Hoop the fabric.

c) Machine stitched scalloped edge – Scalloped edge – rolled edge

d) Scalloped edges with trims- Laces are available which has scalloped edges; this can be
added to your fabric edges for an easy scalloped edge. Another way is to stitch a straight
edged lace trim in such a way that it has the look of scallops. You just have to
manipulate the lace trim and baste the trim high and low. Then finally stitch to the edge.

e) Crochet scalloped edges - If you know how to crochet you can easily add scallops to
your fabric edges.

f) Shell edge stitch- You can make a shell edge stitch (by hand or by machine) along the
fabric edge. This stitch makes very small scallops just right for necklines etc.
g) Bias tube scallops - This is made by cutting thin fabric tubes and arranging them in the
shape of scallops along the fabric edge. You will have to hand baste each scallop before
final stitching, that too at uniform intervals. This makes a very cute scalloped edge on
kids dresses.
h) Beaded scalloped edge - Seed Beads and bugle beads can be used to make very
beautiful scalloped edges. They can be arranged vertically or horizontally along the
scallops.

i) Use lace fabric with scalloped trim -

j) Hand embroidered scalloped edges - Make simple loops on the edge of the
fabric or add cast on stitches to these.