Clothing and Health: An Elementary Textbook of Home Making
by Helen Kinne · English · Gutenberg #47585 · 399,044 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Clothing and Health: An Elementary Textbook of Home Making
Author: Helen Kinne
Anna M. Cooley
Release date: December 8, 2014 [eBook #47585]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CLOTHING AND HEALTH: AN ELEMENTARY TEXTBOOK OF HOME MAKING ***
[Illustration: IN OLDEN TIMES THE WOMEN PREPARED ALL THE TEXTILE YARNS AT
HOME]
_THE HOME-MAKING SERIES_
CLOTHING AND HEALTH
_AN ELEMENTARY TEXTBOOK OF HOME MAKING_
BY
HELEN KINNE
PROFESSOR OF HOUSEHOLD ARTS EDUCATION, TEACHERS COLLEGE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, AUTHOR OF "FOOD AND HOUSEHOLD
MANAGEMENT" AND "SHELTER AND CLOTHING"
AND
ANNA M. COOLEY, B.S.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HOUSEHOLD ARTS EDUCATION, TEACHERS COLLEGE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, AUTHOR OF "FOOD AND HOUSEHOLD
MANAGEMENT" AND "SHELTER AND CLOTHING"
New York
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1920
_All rights reserved_
COPYRIGHT, 1916,
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1916.
Norwood Press
J. S. Cushing Co.--Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
PREFACE
This volume, like its companion, _Food and Health_, is intended for use
in the elementary schools in those sections of the country where the home
life is of the type described. It is hoped that both volumes will be used
by the home people as well as by those at the school.
This volume treats largely of the clothing problems and of the elementary
work in sewing which precedes garment making. It also includes the
subject of the leading textile materials,--where they are grown and how
they are manufactured ready for our use. Such topics as the hygiene of
clothing, buying materials and clothing wisely, the clothing budget, the
use of the commercial pattern, the care and repair of clothing, color
combinations, and attractiveness in dress, are woven in with the lessons
on sewing and textiles, in a very simple and elementary way.
The authors are indebted to the United States Department of Agriculture,
to the Smithsonian Institution, to the Draper Company, Hopedale,
Massachusetts, to the York Street Flax Spinning Company, Belfast, to the
Whittall Rug Company, to Cheney Brothers, silk manufacturers, and to
others, for kind permission to use the pictures shown. We acknowledge,
also, the permission of the Corticelli Silk Mills of Florence,
Massachusetts, for use of their copyrighted photographs of silkworms.
Teachers will be glad to know that they can obtain from the Corticelli
Mills, at slight expense, specimen cocoons and other helps for object
lesson teaching.
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL 1
CHAPTER I. THE PLEASANT VALLEY GIRLS LEARN TO SEW:
Lesson 1. Toweling and Other Cotton Samples 6
Lesson 2. The Story of How Cotton Grows 11
Lesson 3. The Hemming Stitch 19
Lesson 4. The Stitching Stitch 23
Lesson 5. The Overhanding Stitch 28
Lesson 6. Planning to Make an Apron 31
Lesson 7. Using the Running and Back Stitch on the Apron 34
Lesson 8. Making and Attaching the Apron Yokes 37
Lesson 9. How to Make a Buttonhole 39
Lesson 10. The Use of the Commercial Pattern 46
Lesson 11. Taking Measurements and Cutting Out the Petticoat 50
Lesson 12. Making the Petticoats 53
CHAPTER II. THE GIRLS OF THE PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL LEARN
TO MAKE SIMPLE GARMENTS:
Lesson 1. Cotton Materials Suitable for Underwear 58
Lesson 2. Selecting a Pattern and the Cloth for a Nightdress 63
Lesson 3. How Cotton Cloth is Woven 65
Lesson 4. The Spinning of Cotton into Yarn 72
Lesson 5. Cutting Out a Nightdress 78
Lesson 6. The Parts of the Sewing Machine 80
Lesson 7. Practice in Threading and Running the Machine 84
Lesson 8. The French Seam and Its Use 86
Lesson 9. Protection for the Body at Night 89
Lesson 10. Laces and Their Use 93
Lesson 11. Trimming the Nightdress 98
Lesson 12. Choosing the Pattern and Material for
a White Petticoat 101
Lesson 13. Learning to Make the Petticoat 103
Lesson 14. How to Make a Corset Cover 105
CHAPTER III. LEARNING TO MAKE ATTRACTIVE GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS
OR FOR A BIRTHDAY PRESENT:
Lesson 1. The Story of How Silk is Produced 109
Lesson 2. Simple Articles Easily Made from Silk Scraps 116
Lesson 3. The Names and Uses of Several Silks are Discussed 122
Lesson 4. More Useful Gifts and How to Make Them 127
Lesson 5. Cousin Ann Tells How Silk is Made into Cloth 131
Lesson 6. The Blanket Stitch can be Used in Many Ways 138
Lesson 7. Learning to Make the Cross-stitch 142
Lesson 8. How to Make the Hemstitch 147
Lesson 9. Another Useful Gift and a New Stitch 149
Lesson 10. The Darning Stitch 152
CHAPTER IV. THE PLEASANT VALLEY GIRLS LEARN TO CARE FOR
THEIR CLOTHES AND TO HELP REPAIR THE HOUSEHOLD
LINENS:
Lesson 1. Care of Clothes 156
Lesson 2. Learning to Darn Straight Tears 163
Lesson 3. Darning Stockings 167
Lesson 4. Patching Saves Clothing and Other Articles 171
Lesson 5. The Story of How Linen is Grown 174
Lesson 6. Common Linen Materials are Identified 181
Lesson 7. Removing Common Stains from Table Linen 185
Lesson 8. Learning to Wash and Iron the Table or Bed Linen 188
Lesson 9. The Story of the Manufacture of Linen Yarn
into Cloth 191
Lesson 10. A Talk about Buying Linens 196
CHAPTER V. THE PLEASANT VALLEY GIRLS LEARN TO MAKE
OTHER GARMENTS:
Lesson 1. The Pattern of the Bloomers 201
Lesson 2. The Story of Where Wool is Grown 203
Lesson 3. Some of the Most Common Materials Made from Wool 209
Lesson 4. Making a Pair of Bloomers 215
Lesson 5. The Story of How Wool is Made into Cloth 218
Lesson 6. Some Facts to Remember in Purchasing Wool Clothing 224
Lesson 7. The Clothing Budget 230
Lesson 8. Planning a Dress Skirt of Cotton Material 236
Lesson 9. Clothing in Relation to Health 240
Lesson 10. More Health Problems in Choosing Clothes 243
CHAPTER VI. CHOOSING AND WEARING CLOTHES:
Lesson 1. What it Means to be Well Dressed 250
Lesson 2. The Choice of Colors for Clothing 256
Lesson 3. Selecting a Hat 262
Lesson 4. Making the Middy Blouse 268
Lesson 5. Suggestions for Buying Garments of Wool and Silk 271
Lesson 6. Learning to Use Some Simple Textile Tests 278
Lesson 7. How Pattern is Made in Cloth 285
THE ELLEN H. RICHARDS HOUSE 291
[Illustration]
THE PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL
This is a story of the way in which the mothers and fathers, the teacher
and pupils, and their friends in the township work together to make the
broad valley in which they live truly a Pleasant Valley. The new school
stands where the little red schoolhouse was built for those who are now
grandmothers and grandfathers, when the town was first settled. The old
building had become too small for all the young folk, but everybody loved
the place and it was not until a fire had destroyed it that money was
voted for larger and better housing for the school girls and boys.
These small books can describe only a part of everything that is being
done in and for the school, and for the home people too, for you know
that no town can prosper and no country be great unless the homes are
healthful and happy, where all the members of every family work and play
together. Do you not want to help, too, in your home, and in your town?
[Illustration: 1819]
CLOTHING AND HEALTH
[Illustration]
CHAPTER I
THE PLEASANT VALLEY GIRLS LEARN TO SEW.
Our clothes are important for they help to keep us well. Shall we learn
how to choose the materials for them, and how to make some useful
articles of clothing? Sewing is an art which all girls should learn. If
we know how to sew, we can keep our clothes in order and always be neat
and attractive in appearance. We can, also, make acceptable articles
and gifts for others. It is useful, too, to know about materials and
about their costs and uses; for, when we buy our clothing and household
articles ready-made, we should know how to tell whether the material is
durable and will wear. The women of the home should know how to make a
dollar buy the very best things. The mothers and grandmothers of Pleasant
Valley are delighted to know that their children are to be taught at
school. If we understand about materials, we will be able to help a great
deal. Do you know that the women of the United States spend a billion
of dollars every year for textile materials alone? Isn't it interesting
to know, too, that our clothing materials come from plants or animals?
Do you know how they are obtained and manufactured? Do you belong to a
sewing club or society? Perhaps you can form a sewing club at your school
or in your town as the girls of Pleasant Valley did.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--Marjorie Allen, President of the Girls' Sewing
League.]
Marjorie Allen (Fig. 1) has been made President of the Girls' Sewing
League of Pleasant Valley. All the school girls belong; they meet once a
week and usually sew for their annual fair. Sometimes they make garments
for the little children who come during the summer to the Fresh Air Home
near their town. Marjorie buys all the materials; so she must know how
to buy. She goes once a month with her mother, Mrs. Allen, to town where
there is a good store. Sometimes she orders by mail.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--Miss James and some of the Pleasant Valley girls.
They are sewing for the League fair.]
The girls of the league have decided to make some kitchen towels and
potlifters. These are useful and always sell well. As the girls do not
yet know how to make these articles, they have promised to make a towel
for themselves for school use, on which to learn. Then they will make
others for the sale. Cooking, sewing, and housewifery are a part of the
school work. Besides Miss James, the teacher, will give credit for the
sewing done by the Girls' League. The girls are anxious to prove to Miss
James (Fig. 2) that they can really work outside of school.
Later the girls hope to make aprons and caps to wear for their school
work in housewifery, and also some petticoats for the children at the
Fresh Air Home. Miss James says she will help them at school to get
started.
LESSON 1
TOWELING AND OTHER COTTON SAMPLES
Marjorie sent for samples of toweling materials. She also went
to the town store to see what it had to offer, and to look for
materials for petticoats and aprons. One day at school all the
girls wrote for samples. Miss James criticized the letters, and
chose the best one to be sent. Perhaps you can do this at your
school.
=What material is best for toweling?= As soon as all the samples arrived
at Pleasant Valley, Marjorie took them to school, and Miss James spent
an hour with the girls studying the materials. The toweling samples were
examined first. What a difference in them! Some are smooth and feel cold
and look almost shiny, and others feel soft and look more fuzzy on the
surface. Do you know why? It is because some are woven of linen fibers
made from the flax plant, and others from cotton which comes from the
cotton plant. Which do you think are made from cotton? Then, there is
a difference in width: some are only 15 inches wide, and others are 18
inches. Some have a red or blue edge, and others are plain. There is
also difference in price. Which costs more, linen or cotton? Are the
prices not given on the samples? Marjorie and the girls decided that the
towels are to be one yard long. They would like to make four dozen for
the sale and plan to tie them up attractively, half a dozen in a package.
They had $25 left in the treasury from last year. As they will have
many other things to buy, they decided to purchase cotton towels this
year. Later, if there is enough money, they can add some linen towels.
Cotton towels do not absorb the water as easily as the linen. We call
this a difference in the properties of the two materials. Barbara Oakes
said her mother always buys linen towels. Cotton fibers have a kind of
waxy coating which throws off the water. Linen fibers draw in moisture
quickly, and linen materials dry very rapidly. Why, then, is linen really
better for dish towels?
=Gingham, calico, and chambray are pretty and useful.= Let us look at
some of the other cotton materials. Miss James had many samples for
the girls to see. Grandmother Stark sent over some from her piece bag.
Perhaps your teacher will bring some, and your mother may send some, too.
There are several samples of material for the aprons and caps. The blue
and white, and pink and white stripes and checks are ginghams; the white
with the little spots and thin stripes are percales. The plain blues
and pinks are chambray; the plain blues and pinks of cheaper grade are
ginghams. Those with printed designs on one side are calicos. The dark
brown and blue samples are heavier and are called denims. Suppose we make
a book of brown paper and mount all the cotton materials we can find.
This book can be kept at the school for reference. Everybody must help.
See if it is possible to write under each sample the name and common
uses of the material as well as its price. Miss James had some smooth
brown paper to fold for a book. She suggested ways to bind it. If each
girl wishes her own book, a number can be made if so many samples can be
obtained. Barbara and Marjorie decide to make their books at home.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--The girls made brown paper books for their
textile samples.]
=There are several varieties of cotton flannel.= The fuzzy soft cotton
samples are outing flannels and canton flannels. What is the difference
in their appearance? The canton flannel is heavier, and it has one
twilled surface and one fuzzy surface. It costs 12 cents a yard and comes
about 30 inches in width. Outing flannel, which is fuzzy on both sides,
can be bought from 10 to 35 cents a yard, and it is 36 inches wide. The
flannelette samples are also soft and cost from 8 to 12 cents per yard;
but flannelette is only 27 inches in width. It has a slight nap or fuzzy
surface, and is sometimes plain in color and sometimes printed on one
surface. Compare these three materials. Outing flannel is very dangerous
unless treated with ammonium phosphate. Dissolve one quarter of a pound
of ammonium phosphate, which costs about 25 cents, in one gallon of cold
water. Soak the clothing in this solution for five minutes. This is
easily done and may prevent much trouble. Can you tell why outing flannel
is dangerous unless it is treated?
=Many other cotton materials are useful.= Miss James has ever so many
more cotton materials. She told the girls the use and name of each. Can
we learn them all?
_Cheesecloth._ Thin, sheer, plain weave. Costs from 5 to 12 cents
per yard, and comes 1 yard wide. It is used for wrapping butter or
cheese, for curtains, and for many other purposes. It may be used
for baby, too, because it is so soft. The unbleached cheesecloth
costs from 4 to 12 cents and is 1 yard wide.
_Crinoline._ Something like cheesecloth in appearance and stiffer
in texture. It is used by dressmakers for stiffening parts of
garments. It comes from about 19 to 36 inches wide and costs
12½-cents up.
_Scrim._ An open mesh weave but heavier than cheesecloth. It is
used for curtains and household furnishings, and comes bleached or
unbleached. What is the difference in their color? Cost, from 12
to 90 cents. Width, from 36 to 45 inches.
_Cretonne and Chintz._ Printed materials with flowers or designs
on one side, sometimes on both. They cost from 12 to 75 cents per
yard and are used for curtains, covers, cushion tops, etc. They
vary in width from 25 to 36 inches.
_Denim._ Strong material and has an uneven twilled weave. It is
used for furniture covers, for aprons, and for floor covering.
It costs from 18 to 30 cents per yard and comes about 1 yard in
width. Your big brother or father wears overalls of this material;
perhaps some of the boys in school do, too.
_Gingham._ A material used for aprons or dresses, skirts, etc. It
is from 24 to 30 inches wide and costs from 10 to 50 cents per
yard. Fine ginghams are very beautiful. Sometimes they are plain
in color or striped or in plaids.
_Percale._ A good piece can be bought for 12½-cents per yard, 36
inches wide. It comes plain or printed, and is firm and closely
woven. It is good for aprons or summer dresses.
_Ticking._ A material used for pillows or mattress covers. It is
striped, is twilled in weave, and wears very well. It costs from
12½-cents per yard up to 50 or 60 cents per yard, and is woven 36
inches wide.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.--The surprise box.]
Do you understand what is meant when we read that cloth is woven 36
inches wide? Do you know how cotton cloth is made and where it comes
from? Grandmother Allen told some of the girls; for she knows about all
such things. In our next lesson we shall study where cotton is grown, and
in another learn how it is woven. Another day we will learn the names of
other cotton materials and their uses. Then, we can add them to our book
of cotton samples. The little white box on Miss James' desk is a surprise
box (Fig. 4). Any one who finds a new cotton material different from
those studied at school, Miss James says, may drop it through the little
hole in the cover of the box. What fun the girls of Pleasant Valley will
have when it is opened.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. If you were buying kitchen toweling for use at home, what
material would you buy?
2. Name three fuzzy cotton materials and tell their uses.
3. Decide whether you are to make a sample book. Begin to collect
samples of cotton materials for it.
4. Write quickly on the blackboard the names of six common cotton
materials. Ask mother to name six.
LESSON 2
THE STORY OF COTTON GROWING
Do you know that our country produces three-fourths of the cotton
of the world? Where is it grown? Have you heard the story of
cotton? Let us learn about it.
While the girls of Pleasant Valley school waited for the cotton toweling
to come from the store, they studied about where cotton is grown. Cotton
is the cheapest and most important textile fiber. What does the word
textile mean? Look up the word in the school dictionary. More clothing is
made from cotton than from any other fiber.
=Where does cotton grow?= Perhaps you have lived in the Southern States.
Can you name them without looking at your geography? Can you tell why it
is warmer in those states and why cotton grows so well there, and not in
Northern States? Texas produces more cotton than any other state. In what
other countries of the world do you think cotton is grown? John Alden and
Frank Allen heard the girls studying about cotton, and they told Miss
James that they thought the boys would like to learn, too.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture._
FIG. 5.--The flower and leaf of the cotton plant. The size of the flower
is about four inches across.]
=How cotton grows.= The farmer plants the cotton seeds in rows,--you have
seen corn planted in that way. What color is corn? The cotton seeds do
not look like kernels of corn; but some are fuzzy and soft and gray or
green in color, and others are black and smooth. This is because there
are many varieties or kinds of cotton. Some grow to be five feet tall
like corn; others, ten feet in height. The flowers are yellow at first
and then turn brown or purplish red. There are over one hundred varieties
of cotton. If you do not live near a cotton field, perhaps you can ask
some boy or girl in your school to write to the United States Department
of Agriculture at Washington. This department will send you some cotton
seeds. Perhaps you can plant the seeds in the school garden and see
if they will grow. In the South the planter prepares the fields about
February and plants in April or May. By the middle of August, the plants
are five or six feet high and are covered with fuzzy little white balls,
soft and dry. The cotton fields, or plantations as they are called, look
like fairyland. In the picture (Fig. 6) you will see the men, women,
and children busy picking the cotton and putting it into baskets. The
cotton bolls, as they are called, are brown and dry looking: but when
ripe, they burst, and the woolly looking white ball pops out of its brown
house, or shell (Fig. 7). In each cotton boll there are about thirty or
forty seeds, and the cotton fibers are all attached to these seeds. The
fibers are made into thread and clothing, and the seeds are used for many
purposes.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture._
FIG. 6.--Picking cotton.]
=Cotton fibers differ.= We shall learn how the fiber is pulled from
the seeds. This process is called ginning and is done by a machine. If
you have a microscope in your school, look at a cotton fiber under
the glass. Miss James will send for some fibers. You will see that it
looks like a ribbon which has been twisted. The natural twist helps very
much when cotton is twisted or is manufactured into yarn. Cotton is a
wonderful little fiber and varies in length from ½ to 2 inches. The
cotton called Sea Island cotton is the long fiber cotton, and is grown
near the sea, for it needs the sea air. The cotton called Upland grows
away on the uplands and is shorter. These are the principle kinds grown
in the United States.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture._
FIG. 7.--Cotton bolls when burst are about the size of a small apple.]
[Illustration: FIG. 8.--Cotton fibers magnified.]
=The cotton seeds are taken from the fiber.= After the pickers have
gone up and down the long rows and filled their bags or baskets, they
empty the cotton into wagons which carry it to the gin house, where the
seeds are separated from the fibers and the brown pieces of the pod are
blown away as it is separated and cleaned. Long ago in India and other
countries, cotton was ginned by hand. What a long tedious process, for
only one pound could be separated by a person in a day. The picture (Fig.
9) shows a little girl at school trying to gin some cotton with a little
ginning machine which she has made at school. While George Washington
was President of the United States, a man named Eli Whitney invented
a machine, called the saw gin, for separating cotton fibers from the
seed. This invention has saved much time. To-day cotton is all ginned by
machinery; and so great quantities can be separated in a day. The machine
works in such a way that the cotton fibers are pulled away from the
seeds, and the seeds are kept separate for other purposes.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Speyer School, New York._
FIG. 9.--A Pleasant Valley girl trying to gin some cotton with a little
ginning machine which she has made at school.]
=The cotton seeds are used, too.= Some of the seeds are kept for
planting, just as you keep corn and oats on your farm; and others are
pressed. Cottonseed oil comes from the seeds when pressed, and is very
useful for many purposes, such as salad oil, soaps, cooking fats, and
used for cattle feed. The seed is covered with a fuzz which is first
removed and used for lint. Then the hulls are removed, and the dry cake
which is left, after the oil has been extracted, is also used for feeding
the cattle. Isn't cotton a very valuable plant? How poor we should be
without it, for silk and wool and linen cost so much more. Cotton is the
cheap, useful fiber.
[Illustration: FIG. 10.--Bales of cotton on a steamboat dock ready for
shipping.]
[Illustration: _Courtesy of United States Department of Agriculture._
FIG. 11.--Bales of cotton from different countries. The third from the
left is the American bale. The second is Egyptian; the fourth, East
Indian.]
=The cotton is baled and shipped to manufacturers.= After cotton has
been freed from the seed, it is sent to the cotton mills all over the
world; some in this country and some in Europe. It is sent by boats and
sometimes by train. In the picture (Fig. 10) you will see bales on the
dock ready to be shipped. In order to ship it safely after it is ginned,
it is pressed into bales like the hay you have on your farm; and it is
covered with coarse cloth to keep it clean, and is bound with iron bands.
The American cotton bales weigh about 500 pounds. This is the size of a
bale: 54" × 27" X 45". See if you can measure off in your schoolroom a
space which will show the size of the bale. When these bales are taken to
the steamboat piers, they are again made smaller by a machine, called a
cotton compress, which reduces them to 10 inches in thickness. This is so
the bales will not take up so much room in being transported. Sometimes,
however, this pressing injures the fiber. The United States ships cotton
to Liverpool, Bremen, Havre, Genoa, and many other places. Can you find
these on the map and see what a long journey the cotton takes? John
Alden went to the map and traced the journey. He used the pointer and
started from one of the ports of Louisiana. Can you imagine which one?
Which way do you think the steamer sailed in order to reach England as
soon as possible? Perhaps you live near a shipping port and can go with
your teacher to see the cotton loaded on the ships. Notice how the bales
are lowered into the hold. There are large exporting companies which
take charge of shipping bales of cotton. What is the difference between
_import_ and _export_ We import some cotton from Egypt, because it is
a very long fibered cotton and is good for thread, hosiery, and cotton
gloves. Another day we shall study how the manufacturer at the mill opens
the cotton bale and makes it into cloth.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Where is cotton grown in the United States? Find the states on
the map. Tell why cotton is grown in these states.
2. Examine a cotton fiber with the microscope. How does it look?
Draw a picture of it.
3. Look up the story of Eli Whitney's invention. Why was it
important?
LESSON 3
THE HEMMING STITCH
Let us begin to make the dish towels. What must we think about in
order to hem them very neatly?
=Why is the hemming stitch useful?= The hemming stitch is a very useful
one to learn, for it can be used for so many purposes. Let us learn on
something simple--a dish towel or dish cloth for mother. Then you can
perhaps hem something for the sale of your Girls' League. Mrs. Oakes says
she has a dozen new towels ready for Barbara when she learns how to hem.
The raw edges of material would ravel unless turned and hemmed. The
turning is called a hem. It is held with a temporary stitch called
basting, and then with the hemming stitch which remains. If the edges
were not hemmed, the material would ravel away or look very untidy. The
warp threads run lengthwise of the cloth. The firm selvedge is made by
the filling thread passing around the warp as the cloth is made. It is
this filling thread which will ravel in dish toweling or other material
unless a hem is made.
=How is the hemming stitch made?= This is how Miss James taught the girls
of Pleasant Valley to hem:
1. _Turn hem of desired width._ For the towels, one-fourth inch
will be about right when finished. There are two turns because one
would ravel. Turn towards the worker. First, turn one-eighth inch
to wrong side of material. Second, turn one-fourth inch. Turn and
pinch to hold until basted.
[Illustration: FIG. 12.--The basting stitch.]
2. _Baste._ Use one-fourth inch stitches. No. 8 needle is a good
size for this work, and basting thread can be used for this
temporary stitch. Be sure to wear a thimble on the middle finger
of the right hand. Little Alice Allen says she never will learn to
use a thimble, but she will if she keeps on trying. The picture
(Fig. 12) shows the even basting stitch with needle in position.
Baste on the edge of the hem. Begin with a knot, and end with two
tiny stitches placed one on top of the other to hold until hemmed.
Remember basting is a temporary stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 13.--The way to hold the cloth while hemming.]
3. _Hem the edge with the hemming stitch._ Look at the pictures
(Figs. 13-16) and then follow carefully the directions.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.--This shows how to start the hemming.]
[Illustration: FIG. 15.--The hemming stitch. Notice the slant of the
needle.]
Hold the cloth slanting over the fingers of the left hand, with
thumb on top (Fig. 13). Begin without a knot. Put the needle up
through edge of hem and allow one inch of end of thread to lie
under the hem as you pull thread through (Fig. 14). This end will
be worked over and held securely. Now you are ready for the
stitch. Point the needle which is in your right hand towards the
left shoulder. The point of the needle is passed first through the
cloth under the edge of the hem, with a tiny stitch which shows
on the right side. The needle, at the same time, catches the
edge of the basted hem. This makes a tiny slanting stitch on the
right side, so: /. The next stitch is taken about one-sixteenth
of an inch from the first, in exactly the same way. As the thread
carries from one stitch to the next, it makes a slanting line on
the wrong, or hem, side but in the opposite direction from the
stitch which shows on the right side. It slants like this: \
Together these two make this:
1/
2\
The part marked 1 shows on the right side of the cloth; and 2 on
the wrong, where the hem is turned (Fig. 15). When the end of hem
is reached, fasten with two or three tiny stitches. If the thread
breaks, ravel out a few stitches and let the old end of thread
lie under the hem. The new thread can then be started as at the
beginning by putting needle in the hole of last stitch. There
will be two ends under the hem to work over. The picture (Fig.
16) shows how to join a new thread. Find out how many places the
hemming stitch can be used. Try it at home on something before
next lesson.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.--The hemming stitch. Starting a new thread.]
When this stitch has been well learned, it will be possible for the
Girls' Sewing League to make many things.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Practice turning hems neatly on a scrap of cloth before
starting to turn them on the dish towel.
2. Study the pictures carefully so as to have the stitch exactly
the right slant.
3. Practice hemming on a scrap of cloth for a few stitches before
beginning the towel.
LESSON 4
THE STITCHING STITCH
Shall we try to make a potholder and learn another new stitch?
Holders are very useful to the housekeeper. Mrs. Stark has a bag
with pockets hanging near the kitchen stove and says it makes such a
convenient place to keep holders, for they are always at hand ready for
use. They can be made many sizes. For the cooking class at school, it is
convenient for each girl to have a holder on a tape attached to the band
of her apron (Fig. 17). It is always with her, then, for use. This can
be done by making a loop at the end of the tape and slipping the holder
through the loop. A hand towel attached at the same place is convenient,
too.
[Illustration: FIG. 17.--The holder.]
=Planning, cutting, and basting the holders.= Holders can be made from
old scraps of woolen cloth, from either pieces of garments which have
been worn and cast aside, or new scraps from the piece bag. Six inches
square is a good size. Place several squares, one on top of the other,
according to the thickness of the cloth. Can you tell why wool makes a
better holder than cotton? For appearance we can cover the holder with
some pretty piece of chintz or cretonne; perhaps you have in the piece
bag some pieces which are large enough. Denim is strong for a covering. A
piece of asbestos might be placed inside. Why? Pin all these thicknesses
together, with a cover top and bottom. Now baste from corner to corner
and from side to side. This is good practice. Make basting stitches of
even length such as you made on the towels. Then baste carefully all
around the four sides so that the edges are held securely. We are going
to bind the edge to prevent it from raveling and to make it strong. Tape
is good for binding; and so is a bias strip of the cretonne cover, or of
a pretty contrasting color. What does contrasting mean?
=Cutting and placing a bias strip.= Can you learn to cut a true bias
strip of cloth? You have learned that the warp threads are the strong
threads of the cloth and run lengthwise of the material. To prepare to
cut a true bias strip (Fig. 18), fold the warp of the cloth over so that
the warp threads lie exactly on the filling threads. The fold is a true
bias edge. Cut through the fold. A true bias edge is made by cutting
a square from corner to corner. Does it cut the warp or the filling
threads? To make one-inch strips for binding the holder, measure at right
angles to the fold you have just cut. Make a dot, and rule a light line
which will be one inch from the cut edge. These are true bias strips.
Baste the strip or tape carefully around the four sides of the holder,
and allow a little fullness at the corner. The edge of the strip or tape
should be even with the edge of the holder, and the basting should be
one-fourth of an inch from the edge in a straight line for a guide for
the next stitch. Miss James showed the girls how to turn the corners by
taking a tiny plait.
[Illustration: FIG. 18.--Cutting a true bias.]
=Making the stitching stitch.= Now we are ready for a new strong stitch.
It is called stitching stitch, for it is used where machine stitching
might be used, and resembles it in appearance on the right side. Ask
your Grandmother if she remembers when there were no sewing machines and
all Grandfather's shirts were stitched by hand? Grandmother Allen and
Grandmother Stark of Pleasant Valley remember.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.--The stitching stitch.]
Look at the picture (Fig. 19) and follow the directions carefully, and
you will be able to make this stitch. It is started with two or three
tiny stitches, one over the other for strength. The row of stitches you
are to make should be in a straight line just below the straight row of
basting stitches. Hold the cloth in the same way as for hemming, with the
material over the fingers and the thumb on top. Now you are ready to make
the new stitch. The stitch is started at the right-hand end of the cloth.
Make a stitch back over the two starting stitches and carry the needle
forward twice the length of this starting stitch. You will have a tiny
space on the right side between the place where the needle comes up and
the end of the starting stitch. Each time your thread should fill this
space, for your needle should go back into the end of the last stitch and
twice the length forward on the opposite side as it comes up. See the
needle in the picture (Fig. 19). Notice the space. Look at your work.
What is the appearance of the stitch on the wrong side? On the right
side? This stitch is also called the backstitch. Why?
=Finishing the holder.= Make a row of stitching stitches all around the
edge of the holder, holding the binding securely. Be careful to catch
the corners well. Remove your basting stitches. Turn the tape or strip
over to the other side of the holder and baste. If you have used a bias
strip, the edge must be turned under one-fourth of an inch or more before
basting. This edge is to be held with the hemming stitch. I am sure
that you can all make the hemming stitch by now. If you wish a loop or
long tape for holding the holder, hem it neatly at one side, turning in
the end of the tape to prevent raveling. If you have some colored silk
thread, it will look well to make tiny stars like this * at the center of
the holder and at four places about two inches from the corners on the
diagonals. These will hold the materials firmly together.
=Other uses for the stitching stitch.= The stitching stitch can be used
for many other purposes. It is a strong stitch for seams. Do you know
what a seam is? Two pieces of cloth sewed together may form a seam. Look
for seams in your skirt, in your sleeve, in your waist. Can you find any?
Some one tell the difference between a hem and a seam. After this lesson
Mollie Stark helped her Grandmother sew some long seams. Mr. Stark's
overalls had ripped, and the sewing machine was being repaired.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Practice cutting some bias strips. Be sure they are true bias
edges. How can you tell?
2. Try to make the stitching stitch on teacher's demonstration
cloth, with the large needle and red worsted.
LESSON 5
THE OVERHANDING STITCH
A new game and a new stitch. Let us make the bags with the new
stitch before we learn to play the game.
Perhaps, instead of a potholder, you had rather make iron holders or
bean bags for your League Fair. Have you ever played bean bag game? The
Pleasant Valley school children often play this game at recess. You can
easily make the bags and also the board.
[Illustration: FIG. 20.--The overhanding stitch.]
=Making the bean bag.= Bean bags can also be sewed with the stitching
stitch, as it is strong. Cut the bags of denim 14 × 7 inches, or so as
to make a bag 7 inches square. Fold, baste the edges on three sides, sew
them with stitching stitch, and turn inside out. Fill with beans. Two
inches at the middle of one side should not be sewed until after the
beans have been put in. Would you like to learn the overhanding stitch
for closing the edges of that side? The two edges of the bag are turned
in, and the overhanding stitch is made on the very edge. It is a very
simple stitch, and is used for sewing seams or edges together firmly. The
edges are held in the left hand between the thumb and first finger. The
needle in the right hand is pointed straight through towards the worker
as in the picture (Fig. 20), and the needle is passed through the two
edges. The end of the thread is drawn carefully, and one-half of an inch
allowed to lie on the edge. This is worked over. The needle is pointed
with each stitch towards the worker, and the stitches are placed about
one-eighth of an inch apart. Be very careful to catch both edges, but
do not make your stitches too deep. The overhanding stitch is a strong
stitch and is easy to make. It is finished by working backwards from left
to right on the edge with three or four of the same stitches.
[Illustration: FIG. 21.--The bean bag board.]
=Playing the bean bag game.= The boys will surely wish to help prepare
the board for the bean bag game. Frank Allen and John Alden made the one
used at Pleasant Valley school. Perhaps there is an old box somewhere
which can be braced with sticks and made to stand slanting. The bottom of
the box will have to be cut in holes (see Fig. 21). Each hole can be a
different shape and numbered 5, 10, 25, or 50. The object of the game is
to see how high a score can be obtained by throwing the bags through the
holes. One should stand six feet or more from the board. Each should have
ten turns. Some one must keep the score.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Mrs. E. J. Esselstyn._
FIG. 22.--John Alden's little brother trying for a high score.]
The boys will have to help saw or whittle to get the holes just right.
Do you think you can make both the bags and the game board? The picture
(Fig. 22) shows John Alden's little brother playing the game.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Try to make the bean bag board. Perhaps you can think of an
easier way.
2. Find five places where the overhanding stitch is used and
report at the next lesson.
LESSON 6
PLANNING TO MAKE AN APRON
The girls of Pleasant Valley school decided to make caps and
aprons. They help every day with the preparation of the school
lunch. The aprons will keep their dresses clean, so the girls will
look neat and tidy. The aprons can also be used at home. Let us
too learn how to cut them carefully.
The samples which Marjorie Allen brought from the store have been
examined and studied carefully. The girls know now the difference in
appearance between percales, calicos, ginghams, chambrays, and also how
much they cost. Most of the girls have decided to make pink and white,
or blue and white, checked aprons of gingham. It costs 12½-cents a yard;
and the girls require from two and one-half to three yards, according to
size. They are to make their own pattern for the aprons, as they are so
simple. When they make the petticoats for the Fresh Air children, they
will learn to use a commercial pattern.
=Cutting the skirt part.= Each girl will need two lengths for the skirt
part of the apron, measuring from the armhole at chest, to the desired
length. No pattern is necessary for this skirt part. On each length allow
four inches extra for hem. Tear one length, lengthwise; be careful not
to tear it crosswise of the material. The two pieces torn down are to be
placed one on each side of the whole width, with selvedges together.
[Illustration: FIG. 23.--The plan for the yoke of the apron.]
=Planning the pattern for the yoke.= Now the yoke pattern is to be made.
Miss James helped the Pleasant Valley girls with the patterns. You will
need a good-sized piece of paper, pencil, and a tapeline. Measure the
width of chest from side to side, just at the armhole in front. Look at
diagram (Fig. 23); this measure is the bottom of the yoke. Draw a line
the length of chest measure across the bottom of your paper. Measure up
six inches, and draw a line at right angles to each end of the chest
line. This is to find the shoulder. Draw a dotted line three inches at
right angles to this, as shown in the diagram. Then draw a line three
inches to form a third side of the square. Do this for the other shoulder
and connect the two lines with a line parallel to the chest line. You
will have a yoke three inches wide in front. The shoulder lines are too
straight; so draw slanting lines just a little towards the outside or
armhole side, taking off one-half inch on shoulder edge. This is the
only pattern needed; for the back pattern is exactly the same, but is
divided in half and cut straight through the center for the opening in
back.
=Cutting the yoke.= Lay the pattern on the cloth so that the width of
chest line is on the filling threads of the cloth. Four pieces will be
needed. Can you double your cloth and cut two at once? The yoke is made
double of two thicknesses; that is why we must cut two pieces for the
back and two for the front. Cut the two back portions through the center
back, on the thread of material. Now our aprons are all cut. Carefully
roll up the pieces and material left, for you will need them if you make
the caps.
[Illustration: FIG. 24.--Four of the Pleasant Valley girls wearing their
finished aprons.]
=Basting the skirt part.= Let us make the skirt of the apron first. Pin
the widths together, selvedge to selvedge, to form seams. You all know
what the selvedge is. Look in the dictionary. How is it made so firm?
The whole width is for the center front; the half width for each side.
Pin together and baste one-fourth inch seams, to within 8 or 9 inches
of each length; this will be left open under each arm. Baste also
one-fourth inch hems at the outside edges of the side lengths which are
raveling. Turn the hems to the same side as the seams, the wrong side.
Now all the basting is done, and next time we shall be ready for a new
stitch. The picture (Fig. 24) shows some of the Pleasant Valley girls
wearing their aprons. Can you guess which is Mollie Stark or Barbara
Oakes?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Look up these words in the dictionary: _selvedge_, _warp_,
_woof_, _pattern_.
2. Name other materials, besides gingham, suitable for work aprons.
LESSON 7
USING THE RUNNING AND BACK STITCH ON THE APRON
A new stitch called running and back stitch is very useful for
seams (Fig. 25). It is a quick stitch, and it is strong. Let us
learn to make it on the seams of the aprons. We shall need it
later for other things.
The apron seams are all basted with one-fourth inch seams. The selvedges
have not been removed. Some day we shall learn to make a seam which will
be sewed twice, and then we shall remove the selvedges. A seam made
with one sewing is called a plain seam. The basting is only a temporary
stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 25.--A new stitch called the running and back stitch.]
=To sew seams.= Hold the material in the left hand over the fingers,
with thumb on top. You will sew from right to left. Start with two or
three tiny stitches, one over the other, without knot. Pull needle
through after the starting stitches. Now take two or three tiny running
stitches; they are like basting, only much smaller. As you make the
running stitches, the last one is to be twice the length of the others
as the needle is pulled through. This is because the next stitch is to
be backwards--a backstitch to cover half the space. On the side towards
you, your row of stitches should look like running stitches; on the wrong
side, it will be different because of the backstitch. You should have the
stitches in a straight row under the line of basting. The backstitch,
which covers half the space left by the running, is twice the length of
the running stitch on the wrong side. This will bring the needle up ahead
of the stitch and ready for the next group of running stitches. Both
seams of the skirt of the apron are to be sewed to within 8 or 9 inches
under the arm. Finish with three tiny stitches, one over another. Remove
bastings, and press open the seams. Can you not take this home and sew
the other long seam there, now that you know how; or can you not do it
at the meeting of the Sewing League? The girls of Pleasant Valley did.
Sometimes they sat under the big oak trees on Friday afternoons and had
their sewing lessons outdoors.
=To hem sides.= Hem sides of apron which you have basted, making small
stitches. You know how.
=To hem bottom of apron.= Turn hem at bottom of apron. The cloth should
be even. Four inches were allowed. The first turn may be one-fourth of
an inch; the second, three and one-half inches. The other quarter inch
allowed is for gathering at top of apron. Pin carefully and measure, with
a tapeline or a gauge. Can you make a gauge? A piece of cardboard with a
notch for one or three inches according to measure desired, is a gauge.
The diagram (Fig. 26) shows how to cut a one-inch gauge. Can you make a
three-inch gauge, and keep your hems even by following the marked notch?
Baste hems carefully after pinning. Hem neatly.
[Illustration: FIG. 26. A gauge for the apron hem.]
=To gather the top of apron.= You are now ready to gather the top of
the widths. They are to fit into the yoke; and, as they are too wide,
we shall have to make them fit. Gathering is done by making two rows
of running stitches (small basting stitches), one under the other. This
is done on each width with the rows of running stitches one-fourth of
an inch apart. Begin with a knot and have your thread a little longer
than the width you are gathering. You can then draw the material on the
gathering threads, and make it fit the yoke.
Let us put the finished skirts of the apron away neatly, and next lesson
sew on the yokes.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Make a three and one-half inch gauge, using a piece of
cardboard or a stiff paper.
2. Practice gathering on a practice piece of cloth. See how
quickly you can do it, putting in two even rows.
LESSON 8
MAKING AND ATTACHING THE APRON YOKES
The yokes are to be seamed at the shoulders. There are two yokes;
one is for the lining. Let us sew them together and attach them to
the skirt of the apron.
=To make the yoke.= Pin the two back portions of yoke to the one front
portion. Baste at shoulder seams one-fourth of an inch. Sew with running
and back stitch, which you used for the apron skirt.
Make the lining yoke in same way. Sew two back portions to one front.
When both yoke and lining are ready, pin together so that the two right
sides are together and seams match at shoulders. Baste carefully together
all around with one-fourth inch seams only, except across the bottom at
width of chest line. Be careful not to take deeper seams, for then the
yoke will be too small. The chest line width of the yoke is left open
so the skirt can be placed between. The back portions of the yoke are
also left open at the bottom. After basting, sew below the basting with
running and back stitch. Remove the bastings and turn the yoke inside
out. Crease edges carefully. Your yoke will lap one-half inch in back
when finished. Now you are ready to attach the skirt to the yoke.
=To attach the yoke.= You will attach the front of the yoke to the front
gathered width. Find the center of front yoke. Mark with pin. Find the
center of gathered width. Place the right side of the yoke to the right
side of the skirt width, center to center; and pin. Do not pin the lining
yoke, for it is to be sewed down later to cover the seam you will now
make. Pin the ends of the width to the ends of the front yoke. Pull
your gathering thread until the fullness fits the yoke; then move the
gathers along until they fall evenly. Can you not distribute the gathers
carefully, as you pin them to the yoke? Hold the gathers towards you, and
baste with a one-fourth inch seam, not any more. Now sew securely with
the strong stitching stitch, which you used on the bean bags.
=To place the yoke lining.= You are ready now to cover these rough edges
of the seam with the lining. Turn in one-fourth of an inch to match the
width of the seam taken from the yoke. Baste flat to the seam so that the
edge of the turned lining just covers the sewing of the yoke seam. Finish
with a neat hemming stitch.
Do you not think you can join the two back portions of the yoke to the
skirt portions of the apron without any further help?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Find three places where you think running and back stitch can
be used.
2. Notice other places where gathers are drawn in to fit a space.
Mollie Stark discovered several places on the garments worn by the
children at school.
LESSON 9
HOW TO MAKE A BUTTONHOLE
The apron is now entirely finished, except for fastenings. Shall
we learn to make a buttonhole, and how to sew on buttons? The
Pleasant Valley girls had a contest. Barbara Oakes won a prize at
the Pleasant Valley County Fair.
=Practice in making the buttonhole.= Long ago little girls were taught to
make buttonholes, when they were five or six years of age. Grandmother
Allen learned at that age. Surely by the time a girl is twelve years old
she should begin to learn how to make buttonholes. One must practice on a
scrap of cloth, before making the buttonhole on the garment. These are
the steps to consider in practicing:
1. Decide about placing the buttonhole. Is it to be in a vertical
or horizontal position on the garment? How far from the edge?
2. Cutting.
3. Overcasting the cut edges. How deep and how far apart to take
the stitches. Correct position to hold work.
4. Making buttonhole stitch along one edge.
5. Turning corner.
6. Turning and buttonholing opposite edge.
7. Finishing second end.
=Placing the buttonhole.= It is important to place the buttonhole
correctly. In some garments, where there is no strain, as in the front of
a shirtwaist or of loose corset cover, the buttonholes can be made to run
up and down. One should decide how far from the edge and exactly where
the buttonhole is needed. Mark the place with pinholes. For the apron
place three buttonholes in the yoke, one in middle and others near each
end, about one-fourth inch from the edge of the yoke at center back.
[Illustration: FIG. 27.--Cutting the buttonhole.]
=Cutting the buttonhole.= One should cut truly and exactly, on a thread.
If a pair of buttonhole scissors is not available, fold the material
halfway between the pin pricks which marked its location, so that the
pin passes through both ends of the located buttonhole. Cut from the
folded edge to the pin, by placing the fold well within the opened
scissors and cutting evenly (Fig. 27). For the apron cut one-half inch
buttonholes and one-fourth of an inch in from the edge.
[Illustration: FIG. 28.--The overcasting stitch for rough edges.]
=Overcasting the buttonhole.= You have not all learned the overcasting
stitch. Practice it on a scrap of cloth. Look at the picture (Fig. 28)
carefully. The overcasting stitch is used on edges to prevent raveling.
Hold the buttonhole along the top of the first finger. Begin without
knot, and at the end farthest away from a finished edge; as at the end
of skirt band or edge of waist. Work over end of thread. Point needle
toward left shoulder to make a slanting stitch. Make about three or four
stitches on each side of the buttonhole (Fig. 29). The depth should be
about one-eighth of an inch. The corner stitches should be taken so that
the needle is pointed at right angles to the cut before the buttonhole is
turned.
Do not forget that, after one side is overcast, it is necessary to turn
the buttonhole around so the other cut edge may be overcast.
[Illustration: FIG. 29.--Overcasting the cut buttonhole.]
=Making the buttonhole stitch.= When the buttonhole has been overcast,
the needle should be in position at the beginning of the buttonhole
where the overcasting was started. Point the needle at right angles to
the edge, and take a stitch one-eighth of an inch deep (Fig. 30). Hold
buttonhole so that it lies flat on top of the first finger. Do not spread
it open. Throw the double thread from the eye of the needle, around the
point, in the same direction as the buttonhole is being worked, from
right to left. Draw needle through, pulling the thread at right angles
to and toward the cut edge of the buttonhole. A little finishing loop
called the purl will be formed at the edge. It is this which prevents the
edge of the buttonhole from wearing. Continue along one edge until the
corner is reached. Remember all stitches are to be the same depth and to
have about the space of a thread between stitches, and the purl is to lie
exactly on the edge.
[Illustration: FIG. 30.--The buttonhole stitch.]
=Turning the corner.= There are several ways of finishing the corners of
buttonholes. They may have two fan ends, or one fan and one bar, or two
barred ends. How can we tell which way to plan? A barred end is stronger
than one which has only a fan. One must judge how the buttonhole is to be
used, and then make the proper combination of ends. The picture (Fig. 31)
shows both the fan and the bar. The fan is made with the same buttonhole
stitch. Five stitches make a good fan. The third one is taken on a line
with the cut and is the deepest, and the two stitches each side are
slanting and of a depth to make an even fan effect at the turn. The fan
can be made more easily by turning the buttonhole so that the end to be
worked with the fan is pointed towards the worker and the cut edge is
over the finger.
[Illustration: FIG. 31.--The fan end and the bar end of the buttonhole.]
=Buttonholing second side.= After making the fan, turn the buttonhole,
and along the second side make the buttonhole stitch of the same depth
and evenness as along the first side.
=Finishing second end.= Practice a bar end. Turn buttonhole so that the
end to be finished lies across finger with fan end towards the worker.
Make two or three small stitches one over the other to bar the end, these
to extend across width of buttonhole stitches. Over these the blanket
stitch is to be placed. This is very easy. Look at the picture (Fig. 82)
of it on page 138. These stitches are to be taken close together and
through the cloth, around the three barred stitches. This makes a firm
finish. Point the needle towards the worker and make a straight row of
blanket stitches.
=Sewing on a button.= Start with a double thread, and make two stitches
one over the other on the right side of the garment. String a button on
the needle, to cover starting stitches. Place a pin on top of the button.
Sew over it with stitches crossed back and forth through the holes of the
button. The stitches should be taken so that the pull of the button will
come on the warp threads of the garment. On the wrong side, the stitches
should appear in parallel bars lying on the woof or filling thread. On
the top of the button, the stitches should cross. Why is it necessary
to sew over the pin? Remove the pin and wind thread around the stitches
under the button. Finish on wrong side with several finishing stitches.
[Illustration: FIG. 32.--The pin prevents the button from being sewed too
near the cloth and allows space for buttoning the garment.]
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Practice overcasting.
2. Practice blanket stitch.
3. Practice making buttonhole.
_a._ Cutting.
_b._ Overcasting.
_c._ Buttonholing.
_d._ Fan.
_e._ Buttonholing.
_f._ Bar.
4. Practice sewing on one button at home and making one buttonhole.
5. Bring to school garments which need buttons. Sew the buttons on.
LESSON 10
THE USE OF THE COMMERCIAL PATTERN
Have you ever bought a real pattern and tried to use it? Marjorie
Allen says she thinks sometimes it is quite like a puzzle. Let us
learn how to cut our petticoats from a real pattern.
[Illustration: FIG. 33.--Learning to cut a free-hand pattern.]
=Can you cut a pattern?= Perhaps you have cut patterns for sister's
dolls' clothing (Fig. 33). This is probably how you did it. You pinned
the paper to the doll's body or held it in place while you cut around the
armhole, across the shoulder, under the chin for the curved neck, and
then you cut the other shoulder and armhole in the same way. Under the
arm you made a slanting cut towards the feet so the dress or apron would
be wider at the bottom. Try this if you have never done it. It is good
fun. Marjorie dressed a doll for little Alice when she was sick, and cut
the pattern in this way. This is a free and easy way to make patterns.
Some dressmakers make patterns in this way and do not have to send to the
store for a pattern.
=Shall we send for a pattern?= Patterns are bought by age or by measure:
a nightdress, drawers, or a skirt pattern is ordered for fourteen year
age; a shirtwaist for 34 inch bust measure. Patterns sometimes give other
measures; a dress skirt may state the waist measure, the length of skirt,
and the measure around the hips. For children and for young girls, the
patterns can nearly always be bought according to age; but, as some girls
are large for their age and some small, Miss James will have to help
order the right sizes.
Many good magazines offer patterns for sale. There are, also, stores
or firms which make a business of selling nothing but patterns. Some
patterns are better than others. The simplest are usually the best, if
the figure and its proportions have been kept in mind.
=Let us open our skirt pattern.= We have bought two: one a 12-year size,
and one a 14-year. The smaller girls may use the 12-year size, and
the larger girls the 14-year size. How many pieces are there for this
pattern? Barbara stood before the class, and Julia held the pieces where
she thought they would belong in the skirt. Yes, surely the strip is for
the belt or band. Is it long enough? No, only half. What are the other
two pieces? Yes, one is for the back. Is it large enough? No, only half.
Only one piece is left. It must be the front. Is it large enough? Many
patterns are made, giving only half a front or half a belt. Such pieces
must be cut double when you wish to have the front or belt in one piece.
The way to do this is to pin the pattern on a folded edge of the cloth.
We will know if we consult the perforations on the pattern, and the
printed directions. We must do this, then, in cutting the front. Let us
hold the pattern to the light. What do you see? Why do you suppose the
little holes or perforations have been arranged in groups or straight
rows? Barbara said she could not understand why. It is all a secret which
the description on the pattern will tell. To-day we shall learn two
things:
[Illustration: FIG. 34.--Laying the pattern on the cloth. Which do you
think is the fold edge, _A_ or _B_?]
1. How to tell which portion of the pattern is to be placed on the warp
of the cloth.
2. When to place the half pattern on a folded edge, so as to cut the
portion in one piece instead of in half a piece like the pattern.
The pattern may say the long line of single perforations is to be placed
on the warp threads. Can you do that when we begin to cut? You will
have to be careful to find the warp and to lay the pattern exactly. The
pattern may say the group of three little perforations or holes at the
edge of the front pattern means that edge is to be placed on a straight
fold of the cloth.
It is wise always to study all the pieces of a pattern. The parts are
usually numbered. Can you see how? The description on the pattern tells
the name of each piece. Very often only half of a portion is given. You
will always remember now what must be done when that occurs.
It is a good thing always to know each portion and to hold it up to the
person to see if it is too large or too small. Then you will understand
the parts, before you begin to cut. Sometimes it is necessary to add to
the length or to shorten the pattern. Some patterns say allow for seams
in cutting, and others say seams have been allowed. What difference will
this make when you begin to cut?
=Shall we learn to take a few measurements?= Then we can judge if our
pattern is too large or too small. It will also help you in sending for
patterns.
_The bust measure_ is easy to take. Pass the tape measure under the arms,
and over the fullest part of the bust, not too tight; bring it to the
center of the back, sloping the tape slightly upward between the shoulder
blades.
_The waist measure_ is a snug measure around the smallest part of the
waist. For girls this measure should not be too snug.
_The skirt measures_ are taken from the waist line to the floor at the
front, at the sides over the hips, and at the back. For short skirts one
must deduct from the full lengths the number of inches desired from the
floor.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Open a pattern and see if you can tell the different parts.
Which are to be cut on a folded edge? How are you to tell which
way the pattern is to lie on the warp threads?
2. Practice taking a skirt measure; then, a waist measure.
LESSON 11
TAKING MEASUREMENTS AND CUTTING OUT THE PETTICOAT
We understand our skirt patterns. Let us take our skirt measures,
front and back, and, if it is necessary to change our pattern,
we will decide how much to add or take off before cutting the
garments.
=To change pattern.= If you must add two or three inches to the length of
your pattern, this must be done as you cut. Or possibly you may wish to
shorten the pattern. If you wish to shorten it, take a plait of one inch
about in the middle of your pattern, crease, and pin it. By taking this
plait rather than cutting off the amount from the bottom, the good flare
of the skirt is saved. Do you know what these pieces of the skirt are
called which are wider at the bottom than at the top? Why is a gore made
such a shape? Can you think of the advantages? In cutting from a pattern
in which a plait has been laid, one must be careful to carry the outline
of the pattern evenly at the place where the fold of the plait comes.
=To lengthen a pattern.= Make a straight cut across a gore about the
middle from side to side. Pin or paste a strip of paper the desired extra
length between the two pieces. This preserves the bottom flare. If length
were added at the bottom, the flare would be too great.
[Illustration: FIG. 35.--The petticoat for the children of the home.]
=To cut the skirts.= One must study carefully the economical use of
material. It is like a puzzle to fit the pattern to the cloth, so that
the perforations are obeyed exactly and there is enough cloth for all the
parts.
The girls of Pleasant Valley have decided to make the petticoats for
the children at the summer home. The ladies of the board furnished the
materials. They have chosen gingham for some and outing flannel for
others. The belts are to be made of muslin. The material is all one yard
wide. By folding the outing flannel selvedge to selvedge, and placing the
triple perforations of the pattern of the front gore on this fold, the
front can be cut all in one piece. It is rather a circular gore. Not all
gores are the same shape. See if you can find other shaped gores in dress
skirts. The two back gores of the skirt can be cut from another width. Be
sure to obey the directions for placing the perforations on the warp. How
many lengths of cloth are needed to cut such a skirt? How much will you
allow for hems at the bottom? As the girls of Pleasant Valley had decided
on two inches finished, they allowed 2½-inches extra in cutting. One must
always think about this. All seams have been allowed on their patterns.
Be sure to lay all the pieces of the pattern on the cloth before
cutting. Find a flat surface. Remember that the wide end of a gore is
apt to cut to better advantage at the end of the piece of cloth. Can
the gores be fitted so as to cut more economically? (Fig. 34.) Pin the
parts carefully, not using too many pins. Mark all the notches with
pencil, chalk, or basting thread. Do not cut notches; one is liable to be
careless and to make them too large. Use long cuts, and make even edges
in cutting. Good shears help.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Draw on the blackboard different shaped dress gores which you
have noticed.
2. With the tiny patterns of the skirt which your teacher has cut,
show how to lay them most economically on the red muslin which
represents your material.
3. What would you do if you were using a pattern which did not
allow for seams?
LESSON 12
MAKING THE PETTICOATS
Let us begin to sew the petticoats.
Notice all the notches which were marked lightly with pencil, and follow
all the steps carefully:
1. Place the two back portions so that they join the front as the
notches indicate.
2. Pin from the top of the gores.
3. Baste the three gores together with ½-inch seams, beginning at
the bottom. Can you tell why?
4. Sew the seams on the wrong side, using the stitching stitch.
The back seam is to be left open five inches at the top for the
placket opening.
5. Overcast all the seam edges, overcasting the two thicknesses of
the seams together.
6. Turn hems at the bottom of the skirt. First, turn ¼-inch;
second, turn two inches. Baste carefully, laying little plaits
neatly where necessary on account of extra fullness. Always have
the seams of the turned hem lie on seams of skirt. Sew hem with
hemming stitch or featherstitch (see page 120).
7. Finish placket opening. On right side make ½-inch hem, the
first turn ⅛ and second ½-inch. Turn hem to inside of skirt. Baste
and hem. On left side of opening make hem ¼-inch finished.
Make first turn ⅛ and second ¼-inch. Baste and hem neatly.
8. To put the skirt on the band:
_A._ Cut band. Take waist measure; add to it one inch for lapping
and two inches for the turnings, one at each end of band. Cut
band lengthwise of the muslin, with the warp threads, and twice
the desired width finished plus ½-inch for turnings.
_B._ Gather petticoat ¼-inch from edge, with two gathering
threads one below the other. Divide skirt in half; gather from
center front to back at right side, and from center front to back
at left side.
_C._ Turn in ends of band one inch. Pin center of band to center
front of petticoat, right side of band to right side of petticoat.
Pin so that the edge of band is even with the gathered edge of
skirt. Pin ends of band to the gathered back portions of skirt,
with ends of bands to ends of gathers. Turn gathers towards
worker, and distribute in same manner as when attaching yoke of
apron to the apron skirt. Baste ¼-inch from edge of band, and
between the two rows of gathering stitches. Sew with stitching
stitch. Turn band over to wrong side. Turn in ¼-inch. Baste and
hem flat. Overhand the turned-in ends of the band neatly.
_D._ Finish with buttonhole and button at back, or with two
buttonholes, to button to waist. If the skirt is to be attached
in this way, a buttonhole should be made in the center front of
the band also. This should be up and down in the band.
The girls of Pleasant Valley had a surprise party, when the aprons were
finished, and went to the Fresh Air Home. This was in June before school
closed. Some of the summer children had arrived. The girls made cookies
at home and had a real party with the children.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Tell how the putting on of the skirt band differs from putting
on the apron yoke.
2. Do you know of any other kind of placket finish besides the one
which you have made in the skirt? Tell where you have seen it.
REVIEW PROBLEMS
I. Can you make a useful bag on which the following stitches might
be used: basting, running, hemming, stitching stitch, overhanding,
buttonhole?
II. Plan another article, using as many of these stitches as
possible, and cutting the article from a pattern. Try to make this
at home for school credit. Miss James of Pleasant Valley has a
kind of score card which she uses in marking the girls. Perhaps
your teacher will give you credit for your home work.
SCORE CARD
_Girl's name____________________________
I. Article______________________________
A. General appearance
1. General neatness of sewing 10%
2. Cleanliness 15%
3. Appropriateness of material 25%
B. Hand work
1. Regularity of stitches 25%
2. Suitability of stitches 25%
----
100%
[Illustration]
CHAPTER II
THE GIRLS OF PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL LEARN TO MAKE SIMPLE GARMENTS
This year the girls of the Sewing League of Pleasant Valley will receive
credit for the garments they make. Miss James will help the girls to
start the garments at school and will give full credit if the work is
completed neatly. A nightdress, a petticoat, corset cover, or under slip,
and perhaps a white summer dress skirt will be made. The school board has
just furnished a machine, so Miss James is planning to teach the girls to
use it. Many of them can practice at home too. Mrs. Stark, who has two
machines, told Mollie she might bring the girls at any time for practice.
Can you plan to learn to stitch at your school? There are many things one
does not wish to sew by hand, and does not have time to make in that way.
Not long ago Miss Travers, who came from the State Agricultural College
to speak to the Mothers' Club at Pleasant Valley, told them that often
people do not use good common sense about this question. She said there
are times when one wishes to make garments and articles by hand, but it
is foolish to do so when one has other duties in life to perform which
are more important. Handmade garments are very beautiful to look at, but
when they mean the sacrifice of health, because one has remained indoors
to make them, they appear less beautiful. Miss Travers and the mothers
had a long discussion about the wages paid in large cities to women who
do this fine work. Miss Travers said the wage paid is usually very low.
LESSON 1
SOME COTTON MATERIALS SUITABLE FOR UNDERWEAR
Suppose you order the muslin for your nightdress and, while
waiting for it to arrive, learn about the cotton materials which
can be used for underwear. Can you add a whole page of white
materials to your textile books?
=Suppose you open the surprise box on your teacher's desk.= It is quite
full. Let us sort the samples and examine the white ones, especially,
to-day; for your underwear is to be made of white cotton material. Let us
look also at the ones which are almost white. They are unbleached white;
the others have been bleached with a chemical to make them look so snowy
white. They have been dipped in a bath of chloride of lime, and then in
another bath of water and sulphuric acid, until the material has become
white.
Do you know how our grandmothers used to bleach sheets and other
unbleached articles which they wished to have white? Grandmother Allen
used to bleach those she made on her hand loom. Why did they place them
on the grass in the sun? What bleached them? This unbleached sample is
_muslin_; it is for sheets. Here is some white which is of the same
plain weave. The unbleached is cheaper. It comes one yard wide and can
be bought for 5 cents and, in better qualities, up to 15 cents per yard.
It wears very well--better than bleached muslin. Can you tell why? It is
used for sheets and pillowcases. We may later make a pair of pillowcases
from this unbleached muslin. The white muslin can be bought in a cheap
quality for 7 cents a yard; and it may also be bought in finer qualities.
Here is a piece of Alpine rose muslin from our sample box. Isn't that a
pretty name for it? It is soft and much finer, and costs 30 cents a yard.
Bleached muslins come in width from 36 to 72 inches. The wide width is
used for sheetings and is woven that width that no seam may be necessary
through the center of the sheet.
This soft, light cotton material is called _nainsook_. Isn't that a
queer name? It is from an old Hindoo word for a material made and used
in India. Nainsook is used for underwear and clothing for baby. It comes
in several grades. Miss James has some coarser samples, too. It is soft
and is nearly always finished, when woven, with very little dressing or
starch to stiffen it. It comes 27 inches in width and varies in price
from 15 to 50 cents a yard.
This soft crinkly looking material is called _cotton crêpe_. It is
used a great deal for underwear and for shirt waists or dresses. It is
considered very economical. Does any one know why? Yes, because it is
easily washed and, when hung out in the fresh air and sunshine, does not
need to be ironed. Think of all the time saved. The little crinkles dry
in place and look well. It costs from 12 to 15 cents per yard, and comes
about 30 inches wide.
This piece is a _cambric_. It is a firm plain weave and is good for
underwear. This quality is fine, and its name is Berkeley cambric. Some
grades of cambric are coarser and are called cambric muslin. They are
glazed and smooth in finish, and are used for linings and for other
purposes. That name is also foreign, from Cambrai, France. Cambric is
woven a yard wide and costs from 10 to 25 cents per yard. It is very
durable material for underwear, not quite so heavy as muslin, and strong.
_Dimity_ is thin. Look at this piece. Mollie had a dress made of it
last summer. It is sheer and light, and has little cords or ribs. It is
always easy to recognize on that account. It is used for summer dresses,
sometimes for dainty underwear; but it is not suitable for underwear
which must have hard usage every day. It costs from 15 to 50 cents per
yard and is woven about a yard wide. Sometimes it comes in colors and
also with pretty printed figures on it. See, here are some printed
ones. What dainty patterns and colors! Would you like a dress of one
of these? Miss James has found two other thin, sheer, white ones. There
are so many I wonder if we can remember all. This thin one is _lawn_ and
is a plain weave. It comes in inexpensive qualities at 5 cents and in
better qualities for 25 cents. The width varies from 36 to 40 inches. Do
you know of anything at home or in school, made of lawn? Yes, dresses,
aprons, curtains. It comes in colors too; here is a pretty blue. It is
smooth and starched and pressed when one buys it.
This other is soft but not so starched. It is called _mull_. That is a
Hindoo word, too. Do you remember that cotton was grown in India many
years before we had it in America; that is why the cotton materials so
often have Indian names. Mull is too fine for underwear, but it is used
for pretty white dresses.
Here are two heavy white samples; one is called _Indian head_, and the
other _duck_. Such strange names! Do you know their uses? Perhaps your
mother had a skirt last summer of duck or Indian Head. Mrs. Alden of
Pleasant Valley had one. Both these cotton materials wear well. The duck
is used for men's trousers, also; and in very heavy qualities, it is
used for sails or tents and awnings. John Alden's first long trousers
were made of duck. How important he felt! Duck is sometimes colored blue
or other colors. It varies in width from 27 to 36 inches and costs from
12 cents up. The Indian head is used for the same purposes as duck and
comes in the same width for about the same price,--15 cents a yard up,
according to quality.
[Illustration: FIG. 36.--A towel which Miss James uses at school.]
We shall have time to study about only two more to-day. They are both
heavy. This is _galatea_, and comes in white, like this sample, or in
colors. It is firm like duck and Indian head. Can you tell for what it
is used? Have you ever seen any before? It is used for dress skirts, and
very often for girls' middy blouses or children's clothes. It washes very
well. It is 27 inches wide and costs from 14 to 25 cents a yard.
The last sample is cotton _birdseye_ or _huckaback_. It is sold by the
yard or by the piece. It costs less per yard to buy it by the piece of
10 yards. It varies in cost, according to quality, and is woven from 18
to 27 inches wide. We also have huckaback towels made of cotton or linen
or a mixture of cotton and linen. Here is one which Miss James uses at
school (Fig. 36).
I wonder who can go to the board and make a list of all the new white
material we have found in the surprise box. Shall we put them in our
sample book? Who will write the use of each, opposite the name? If you
cannot remember the prices and widths, look on the samples; many are
marked, especially those which have come from the town store. Which do
you think will be best for your nightgowns? Yes, cambric, nainsook, or
muslin. Which will be softest and lightest? Which is the heaviest of
these three? Shall we use the muslin? It is strong and will wear well.
Shall we choose this piece? It is 10 cents a yard. How much shall we
need? We shall talk about it next lesson. Any one who wishes to use the
unbleached muslin which costs 7 cents, may do so; or the finer nainsook
which is 15 cents a yard. How can the unbleached be made white as it is
used?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Look up the story of how cloth is bleached in any of the
library books on textiles, or in the encyclopedia.
2. Add six cotton materials you have just studied about, to your
textile sample books.
3. Decide what kind of white material you wish to use for your
nightdress.
LESSON 2
SELECTING PATTERN AND CLOTH FOR NIGHTDRESS
Suppose you decide about the pattern for your nightdresses, and
send for the cloth and pattern.
[Illustration: FIG. 37.--A Pleasant Valley girl in a kimono nightdress.]
=A kimono nightdress.= Miss James has a book of patterns; perhaps your
teacher has. Let us look at them. Here are the nightdresses. This picture
(Fig. 37) is a kimono nightdress; that means the sleeves are cut with the
gown all in one, not made separately and sewed in. This name kimono is
Japanese and means a loose garment. The picture shows a Pleasant Valley
girl in a kimono nightdress. Miss James says there is only one piece to
this pattern and the nightdress is easy to make. The way to measure for
the amount of material for such a gown is to take the length from the
shoulder at the side of the neck to the floor and add three inches for a
hem. This gown can be cut without any shoulder seams, all in one piece.
So you will need twice the length from shoulder to floor and hem. Why? If
the cloth is one yard or more wide, it will not be necessary to piece the
gown; so be sure to choose material which is a yard wide. Is there any
one now who does not know how to measure for the material for the kimono
nightdress? Let all write an order for a kimono nightdress pattern and
for the muslin. Take each other's measures first and add together the
amount of cloth needed. It will be easier to send one order for all.
The best letter will be chosen to send to the store. As some girls are
large and some small for their ages, it will be wise to order one pattern
12-year size, and another 14-year size.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. How much cloth will be needed for a kimono nightdress if the
measure of the girl from shoulder to floor is 55 inches? How much
do you suppose the Pleasant Valley girl in the picture needed?
LESSON 3
HOW COTTON CLOTH IS WOVEN
Not long ago we learned how the cotton plant furnishes us with
cotton for clothing. There are many people who help in changing
the cotton from fiber to cloth. While you are waiting for the
cotton material and the pattern, shall we study how cotton cloth
is made?
=Cotton is used for many things.= We learned that cotton is shipped in
bales of 500 pounds each from the United States to all parts of the
world. The manufacturer receives it at the factory and changes it by
many processes into what he wishes to sell. Some manufacturers make only
cotton threads of various kinds, for sewing, knitting, and crocheting.
Others make cotton cloth of one variety or of several varieties. We know
there are many kinds manufactured. Others make absorbent cotton, gauze,
and such things for surgical use for the sick. Some make hosiery, gloves,
towels; and others make knitted underwear, or laces and embroideries.
Others use cotton for war purposes, for guncotton. John Alden said he did
not know that cotton is used for so many things.
[Illustration: FIG. 38.--Miss James' little loom.]
[Illustration: FIG. 39.--A small loom made from a box cover.]
=The loom for weaving cotton.= We have learned that cloth is made of
threads which run lengthwise, called the warp threads, and of crosswise
threads, called the filling or woof. The machine for holding the threads
and doing the work is called a loom. What is the firm edge which is woven
called? Look at Miss James' little loom (Fig. 38). It shows the warp, and
the filling yarn as it passes over and under and makes the firm edge as
it turns each trip back and forth around the edge threads. If you have
never woven a piece of material, suppose you take a box cover and make
a small loom. The picture (Fig. 39) shows one made at Pleasant Valley
School. Did you ever see your grandmother weave on a loom? Look at the
picture (Fig. 40) of a grandmother weaving on a cloth loom. It is not
Grandmother Allen, although she knows how to weave. The warp threads are
rolled up on a big roller at the back of the loom and are extended to
the cloth roller at the front near where she sits. She holds the filling
thread in her hand. It is wound on a bobbin which fits in the shuttle.
She throws the shuttle from side to side and works her feet to alternate
the warp threads, in order that the filling thread may go over and under,
and make the cloth. Look at the shuttle in the picture (Fig. 41); it
holds the bobbin of thread. There are many kinds of looms. To-day cloth
is woven on looms run by machinery. It is much easier and quicker than
working by hand, and so cotton cloth can be made more cheaply. Frank
Allen says he saw a loom at the silk factory he visited. If it were not
for machines, our clothes would cost much more than they do. Think of all
the people who help to give us our cotton clothes, from the planter who
sows the seed to the manufacturer whose men prepare and weave it. Have
you ever visited a cloth factory and seen the many machines and heard the
great buzzing noise which they make? It is a busy place. Some factories
make only warp, or filling, yarns. They are called spinning factories or
mills (Fig. 46). They send their product to the other manufacturers who
have only weaving machines for making the yarns into cloth. It is about
130 years (1789) since the first cotton mill was started in the United
States, and only a few years longer since the first mill was started
in England. Before that time, people of different countries made their
own looms according to the ways they thought out. As men felt the need
of clothing to wear, they tried to make cloth; and we find all kinds
of primitive looms as their invention. Can you look up the meaning of
primitive? Notice the two pictures (Figs. 43 and 44) of primitive people
weaving. The Indian girl is holding the shuttle in her right hand; the
loom is fastened to something and is also attached at her belt. In that
way the warp threads are held securely while she passes the filling back
and forth. On page 136 you will find a picture (Fig. 81) of a Japanese
girl weaving silk. Notice the loom; find the roller holding the warp
yarn. Find the shuttle which she uses to throw the filling yarn. Can you
tell where she rolls the cloth as it is woven? Under her elbows in the
picture is a cloth roller on which she rolls up the woven cloth as she
weaves and unrolls the warp from the warp roller. Isn't this a wonderful
story? We have not yet learned how the cotton is made into the warp and
filling ready to be woven. We shall save that part of the story for
to-morrow. The Pleasant Valley girls and boys enjoyed this part of the
story about cotton and are anxious for Miss James to tell some more.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Draper Co., Hopedale, Mass._
FIG. 40.--"In days gone by."]
[Illustration: FIG. 41.--The shuttle holding the bobbin of yarn.]
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Draper Co., Hopedale, Mass._
FIG. 42.--A weaving room in a modern factory.]
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Smithsonian Institute, Bureau of American
Ethnology._
FIG. 43.--Indian girl weaving a belt by hand.]
[Illustration: FIG. 44.--Another primitive loom and a girl spinning. The
distaff with the wool for spinning is held under the girl's arm.]
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Try to make a simple loom. Take a piece of cardboard 10 × 12
inches. Make a row of holes about ¼-inch apart one inch from the
top; another row ¼-inch apart one inch from bottom. String the
warp back and forth from hole to hole so it looks like the picture
(Fig. 39). Weave a piece of cloth with the filling thread which
goes over and under.
2. Visit a weaving factory if you can.
3. See if you can spin a piece of carded wool. Perhaps you can
card some wool with the hand cards which your great grandmother
used, as the Pleasant Valley girls did.
4. Try to collect pictures of spinning. The primitive peoples did
this in different ways.
LESSON 4
THE SPINNING OF COTTON INTO YARN
How the manufacturer turns the cotton into yarn ready for the
weaver. This is called spinning. Shall we study how it is done?
Perhaps there is some one in your class who has visited a spinning mill
and can tell how cotton is cleaned and made ready for weaving. This is
what the girls of the Sewing League of Pleasant Valley saw the day they
went to visit the mill. The Camp Fire girls went the same day, and Miss
Ashly, their guardian, said that what they learned would count as an
honor.
[Illustration: FIG. 45.--The cotton carding machine, which cleans the
cotton.]
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Leonard & Green, Boston._
FIG. 46.--A cotton spinning room.]
=How cotton is prepared for spinning.= The girls went to the lower floor
where the cotton is received. They saw the bags and iron bands removed
and the cotton pulled apart by a queer machine called a cotton opener, or
bale breaker, for you remember the cotton was pressed very hard before
being shipped. The cotton is then placed in pickers, or machines which
blow it apart and blow out the leaves and dust and dirt. As the cotton
leaves this machine, it looks like a big piece (6 ft. wide) of cotton
batting rolled in a large roll. It looks soft and clean. Then the girls
watched the men place this roll at the back of the next machine, called
a carding machine (Fig. 45). Here it was cleaned some more; and such a
wonderful thing happened. As it left the machine instead of coming out as
a lap of the roll of cotton like it went in, it came out in a long thick
coil which looked like a rope, and there were tall round cans ready to
receive this continuous line of cotton rope. How soft and beautiful it
looked! What wonderful machines the manufacturer had. Some one must have
made them. Can you find out who made the first loom run by machinery?
John Alden looked it up in the encyclopedia. Do you know who invented the
first spinning machine?
[Illustration: FIG. 47.--Grandmother Allen's wheel used for spinning
wool.]
Then the girls visited ever so many machines which wound this cotton rope
on spools. Each machine made the rope thinner and finer until it was
drawn out as thin and round as the manufacturer wished (Fig. 46). Barbara
Oakes noticed this: that these spinning machines not only drew out the
cotton rope and made it thinner, but put in a twist which prevented it
from breaking so easily. Do you remember how the cotton fiber looked
under the microscope? The twist in the fiber helps in the spinning. Isn't
it wonderful to think that such tiny fibers can be made into spinning
yarns, and yarns woven into cloth?
[Illustration: _Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art._
FIG. 48. --The flax wheel.]
=How cotton is spun.= Did you ever see any one spin by hand? One day the
Girls' League went to Marjorie Allen's grandmother's house. She took the
girls to the attic and showed them her grandmother's spinning wheels
(Fig. 47). There was a large one for spinning woolen yarn. This she
called the great wheel. Then there was a small one called the flax wheel
(Fig. 48) for spinning flax, or linen, into yarn for weaving. Grandmother
sat down and showed them how to spin (Fig. 49). She pressed her foot on
the treadle just like a sewing machine; and the wheels went round. The
flax was on a little holder called a distaff. See the pictures (Figs.
48 and 49) of the wheels. She held and drew the flax while the wheels
of the machine put in the twist. That is just what the modern spinning
machine does, but it can accomplish much more in an hour than grandmother
did in a day. Still it is a great satisfaction to possess some of the
beautiful old textiles spun and woven by grandmother's hands. The girls
had the pleasure of opening a great chest in the attic and looking at
the hand-woven sheets and coverlets which Grandmother Allen prizes so
highly. Barbara Oakes and Mollie Stark fairly clapped their hands and
said, "How beautiful the colors are." The coverlets were made of wool
and cotton yarns. Grandmother showed the girls the hand cards which she
used when a girl in helping her mother prepare wool into carded rolls for
spinning. Do you remember that the cotton at the factory passed through
a carding machine to be cleaned and made into a cotton rope? Grandmother
told the girls she used to do the same for wool. She used the little hand
cards and drew the boards with the fine teeth back and forth to clean
the fibers, and then made little rolls for the great wheel to spin. The
picture (Fig. 50) shows how the hand cards are used. Wasn't that a long,
tedious process?
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Miss Mary E. Hoag._
FIG. 49.--Grandmother Allen sat at her flax wheel and showed the girls
how to spin.]
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Miss Mary E. Hoag._
FIG. 50. --Grandmother Allen carding wool by hand.]
Perhaps at your school you can have an exhibit of old industrial things
once used in the home. Maybe your grandmother has something in the
attic--some cards, or wheels, or old hand-woven materials. If you have a
Girls' Sewing League, the girls will, perhaps, send out invitations and
invite the mothers and grandmothers. The girls can prepare some coffee
and cookies at school to serve the afternoon of the exhibit. The Pleasant
Valley girls had such an afternoon entertainment and earned five dollars
for their school fund. They will probably buy some dishes for the school
lunch.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Try to find some pictures of very primitive spinning. Can you
make a spindle?
2. What does the process of carding do to the cotton or wool?
3. Plan an exhibition of old coverlets and other old hand-woven
textiles. Invite your parents and friends.
LESSON 5
CUTTING OUT A NIGHTDRESS
The patterns and muslin have probably arrived. Suppose you cut out
your nightdress.
Miss James kept a memorandum of the amounts of material needed by each
girl for her gown, and she has divided the cloth. She has, also, cut with
Barbara's help several patterns from the commercial pattern, so that all
may begin to work at once. Miss James has had such nice boards arranged
and fastened with hinges to the walls under the blackboards. They are so
convenient for cutting and can be let down out of the way when not needed.
[Illustration: FIG. 51.--Laying the nightdress pattern on the cloth.]
=Placing the pattern and cutting the material.= Let us look at our
patterns. Some girl will, perhaps, read aloud what the pattern says
in the description printed on the outside or on the envelope of this
commercial pattern. Who will hold up the nightdress pattern, showing how
it is related to the figure? Who can tell what the small group of dots on
the edge means? Who remembers how we can tell about laying the pattern
correctly on the warp of the material? Those two things are important.
It is also necessary to plan so as to waste as little as possible. Some
girls will find that their patterns are too long. Measure from the
shoulder at the neck of your nightdress pattern, and see if it is longer
or shorter than your measure. If the pattern is too long, fold up the
necessary portion. If too short, do not forget you must allow extra when
pinning the pattern on the cloth. How much of the whole nightdress does
this pattern give? If only one-half is given, the nightdress must be cut
on a fold; back and front in one with a hole for the neck, as it slips
over the head. How shall we fold the cloth so as to cut on a fold? Which
edge of the pattern shall be placed on the fold? Have you placed it most
economically on the cloth? Not an inch should be wasted. The pattern may
or may not allow for seams. What will you do if it does not? If you must
add for your hem at the bottom, do not forget to mark, with a fine pencil
mark, the allowance for hem beyond the pattern. So you see there are
many things to remember. Can you all cut out your nightdresses to-day
and baste ¼-inch seams under the arms? Pin your seams carefully before
basting. Instead of the sharp angle under the arm, which the kimono
nightdress usually gives, cut a good curve. Your teacher will help you.
The curve makes a better line and is easier to finish. The pieces left
must be rolled carefully, and your name must be written on the outside of
the roll. We may need the pieces later.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Cut a free-hand pattern of a kimono nightdress for your doll.
2. Show, with a piece of newspaper to represent the cloth, how the
pattern can be placed economically.
LESSON 6
THE PARTS OF A SEWING MACHINE
Shall we examine the new machine to-day and learn to run it? You
must practice before sewing your seams.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Wilcox and Gibbs Sewing Machine Co._
FIG. 52.--Single thread machine.]
=Do you know that sewing machines were invented less than one hundred
years ago?= Our great-grandmothers had to do all their sewing by hand,
and some of our grandmothers too. A man by the name of Elias Howe, of
Cambridge, Massachusetts, first thought about the sewing machine; and
since then many different kinds have been invented, to be run by foot and
also by mechanical power,--electricity. We have two kinds of foot-power
machines. One kind (Fig. 52) has only one thread, which is placed on a
spool on top; and the other (Fig. 53), the two-thread or double-thread,
is like the one we have at school. The double-thread machine is called
a lock-stitch machine, because one thread is on top on a spool and the
other is on a little spool called a bobbin in the shuttle under the
plate. The two threads lock together as the machine works. You will
learn how later. The machine with only one thread on top is called a
chain-stitch machine. The stitching made by it rips very easily; and the
ends must be fastened carefully when one stops. The double-thread machine
does not rip easily; and one can stitch on either the right or wrong
side of a garment. On the single-thread machine, one must stitch on the
right side always. Let us look at a machine before learning to operate it.
=What parts do you find below the table?= What use is the connecting
rod? What does it connect? Watch how your teacher puts her feet on the
treadle. What makes the wheel above the table turn around?
[Illustration: _Courtesy of New Home Sewing Machine Co._
FIG. 53.--Double-thread machine.]
You should practice running the machine first without any thread so as
to learn to use the treadle well, and then with paper to see if you are
holding it straight and making rows of pricks which are straight and
even. If one cannot make rows of even pricks, it means the sewing will be
crooked and must be ripped. Some of the Pleasant Valley girls practiced
in this way at home.
=What do you find besides the wheel above the table?= The shaft has many
parts. Can you name some? Yes, the spool holder, which holds the spool;
the needle bar, which holds the needle and moves up and down; the foot,
which is called the presser foot and can be raised or lowered by the
little handle; the needle plate, through which the needle works; the
feed, which is like little rough teeth of a comb and helps to push the
cloth along as one stitches. The little attachment near the wheel is for
winding bobbins for the shuttle. The shuttle lies in the shuttle race
under the plate. Suppose we move the plate and take it out. See, the
bobbin is in the shuttle. This is the second thread.
=How do you regulate the machine?= Jane asked Miss James about the
screws. There are usually two large ones on the double-thread machines
which are important. One screw is to make the stitch larger or smaller;
we say, to regulate it. Miss James showed the girls how to do this. The
second screw is to regulate the tightness of the thread. It is called a
tension. Press your thumb and first finger tightly together and pass a
thread between them. When you do not press very hard, the thread passes
easily. When you press hard, it is difficult to draw the thread through,
and the thread may break. Have you tried? The tension is regulated by a
screw which presses two little plates together. The thread passes between
the plates. When they are loose like your fingers, the thread passes
easily; when tight, it breaks. So, in threading a machine, we must learn
where the tension plates are, in order to pass the thread between them,
and how the screw is turned to make the plates tight or loose. Your
teacher will show you how to turn the screws.
To-day, while some girls are finishing the basting, others may try to run
the machine, in turn. This is what you are to do:
1. Find all the parts whose names have been put on the blackboard,
above table and below table.
2. Learn to treadle evenly.
3. Learn to raise and lower the presser foot on a piece of brown
paper, and to stitch without thread. Keep the rows of pricks very
even.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Study your machine. Find all the parts above the table; below
the table.
2. What is the purpose of a tension? Show how it operates.
3. Learn to stitch, without a thread, even rows of pricks on brown
paper.
4. See how much you can tell mother about the machine, when you go
home.
LESSON 7
PRACTICE IN THREADING AND RUNNING THE MACHINE
Let us learn to thread the double thread machine and practice
stitching. This requires much care, but is not difficult. The
Pleasant Valley girls enjoyed this lesson very much.
As we learned, there are many different makes of sewing machines. All are
based on the principles of the one invented by Mr. Howe. If we know the
important points to remember in threading a machine, it will be very easy
to follow the book of directions which comes with the machine. The names
of some machines are the New Home, Domestic, Singer, Wilcox and Gibbs.
=Here are the things to think about in threading=:
1. Find the spool holder, and put the spool on it.
2. Find all the little eyes and holes through which the thread
must pass. The book of directions will help.
3. Find the tension. Be sure the thread passes between the tension
plates and pulls evenly.
4. Find the needle, and thread it from left to right, towards the
wheel.
5. Find the shuttle. Look at your book of directions.
Miss James helped Barbara to put the bobbin in its place, and to
thread it into the shuttle. Ask your teacher to help you if you do
not know how.
6. Put the shuttle back in the shuttle holder.
7. Turn the wheel and hold the upper thread. This will bring the
under thread up through the little hole in the needle plate.
Both threads should be on top before beginning to stitch.
Now you are ready to begin to practice stitching with a thread.
=Try to remember these things, while stitching with a thread=:
1. To treadle evenly.
2. To hold the material on the table at the left hand and to pass
it on lightly. Do not pull it or push it with your left hand.
3. To turn corners evenly. Have the needle down in cloth. Raise
the presser foot and turn the work. Put the foot down and continue.
4. Be sure to turn the wheel in the proper direction, or the
thread will break.
5. Practice stitching parallel rows. Make good square corners. Use
some scraps of cloth for this sewing, and practice at home.
Those who have not practiced on the machine may do so during study
periods, if there is time. We can move the machine into the coat room.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Barbara Oakes does not turn good square corners on her practice
piece. Why?
2. Marjorie says her thread breaks every time she starts. Why?
3. Show some one how you can bring the under thread up through the
needle plate, preparatory to stitching.
4. Practice threading the machine, following book directions if
you do not know how.
5. Practice rows of good straight stitching.
LESSON 8
THE FRENCH SEAM AND ITS USE
What kind of seams shall we make on our nightdresses? How shall we
finish the bottom? The Pleasant Valley girls did most of this at
school in one lesson, but finished at home.
[Illustration: FIG. 54.--The French seam. First sewing near raw edges.]
=Making French seams on the nightdress.= We have learned that our dish
towels had to be hemmed because of the raveling of material. Anything
which is to be washed a great deal must have its raw edges finished in
such a way that they will not ravel. As nightdresses are washed often,
we must make our seams so that the edges will not pull out. Who can name
other garments which are washed often? Who can tell what we can do to
prevent edges from fraying? Yes, we might make small stitches, called
overcasting, on the edge of a plain seam. There is another way, which we
shall learn to-day. It is called a French seam. The French seam is sewed
twice. The seam is basted as you have done, on the right side of the
garment; seams are usually basted on the wrong side. Then, the seam is
sewed close to the basting stitches. We shall sew ours by machine. The
French seam is used on some garments made by hand. The first sewing (Fig.
54), then, is a tiny row of running stitches, close to the basting. After
the first sewing, the basting should be removed and the edges trimmed to
a ⅛-inch seam. This must be done carefully. Then, turn the garment to the
wrong side. Press and pinch the seams evenly so that the sewing of the
seam is exactly on top of the fold as you pinch it. Next, baste again
¼-inch from edge, and sew the second time, by machine. This seam is often
used on dainty handmade underwear. Then, the second sewing is two runs
and a back stitch, like that you used on your aprons, and is made by
hand. What must we be careful about, then, in making the French seams on
our nightdresses?
[Illustration: FIG. 55.--The French seam. Second sewing.]
=Making the hem of the nightdress.= How much was allowed for the hems at
the bottom of the nightdresses? Everybody knows how to turn a hem. The
first turning is ¼-inch; and the wide turning, 3 inches. All use your
gauges or tape measures; and turn and pin and baste carefully before
stitching. Who can tell why the tiny plaits are necessary at the hem
turning? Where shall we lay them? Yes, at the seams and between, if
necessary.
Now you will have plenty to do to finish seams and hem. The Pleasant
Valley girls, after this lesson, finished theirs at home.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Show on a practice piece how a French seam is made:
_a._ By hand.
_b._ By machine.
2. Name some garments or articles on which the French seam might
be used. Why?
3. What are the important things to remember in turning the hems
at the bottom of the nightdresses?
LESSON 9
PROTECTION FOR THE BODY AT NIGHT
Do you know that clothes help to keep us well? Mollie Stark wishes
to know what kind of clothing should be worn at night.
=What should be done about clothing at night?= We have learned that,
in order to keep well, we must think about the right kind of clothing
as well as food. Grown people sometimes forget about this; and growing
girls and boys, too. The body must be kept clean; and clothing worn next
to it should also be kept clean at night as well as during the day. Who
can remember how many pints of water the normal body gives off each day?
It loses about three pints in 24 hours. Can you recall what becomes
of this waste? Yes, some is evaporated, but some is collected by our
clothes; that is why they are soiled as they collect the perspiration and
excretions, although often they do not look soiled. The day garments
should be hung up at night in a place where they will air and dry out
by morning. They should not be shut up in a closet. Different clothing
should be worn at night. A muslin nightdress, like those you are making,
is usually suitable for six or seven months of the year; but some of
us who live in the country or in houses not well heated require warmer
clothing at night. Old people and babies, as well as sick people, require
more clothing because they are not able to resist the cold as easily. Do
you recall why? What is the normal human body temperature? Why is the
human body called a machine?
[Illustration: FIG. 56.--The clothing worn during the day should be aired
at night.]
=If our day clothing collects waste and should be aired at night, what
should be done with the night clothing during the day?= Yes, it should be
well aired. Have you ever noticed how the air of a room is spoiled by the
odor of night clothing and of bed coverings which have not been properly
aired? Some people roll up the nightdress and put it under the pillow.
That nightdress will not smell sweet and clean at night. Clean clothing
is absolutely necessary in order to keep well. We shall some day learn
how to cleanse clothing properly, by washing. Clothing worn next to the
body should be changed once a week at least, and twice or three times
if possible. When one works very hard and the body sends off more waste,
clothing should be changed more often.
The body which is to wear the clean clothing should be washed every day.
It may not be possible to take a tub bath or a swim in the river or
lake, but one can bathe all over with a bucket of water and a cloth and
soap. It pays, for one feels so fresh; and, then, the waste of the body
is removed by the washing, and the pores of the skin are kept in good
condition. When our skin is in good condition, we do not feel the cold as
much as do those who do not bathe frequently.
=Do you remember that we said our clothing must help to save some of the
body heat?= That is how clothing protects. Why must some heat be saved?
We also learned that when our body works very hard much heat is created.
Where does it go? It is not all saved. Why? Our clothing helps to prevent
the heat of the body from escaping too rapidly. We should plan to wear
light clothing in summer and heavier in winter, or to adapt our clothing
to the weather. This is only good sense. In summer we have cool days,
and in winter warm ones. People whose habits of living keep them indoors
a great deal should be clothed lightly for a warm house and, when going
out, should protect themselves with extra clothing. The boy or girl who
walks to school rapidly does not require as much clothing as one who
rides. Can you tell why?
=Have you heard that several layers of thin clothing are warmer than one
thick layer?= Frank Allen says he knows why. Yes, because of the layers
of air between the thicknesses of clothing. Still air does not carry the
heat away, so we feel warmer with several layers of still air. Clothing
helps to keep the layers of air from conducting the heat away too
rapidly. Porous clothing is always better because air can pass through
and can be collected in the meshes. Loose wool material is warm because
it holds the air between the spaces made by the woolly fibers. Some day
we shall study the wool fiber as we have the cotton, and find out why it
collects air and why woolen clothes shrink. Do you think you understand
why clothes should be changed at night? Can you tell your big brother at
home why? Mollie Stark and Jane Smith told about this part of the story
when they went home from school. Mrs. Stark had invited some friends in
for tea. All enjoyed hearing Mollie's story.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Why is it important to change one's clothing weekly?
2. What care should be taken of the clothing worn at night? Why?
3. How do clothes help to keep us well? Tell mother or father how.
4. Look in your teacher's book on physiology. What does it say
about body temperature; about cleanliness of the skin?
5. Write the story of what you think Mollie and Jane told about
this subject at Mrs. Stark's tea party.
LESSON 10
LACES AND THEIR USE
We must finish the sleeves of our nightdresses, and also the neck.
Shall we use some lace? Do you know that there are many kinds of
lace? How shall we sew it to the gown?
Imitation Cluny insertion $.12
Imitation Cluny edging .15
Real Cluny insertion .25
Real Cluny edging .18
German "Val" insertion .09
German "Val" edging .09
French "Val" insertion .13
French "Val" edging .13
[Illustration: FIG. 57.--The names and retail prices of a few good laces
for underwear.]
Cotton beading $.03
Linen machine-made beading .04
Linen beading .06
Real torchon insertion .24
Real torchon edging .16
Machine-made torchon insertion .07
Machine-made torchon edge .10
Irish crochet insertion .85
Irish crochet edging 1.10
[Illustration: FIG. 58.]
=Do you know that there are many kinds of lace?= The day Marjorie Allen
took the girls to visit her grandmother, they saw many things in the
attic. Grandmother Allen also showed them some old lace and undergarments
which were decorated with lovely embroidery. It was all done most
evenly with lovely flowers and scalloped edges, and all in white cotton
embroidery thread. There were some dainty old laces, too. The girls
learned the names of some of them. The Sewing League sent for several
samples of modern laces of the same names. There were _cluny_ laces
like these in the sample box. Cluny lace is often quite heavy and is
used on heavy materials. The lighter cluny laces are more suitable for
underwear. The cluny laces are hand or machine made. Which do you think
are more expensive? Have you ever seen any one make lace by hand? It is
sometimes done on a lace pillow with pins to outline the pattern. The
little bobbins of thread are thrown around the pins. Can you get from the
picture (Fig. 59) an idea of how it is done? _Torchon_ lace is also used,
but is not quite so heavy as cluny. It is either hand or machine made.
Both of these are linen laces, but sometimes are imitated in cotton. They
are not so pretty when made of cotton. It is better taste to buy of good
lace the amount one can afford than to buy a cheap imitation. If one can
only pay for a cotton lace, then choose a cotton kind, such as the laces
called _valenciennes_. The girls sent for French valenciennes and also
for "_German Val._" lace edging and insertion. What is the difference
between an edging and an insertion? The German valenciennes laces are
somewhat coarser. There are also some samples of _Irish crochet_ lace.
The real Irish handmade crochet is done with a crochet hook, by hand.
The imitations are made by machinery. Marjorie's grandmother has some
real Irish crochet and some real old valenciennes lace. It is handmade
and must have cost a great deal of money. In grandmother's day machines
had not been invented for making lace. Let us look at the samples which
Miss James has. The pictures (Figs. 57 and 58) show some of those used by
the Pleasant Valley girls. Which would you like on your gown? The German
valenciennes wears well and is not expensive. The machine-made linen
cluny or torchon lace is attractive, suitable, and it wears well. Why do
you think a fine French valenciennes lace does not look well on thick
muslin underwear?
[Illustration: FIG. 59.--Lace being made by hand on pillows with tiny
bobbins of thread.]
=Besides using lace, what are some other ways of finishing a garment?= We
shall send for our laces and also learn another way to finish neck and
sleeves, which will cost less. We can use bias bands of lawn to finish
the rough edges. Cut them 2½-inches wide (see page 25), and they will
be about one inch finished. The feather stitch added will make a pretty
decoration. Scalloping is easy. The gowns might be finished with the hand
scallop around neck and sleeves, if one has the time.
=We shall learn how to sew on the lace insertion or edging.= The girls
who use lace may decide to have only the edging. If insertion or beading
is used, too, it is sewed on first.
While we are waiting for the lace to come, we can prepare the edges of
the neck and sleeves. If we use a French fell, the sewing will not show
on the right side at all when the lace is entirely in place; besides,
only one sewing is necessary for the hem and lace. This is how it is done:
1. Turn to the _right side_ of the garment at both neck and sleeve
edges, a hem of ⅛-inch. The first turning must, also, be ⅛-inch.
Baste very carefully with small stitches.
2. Turn these hems backward to wrong side and crease so that the
edge of the turned hem is exactly at the finished edge of the
garment. This is where the lace is to be sewed. We shall learn how
to sew on the lace next lesson.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Bring to school all the samples of lace you can find at home.
With your teacher's help compare and discuss their uses. Mount the
best samples for an exhibit.
2. Ask your family and friends to show you any old pieces of lace
they may have.
3. Consult the encyclopedia or other books, and see if you can
learn more about how lace is made. There are several good books
all about lace.
LESSON 11
TRIMMING THE NIGHTDRESS
A new way to sew on lace by hand, and an inexpensive way to trim
the nightdress.
=Did you find it very difficult to turn the narrow hem around the neck of
your nightdress?= Jane Smith almost cried; but Miss James helped her a
little. It is always more difficult to turn a hem on a curved edge than
on a straight edge. If the turns have both been made the same width and
if the basting stitches are small, there will be no difficulty. After
the hems have been turned backwards and creased to the wrong side, we
are ready to sew on the insertion. Hold the insertion straight with
the right side to the right side of the gown, and with the edge of the
insertion to the edges of the creased hem. Now great care must be taken.
The overhanding stitch is to be used. You learned this stitch on the bean
bags (page 28). In taking the stitch be very careful to put the needle
through the _edge of the hem_, _the creased edge_, _and the lace_. The
sewing will not be neat unless all these edges are caught by this sewing.
_This is important._
=If one wishes, it is possible to use only the lace edging without the
insertion.= Sew it to the gown in the same way one would sew it to the
insertion. Towards the worker hold the lace just a little full. Sometimes
one can pull the thread at the edge of the lace and use it as a gathering
thread; but, as not much fullness is required, it is very satisfactory to
hold the lace a little full with the thumb as one sews. Small overhanding
stitches will hold the fullness as it is distributed evenly. The right
side of the lace is placed towards the right side of the insertion
so that the two edges of lace and insertion are overhanded together.
Sometimes, if the neck of a gown is too big and one wishes to make it
smaller, tucks can be put in groups at the center front or back, in
number according to the amount to be taken up. In calculating for tucks,
one must remember that the tuck takes up twice the amount of material
as the width of tuck desired, and covers its own width in lying flat.
If tucks are used to make the neck size smaller, it will be found more
satisfactory to put a narrow facing around the neck before trimming.
To seam the ends of lace, make a plain seam on the wrong side. Lay it
flat, turn under the two edges together, and hem in a narrow hem.
=A pretty way to finish the edges of neck and sleeves is with bias
bands.= Cut strips as for the pot holder (see page 25). White, pink, or
blue lawn may be used for contrast. Cut the bands 2½-inches wide. They
will look one inch wide finished. Place on the right side, right of lawn
to right of gown. Make ¼-inch seam and stitch. Turn to wrong side. Turn
under ¼-inch and hem to wrong side. Another way to finish is to baste the
band and decorate it with the featherstitch to hold the turning. This
stitch is a pretty decoration (see page 120). It is placed on the right
side and at the bottom of the band. It should be made with white cotton
embroidery thread; #25 D.M.C. cotton is very good for such finishings.
[Illustration: FIG. 60.--Nightdress with sleeves set in, and sleeves and
neck finished with bias bands.]
The neckband will need a tape or a ribbon to hold the fullness of the
band close to the neck. The binding should be started and finished
at the front, and the ends of binding should be turned in (Fig. 60).
This will leave an opening where the ribbon can be run in. This is a
satisfactory finish and is not expensive. The lawn is 12 or 15 cents a
yard; and ½-yard will cut enough bands for several girls' gowns. The
D.M.C. cotton will cost only two cents a skein. Send for these in time.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Can you suggest any other finish for the nightdress?
2. If you should wish to add 3 tucks each ½-inch wide at the
bottom of your gown and with ½-inch space between them, how many
extra inches in length would you have to add to your gown length?
The Pleasant Valley girls worked this out in their arithmetic
class.
LESSON 12
CHOOSING A PATTERN AND MATERIAL FOR A WHITE PETTICOAT
Do you think you can send for the cotton material and for a
pattern for a petticoat? What kind of cloth will you use? Perhaps
you would prefer to make a slip instead of a skirt.
=Who can remember the names of the best cotton materials for underwear?=
What shall we choose for our petticoats or slips? Look at the pattern
book and choose a simple petticoat. We shall learn to make one with a
ruffle. It is very useful in summer to wear under thin dresses, although
some girls may prefer to make a slip which combines petticoat and waist.
What sizes shall we order? How much cloth will be required? We shall need
three lengths of cloth for the skirt. Let us take our length measures
for the skirt, allowing four inches extra for hem and finishing. Those
who wish to make ruffles of the material will need one yard extra of
same cloth or of lawn. Which will be less expensive, a ruffle of Hamburg
embroidery edging or a ruffle of lawn decorated with a fancy stitch?
Which will take longer to prepare?
The girls of Pleasant Valley School decide on a pattern with five gores.
What does that mean? Would you prefer some other? Why is the five-gored
pattern a good one for the petticoat?
[Illustration: FIG. 61.--A simple petticoat.]
The girls choose cambric for their petticoats. Some decide to buy the
lawn and to make the ruffle with a simple decoration. In calculating for
the ruffle, allow 1½ times the width of the skirt. This is full enough.
The depth of the ruffle is according to desire. It may be from 5 to 10
inches deep. Cut it across the warp. Can you tell why? Others may decide
to make a simple ruffle of the same material with a decorated hem; a few
may use the Hamburg ruffle. Which ruffle will you decide to use for your
skirt or the bottom of your slip?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Calculate how much material you will need for your petticoat
without the ruffle.
2. Calculate the amount for the ruffle.
3. How will the patterns help you to make these calculations?
LESSON 13
LEARNING TO MAKE THE PETTICOAT
The girls of Pleasant Valley have had so much practice that the
petticoat will not be a difficult task. Do you think you will find
it easy too?
Mollie Stark is delighted to make the petticoat, for she needs one to
wear under the new dotted Swiss dress that mother made for her birthday.
She saw in the "Pleasant Valley News" that there will be an unusual sale
of Hamburg edgings; and she thinks she will go to town and see if it is
something she can use. Miss James told the girls that Hamburg edging
which is full of holes and in which the pattern is poor and poorly
embroidered, is not worth buying. The edge is usually very weak and
pulls out after one or two washings. The Hamburg edging called "blind
embroidery" has no holes and is likely to be firmer.
Let us study briefly how the petticoats are to be made:
1. _Cut out._ Follow pattern, placing economically. Allow extra
for hem, if necessary, and one inch for receiving tuck under which
the ruffle will be placed. Fold pieces left over; they will be
needed.
2. _Pin and baste gores._ Be careful to match notches--front, then
side gore at each side, then back gore at each side of side gore,
five in all. Pin from top down. Baste from bottom up with bias
edge towards worker. Holding thus prevents stretching.
3. _Make French seams by machine._
4. _Make hem on bottom._ Baste a two or three inch hem as planned.
Stitch. Sometimes dust ruffles of the same cloth or of lawn are
placed on the bottom of the skirt instead of a hem. They are made
about 3 or 4 inches wide and cut across warp of cloth. The skirt
is then cut 3 or 4 inches shorter, and the ruffle makes the length
by being added at bottom under a tuck ⅜-inch wide. This ruffle has
½-inch hem on the bottom edge and is sewed to skirt with a seam on
the right side. The tuck is made directly above it and is stitched
flat to cover the raw edges. A hem at the bottom is enough, and is
suitable for young girls, when a ruffle is to be added above for
decoration and fullness.
5. _Prepare tuck on skirt for ruffle._ Measure from bottom of
skirt depth of ruffle. At that point make a tuck ⅜-inch deep.
Baste and stitch. This must be same distance from the bottom of
skirt all the way around, and on the right side of skirt. It
is not always necessary to use a tuck. A bias band can be used
instead or a beading to cover the raw edges of the ruffle.
6. _Prepare ruffle._ This may be of lawn with edge hemmed and
decorated with featherstitch, or it may be of Hamburg edging or
of same material with scalloped edge (see page 142). A ruffle of
the same material with a simple ½-inch hem may also be used. The
width of ruffle is half as full again as the width of skirt. The
depth can be 5-10 inches as desired. Divide ruffle in quarters,
and gather.
7. _To join ruffle to skirt._ Divide skirt in quarters. Pin
quartered ruffle in place. Draw up gathering threads to fit skirt.
Wind thread around pins to hold. Baste. If a receiving tuck has
been made, turn it down over the raw edge of ruffle and baste and
stitch on very edge of tuck. If a tuck has not been made, baste
over the raw edges of ruffle a band of finishing braid or beading
or a bias strip of the same cloth as the skirt, ⅜-inch wide;
stitch on both edges.
8. _To make placket._ Use straight strip 2 inches wide. Start
at waist line, right of strip to right of skirt. Sew all around
placket opening. Stitch. Turn to wrong side. Hem down by hand. Lap
at bottom of opening so it lies flat. Backstitch across the bottom
with a slanting line of stitches. This makes a flat back with no
fullness and is called a bound placket.
9. _To finish top of skirt._ Cut bias strip of cloth about one
inch wide; sew to right side. Turn over to wrong side even with
top; turn so as to be ½-inch wide finished; stitch on edge, flat.
Lap skirt in back with three buttonholes, one at waist and two
below in placket lap.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Calculate how much ruffling of Hamburg edging will be needed
for a skirt 2½-yards around.
2. Get samples of embroidery and pin to the Bulletin Board, where
all the girls may see them.
3. Practice making a receiving tuck.
4. See if you can plan a section of a dust ruffle for a petticoat.
Make the skirt part of brown paper with tissue for the ruffle.
LESSON 14
HOW TO MAKE A CORSET COVER
The new problem of corset cover is not difficult, if one has
learned all the preceding lessons. Let us study how to trim this
garment or the waist of a slip.
Some of the girls of Pleasant Valley will make combinations of corset
cover and skirt, and others the corset cover (Fig. 62). They decide to
use nainsook and to trim them with German valenciennes lace. About
1½-yards of cloth are necessary. They have sent for a simple pattern
and will make them partly by hand. Miss James gave them the following
directions:
[Illustration: FIG. 62.--A simple corset cover.]
1. _To cut._ Place pattern economically. Pin and cut.
2. _Baste._ Pin and baste underarm seams and shoulders. Sew French
seams by machine.
3. _Make front laps._ On left side make hem ¾-inch wide turned
to wrong side. On right front make hem turned to right side ¾-inch
wide. Stitch this ⅛-inch from each edge to form front lap.
It could be run by hand if all handmade or featherstitched with
tiny stitches. This lap is for the buttonholes, which are made
vertically, three or four in the lap. If it is desired to conceal
the buttons, make an extra strip for buttonholes and stitch under
the right front lap with the stitching of hem.
4. _Finish bottom._ Even the bottom, and make as a finish a narrow
hem ¼-inch wide.
5. _Gather at waist line._ In center fronts and in middle of
center back, gather at the waist line to fit figure. Baste on
inside of waist over these adjusted gathers a straight band ¼-inch
wide, with edges turned. Baste and stitch this top and bottom to
hold gathers. Waist line can, also, be finished, if desired, on
right side with beading or with a band.
6. _To finish top of cover and sleeves._ Make the same finish as
for kimono night dress. This is neat and attractive. The top of
the corset cover can be gathered to fit the figure, or tiny hand
or machine tucks of ⅛-inch in width may be run about three inches
deep each side of the front laps, five or six tiny ones being made
on each side, according to the amount of fullness to be taken in.
The top can be finished with a Hamburg beading for ribbon, sewed
on with a French seam; and then lace may be overhanded on the edge
of it. The finish of the sleeves should correspond to the neck
finish.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
Calculate how much beading and lace or lace alone will be necessary to
trim a corset cover. Draw sketch of how it is to be decorated.
REVIEW PROBLEMS
I. Practice sewing on the machine at home. Learn to turn good
square corners and to stitch straight.
II. Plan to make a slip or some extra garment at home, using
the principles and knowledge gained at school, in sewing seams,
trimming and making.
III. In what ways are you planning to protect your body at night?
How do you ventilate your room? How air your clothes?
[Illustration]
CHAPTER III
LEARNING TO MAKE SOME ATTRACTIVE GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS OR FOR A BIRTHDAY
PRESENT
Perhaps you would like to surprise mother or father at Christmas time
or to make a birthday gift for grandmother or auntie. All the Pleasant
Valley School girls have made plans for Christmas. Making gifts is
not difficult, if one gives thought and time, and need not be a great
expense, if one is careful to use scraps of cloth. Look in the attic
or in the piece bag to see if there are any scraps of silk. If you are
making a gift for mother, I am sure grandmother will help you to find
something. Giving is much fun when one can make the gift a surprise.
Grandmother Allen and Grandmother Stark are helping the Pleasant Valley
girls with their surprises. It is not the cost of a gift which counts,
but the loving thought which one puts into it. A surprise birthday
pudding or cake, a surprise apron or work bag, are all things into which
we can put loving thought. Who said the "gift without the giver is bare"?
What does that mean? Have you ever given a gift or received one into
which no loving thought had been put? See how much happier you will feel
when you give thought, too.
The girls of the Pleasant Valley Sewing League think they will make
something for their fair. Miss James has a box full of samples of silk
from a wholesale house, which were given to her. She says the girls may
have them. Some of the pieces are very large and can be used for many
things. Next lesson you might do as they did, and all bring any pieces
you may have and see what can be made from them.
LESSON 1
THE STORY OF HOW SILK IS PRODUCED
Do you know that a tiny little worm gives us our silk dresses,
hair ribbons, neckties, gloves, stockings, and many other useful
things? Do you know how the worm makes the silk? It is a very
wonderful story. Let us study about silk to-day.
In the picture (Fig. 63) you will see one of the silkworms full-grown.
The mother and father were beautiful moths. The mother moth lays the
little eggs on the leaves of the mulberry tree because they are good
food for her baby worms. The sunshine and warmth hatch the little eggs.
The eggs are like pinheads, and are smaller than tiny grains of chopped
corn which you feed your chickens. Your mother hen sets on the eggs
until the warmth makes the chicks grow, but the sunshine starts the tiny
moth eggs. Soon a little baby worm comes out and is as small as a tiny
thread. It grows and grows and eats and eats, until it is about three
inches long and nearly as thick around as one of your fingers, as the
picture shows (Fig. 63). It takes about a month for the worm to grow so
large. It must be tended very carefully and given the right food, or it
will die. The food must be chopped fine. It is like preparing milk for
baby; is it not? They must, also, be kept very clean in order to grow.
Cleanliness always helps animals, as well as people, to grow.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Corticelli Silk Co. Copyright, 1896, Nonotuck
Silk Co._
FIG. 63.--Corticelli silkworm, eating.]
=Have you heard that there are some countries where the silkworm grows
better than in others?= Can you name the countries producing the most
silk? You have learned that in your geography. Yes, Japan and China and
Italy. Yes, and France and Asia Minor, too. Do you think the United
States produces very much silk? Why not? In the countries named, labor is
not so expensive. Silkworms require much care and labor.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of United States Department of Agriculture._
FIG. 64.--The houses or cocoons built by the worms in the branches.]
Silk is the most beautiful and the strongest of the common fibers. It
also costs the most. The silk fiber produced by these tiny worms is often
four thousand feet in length. Let us learn how the tiny worm does such a
wonderful thing. He must work as hard as the busy bee.
=After the worm is full-grown he begins his busy work.= This is like boys
and girls; they, too, begin to work when they are grown. If well fed and
clean, the worm will work well. This is apt to be true of girls and boys,
too. The worm begins by making a house for himself called a cocoon (Fig.
64). Have you ever seen the cocoons of any moth? If you will look, you
will find them on the trees. Miss James has some cocoons of the lovely
green Luna moth. She put the green worm in the box, and it has spun a
cocoon. We do not find the mulberry worm growing wild in the United
States. In some countries it grows wild, just as our Luna moth.
=When the worm is ready to spin, she throws out two tiny little threads
one from each side of her head.= This is a secretion and is a kind of
jellylike fluid. As the air touches it, it hardens. She works her head
back and forth, and the tiny filaments, or threads, as they are called,
are joined together into one. She works and works until she has built a
house of silk threads all glued together so that it seems like a mass
of parchment paper. These houses are about 1½-inches in length, and are
white or yellow in color. In China and Japan these cocoons are grown and
tended very carefully. The outside of the cocoon is covered with the
loose fluffy silk which the worm uses to attach his home to a leaf or
twig. It takes the worm three weeks to make this long, continuous thread
called a cocoon. During that time a wonderful thing happens. The worm
inside the cocoon is changed to a moth like her mother and father and
is ready to leave her home by eating her way out. What would happen to
the long silk thread if she did that? Yes, it would be broken into small
pieces and not be one continuous piece. Some moths are permitted to come
out (see Fig. 65). They then find a mate and soon more tiny eggs are laid
by the mother moth; and all the story begins again.
=A sad thing happens when cocoons are grown for the silk.= The moths are
not allowed to come out and break the thread; but are put in a very
hot place so they die inside. The cocoons are then ready to be reeled
or wound off. They are placed in basins of hot water because the gummy
secretion of the worm must be softened. The ends from four or five
cocoons are caught together and reeled, or wound, off together. This
makes a strand of raw silk.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Corticelli Silk Co. Copyright, 1895, by
Nonotuck Silk Co._
FIG. 65.--Corticelli cocoons from which the moths have emerged.]
John Alden told the following story. He said his father read it aloud the
night before when the family gathered about the big open fire. Once upon
a time, long ago, people did not know how to use the beautiful fibers of
the silkworm. We are told that a Chinese empress discovered how to use
it as long ago as 2700 years before the birth of Christ. Every year, in
April, the Chinese people have a celebration in her honor, because of
her valuable discovery. Think of all the riches she added to her country
because of this secret. It is said that for many years this secret was
kept; but later some monks traveling east to India and Constantinople
told others how to reel the silk fiber. Then the use of silk fiber spread
to Greece and Italy and Spain, and by the fourteenth century was common
in France. Since then, silk manufacture has grown rapidly in importance.
John traced the journey on the map. Will you see if you can trace this
journey of silk manufacture. Where do you think the secret was carried
from France?
[Illustration: _Courtesy of United States Department of Agriculture._
FIG. 66.--Silk reeling. The cocoons are in the basins before the women.]
=Can you send for some cocoons and raw silk?= Your teacher will tell you
where to write. Raw silk, as it is wound from cocoons, is made up into
hanks like the worsted which you buy at the store. It is sold in hanks by
the pound and costs from $7.00 to $10.00 a pound. It takes three thousand
silkworms to spin a pound of raw silk. Do you know that for grandmother's
dress about two pounds of raw silk were necessary? Can you tell how many
worms were kept busy?
In another lesson we shall learn how the manufacturer of silk ribbons or
silk material takes the raw silk and makes it into beautiful fabrics. Now
we know about a useful little animal as well as about a plant which gives
us clothing. Silk, however, is more expensive than cotton. Cotton is
sometimes made to look like silk. The cotton fiber is mercerized, which
means soaked in certain chemicals and stretched to make it look silky.
Lisle thread looks somewhat like silk. It is cotton twisted hard to give
it a luster. Another day we shall learn more about these.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Do you know where silk is grown? Write a story of 100 words
telling about it.
2. Why is not more silk grown in the United States?
3. Find on your map of the world the principal countries where
silk is grown.
4. Name some articles made of silk which you use every day; which
you see used.
5. What are some of the other uses which we have for silk?
LESSON 2
SIMPLE ARTICLES EASILY MADE FROM SILK SCRAPS
There are so many things which can be made from silks. Suppose you
start with something easy. Miss James had some good suggestions.
The little pin-case or the sewing-case are both useful (Figs. 68
and 69). You know the overhanding stitch; so you can make them
quickly. Several of the Pleasant Valley girls will make them for
Christmas gifts as well as for the fair. Which will you make?
Here are the directions for making both the pin-case and the sewing-case.
They are not difficult if the directions are followed carefully.
_For the Pincase._ Cut two circles of stiff cardboard from 2 to 3
inches in diameter, if your silk pieces will permit. The circles
must be exact. Cut two pieces of silk 3 or 4 inches in diameter,
so the silk pieces will be ½-inch larger all around than the
cardboard. ¼-inch from the edge, with double thread, make a row
of gathering stitches; slip cardboard within and draw up the silk
around the card. Now crisscross with your thread through the
edges of material until all is held firmly (Fig. 67). Cover both
cards. Then hold the two together, and very neatly overhand with
silk thread of a color to match. Tiny stitches should be taken.
Put in a row of pins around the edges close together. A pretty
decoration can be made by working a design or an initial on the
silk if it is a plain color. This can be done with chain stitch or
featherstitch, before the cover is put over the cardboard.
[Illustration: FIG. 67.--This shows how to cover the circle, and draw the
silk neatly at the edges.]
In the picture (Fig. 68) notice the other cases. They are made exactly
like the pin-case but of circles or of pieces of different shape.
[Illustration: FIG. 68.--Several useful cases: _A_, pin-case; _B_, oval
pin-case; _C_, spool-case; _D_, darning-case; _E_, needle-book.]
Cases for doilies can be made of two large circles of 12 in. in
diameter. The circles can be tied together with ribbon and the
doilies lie flat between. The case for darning thread is also very
useful.
_For the sewing case._ This is more difficult. It is three-sided
and is made of three elliptical disks covered as we did the round
ones for the pincase. How many cardboards will you need? Thin
cardboard is necessary. What does elliptical mean? A good size is
4 inches the long way and 2½-inches across. All the girls know how
to draw an ellipse. Cut the six pieces of silk ½-inch larger all
around than the ellipses, and cover in same way as you did the
round disks. If there are not enough scraps of one color, use a
contrasting color for the lining. After the six pieces have been
covered and joined together to make three ellipses, then the three
are to be overhanded together very neatly, leaving open the third
edge, which is the opening of the case where the spools, etc. are
put inside. The case naturally closes itself; but, when pressed at
the ends, it opens easily.
[Illustration: FIG. 69.--The sewing case made of three elliptical disks
sewed together.]
=What are some pretty stitches that may be used for decorating?= If one
wishes, the sewing case can also be decorated with a good design like the
one in the picture (Fig. 69). Would you like to make the chain stitch and
the featherstitch? They are both useful for decoration on bags, aprons,
dresses for baby, underwear, and many things. Mollie Stark learned this
stitch and used it on a dress for her baby brother. Mrs. Stark is very
happy to think Mollie is learning how to sew. These are the directions
for making several pretty stitches:
_The chain stitch_ is easy to learn. Begin with a knot. Pass the
thread from the under side up. Throw the thread so as to make an
O (see Fig. 70). Put the needle into the hole where thread came
through, and make a stitch about ⅛-inch long. Hold the cloth over
the fingers with the thumb on top. The needle should be pointed
towards the worker, and the point of the needle should be brought
up through the little round O. Care must be taken in pulling the
thread through to have the loop of thread lying flat on the cloth.
The length of stitch should be uniform. What does uniform mean?
The outline of an initial or any drawn design can be followed with
this stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 70.--The chain stitch.]
_The featherstitch_ is very beautiful, when made small and even
(Fig. 71). It can be varied by making one or two stitches on each
side of a center line. The length of the stitches and the slant
always affect the appearance. In practicing the featherstitch
draw a pencil line on your cloth as a guide. The stitches are
slanting and are taken towards this line. This stitch is used for
decoration in the same way as the chain stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 71.--_A_, the single featherstitch; _B_, the double
featherstitch.]
_The single featherstitch._ Hold the work over the finger with
thumb on top of cloth. Work towards you. Start with knot on under
side of pencil line. Draw thread through to right side. Lay thread
on the pencil line and hold with thumb. To right of thread near
beginning, take a small ⅛-inch slanting stitch towards the line
of thread. Draw needle through over the loop of thread. Have it
loose and lying flat. For the second stitch, hold thread again on
the pencil mark. Throw thread for next stitch on the left of the
line. Take slanting stitch towards center line. Draw needle up
through the loop, which should lie flat. The next stitch is taken
to the right of the center line directly under the stitch above
it, and should be the same length and slant. The beauty of this
stitch depends on its evenness. A striped material makes a good
practice piece. After the stitch is learned, it is easy to make
it on plain cloth; but one must then keep constantly in mind an
imaginary center line. This is a very useful stitch for finishing
hems instead of using the hemming stitch. The lawn ruffles on our
petticoats were finished with this stitch. The featherstitch is
sometimes a straight stitch instead of slanting. It is taken each
side of the imaginary center line as the slanting one, but the
needle is held straight.
[Illustration: FIG. 72.--The outline stitch.]
_The outline stitch._ This is another easy stitch (Fig. 72) which
every girl should learn. It can be used instead of the chain or
featherstitch, as decoration. It outlines, or follows, the design,
and so gets its name. The stitch is taken on the line and is
worked from left to right. Care must be taken to have the stitches
all the same length and to throw the thread in one direction
either away from or towards the worker. The pretty effect will be
spoiled if there is a variation. Away from the worker makes a neat
effect. Begin with knot. Draw needle to right side on the line.
Throw thread away from worker; take a small back stitch on the
line, needle pointing towards the worker. This will make a long
thread on the surface and the short stitch beneath. The effect is
much prettier when the stitches are taken close together.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Name some other articles on which the featherstitch or chain
stitch can be used; some on which the outline stitch may be used.
2. Draw a picture on the blackboard of the featherstitch, chain
stitch, and outline stitch. Can you show how the needle looks in
position, without looking at your textbook?
LESSON 3
THE NAMES AND USES OF SEVERAL SILKS ARE DISCUSSED
To-day we shall study again about silks. Let us look at those in
Miss James' piece bag; and, also, see how many different kinds we
have for our gifts. Perhaps your teacher has some too.
Such a variety of kinds and colors! Some are soft and light, and others
are heavy and stiff. Do they have names just as the cotton materials?
=Can any one tell the names of any of these silks?= Yes, the plain one is
a _taffeta_. It is plain in color; and the weave is plain, the same on
both sides. Sometimes it comes with printed and woven figures. What is
the difference between a woven and a printed design? Here is a piece with
a printed design. It is a _foulard silk_. How does this design differ
from the taffeta with the design? Foulard silk is used for dresses.
Taffeta is also; as well as for linings and for petticoats. A cheap
quality of taffeta does not wear well. It costs from 75 cents to $2.00 a
yard, and is woven 21 inches and wider. Foulards are about 24 inches wide
and can be bought for the same price as the taffetas. Mollie's mother had
a foulard silk dress last summer; so did Grandmother Allen.
Here is a soft crinkling white piece and a dark blue just like it; and
also a black piece. These are called _crêpe de chine_ and are used for
dresses, also; and sometimes for underwear. It is soft and lustrous, and
comes in plain colors and sometimes printed. It costs from 75 cents up
and is woven 22 inches and sometimes wider.
Shall we start another book of materials, and see how many silks we can
learn about?
The piece Barbara Oakes brought is smooth and shiny on the right side.
Does anyone know the name? It is woven in such a way that the filling
thread goes over several threads and under one. Try it on your school
loom. This weave brings most of the filling thread on the surface of the
cloth. The material is called _satin_, and the weave is the satin weave.
Some cottons are woven with the satin weave, and often in table linen
or damask we see the smooth satin weave. Here is a bit of damask table
linen. Let us compare this smooth part with the satin.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Crompton and Knowles._
FIG. 73.--The Jacquard loom. Notice the cards with punched holes above
it. They affect the pattern. Can you find the cloth which is being woven?]
Satins are used for dresses, linings, trimmings, boxes, and for many
other purposes. They cost $1 to $20 per yard, if very beautiful, and are
woven from 21 to 54 inches wide. Satin is sometimes made of a combination
of linen or cotton, with the silk. It is then less expensive. The woof,
or filling thread, which gives the smooth finish is silk; and it is
that which shows in the finished cloth. This piece of silk, which looks
figured like table linen, only it is made of silk, is called a _brocaded
satin_. This satin is used for dresses and trimmings, and often for
furniture covering and for hangings in beautiful rooms. It is made on a
loom called a Jacquard. Table damask is made on the same kind of loom.
This wonderful loom (Fig. 73) is able to produce very beautiful patterns,
because of the management of the perforated cards above the loom which
affect the pattern.
The soft white piece is _china silk_. Little Alice Allen had a dress
made of it last summer. It is a plain weave, and many of such silks are
still woven by hand in China. It is very durable and is used for dresses,
waists, and underwear. It costs $1 for a fairly good quality, and is
woven 24 inches wide.
This piece of silk, also, originated in China. It is called _pongee_.
Mary Jones had a coat of this last year. It is ecru in color and is soft.
The real Chinese pongee is hand-woven and is made from the silk of wild
silkworms. It is woven 27 inches wide and costs $1 per yard up. This
piece was $1.50 per yard.
This is a queer-looking piece. It is marked in a watery pattern. The silk
has been pressed between hot rollers which are stamped with a pattern to
give that effect. It is called _moiré_ silk, and is used for trimmings
and dresses. It is quite expensive. A good piece will cost at least $2
per yard and is 22 inches in width.
We shall learn about two more of the most common silk materials. One is
thick, and the other is thin. The thin piece is called _chiffon_. Who
has ever seen it used? Yes, for veils. It is used for dresses, too, and
for hats and trimmings. Isn't it light and thin and gauzy? It is made in
plain colors generally; sometimes figured. It is 46 inches wide and costs
from $.75 to $2 per yard.
Yes, every one knows this one! It is called _velvet_. This piece is all
silk, and was a part of Marjorie's great-grandmother's dress. Some
velvets are made of linen and silk, or of cotton and silk. All silk
velvet is very expensive. It often costs $10 a yard and more. Some silk
velvet can be bought for $4 or $5 a yard. It is woven from 18 to 42
inches wide. Isn't it thick? Do you notice the tiny ends standing up? It
is woven just like some carpet, and the thickness is called the pile. In
weaving, little loops of the filling thread are made, and after weaving,
these are cut to form the pile. Such weaving looks very difficult. The
warp is sometimes linen or cotton. This other thick piece with a pile is
called plush. It has a longer pile than velvet. There are also cotton
plushes. Did your mother ever have a winter coat of plush? Mrs. Alden had
one which lasted for years.
Let us mount our silk samples. Another day we shall study how they are
woven from the raw silk. Isn't it interesting to feel acquainted with
this new family of materials? Notice before next lesson how many things
you see which are made of silk. Have you any in your schoolroom?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Bring to school all the samples of different kinds of silks
which you can collect. Can you tell their names?
2. Name an expensive silk suitable for a dress, and give its
approximate cost. Name an inexpensive silk suitable for a summer
dress; give its approximate cost.
3. What is plush used for? What is chiffon made of?
4. Start a book of silk samples.
LESSON 4
MORE USEFUL GIFTS AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
Two more useful gifts: a workbag of silk, and a sewing apron.
Which will you chose to make?
* * * * *
=The workbag.= Barbara Oakes has a very complete little workbag (Fig. 74)
which grandmother made for her last Christmas. The girls think they would
like to copy it. It is made of a piece of yellow flowered ribbon which
was 8 inches wide; ½ a yard is enough. If you have scraps of silk, use a
strip 8 inches wide × 14 inches long. With the other 4 inches, if ribbon
is used, the circular disks for the bottom are to be covered. To make:
[Illustration: FIG. 74.--_A_, a very useful bag. _B_, the sewing apron.]
1. Cut two circles of cardboard 3 inches in diameter. Cut the silk
for covering four inches in diameter. Cover in the same way as you
covered the pin disk. This is the bottom of the bag.
2. Seam the two ends of the 14 inch strip together with two runs
and backstitch (see page 35). Open seams flat. Turn along one long
edge, ½-inch if selvedge of ribbon; if silk, make two turns: first
⅛-inch, second ½-inch. Baste and hold with featherstitch (see page
120), or cross-stitch (see page 145) At seam of bag open seam
carefully ½-inch on the right side for casing hole for ribbon. At
the opposite side, work a small buttonhole (see page 43) ⅜-inch in
length. This will be the top of the bag; and the two ribbons are
to be run through the casing so it will draw up.
3. At the other edge of the long strip, fold to the wrong side:
first 2 inches of the strip, and then the 2 inches folded over
itself. Baste carefully. This fold is to form pockets on the
inside of the bag. Every two inches along length of strip, mark
with a pin; and on the right side of bag, featherstitch or
cross-stitch in rows two inches deep, to form pockets on the
inside of the strip.
4. Gather the edge of the strip to be sewed to the covered disks.
Divide gathers in half. Pin to disk. Overhand to disk with close
stitches on the inside of bag.
This workbag makes a very useful gift. It can be filled with a pair of
small scissors, emery, needles, and spools of silk placed in the pockets.
The ribbon for drawing top is in two pieces, ½-yard in each. Start one
piece from one side and run around casing until it comes out at the same
place it started. Tie in bow. Start other ribbon at opposite side, and
run it all around casing, until it returns to the same side it started
from. Tie in bow.
=The sewing apron.=--Another useful gift is a small sewing apron (Fig.
74). It can be made of silk or of dimity at 12½-cents a yard, and need
not then cost more than 15 cents. Dimity is one yard wide; and ⅞ of a
yard is enough. To make:
1. From one selvedge cut a strip 2½-inches wide, lengthwise of the
piece. This is for the band and is cut off before the apron is
made. Remove other selvedge.
2. Turn ⅜-inch hem to _right_ side of apron at the lengthwise
edges of cloth; baste carefully.
3. At one cross wise end turn, hem 1¼-inches wide to _right_ side.
Baste and hem with featherstitching on reverse or wrong side.
[Illustration: FIG. 75.--Four useful aprons.]
4. Turn up at bottom 8 inches to form pocket, so featherstitching
will be on the upper or right side. Baste and overhand edges the
depth of pocket.
5. Featherstitch side hems, catching the pocket to hold securely.
6. Divide large pocket in three by making two rows of
featherstitching like picture.
7. Put on band. Divide gathered top of apron. Divide band. Allow
band to extend each side of gathers. A space of 12 inches in
center of band is enough to contain the gathers. Put on as you put
on the band of petticoat, but overhand edges of the band extending
beyond gathers.
8. A buttonhole and button can be used to finish, or ribbon may be
sewed to ends of band. This makes a very useful gift.
[Illustration: FIG. 76.--Two cases on which the featherstitch can be
used. _A_, needle case and bag. _B_, linen traveling case for overshoes.]
Look at the sketches (Fig. 75) of other aprons:
_A_ is made from a square of figured lawn; ½-yard is enough. It is shaped
at one corner for a bib. A hem is turned at the edge and featherstitched.
A few small tucks make it fit the waist, and ribbon trims it.
_B_ is made from ⅔ of a yard of lawn, as shown in the diagram. Place
pattern economically.
_C_ is made of a width of lawn or silk with a hem at the bottom and
casing at the top.
_D_ is made of glass toweling trimmed with finishing braid and
featherstitching.
Figure 76 shows some useful cases with decorations of featherstitch.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Plan a gift and surprise mother at her birthday anniversary.
Your teacher will help you.
2. See if you can plan an original gift. Draw a sketch of it.
3. Bring all the suggestions for gifts you can find in clippings
from old magazines.
LESSON 5
COUSIN ANN TELLS HOW SILK IS MADE INTO CLOTH
Last summer Marjorie Allen's Cousin Ann visited her. She lives at
Paterson, New Jersey, where there are many silk mills. She told
the girls of the Sewing League about the way silk is made into
cloth. Shall we too learn how?
=Where is silk manufactured?= We know that very little silk is grown
in the United States; but we also know that our country leads in the
manufacture of silks and uses more raw silk than any other country in the
world. France is next and produces very beautiful materials. Most of our
silk factories are in the East: in New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and
Pennsylvania. People have tried to raise silkworms here. In 1624 some
Frenchmen living in Virginia tried, but were not very successful. Such
experiments have usually failed because it costs so much for labor. In
1747 the governor of Connecticut wore a coat and stockings made of silk
produced on his place. We use about 85 per cent of the silk manufactured
here. What per cent is, then, exported? In 1876, at the great Centennial
Exhibition in Philadelphia, Marjorie's grandmother saw wonderful exhibits
of silk woven in many colors, and even beautiful woven pictures of silk.
Has any one ever seen a woven picture of silk? Have you ever seen one
tiny fiber of silk as it looks under the microscope? What do you notice?
[Illustration: FIG. 77.--Silk fibers magnified.]
=This is what Marjorie's cousin from Paterson told the girls.= They went
to one room at the mill where there were great bales of silk, weighing
about 100 or 150 pounds, but not quite so heavy or large as a bale of
cotton. When opened there were many hanks in each bale; tied up, five
or ten in a bundle. These hanks were taken first to a man called a
throwster. Silk throwing means soaking the skeins to remove more of the
gum, and winding the silk from the skein to a spool. This is done by
soaking in warm water, drying, and then placing the silk on swifts, or
reels. Have you ever seen a reel for winding? (See Fig. 78.) It holds
the skein of silk. The ends are taken, and the machine unwinds from the
skein and winds the silk on spools. In one skein there are from 75,000
to 200,000 yards of silk. The spools are then placed in a machine which
cleans and twists two of these spool threads together to form one, and
then winds it off on new spools. This twisted silk is called "organzine."
Isn't that a queer name? It means the thread used in a loom for the warp
or strong threads. Why are twisted threads stronger? Try, and see if they
are.
[Illustration: FIG. 78.--Silk winding.]
Silk is a most perfect fiber; and does not have to be prepared as much as
cotton or wool. Sometimes it is twisted a very little for the warp. The
filling thread has a queer name, too. It is called the "tram," and need
not be of so good a quality of silk as the strong warp, nor so tightly
twisted. Cotton spinning is different from silk throwing; but both mean
getting the fibers ready for weaving.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Cheney Bros._
FIG. 79.--Silk dyeing.]
=There are many beautiful colored silks.= Silk is usually dyed (Fig. 79)
in the yarn in hanks. The poor qualities, however, are dyed after the
silk is woven into the piece. Silk is dyed by dipping the skeins or yards
of silk in great vats of dye. For dyeing, the coal-tar products (aniline
dyes) are used. Did you know that coal could produce such beautiful
colors? That is a long story of the many wonderful things which can be
made from tar. Do you know that 25 per cent of the weight of the raw silk
is made up of the gummy substance? The dyer boils out some of the gum;
and, if he wishes to produce cheap silks and make much money, he makes
up for the weight of gum boiled out, by using tin. The silk is dipped in
bichloride of tin or other substances; and it takes up, or absorbs, until
sometimes it weighs twice or even four times as much as the boiled-off
silks. This tin is bought for silk. Women who do not know think they are
buying heavy silk and are getting a good quality because it is so heavy.
This solution of tin rots the silk, and, when the silk comes in contact
with light and air, it crumbles away. Perhaps you have at home a sample
of silk which has done this. Marjorie's Cousin Ann saw some petticoats
of silk which went to pieces just hanging in a closet. Sometimes that
happens when store keepers keep the petticoats for some time. One can see
the holes by holding the silk up to the light. In order to know what one
is buying one must study about materials and about how they are made.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Cheney Bros._
FIG. 80.--Warping or preparing silk for the loom.]
=Have you ever seen a picture of silk being dyed in the skein?=
Marjorie's cousin says it is done by machinery. See how many skeins are
on the big wheel, or drum as it is called. As it turns, the skeins are
dipped in the vat of dye.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Cheney Bros._
FIG. 81.--Silk weaving on a hand loom in Japan.]
After the warp threads are twisted and wound on spools, the workman
places the spools in racks (see Fig. 80). They are then unwound again on
to a very large roller, as you can see in the picture. The large roller
is then put into the back of the loom, and the warp threads are drawn
through and prepared so they are attached to the roller where the cloth
is to be rolled after it is woven. Do you remember how we found the
cloth and the warp rollers when we were studying about how cotton cloth
is made? For plain silks a loom is used very much like the looms for
weaving cotton cloth (see page 69); but, for fancy silks and beautiful
patterns and designs, the Jacquard loom like the picture (see page 124)
is necessary. This wonderful machine was invented by a Frenchman, Joseph
Marie Jacquard, in 1801. The cards are cut in tiny holes which regulate
the pattern and make beautiful designs. The cards control the warp
threads and regulate which threads are to be up and which down, as the
shuttle passes over and under. The shuttle is lined with soft seal skin
to protect the silk fibers of the filling thread on the bobbin as they
unroll.
=Would you too not like to visit a silk factory?= Perhaps come day you
may be able to go to Paterson or to some large city, and may see all the
wonderful things which Marjorie's cousin saw. The book pictures will
give you a good idea of how a mill or factory looks inside. It is a very
busy place. Perhaps your teacher may be able to get some stereopticon
or motion picture views to show you, as Miss James showed the Pleasant
Valley children. She used the church lantern. Some of the mothers and
fathers came, too, to hear the story about silk.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Find on your map the most important city in the United States
for the manufacture of silk.
2. Write a story about the silk "throwing."
3. If there is a silk mill in your neighborhood, plan to visit it
with your teacher.
4. Look up the story of Jacquard, the inventor of the loom devices
for making beautiful patterns.
LESSON 6
THE BLANKET STITCH CAN BE USED IN MANY WAYS
Did you ever hear of a stitch called the blanket stitch? It is
very useful for decoration. We can make some attractive gifts if
we know how to make it. Would you like to try to-day?
[Illustration: FIG. 82.--The blanket stitch.]
=Did you ever notice how pretty some verandas look in summer time?= Mrs.
Stark of Pleasant Valley has a very attractive, cosy porch. Yours can
look pretty, too, if you will give thought and a little time to it. You
can plant some pretty vines as the girls did at the Ellen H. Richards
house. The cucumber grows wild and can be transplanted. Perhaps in
the attic you can find an old table, which will do to hold your sewing
things. Can you make a cover for it? Perhaps you can make a porch
cushion, too. The blanket stitch (Fig. 82) will be useful for both.
=Did you ever see a material called Russian crash?= It is made in Russia,
of coarse linen, and is often woven in the fields. It is not very wide,
16 or 18 inches only. It is light brown in color. If you cannot get the
crash, perhaps you have some grain or feed bags which will do. You can
dip them in coffee to stain them light brown, as Marjorie Allen did when
she made a cover for the porch table. A piece 1½-yards long and from 16
to 20 inches wide will make a good-sized table runner to throw over the
old table on the porch. If you use the old bags and the edges are not
selvedges, turn them with one turning ½-inch wide all around the edges,
and baste.
=How can you finish the edge of a table runner?= You can make the blanket
stitch close together around the edge. A heavy mercerized cotton thread
can be used for the stitch, and will look well if it is brown in color to
harmonize with the linen or bag. The blanket stitch is used generally for
blanket edges which are not hemmed. It is a stitch to prevent material
from fraying, and is taken on the edge of material. When the cloth is not
very heavy, one turning can be made to give firmness to the edge. This is
not necessary on blankets or on heavy materials. The stitch is worked
from left to right. The edge of the cloth is held towards the worker.
Start with a few running stitches and bring the needle up near the edge.
Have the thread under the thumb. Insert the needle any depth desired
and point needle at right angles to the edge of the cloth, towards the
worker. The needle should come up under the edge and through the loop
made by the thread. The thread will be carried along the edge as the
stitches are made. In finishing a thread, take small tiny stitches on
the wrong side. In starting a new thread, bring it up through the last
loop at the edge. On some materials the stitches can be ¼ or ½ of an
inch apart, or taken very close together as we do when we work on white
linen and scallop the edges. The stitches can be ¼ or ½ or even an inch
deep, and they can be arranged to form a pattern. In the picture you will
see that the stitches are arranged in blocks--twelve low ones ¼ of an
inch, and 12 of ¾ of an inch. They can also be arranged to form stairs
ascending and descending with a difference of ⅛ of an inch in the depth
of each stitch. Suppose you plan to make the block pattern of the blanket
stitch all around the edge of the table runner.
=Now, can you make a porch cushion?= The porch cushion (Fig. 83) can be
made of a strip of crash or of a piece of bagging, 1 yard long and 16
inches wide. Hem one end with a 1 inch hem and the other with a ½-inch
hem, turning both to wrong side. Fold so that the 1 inch hem overlaps
the ½-inch hem. Pin carefully. This makes a kind of envelope and it can
be filled later with a cushion of bran or excelsior or feathers. Fold
so that the overlapping of hems comes about 4 inches from one end of
the cushion. After folding and pinning, baste carefully through the two
thicknesses of material. Work the blanket stitch all around four sides
with the heavy brown linen or cotton thread. Use the same block pattern
as for the table cover. The cushion is kept closed with three or four
snaps sewed on the hems. These cushions can be made any size for hammock
or for porch use. Mrs. Stark liked Mollie's so well that she made a whole
set for her porch, and used old bags for this purpose.
[Illustration: FIG. 83.--The porch cushion, showing the blanket stitch in
block pattern, and the opening near one end.]
=Can you think of any pretty articles to make for the fair or for
surprise gifts on which the blanket stitch can be used?= Have you ever
scalloped the edges of doilies with plain scallop? The white linen can
be cut in circles to fit the size of the plates and the edge marked
in scallops by using a spool. The stitch is exactly the same, but the
stitches are taken very close together and cover the two lines of the
marked scallop which indicate the depth. Doilies are very useful instead
of a tablecloth. They are easily laundered and save the heavy washing. A
bare wooden table which is kept clean and oiled is very attractive when
set with doilies. (See _Food and Health_, page 73). Can you make a set
sometime as a surprise for mother's Christmas gift?
[Illustration: FIG. 84.--Blanket stitch made close together for a
scalloped edge.]
Pincushion tops, bureau covers, table covers, tray covers, centerpieces,
can all be made with this useful stitch.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Draw a picture on the blackboard of the blanket stitch.
2. Bring to school some article on which the blanket stitch is
used in some way. Have an exhibit of all the articles brought.
LESSON 7
LEARNING TO MAKE THE CROSS-STITCH
Did your grandmother ever tell you how she learned to sew when she
was a girl? Have you seen her sewing sampler? Shall we learn the
stitch she used on her sampler?
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art._
FIG. 85.--Two samplers of long ago.]
Before the days of sewing machines, the family sewing was all done at
home and by hand. To-day we have factories and shops, and we can buy many
articles of clothing ready-made. All little girls were taught to sew
at home in those days. Sewing was not generally taught at school. Many
long seams were given to the girls to sew. The girls had much practice
and learned to sew very well. Every little girl was supposed to make a
sampler. The picture shows two samplers (Fig. 85). Barbara Oakes has
two samplers which she values very much because her great-grandmother
and grandmother made them. Perhaps you may have one which your
grandmother made. The stitch used for the samplers was usually the
cross-stitch (Fig. 87). Would you like to learn to make it, too? It is
a decorative stitch and is often used for marking linen. Grandmother
and great-grandmother used to mark their sheets, pillowcases, and other
household linens with tiny initials of cross-stitch. It is possible,
also, to make quaint designs of the same stitch. Perhaps you would like
to learn to make such a pattern. It is necessary to have squared paper
and to make the crosses conform to the figures or initials wished. The
picture (Fig. 86) shows how to make the crosses fit the squares.
[Illustration: FIG. 86.--Cross-stitch designs can be easily made on
squared paper. _A_, initials for towel; _B_, design for repetition on
table cover or scarf.]
=Will you try to make a design for the cross-stitch?= As the design
is made on the squares, it is necessary to use squared canvas called
Penelope canvas in working this cross-stitch. The canvas is basted in
place and the stitches made over the squares of the canvas, following
the design of the pattern. There are some coarse materials which can be
followed without using canvas. The canvas is woven so loosely that after
the cross-stitch design is finished, the threads are drawn out. How to
make the stitch:
[Illustration: FIG. 87.--The cross-stitch.]
Baste the canvas carefully so that the warp of the canvas lies on the
warp of the cloth. The canvas comes in several sizes, some finer than
others, and this makes a difference in the size of the design when
finished. The stitch consists of two slanting lines crossed. On the wrong
side all the stitches may be _either_ vertical or horizontal, but should
be one or the other. Do you know the difference? The canvas is so woven
that one makes the cross over two threads high and two wide. Bring needle
up to right side at lower left corner of the square that the stitch would
form if inclosed (Fig. 87). Pass thread slanting across warp threads, and
take stitch on line with warp, pointing needle towards the worker. When
thread is drawn through, a slanting line of half the cross is made. This
can be repeated across a whole row according to design, and the cross
finished by returning from right to left with the same vertical stitches.
It is necessary to have all the stitches of the design crossing one way:
the ground stitches, or first half, one way; the other half, or upper
stitches, all the other.
=What pretty gifts can be made from the cross-stitch?= Towels hemstitched
across the ends and marked with cross-stitch make attractive gifts for
mother or grandmother. A pretty set for a baby is made by marking bath
towel, face towel, and wash cloths with a pretty wreath design with
baby's initial. Bureau covers, table scarfs, pincushions can be made.
Here is a picture (Fig. 88) of a simple hand towel with cross-stitch
initials. The towel is made of huckaback, all linen. You remember it can
be bought in all cotton, too, or a combination. Which is more expensive?
The width varies. The picture shows a small guest towel 18 inches wide.
It is easy to learn to hemstitch linen. Shall we try next lesson? The
picture (Fig. 88) shows fancy hemstitching and drawn work. We shall learn
the plain hemstitching.
[Illustration: FIG. 88.--A guest towel marked with cross-stitch.]
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. If any one in your town has an old sampler, try to get it for a
loan exhibit, while the girls are making their cross-stitching.
2. Make a design for cross-stitch work suitable for an end of a
towel or for any article you wish.
LESSON 8
HOW TO MAKE THE HEMSTITCH
Do you know that some girls are often confused and call the
hemstitch, the hemming stitch? Barbara Oakes used to, but
understands now. You have learned the hemming stitch; now you will
try the hemstitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 89.--The hemstitch.]
=See if you can discover the difference between the hemming stitch and
the hemstitch?= Both are used at the top of the hem to hold it in place,
but often the hemstitch is used in other places, too. It is necessary to
draw out some threads of the cloth or linen, before the stitch can be
made. For the hemstitched towel, measure for your hem. From the raw edge,
it will be twice the width of the finished hem plus one turning of ¼-inch.
How much, then, will you measure for a hem one inch when finished?
At the point measured, place a pin. Draw out three or four of the woof
threads very carefully. Be sure to pull out the whole thread all the
way across, when it breaks. Remember how the filling thread passes at
the selvedge, and remove it there as it turns. Then baste the hem very
carefully, turning to wrong side. Baste close to first drawn thread. Hold
work over fingers of left hand in vertical position. Place needle in
edge of hem, and draw thread without a knot under the edge of hem just
exactly as plain hemming is started (Fig. 89). Throw thread away from
the worker; take up a bundle of the threads by passing the needle under
them and pointing it towards the worker along the edge of the hem. Again
pass the needle under the same bundle of threads, but this time pass the
needle through the under cloth and also through the _edge_ of the turned
hem, just beyond the bundle. This stitch should come between two bundles
of thread. Make the next stitch by taking up a second bundle of threads.
At first, one should count the number of threads so as to have the
bundles uniform; but with practice this is not necessary. As a rule, the
coarser the material, the fewer the number of threads taken up. This is
a simple way of hemstitching. There are other ways. Double hemstitching
means to hemstitch the other side opposite the hem, by taking up the same
bundles. Marjorie Allen made Grandmother Allen a lovely hemstitched towel
for Christmas. She was very much surprised and delighted to have some of
Marjorie's own work. Marjorie tied it up very daintily in white tissue
paper and used some Christmas seals to hold it fast.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Now that you know the hemstitch, you can use it in many places.
Can you tell how it differs from the hemming stitch?
2. Think of some useful things on which this stitch can be made
besides those mentioned below:--
Collars
Bags
Handkerchiefs
Cuffs
Covers
Doilies
LESSON 9
ANOTHER USEFUL GIFT AND A NEW STITCH
Have you ever noticed how convenient it is to have a place for
the clothespins, on wash day? Would you like to learn to make a
clothespin bag?
=How to make another gift.= A very useful clothespin bag (Fig. 90) for
mother can be easily made with a hammock hook and some ticking. Mrs.
Allen says she cannot keep house without hers. Did you learn about
ticking when you studied cotton materials? Pillow covers and mattresses
are made of it, as it is heavy and strong and wears very well. Put
a piece in your cotton sample book. It is woven 36 inches wide and
costs from 12½-cents up. Notice the weave. It is twilled or striped or
herringbone weave.
Denim or any heavy material can be used. A square piece is necessary, 28
× 28 inches.
Hem. First turning, ¼-inch; second turning, one inch. Stitch on machine.
Miter the corners. The corners are to be sewed securely with heavy linen
thread to the four corners of the hammock hook (Fig. 90). The hook is
hung on the clothesline, and it is very easy and handy to push along as
the clothes are hung up. If one wishes, the bag can be decorated with a
catch stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 90.--The clothespin bag.]
=How to make the catch stitch or herringbone stitch.= This stitch can
be used for decoration or for catching the edges of a seam or hem.
Grandmother Allen used to use it on her own flannel petticoats and on
baby Alice's flannel skirts. After the plain seam is made, it is opened
flat and the edges are caught with the loose catch stitch. It is really a
flannel stitch, because, as the flannel may shrink a little, the stitch
allows for this, and holds the hem flat. Flannel hems do not have the
first turning as it is so thick. The catch stitch is then used to hold
the hem. Can you bring one of baby's petticoats to show the class how it
looks?
The same stitch is used for decoration too. We shall use it for that
purpose on the clothespin bag, before we sew the corners to the hook.
[Illustration: FIG. 91.--The catch stitch.]
The stitch is made from left to right. We can use the machine stitching
for a guide. We shall use the stitch on the right side. It resembles
cross-stitch. It is really a series of back stitches placed alternately
above and below the guide line. The spaces between stitches should be
the same and the stitches below the guide line opposite the spaces above
(Fig. 91). This causes the thread to slant and makes the cross, as it
is worked from left to right. To start, draw needle to right side about
⅛-inch below the line of machine stitch. The first back stitch is taken
⅛-inch above the machine stitching. This will make the slanting line,
as the stitch is ¼-inch beyond the starting place. The second stitch is
taken below the line; and the directions as above are followed so that
stitches come opposite the spaces, above and below. In finishing an old
thread, take two or three small stitches on wrong side. In beginning a
new thread, draw up as at the start, so as to form the correct cross on
the right side.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. This herringbone or catch stitch can be used in many places.
Can you suggest any?
2. Draw a picture of this stitch on the blackboard.
3. Show some neighbor how to make this stitch.
LESSON 10
THE DARNING STITCH
Did you know that sometimes darning is used for decoration instead
of just on the stocking? Let us make a gift using it.
[Illustration: FIG. 92.--The darning stitches make the initials stand
out.]
The darning stitch is nothing but fine running stitches placed
alternately under one another so as to fill a space. Miss James has
asked the girls to make linen covers for their cooking notebooks. They
decide to put their two initials on the cover and to work them in outline
stitch. The sketch (Fig. 92) shows how they will make them within an
oblong which is also to be outlined. The darning stitch will be used as
a background to make the initials stand out. It is a fine running stitch.
Any design can be made to stand out by arranging the darning back of the
outlined design. The notebooks will be covered so that the covers may
slip off. This is done by overhanding the edges and slipping the cover of
the book into the pocket formed by the overhanding. The cover is all in
one: a straight piece folded back inside the cover of book and overhanded
at the folds, to hold the book. The picture (Fig. 93) of baby's bib also
shows the use of the darning stitch to make a design stand out. This is
a bib used by little Alice Allen. Marjorie made it for her, when she was
two years old and had a birthday party.
[Illustration: FIG. 93.--The darning stitch makes the design of the
rabbits stand out.]
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Make a design for your notebook cover.
2. Calculate size of piece of material needed, if both covers are
9 X 6. Allow ½-inch turnings all around.
3. Try to plan a design with a background of darning stitches.
Perhaps you can use it on a Christmas gift for brother.
REVIEW PROBLEMS
I. Plan a gift for father's Christmas on which the darning or
cross-stitch is used.
II. Look up the story of the history of silk culture and write a
story to be read in school. Perhaps it may be as good as the one
Barbara Oakes wrote. Her story was printed in the "Pleasant Valley
News."
[Illustration]
CHAPTER IV
THE PLEASANT VALLEY GIRLS LEARN TO CARE FOR THEIR CLOTHES AND TO HELP
REPAIR THE HOUSEHOLD LINEN.
Have you ever noticed that some houses where you visit are always
neat and look well cared for, and that the towels and table linen are
carefully darned or patched? Have you seen what a difference there is
in the appearance of the people who do not care for their houses and
clothing, and those who do? The latter are apt to wear neat-looking shirt
waists, to patch the worn places and darn the holes before they are too
large, and to sew on the buttons before they are lost. The little word
C-A-R-E is responsible for the difference. Have you learned to help at
home to repair and care for the clothing and household linens? "A stitch
in time saves nine." It often saves money and time, too. Do you know
why? Learn how. The Pleasant Valley girls learned to darn and patch and
occasionally Miss James had a "repair day," when all were permitted to
bring their mending. Can you do this at your school?
LESSON 1
CARE OF CLOTHES
What are some of the things to learn in order to care for one's
clothes?
[Illustration: FIG. 94.--Ethel Allen remembers about the lesson on
neatness. She is removing a spot.]
Marjorie Allen's Cousin Ann, who lives at Paterson, New Jersey, spends
her summer vacation with Marjorie at Pleasant Valley. Marjorie knows that
she earns ten dollars a week at the office and pays all her own expenses.
She always looks very neat and well dressed. What is the secret? She has
learned how to spend wisely and how to care for her clothing. She learned
much of this at school, and experience has taught her how to manage.
Suppose we learn, too, so as to be able to care for our clothes. Here are
some of the things Marjorie's cousin learned:
1. That clothes, if well brushed, look better.
2. A well-pressed suit or skirt lasts longer and looks neater.
3. Stains or spots spoil one's neat appearance and look careless.
4. A patch or a darn is no disgrace. They make one feel more
self-respecting than holes or tears. They help to increase the
life of a garment, too, if taken in time.
5. That being careful each day saves much time; a little care is
worth while.
Let us study to-day how to do some of these things. Perhaps we can clean
our school coats or some wool garments brought from home.
=Brushing clothes.= Many people who live in large cities do not have
gardens and yards where they can hang their clothes and brush them. Often
brushing and cleaning must be done on the roofs of houses. How glad we
should be for space and a chance to keep clean. The Pleasant Valley girls
have studied about this. Do you know that it costs to keep clean? It
takes time and energy and much thought. People who live in the country
can keep clean more easily than city people. This is a good way to air
and brush your cloth garments: Hang them on the line, and beat with a
clothes beater. Turn the cuffs or collars and pockets inside out if
possible. Brush with a whisk brush carefully all over. Shake free from
dust and let them hang in the sunshine. They will smell sweet and clean.
=Pressing suits and skirts.= A suit or skirt which is kept well pressed
has a neater appearance and keeps its shape for a longer time. Tailors
do this work; but one can learn to do it at home, if no tailor is near,
and can save the money, too, if one has the time. It is a good general
rule to press on the wrong side unless one is using the steaming process.
Then, one presses on the right side, over dampened cloth. Wring the
cloth, place over a portion of the garment, and press with hot irons
until nearly dry. After steaming the garment all over on the right side,
turn to the wrong side and press dry. Woolen goods will mark or shine if
pressed on the right side without a cloth. This pressing will add to the
life of a suit. Good press boards, tailors' cushions, and sleeve boards
help very much if one has them.
It is always wise to examine clothes before pressing and to remove any
spots which have accumulated. Grease, milk, oil, sugar are common spots
which girls are apt to get on their woolen clothing. The Pleasant Valley
girls studied how to remove these.
=Removing stains and spots.= Woolen goods which are soiled and badly
spotted can be cleaned by washing in warm water with soap solution or
soap bark. Here are some recipes for making soap solution or soap bark:
_Soap Solution._ Simmer (do not boil) one cake of white soap in
two or three quarts of water.
_Soap Bark._ 1 cup of soap bark or powder in three or four
quarts of water. Let it stand two hours. Strain and pour into
the lukewarm water in which the material is to be washed. Why is
lukewarm water used? Wash and rinse carefully. Always use water of
same temperature for rinsing. What would the shock of cold water
do? Bath temperature is about right.
All woolen garments should be washed and rinsed carefully in lukewarm
water only. Some day we shall try at school. Good pure white soap is best
for woolens. Why do woolens shrink in hot water? Why are they difficult
to cleanse?
Let us examine the school coats to see if we can find grease. As a rule
grease spots can be removed by washing with soap solution and lukewarm
water. Wagon grease can be removed with lard; then wash in warm water.
Grease may also be removed by dry cleaning, or chemical cleaning as it is
called. The cleaning liquid may be benzine or ether. This is a warning:
D-A-N-G-E-R. These must not be used near fire or an explosion will occur.
A bad accident occurred at Pleasant Valley in just this way when Mrs.
Leroy was cleaning her white gloves. Rub the spot on the wool garment
with a cloth or sponge wet with benzine. The grease or fat spreads when
dissolved; a piece of blotting paper under will help to absorb some of
the grease. Care must be taken to use fresh benzine as each rub removes
some of the fat, which will spread if rubbed in again. It is usually wise
to use as a sponge a piece of the same material. Rub towards the center
so as to avoid a ring. The spot cleaned will usually be lighter than the
rest of the garment, which is apt to be soiled. Sometimes by rubbing the
surface near the spot all over, the ring will not be noticeable. Another
way to remove grease is to try a warm iron and a blotting paper. Place
paper on right side, iron on the wrong side of the cloth. This will
remove some grease spots, as the blotter absorbs it.
Marjorie Allen discovered that sugar spots can be removed with warm
water. Dip cloth in water and wash thoroughly and rinse before pressing.
What does the warm water do to the sugar?
Milk spots can be removed from some materials with cold water and pure
white soap. Why cold?
Machine oil spots can be removed by washing in cold water and pure white
soap. This will remove most machine oil spots. Barbara Oakes got some oil
on her nightdress while making it, and removed the oil easily in this way.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Miss Alice Blair._
FIG. 95.--Which way do you arrange clothes in your closet?]
These simple rules will help every girl to be neat. Let us see how many
garments you can clean at home after you have learned to brush, clean,
and press one at school.
=Protecting clothes.= Marjorie's cousin takes good care of her clothing
while it is in use. When she works about the house she always wears
an apron. Do you? This saves a great deal. You know how to make some
attractive ones.
[Illustration: FIG. 96.--A useful cover to protect your best dress.]
When she removes her clothing it is not thrown in a heap, but is hung
up on skirt or coat hangers. They are very cheap or one can make them.
Barrel staves or even rolls of newspaper, rolled securely and covered
may be used as coat hangers, a cord or ribbon may be tied at the center.
Nails between two points in a closet will keep the bands of skirts
extended, when loops are sewed to the bands. Marjorie's cousin always
airs her clothes at night (Fig. 56), and when necessary washes her
shields and hangs them up to dry. Many girls do not realize how necessary
this is. The odor of perspiration is not neat and is offensive to others.
If one washes one's self carefully with warm water in which borax has
been dissolved this odor will not be noticeable. Marjorie noticed that
her cousin has covers over her good clothes (Fig. 96). This saves a
great deal. Also she is particular about sewing buttons on her shoes,
and braid on her skirt when it is torn. She also washes the yokes of
her dresses and sometimes her own shirt waists. She is going to teach
Marjorie to do this. Some day we shall learn at school. Do you know that
Marjorie discovered that the people at the summer boarding houses near
have difficulty in having their dainty shirt waists carefully laundered.
She is going to practice during the winter and next summer she will earn
some money in that way. It is a good idea. Perhaps some day she may have
a laundry of her own, if she is a good manager and can have help to work
with her.
[Illustration: FIG. 97.--Cousin Ann thinks about these things.]
Cousin Ann told Marjorie that each winter she is particular about buying
a pair of rubbers. She finds they save her shoes because they prevent the
dampness and wet from rotting the thread of the shoes. She is particular
about having her heels straight. Cousin Ann believes that many girls lose
good positions because they are not clean and neat about their personal
appearance. Run over heels are not neat. Ann is careful about having her
shoes resoled when necessary, and so lengthens their life. She wears an
old pair of shoes on rainy days with her rubbers. Ann knows that wet
feet are dangerous. One may not feel the results at once, but sometime
the effect on health will be felt.
Next lesson let us learn how to keep our clothing darned. You may bring
any garment or towel or other piece of household linen which has a tear,
and we shall learn to darn it.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Carry some of your clothes to the back yard. Brush them, and
hang them in the sunshine.
2. Try at home to press your wool skirt. Steam it; it is not
difficult to do.
3. Do you know of any other way besides those Cousin Ann tried,
of keeping your clothes clean so as to prevent them from getting
spotted?
4. Do you not think that knowing how to launder shirt waists
carefully would be a good way to earn money when the summer
boarders come to your town?
LESSON 2
LEARNING TO DARN STRAIGHT TEARS
What threads of the cloth are torn, in a square tear? In a
straight tear? How can we replace these threads and prevent the
article from tearing further?
[Illustration: FIG. 98.--These tears run in different directions. Which
kind of a tear will you have to darn in your dress?]
=There is always a collection of garments needing repairs in any home
where there are boys and girls.= What a help it will be to mother to have
some one who can darn some of the tears. Mrs. Alden was very glad that
Florence was learning to darn, for she has so many things to patch and
darn for her family. How many different kinds of tears have been brought
to-day? Yes, here is a straight tear on this napkin; yes, two straight
tears. Who can tell which threads have been torn in this first tear? Find
the selvedge; the tear runs across the selvedge. In the second straight
tear, the tear runs up and down with the selvedge, or warp. Which threads
have been torn? Here is a garment with a square corner tear. John Alden
tore his overalls climbing over the barbed wire fence. In this tear which
threads have been torn? So we see that in some tears, the warp is torn;
in others, the filling threads; and in others, like the square tear, both
warp and filling threads. Now darning means putting back the threads
which have been worn or torn away. Miss James told her class it is very
useful to keep some black and white wash net in the mending basket. A
little piece basted under the worn or torn place to be darned is a great
help; for it reënforces the weak place and makes it last longer. It is
put on the wrong side of the article to be darned. The picture (Fig. 98)
shows two straight tears: a slanting one, and also a square corner tear.
Everyone knows how to make the running stitch. Darning is fine running.
Begin without a knot and a little beyond the tear for strength. Fill in
the missing thread with rows of stitches close together. The stitches
should extend far enough each side of the tear to take in the worn part
also. In turning at the end of each row, lea
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