[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]