THE PLEASANT VALLEY GIRLS LEARN TO MAKE MORE GARMENTS
Would you like to learn to make some useful garments? Perhaps, then,
you can help with the family sewing and make some useful garments for
your sister or mother. Some day you may wish to be a seamstress or a
dressmaker and to earn money in that way. Barbara Oakes says she expects
to do so. Now is the time to begin to learn how, and later perhaps you
may go to a dressmaking school.
Barbara Oakes and some of the League girls have a class which meets once
a week for instruction in gymnastics and fancy dancing. In the spring
or early summer they expect to give a dance outdoors. A pageant will be
prepared by some of the members of the Mothers' Club; and the dance is
part of that pageant.
The pageant will picture the history of Pleasant Valley. The Mothers'
Club is planning to have all the people who will, take part. Have you
ever seen a pageant? It is a pleasant way to learn history and to
celebrate an interesting local event. Pageants have been held in many
parts of the eastern and western states; and in England there have been
many pageants. Perhaps you can plan a pageant for your town. While the
girls are practicing their dancing and gymnastics, bloomers will be very
useful, and the girls have decided to learn to make them. Would you like
to learn how? The bloomers will be useful for school gymnastics, too. You
can also make a middy blouse and a skirt to wear with them, so as to have
the whole outfit.
LESSON 1
THE PATTERN OF THE BLOOMERS
Let us study the pattern which your teacher has brought to school.
You have learned to read patterns. You must also calculate how
much material to order, and what kind.
=Let us open the pattern and study its parts.= Yes, the long narrow
strips are for the belt; some are for the placket facings. Notice if
the dots indicate where these are to be placed: on a fold of material
or lengthwise of the cloth. There is one other piece. It is the leg; so
two must be cut. Is it possible to cut two at the same time? How, then,
should the material be folded? Notice the perforations. They will help
us to know which part of the pattern is to be placed on the warp of the
cloth. How wide is the width of the pattern at the widest part? If it is
34 inches, then it will be easy to calculate how many lengths to buy of
cloth 36 inches wide. Measure the length of the pattern and see if it is
long enough for you to allow for fullness at the knee so that there is
some to blouse over. If not, how will you add to the pattern? This extra
length must be allowed in ordering the material. Can you tell how much
cloth to order? See if you can calculate.
[Illustration: FIG. 114.--The bloomers and middy blouse.]
=What kind of material will you use?= Some of the Pleasant Valley girls
wish wool material because it will be warmer for winter wear. Dark blue
or black serge is very durable, is washable also, and will shed the dust.
Here are some samples. Sateen is also a durable cotton material, but it
is not so warm. It is easier for girls to handle in making than wool.
Bloomers can also be made from gingham, percale, galatea, or other cotton
cloth. Which will you choose? Shall we not write for some samples of
these different materials? The Pleasant Valley girls wrote and received
them in a few days. Perhaps you too are learning how to order by mail
when you are too far away from town to go shopping. Try to make all the
calculations to-day and to learn all about the pattern. Pin the pieces of
the pattern together; also try to hold them up to your figure or the girl
next to you. It helps one to learn where the parts lie on the body and
to locate where the seams will fall. The Pleasant Valley girls worked in
pairs and helped each other with the cutting, fitting, and planning. This
is a good way when each girl does her part.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Open the pattern for the bloomers. Notice the parts, also the
perforations and directions.
2. Calculate how much cloth will be necessary for a pair of
bloomers for yourself.
3. Bring samples of materials suitable for bloomers.
LESSON 2
THE STORY OF WHERE WOOL IS GROWN
While you are waiting for the samples of wool serges, galatea,
and sateen, let us study about wool. Wool is the most important
textile fiber. All girls should know about it, whether you will
use wool or cotton for your bloomers.
In the picture (Fig. 115) you will see a very peaceful scene. The sheep
are grazing and storing up food and energy to be converted into food for
us to eat and clothing for us to wear. Mr. Allen has over a hundred sheep
on his farm. How grateful we should be to the patient sheep. This animal
fiber called wool is a variety of hair, and varies in fineness. The
coarser varieties are called hair. Hair is obtained from the angora goat,
the camel, and alpaca. Perhaps your teacher has a microscope. Look at the
fibers under the glass. You can see how hair differs from wool. There
are tiny serrations on the wool surface which look like the scales of a
pine cone, lapping one over the other. This is a wonderful thing to see;
for it is on account of these tiny serrations which close up when in hot
water that one must be so careful about laundering woolens. Wool looks
wavy in length. It is fine and has a luster; while hair has a smooth
surface and lies straight.
[Illustration: _Rosa Bonheur._
FIG. 115.--These peaceful looking sheep provide our wool clothing.]
=Have you ever seen sheep sheared of their wool?= Perhaps it is done on
your farm. Sheep are usually sheared only once a year, in April or May.
If there are only a few sheep, it is easy to use the hand shears like
those in the picture (Fig. 117); but where there are many sheep, the
machine clippers must be used. These clipping machines can be run by hand
or other power. They shear close and save wool. Notice the machine which
the man in the picture (Fig. 118) is using; it is just like the one Mr.
Allen uses. Frank or John sometimes helps. The coating of wool from one
sheep is called a fleece. On the large sheep ranches of the West the
fleeces are tied into bundles, and these bundles are put in sacks holding
about 400 pounds to be shipped to certain wool-purchasing centers where
the buyers examine the wool and buy in quantities.
[Illustration: FIG. 116.--Wool fibers magnified.]
=What do you know about the sheep industry?= Our sheep industry is very
important. The western states, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Oregon,
support about 38 million sheep. That is a large family to shear and feed.
[Illustration: FIG. 117.--The hand shears.]
Other countries grow sheep for clothing wools, too. Australia, England,
South Africa, South America, Spain, and Germany all give much attention
to sheep raising.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of Chicago Flexible Shaft Co._
FIG. 118.--Sheep shearing by machinery.]
This industry is very old. We read in the Bible that wool was used long
ago and that King David of Israel wrote psalms as he tended his sheep
on the hillside. Abel, the brother of Cain, was a keeper of sheep. Can
you find these stories in the Bible? Writers of many ages tell about
wool--Pliny, Homer, and Virgil. Alexander too, when he journeyed to India
in early days, saw beautiful woolen shawls being made.
=Some sheep give a better quality of wool than others.= The Merino wool
is the very finest. The camel furnishes a beautiful soft fiber. Then,
there is the angora goat of Asia Minor, which provides us with mohair.
This is a lovely soft fiber resembling silk. Can you find this country on
your map? Look for Peru and for Chili. The sheep there furnish the alpaca
and llama wools.
=Some wool fibers are long, and some are quite short.= The length of
fiber, or staple as it is called, varies. An average length is 7 or 8
inches. How does this compare with the silk or linen fiber? Is it as
long as cotton? The fibers also vary in strength and luster, fineness,
softness, and elasticity. What do these words mean? Can you find them
in your dictionary? The tiny serrations on the wool fiber cannot be
seen with the naked eye. They are, however, very important; for it is
this characteristic of wool which makes it felt, and, because these
tiny serrations interlock, it is possible to make the fine texture of
broadcloth and other fine wool materials. We shall study how later. Do
you think we wish the tiny serrations to interlock when we wash woolen
articles? If they do, what will happen to the garment? Do you know how
this can be prevented? If you have sheep on your farm or near, will you
bring some of the wool to school. It is dirty. Perhaps you can wash it
at school, and see how soft and fine and lustrous it is. You may also be
able to dye some. The center of the wool fiber is rather porous, and
this enables the fiber to take up dye easily.
=The wool from some sheep farms varies on account of the differences in
climate, soil, and breed of sheep.= The sheep of southern England produce
short and fine wool; while in the north, where it is colder, the wool is
stronger and coarser. Wools from Saxony and Silesia are very fine. The
English and Australian wools are of several qualities. The long wools
come from Lincoln and Leicestershire, and the shorter from Suffolk and
Shropshire. Can you find these places on your map of England? The long
coarse wools are used for carpets and for knitting, because they are so
strong. The short wools used for clothing are about 3 to 4 inches in
length. The long wools, about 10 inches in length, are called combing
wools and are used for materials which are loosely woven like serges,
homespuns, and others.
Next lesson we shall study our samples of woolen materials. Bring all
the scraps of different kinds which you can contribute. Put them in the
surprise box. We shall learn the names of the most common ones. Will you
make a sample book for these too?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Find on the map the principal countries producing wool.
2. If your teacher has a microscope, compare wool and hair. How do
they differ?
3. Why do woolen garments shrink when washed in hot water?
4. Why is wool the most important fiber of commerce?
5. Tell some of the uses of long coarse wools; of the finer wools.
LESSON 3
SOME OF THE MOST COMMON MATERIALS MADE FROM WOOL
There are many materials made from wool. Let us learn to-day about
those which are used most commonly.
Perhaps some one in the class will sort the pieces in the surprise
box. Mollie Stark sorted those at Pleasant Valley School. Do not sort
according to color, but place them in three piles. We have the thick,
close materials, which are heavy and firm. Then we have the thin, sheer
ones. In the third pile, place the medium weight ones which look strong
and are wiry but not so closely woven and firm as those in the first
pile. Shall we learn about some of each kind?
=Let us see what we have in the third pile of wiry, more loosely woven
materials.= First we have the _serges_. Here are several pieces. Some
are fine with the twilled weave, and others are twilled but the weave is
coarser. They are very serviceable and are suitable for bloomers, or for
dress fabrics. Here is a sample of a plaid serge. Marjorie Allen had such
a dress last winter. It is possible to buy plain colors too. Serges are
woven quite wide, from 42 to 54 inches, and cost from 75 cents to $3 per
yard. _Cheviots_ are very similar to serges in price and width, but are
somewhat heavier in appearance. The surface of some is rather rougher
than serge, although there are smooth cheviots too. Have some samples of
serges been sent from the store? You must examine these, too, to see if
you will select one for your bloomers.
This coarse one in the same pile is a _homespun_, and this is a _tweed_.
They are both rough, wiry, loosely woven, and made of rather coarse yarn.
They are rather open in texture and were both in olden times spun and
woven by hand, but are now made by machinery. Tweed gets its name from
a place in Scotland. These materials are very serviceable, especially
for rough wear for suitings, coats, or dress goods. The color or pattern
is not always clearly defined, because the yarn of which it is woven is
mixed in color. Homespuns are somewhat cheaper than tweeds. They cost
from $1 to $3 per yard, and are woven from 42 to 50 inches wide. Tweeds
are a little wider, 52 to 54 inches, and cost from $2 to $4 per yard.
There are four samples in this pile, not quite so heavy. They are
_cashmere_, _challie_, _albatross_, and _henrietta_. Have you ever heard
these names before? They are all common wool materials. They are often
used for girls' school dresses, for wrappers, and for baby wear. They
are all softer than serges. Cashmere and henrietta resemble each other.
They both have a twilled weave. Henrietta was originally woven with a
silk warp. One can buy silk warp henrietta to-day. Grandmother Stark has
one. Is there a sample in your box? Cashmere is also soft, and the finer
qualities are made from hair of the cashmere goat. Cashmere is woven 36
to 45 inches in width and can be bought for from 75 cents to $1.25 per
yard. Henrietta is about the same width and price, except when it has
silk warp. Then it is more expensive.
Challie and albatross are about the same weight. I am sure you have all
had a pretty challie dress sometime. Challies are figured;--sometimes
the pattern is woven in and sometimes printed. It is made sometimes of
a mixture of cotton and wool, or silk and wool; but now challies can
be bought in all cotton too as well as in all wool. They come about 30
inches wide and cost from 50 to 75 cents per yard.
Albatross is also soft and a fancy weave. It too is used for dress goods
and costs about the same as challie, 50 cents to $1 per yard. It is woven
from 38 to 45 inches in width.
=Let us now examine some of the heavy ones in the first pile.= Yes, every
one knows the name of the heavy fine piece. It is _broadcloth_ and is
used for coats and dress goods. There are also some lighter weights of
broadcloth with a smooth satiny finish. They are called _lady's cloth_. A
very good broadcloth is expensive, and costs about $5 per yard. One can
buy it for $1.50, but as a rule it is not very satisfactory under $2 per
yard. Broadcloth is closely woven, smooth, and soft in finish. It is from
50 to 58 inches in width. Has any one at your house a dress or coat made
from this? Examine it and ask how durable it has been. Father's winter
overcoat was perhaps made of _melton_, or _covert cloth_. Mr. Allen had
such a coat last year. Examine the samples. They are both heavy. Melton
is about the same width as broadcloth, 52 inches, and costs also from $2
to $4 per yard for a good quality. It is used for suits, overcoats, and
heavy garments. This is a standard material and is usually dark blue or
black. Uniforms are often made from it.
Covert cloth is, also, used for overcoats and suits. It is heavy, but
differs from the smooth surface of broadcloth. It is a heavy twilled
cloth.
_Felt_ and _flannel_ are both in this heavy pile, although there are
some lightweight flannels. Felt is not woven, but is compressed, so
that the wool fibers are matted together in a flat mass. It is made 24
to 50 inches in width and costs from 80 cents to $1.50 per yard. I am
sure you all know its use. School pennants are made from it, and so are
some table covers. Flannel is woven. It is finished with a soft surface
which is slightly napped. What does that mean? It is a rather loosely
woven fabric, and is used for many purposes. Can you tell some? Yes,
petticoats, baby garments, waists, dressing sacques, shirts for men. It
costs from 50 cents to $1 per yard. Sometimes it is made of a combination
of cotton and wool, instead of all wool. It varies in width from 27 to 36
inches.
=Let us examine some of the thin samples.= Here is one which it is almost
possible to see through. It is called _voile_ and is thin and gauzy, like
veiling. This sample near is called _nun's veiling_. It, also, has an
open mesh weave, and is a common wool material. They are both used for
dress goods, and are made in solid colors. There are also some printed
voiles, but they are usually made of cotton. _Wool voile_ costs from
$1.25 to $2 per yard and is woven from 42 to 45 inches wide; while nun's
veiling is narrower, 36 inches wide, and slightly less expensive, from 75
cents to $1 per yard.
Here are some samples called _etamine_ and _grenadine_. They are similar
to the voiles, of open mesh weave, and are used principally for dress
goods.
_Bunting_ is another open mesh weave. We certainly all know its use. Look
at the flag flying on your schoolhouse. Bunting is about 24 inches in
width and costs about 35 cents per yard. It is sometimes made from mohair.
Here are three samples: one called _brilliantine_; and another, _alpaca_;
the third, _mohair_. The brilliantine and mohair do not feel as soft as
the wool serges or cashmeres, but rather more wiry. They are made from
hair of the Angora goat. They are serviceable, for they both shed dust
and wear well. They are used for dresses or dust coats. The Alpaca is
made from the hair of the llama, which is bright, strong, and elastic.
All of these materials are bright and glossy. Here are their prices and
woven widths:
Alpaca 36-45 inches 75 cents-$1 per yard
Brilliantine 54 inches 75 cents-$2 per yard
Mohair 40-54 inches 50 cents-$2 per yard
=There are still some common wool materials we have not mentioned.=
Yes, _blankets_. They are made of cotton as well as of wool, or of a
mixture of the two. They cost from $7 to $30 per pair if all wool. The
combination of cotton and wool can be had for less.
_Carpets_ are also made from wool yarn. They are woven so that the yarn
stands up in loops, and then these loops are cut as in velvet carpet. In
Brussels and ingrain carpets the loops are not cut.
Suppose you plan to arrange your sample books with three columns of
materials made from wool. You may have four or five columns if you prefer
to put the mohairs, alpacas, and brilliantines by themselves, and the
blankets and carpets in a separate column. That is the way the Pleasant
Valley girls arranged theirs. The first will be the heavy materials;
then the medium weight, and then the thin ones. It is easy to sort and
label them now that you know their names, uses, and widths. Before very
long we shall learn the story of how the wool fiber is made into so
many different kinds of cloth. It is treated by different processes in
manufacture in order to get a smooth close finish or a loose wiry finish.
We shall learn how.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Tell the difference between felt and flannel.
2. Name some heavy wool materials; some of lighter weight. Tell
where you have seen them used.
3. Look up the story of how carpets are made. Perhaps you would
like to study about rugs, too.
4. How do serges and broadcloths differ in appearance?
5. Plan to collect materials for the five columns of the chart.
Mount with prices and widths.
LESSON 4
MAKING A PAIR OF BLOOMERS
Let us begin to make the bloomers to-day.
=First, we shall lay the pattern.= Some girls have probably chosen serge
for their bloomers, and some have ordered galatea or sateen. The black
or the blue are serviceable. Suppose you cut them out to-day. You have
studied the pattern which your teacher had. Perhaps some girls will find
it necessary to add in length or width. Your teacher ordered the pattern
by size, according to age. 14-year size was chosen. Perhaps you must
make yours smaller or larger. One pattern can be adapted to the whole
class. This you allowed for, in ordering the amount of cloth. Let us
place the pattern carefully. Be sure that the perforations which indicate
lengthwise of the material are placed on the warp. Can you cut out both
legs at the same time? Can you tell where to place the two strips for the
bands, and for the placket facings? Which way of the material will the
length of band and facings be cut? Pin carefully in place and cut with an
even motion. It will perhaps be safer to mark the notches with a pencil
or with a white thread. Girls sometimes forget--cut the notches too large
and spoil the cloth.
=Then we shall learn to make a flat felled seam.= The _two_ legs are to
be sewed up on the right side. Be very careful not to make both legs for
the same leg. That is the mistake Marjorie Allen made. Baste the seam
½-inch wide. Then stitch close to the basting. Cut off one edge of this
seam to within ⅛-inch of the stitching, and lay the other edge of seam
flat on the cloth for the fell. Turn in the raw edge, baste, and stitch
flat. This must be done very carefully, for it is very easy to make a
fell which is wrinkled and full instead of flat (see Fig. 119).
[Illustration: FIG. 119.--The flat fell, showing the three steps in
making: _A_, the seam stitched; _B_, one edge cut; _C_, the turning of
the other edge flat, to be basted and stitched.]
Join the two legs together at the center with the same flat fell. Be sure
to have the two leg seams come together. This is important.
The placket openings lie over the hip. A single strip may be used to
bind this opening, or a regular placket may be made according to your
pattern. If a strip is used, cut it lengthwise of the cloth and one inch
longer than twice the length of placket opening. If cut 2½-inches wide,
the finished facing will be one inch in width. Place the right side of
the strip to the right side of the bloomers. Baste ¼-inch seams, holding
strip all around the placket opening; and then stitch. Turn to the wrong
side, turn in ¼-inch and baste, stitch again. Care must be taken at the
bottom of the placket opening to make the seam of sufficient width so
that it will not pull out.
At the bottom of each leg make a hem, one inch wide finished. Stitch,
leaving one inch open. This is the opening for the elastic band. Run in
the elastic before completing the hem by hand.
=Now we are ready for the bands.= There is one for the front and one for
the back. If your pattern allows for fullness, gather to fit ½ of your
waist measure. It will be necessary to measure your bands and to allow
the two inches for lapping on the back band. The front band is usually
shorter than the back. Fasten the bloomers so that they lap towards the
front.
To put on the band, work in the same way as in putting on the apron or
petticoat band, except the band is turned to the right side for tailor
finish on a garment with flat fells. Begin by placing the right side
of the band to the inside of the front, and also back of the bloomer
portions. Baste, stitch, turn to the right side. Snaps may be used, or
buttons and buttonholes, for closing. Buttonholes can also be placed at
the center front and at the back of the bands, if the bloomers are to
be fastened to a waist. How shall the buttonholes be placed in cutting
for fastening in this way? Do you think it is very difficult to make the
bloomers? The girls who use serge can make the placket facings and bands
of silk or sateen or some lining material which will be thinner. Only
the most experienced Pleasant Valley girls used the serge--those who had
sewed at home.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. What are the important things to remember in cutting out the
bloomers?
2. How does the band of the bloomers differ from that put on the
petticoat?
LESSON 5
THE STORY OF HOW WOOL IS MADE INTO CLOTH
The Pleasant Valley boys and girls learned how wool is made into
cloth after it has been sheared from the sheep. Would you like to
know?
[Illustration: _Courtesy of M. J. Whittall._
FIG. 120.--Wool sorting.]
=First, the wool is sorted.= Wool sometimes travels a long distance
before it is delivered to the manufacturer. Perhaps the wool in your
skirt was grown in England or in Australia, and was shipped in great
sacks to New York, and then to the manufacturer. As it is sheared from
the sheep, it is dirty and full of burrs, grease, and perspiration. This
grease helps to preserve the wool until the manufacturer is ready to
use it; and, although he buys the wool by weight and pays for dirt and
grease, he prefers to do so because of the preserving qualities of the
grease. Even ⅔ of the weight may be dirt and grease. The first thing the
manufacturer does is to sort the wool to put the good grades together,
and to separate them from the poor ones. You remember the fleece is the
whole coat of the sheep. Some parts of this coat are better wool than
others; especially the part from the head and upper part of the back and
sides. About seven different grades are separated for different purposes.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of M. J. Whittall._
FIG. 121.--Wool washing or scouring.]
=The second process is washing or scouring.= Wool cannot be carded
and spun until the dirt and grease are removed; so the next thing the
manufacturer does is to remove the grease, or "yolk" as it is called, by
washing. This must be done very carefully so as not to break or injure
the wool. Perhaps you can bring some dirty wool from your farm to school
and wash it. Soft soap is the most harmless. Use a soft water at a low
temperature (120° F.). Can you tell why it must be low? The washing is
done in a series of tanks. You can see them in the picture (Fig. 121).
The wet wool is swished back and forth by means of wooden forks which
carry the wool forward and beat it out. There are rollers for passing
the wool from one tank to another. Then the wool must be dried. This is
done in a kind of wringing machine called a "hydro extractor." Then it is
beaten into a fluffy mass.
Then a strange thing happens. Oil in wool is necessary in order to help
in the spinning and to keep it soft and elastic, so the manufacturer must
return some oil to the wool, after having washed it all out. Olive oil is
used.
If there is any dirt or any burrs left in the wool, they must be removed.
A machine called a burr picker is used to beat out the dirt.
=Then the wool is blended.= Do you know that the wool skirt which you
are wearing may not be made of all new wool? Wool can be used over and
over again. Old wool rags are pulled apart and mixed with new wool. If
this did not happen, the manufacturer would have to charge much more than
you pay for serge or some woolen materials, as he would have to use all
new wool. That is why some wool materials are so expensive. If only new
wool were used, there would not be enough raised in the world to clothe
everybody. The wool manufacturer, therefore, blends, or mixes, the wool
before it is sent to the carding machine. In blending he knows just what
color, style, and grade of material he wishes to produce, and he grades
accordingly. Cheapness is one of the principal reasons for blending.
Sometimes cotton or jute are mixed in, if the manufacturer wishes to
produce a very cheap material which is not all wool.
Would you like to know the names of some of the all-wool substitutes
which are used in reducing the cost of all-wool materials? Marjorie
Allen's grandmother told her, and Marjorie told the League girls. Shoddy
is one; it is made from old rags, like woolen stockings, flannels, soft
underwear; materials which have not been felted together. Do you know
what felted means? The rags are washed, ground up, and prepared to mix
with the new wool. Mungo is another queer name which is given to woolen
rags which have been felted, as broadcloth or men's suitings. Flocks
is nothing but dust or waste from the clipping machines when cloth is
sheared or clipped in finishing. This is used to fill in. So you see
nothing is wasted.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of M. J. Whittall._
FIG. 122.--Wool carding. Notice the round cylinders. The gauzy web is
being delivered into the can in front of the carding machine.]
=The next process after blending is carding.= Do you remember how cotton
is carded? Long ago, when Marjorie's grandmother was young, wool was
carded by hand. Look at the picture on page 77 and see how Grandmother
Allen holds the cards. She is preparing rolls of wool for the spinning
wheel. The manufacturer must prepare the slivers, or rolls like ropes
of wool, for the spinning frames as they are called to-day. The machine
which helps to produce these ropes is called the carding machine. It also
helps to clean the dirt from the wool. The picture (Fig. 122) will show
you how the wool carder looks. There is a center cylinder and around it
revolve small cylinders. They are all covered with wire teeth which help
to pull the wool apart and to cleanse it. If you were to stand before the
machine, you would see a gauzy, filmy sheet of wool the width of the long
rollers as it leaves the machine. The wide gauzy mass is pulled together
as it is drawn through a hole at the front of the carder and is delivered
or wound up in the can, just as we learned the cotton was delivered.
This wool roving is then wound on spools and is ready for spinning. Do
you remember the story of how cotton is drawn out and twisted and wound
on spools? Wool too must be spun and made into yarn, before yarn can be
woven into cloth. The manufacturer makes woolen yarn and also worsted
yarn. Do you know the difference? We shall study in our next lesson about
them.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Ask your grandmother to tell you about sheep raising on the
farm, when she was a girl.
2. Tell why the manufacturer must blend old and new wool. What are
the names of some old rags of wool used for this purpose?
3. Tell how carding was done in olden times. How is wool
carding done to-day? Why is carding an important process in the
manufacture of cloth made from wool?
LESSON 6
SOME FACTS TO REMEMBER IN PURCHASING WOOL CLOTHING
Why does the manufacturer use woolen yarn in weaving some
materials and worsted yarn for others? If one knows this, it will
be a guide in purchasing wool materials. The Pleasant Valley girls
know.
=The difference between woolen and worsted yarns.= Before you can answer
the question for this lesson, you must learn the difference between
woolen and worsted yarns. Worsted yarn is prepared from the sheep giving
long wool. It is prepared by processes which comb it until all the short
fibers are removed and only the long straight ones are used. This combing
prepares the long wool fibers for spinning so that they lie parallel.
This makes an expensive yarn because so much is combed away. This fine
combed worsted yarn is used for high grade worsted materials, as some
cheviots or fine tweeds, and for underwear.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of M. J. Whittall._
FIG. 123.--Wool combing for high grade materials. There is much waste.]
Woolen yarn is not combed to remove the short fibers. It is, instead,
carded a great deal so that the wool fibers are well mixed and the
serrations of the tiny fibers arranged so that they will interlock,
when put in water of high temperature, and the gelatinous scales are
opened up. Woolen yarn is woven into broadcloths and meltons. After the
weaving the cloth is put into vats where the temperature opens up the
serrations and the scales interlock, and make a close, smooth piece of
cloth. This is called fulling. Isn't this interesting? Do you see why the
manufacturer uses worsted instead of woolen yarn for making underwear?
If worsted yarn were used for making broadcloth, there would not be the
same close finish. The worsted yarn is combed and the fibers are not in
position to interlock as in the woolen yarn (Fig. 124). Can you answer
the question now why worsted yarn is used sometimes and woolen at others?
[Illustration: FIG. 124.--This shows the difference in the slivers of
wool and worsted yarn. _A_ is the woolen yarn, well mixed; _B_ is the
worsted yarn, well combed.]
After the yarn has been spun, it is woven into cloth just as cotton is
prepared and woven. Woolen yarn is fuzzy; cloth made from it is woven
loosely and then it is put into vats and shrunken or fulled until the
cloth is compact, as broadcloth.
Worsted yarn when made into cloth is shrunken very little or not at all.
It is woven as it will appear. Beautiful homespuns and worsted suitings
are the result.
[Illustration: _Courtesy of M. J. Whittall._
FIG. 125.--The spinning of wool into yarn.]
Many fabrics made of wool are of simple weave like the plain homespun,
but complicated patterns are also woven of wool. The yarns are arranged
in the loom in the same way as the cotton about which we studied. Many
beautiful patterns are made in woolen materials, even the complicated
patterns of double cloth weaving like the old-fashioned golf capes, made
of double cloth, which were worn a few years ago.
So you can see that the manufacturer must know whether he is to
adulterate his wool cloth with cotton or reduce the cost of production
by using mungo, shoddy, or flocks. Flocks is put in when the cloth is
shrunken or fulled in the vats. The short pieces and dust, or flocks
as it is called, are drawn in as the serrations open and the cloth is
shrunken.
This is all useful to know, for it helps one in purchasing materials.
Most of us cannot afford to buy cloth made of all new wool, but we should
be able to tell whether cloth is made of cotton and wool mixed, or all
wool. We will know by price whether the all wool is new wool or not. No
shopkeeper should sell a cotton and wool for all wool. When we have our
textiles labeled as foods are now labeled, we shall be able to tell. What
have you learned to-day which will help you in purchasing wool materials?
[Illustration: FIG. 126.--This is the teasel which is used to brush the
nap of the cloth in finishing. These small thistles are arranged in rows
in the machine rollers through which the cloth passes.]
Woolen and worsted yarns are used also in the manufacture of carpets,
rugs, hosiery, blankets, underwear, and also for knitting purposes. Do
you know how to knit? Does any one know at your home? It is a useful and
pleasant accomplishment. Shawls, afghans, caps, and sweaters can all
be knitted. Miss James taught the Pleasant Valley girls to knit bright
scarfs which they wore for tobogganing the next winter. Some girls made
them for sale.
=Points about buying woolen garments.= Here are a few things to think
about which Miss Travers from the State College told the Mothers' Club of
Pleasant Valley to remember in buying wool garments or materials.
1. Wool mixed with cotton should not be sold for all wool. It is a
cheaper fabric. It wears fairly well, but is not so warm. Pull the fabric
apart, untwist the fibers to see if cotton is present.
2. Garments bought ready-made of cotton and wool do not keep their shape
as well as all wool garments.
3. Burning a piece of the fabric will help you to identify the fiber.
Wool burns slowly, chars, and gives off an odor of burned feathers.
Cotton burns quickly with a flame.
4. A good wool material can always be used over again. The inexpensive is
not cheap unless you wish something which does not look well or wear well
but is cheap.
5. Remember that a close twill weave is more durable than a basket weave.
Think about this in buying; for the weave of material affects the wearing
quality.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. How is yarn which is to be used for underwear treated in
manufacture? Why?
2. How does this treatment differ from yarn used in the
manufacture of broadcloth?
3. What are some of the things your mother thinks about when she
buys a garment made from wool, in order to get good value for her
money?
LESSON 7
THE CLOTHING BUDGET
Have you ever thought how much your clothing costs father and
mother every year? Marjorie Allen and Barbara Oakes tried to
figure the cost one day. Girls must begin to learn how to spend
wisely, for they will very soon have the responsibility of being
spenders. If you can make some of your clothing, you will help
to reduce the cost. Would you like to learn to make a budget as
well as a simple dress skirt to wear over the bloomers? Suppose we
study to-day about the clothing budget.
=Have you ever tried to calculate how much is spent each year for your
clothing?= If not, suppose you try. Girls who know how to make some
articles of clothing can have more for the same amount of money. Suppose
you send for the material for your dress skirts. It is wise to learn to
make a very simple skirt first. Choose a simple pattern. Your teacher
will help you. What material will you use? Perhaps you would like a
middy blouse later to wear with the skirt. Can you name some suitable
cotton materials to use for this purpose? Yes, Indian head, galatea,
duck. You have studied about all of these and should have them in your
sample books. Such a dress will be suitable for school wear. Talk with
your teacher and calculate how much cloth you must buy for your skirt and
middy. While you are waiting for the cloth you have ordered, let us study
how Marjorie's Cousin Ann, who works at Paterson, manages to plan each
year for her clothing. She has such good plans. Do you know that such a
plan is called a budget?
=Would you like to learn to make your clothing budget?= Ann earns $10
per week and her room and board cost her $6 per week, so she has $4 for
other expenses. She puts aside $1.50 each week for clothing, and so has
$6 per month or about $75 per year. She lives near her work so does not
have daily carfare, and she goes home at the noon hour for a little rest
and for lunch. The rest of her money she divides in this way: Each week
she tries to save 75 cents or $3 per month. The rest she uses for church
and club expenses, for gifts, newspapers, or occasionally she buys a new
necktie or an extra waist; but usually the $75 supply all her clothing
needs. This is how she manages. She plans for more than one year, usually
trying to keep three years in mind. Ann also goes to the Girls' Club and
has learned to make her waists and some simple dresses.
[Illustration: FIG. 127.--Cousin Ann's division of her money. How much
was for clothing?]
The following is what she bought the first year. Remember she had some
clothes to begin with before she started to keep her clothing budget.
Your budget will of course be different from this, but this will show
how Ann manages with $75. Some things which she needs you may have
no use for in your section of the country. Try to plan what you would
substitute. This will at least be a working basis for you, and will give
you some suggestions for making yours. Marjorie Allen and Barbara Oakes
have made their clothing budgets. They have $60 per year for clothing.
What do you think they omitted from this list? The things marked * are
made at home. Ann's mother helps her; but Ann learned to make clothes at
her Sewing Club.
FIRST YEAR
2 union suits (winter) @ #2.00 $4.00
3 union suits (summer) @ .50 1.50
1 flannelette nightdress @ 1.00 1.00
1 flannelette nightdress left over
2 night dresses @.80 1.60
*3 corset covers @.50 1.50
2 pairs of corsets @ 2.00 4.00
6 pairs of stockings @.25 1.50
2 pairs of garters @.25 .50
shoes: 1 high lace @ 3.00
2 pairs low shoes @ 2.50 8.00
1 pair rubbers .75
1 black sateen petticoat 1.00
1 long white petticoat 1.25
2 short white petticoats @.75 1.50
retrimming last year's best winter hat 1.25
summer hat (new) 4.00
1 straw hat, common wear .75
1 umbrella 1.00
*1 wool dress skirt 4.00
*3 shirt waists: 2 tailored @ 1.00
*1 fancy @ 1.50 $ 3.50
1 winter coat 12.00
1 spring coat (left from last year)
1 pair kid gloves 1.50
1 pair wool gloves .50
1 wool dress (winter, bought close of season) 12.00
1 sweater 3.00
*1 summer dress 3.00
*1 white duck dress skirt 1.00
1 party dress (left over from last year)
Gloves, handkerchiefs, neckties, collars
received for Christmas.
------
Total $75.60
Notice that in the second year some articles are left over from the year
before. This is because Ann has foresight. She is a good manager, and
takes care of her clothes too, and plans ahead. Do you?
SECOND YEAR
2 union suits (left from last year, winter)
2 union suits (left from last year, summer)
1 new union suit summer $ .50
2 flannelette nightgowns (left over)
2 summer nightdresses (left over)
1 new summer nightdress .75
*3 corset covers @.50 1.50
2 pairs of corsets @ 2.00 4.00
6 pairs of stockings @ .25 1.50
2 pairs of garters @.25 .50
shoes: 1 high laced @ 3.00
1 pair low shoes @ 2.50
1 pair low left over, half soled @ .75
1 pair high laced, half soled @ .75 7.00
1 pair rubbers $ .75
1 black sateen petticoat 1.00
1 long white petticoat (left over)
2 short white petticoats (left over)
1 new short white petticoat .75
1 winter hat 5.00
1 winter hat (left over) common wear
1 summer hat (retrimmed) 1.50
1 new summer hat (second) 2.00
1 umbrella (left over)
*1 wool skirt (refreshened) 1.00
*2 shirt waists (plain) @ 1.00 2.00
*1 extra white waist @ 1.50 1.50
2 shirt waists (left over)
1 winter coat (left over)
1 spring coat (new) 12.00
1 pair kid gloves 1.00
1 pair wool gloves (left over)
1 wool dress (left over)
1 sweater (left over)
*1 summer dress (left over, remodeled) 1.00
1 white duck skirt (left over)
*1 new white duck skirt 1.00
*1 party dress 8.00
1 coat suit, bought end of winter season 14.00
2 gingham aprons 1.00
1 gingham house dress (ready-made) 1.50
1 summer dress 4.00
------
Total $74.75
Try to find below, in the list for third year, the articles left over.
Also new articles which will be of service the fourth year. Do you not
think it is wise to plan in this way? Marjorie and Barbara have enjoyed
making their budgets.
THIRD YEAR
2 union suits, winter @ 2.00 $ 4.00
2 union suits, summer @ .50 1.00
1 union suit, summer (left over)
2 flannelette nightgowns @ 1.00 2.00
1 new summer nightgown @ .75 .75
1 summer nightgown (left over)
*3 corset covers @ .50 1.50
2 pairs corsets @ 2.00 4.00
6 pairs of stockings @ .25 1.50
2 pairs garters @ .25 .50
shoes: 1 pair high laced @ 3.00
1 pair high laced repaired, left over, @ .75
1 pair low shoes (new) @ 2.50
1 pair party slippers (new) @ 2.00 8.25
1 pair rubbers .75
1 black sateen petticoat 1.00
1 long white petticoat 1.25
1 new short white petticoat .75
1 short white petticoat (left over)
retrimming last year's winter hat 1.25
1 winter hat (common wear) 1.50
1 summer hat (new) 5.00
1 summer hat (remodeled, common wear) 1.00
1 umbrella 1.00
*1 wool skirt 4.00
*2 shirt waists (plain) @ 1.00 2.00
*1 extra white waist @ 1.00 1.00
2 shirt waists (left over)
1 winter coat (left over 2 years)
1 spring coat (left over one year)
1 pair kid gloves 1.50
1 pair wool gloves .50
*1 wool dress (remodeled after 2 winters' wear) $ 3.00
2 white duck skirts (left over)
1 party dress left over (refreshened) 2.50
1 coat suit (left over)
2 gingham aprons (left over)
1 gingham house dress (new) 1.50
1 gingham house dress (left over)
1 summer dress remodeled 1.00
1 new summer dress 4.00
1 raincoat 5.00
1 wool dress (bought towards close of season) 10.00
1 pair winter arctics 2.00
------
Total $75.00
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
Plan a clothing budget with mother's help, and see how yours will
differ from the above. Perhaps mother spends less for your clothes
or more. Mrs. Allen says that Marjorie is learning to purchase
so wisely that next year she may buy all of her own clothes. Of
course, Mrs. Allen will always be willing to help when Marjorie
needs her.
LESSON 8
PLANNING TO MAKE A DRESS SKIRT OF COTTON MATERIAL
Let us begin to make our dress skirts.
=Open the pattern carefully and examine it.= How did you order it, by
age or by waist measure? The pattern books usually say order by age for
a girl unless she is large or small for her age; then order by waist
measure.
=Notice how many pieces you have.= Notice whether some are to be cut on
a lengthwise fold: perhaps, the center front and maybe the center back
if it has a panel front and back. Notice how many gores there are. Do you
know what a skirt gore is? Look at your pieces. A gore is always wider
at the bottom than at the top. Can you tell why? Gores are of different
shapes. Style sometimes regulates the width, for some seasons skirts are
very narrow and at other times very full. The gores help to reduce the
fullness around the waist. Do you understand? Notice how many gores your
pattern has. The front panel is counted as one gore, and the back panel a
gore. There are skirt patterns with three, four, or even eleven or more
gores. Perhaps your pattern has three gores like the one in the picture
(Fig. 128). Then the center back will be cut on a lengthwise fold of
material, as there will be two front gores joining the back with seams
at the hips. This is an easy pattern and suitable for a young girl. One
must think of suitability in selecting the style to be worn. Instead of
three, you may have a plain five or seven gored skirt. Then the center
front will be placed on a lengthwise fold, and there will be two gores
each side of the front for the five gored skirt, and three each side of
the front for the seven gored. A five gored skirt is a simple one.
[Illustration: FIG. 128.--The simple dress skirt and shirt waist.]
=Study your pattern.= Notice all the notches; also just where the pattern
is to be placed on the warp threads. This is very necessary. Take your
tapeline and measure the skirt length; compare with your own measures.
Your teacher will show you how to take your skirt measure, at front,
hips, and back, from the waist line to the desired length (see page 50).
You have learned how. Pin the tapeline about the waist and measure from
it. If your pattern is too long, it will be wise to double it over at the
center to reduce the length. If too short, add a few inches at the bottom
in cutting your cloth. Remember you must allow for the hem according to
desired width (see page 50 for changing patterns).
=Now lay the pieces economically.= Remember the wide end of the gore
usually cuts to best advantage at the end of the cloth. Pin and cut out
after your teacher has approved.
The pattern usually allows from ⅜ to 1 inch for seams. Notice how much.
Match the notches, pin, baste, and then try on. If too loose or too
tight, it is possible to stitch inside or outside of the bastings and so
to alter. The seams can be finished by overcasting the rough edges (see
Fig. 28).
If your pattern calls for an opening or placket at one side of the front,
it will be appropriate to make a hem running lengthwise of the skirt as
a finish at the placket, and the skirt will not be seamed with a simple
seam at that place. Turn to the wrong side one inch for hem along the
right front. Baste. Lap this hem over the left side. Baste flat to the
left portion of front, and stitch nearly one inch from edge, to within 8
or 9 inches of the top. The placket opening on the under side of front
can be bound with a two inch strip, sewing on right side at the edge and
turning to wrong just at the edge. If the pattern does not allow for a
hem on right front and lap finish on the right side of front, but only
for a simple seam, then it will be necessary to face the right front
portion with a strip 1½-inches wide.
=Pin the skirt to the belting.= It is possible to turn in the skirt edge
at top of belt so that it comes even with the top of the belt. This makes
a slightly raised waist line. Stitch neatly at the top edge. Turn hem at
the bottom the desired width and baste carefully. The stitching of the
hem can be done on the right side for neater finish if the basting is
done with care.
Sew on hooks and eyes. Be careful to attach the hooks so that they will
not show on the outside of skirt.
Mollie Stark was so successful with her skirt that she made one for her
older sister Ruth, and also won the prize at the County Fair contest.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Study some of the skirt patterns which mother has at home.
Compare with the one used at school.
2. What is a skirt gore? Describe. Draw on the blackboard.
3. Give some suggestions for economical cutting.
LESSON 9
CLOTHING IN RELATION TO HEALTH
Do you know that clothes help to keep us well? The Pleasant Valley
girls learned how, and we are to study, too.
Well people are usually happy people and they can do many more things for
themselves and for others than sick people. Have you ever thought about
this? All people wish to be well, but many are not because they forget
that it is absolutely necessary to think each day about keeping well.
There are many things which help to accomplish this. One cannot wait
until the end of the month or year to think about keeping well, but must
do so every day, as you have learned. Exercise and good habits, sleep,
proper food, recreation, and proper clothing all have a share. Clothes
are more important than people think. Ill health is often the result of
lack of thought in the protection of the body. Let us study how clothes
affect health. You know clothing helps to keep us warm or cool, if we
dress properly. You have learned how necessary it is to preserve an even
body temperature. Growing girls must think about this, for no girl is
well dressed who does not think about the relation of clothes to health.
Is a dress really beautiful if it is unhygienic? Miss Travers told the
Mothers' Club that clothing should serve our use in the best way, should
be pleasing and artistic, but also comfortable enough to permit freedom.
Did you ever feel sorry for the poor Chinese women who squeeze their
feet? Many American women squeeze their waists as well as their feet.
This prevents proper circulation of the blood and causes many complaints,
loss of hair, and serious troubles, because the circulatory system cannot
carry nourishment to the many parts of the body.
Perhaps you have noticed some girls wear very thin stockings, low shoes,
and low-necked dresses; really very scant clothing in cold weather. Is
this a good practice, do you think? Why not?
[Illustration: FIG. 129.--Shoes are important. Why?]
Heat and energy are generated by the body. We have learned that it is a
machine. Food, water, exercise, rest, keep it going. Heat and energy are
the result and are needed if the machine is to run well. If the heat is
all carried away quickly because the surfaces of the body are exposed to
the cold, then there is a waste of the energy which should go to provide
for the necessary workings of the body.
=Why do we wear clothing?= The principal reason is that the body may be
protected from the cold and that the temperature of the body may be kept
constant. It protects also from sharp, hard objects and briers and stones
which might injure the feet. Many people think only of the decoration.
This does affect our choice of clothes too, but should not be the prime
consideration. Miss Travers told the girls of Pleasant Valley to keep
these things in mind in choosing clothes:
_Some things to remember in choosing wearing apparel._
1. Adapt your clothing to your work. One cannot do garden and
house work in stiff collars and unsuitable clothing.
2. The condition of health will affect choice. Strong, well people
do not need the same kind of clothing as sick or delicate people.
3 Age makes a difference; young people are more vigorous than old
people. Babies feel the heat or cold more than adults.
4. Clothing should be chosen in relation to climate and
temperature; in winter, one should prevent an undue loss of heat,
in summer, clothing should not interfere with loss of heat.
_Some important things about wearing clothing._
1. Wet clothing is very dangerous and should be removed at once.
If this is not possible, exercise, keep moving, until there is
opportunity for a rubdown and change. John Alden always runs when
he gets his clothes very wet.
2. The clothing worn next to the skin should be changed twice a
week. The body gives off impurities which are absorbed by the
clothing. This change is necessary if one wishes to keep well.
3. Clothing worn at night should be aired during the day, not shut
up in a closet or folded and placed under a pillow.
4. Clothing worn during the day should be aired at night. This
is necessary for health. The same underwear should never be worn
day and night both. How do you air your clothes? (Fig. 56.) Many
mothers do not change baby's shirt at night and wonder why he
cannot sleep and is so cross. Sometimes this irritability is due
to this very cause.
5. Outer garments should be rather closely woven, so that the wind
cannot penetrate and carry the heat away too rapidly.
6. Heavy garments are a great burden. One wearing them is not free
to act or work.
Next lesson we will study about selecting our clothes, shoes, underwear,
and other garments with reference to health.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Write on the blackboard some important things to remember in
choosing wearing apparel.
2. Tell some important things to remember in wearing clothing.
LESSON 10
MORE HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CHOOSING CLOTHES
Clothes help to keep us well. Let us study about the wise
selection and use of them.
=Buying shoes.= When Barbara Oakes goes to buy a pair of shoes what do
you suppose she thinks about besides the fact that they are pretty and
that she likes or dislikes them? She remembers that they should fit her
feet. She thinks about these things:
1. They should suit her purpose, be adapted to her use.
2. They should fit the instep and heel snugly.
3. They should be straight on the inside line.
4. The heel should be broad enough to balance the body well.
5. The soles should be strong enough to walk, and thick enough so
dampness cannot strike through.
6. There should be plenty of room for the toes to move. (See Fig. 129).
7. They should be long and wide enough for comfort. Tight shoes are a
strain on the body.
Many girls have "fallen arch." This affects the whole nervous system and
makes them ill. Many are suffering and do not know the cause. Barbara
Oakes was ill for a long time before her mother or the doctor knew why.
It is not necessary to wear an arch supporter or an orthopedic shoe, if
one has normal feet; and one can have normal feet if the above things
are remembered. Some girls choose foolish footwear, and later have much
discomfort and are unable to walk.
Very great care must be taken to keep the feet dry. It is cheaper to buy
a pair of rubbers than to pay a doctor; and rubbers save shoes and keep
the wet from rotting the thread of the shoes. Many women forget that it
is dangerous for a woman to get her feet wet.
=Selecting clothing that is healthful.= _Stockings_ should be chosen in
relation to climate. It is unwise to wear thin, transparent stockings on
a cold day. If possible have two weights and select according to weather.
_Corsets_ are important. They may seriously affect health if not worn
correctly. They should fit snugly over the hips but allow freedom at the
waist line. For young girls corset waists are very satisfactory. Great
care should be taken, however, when the first corset is selected. Jane
Smith says her mother tried several for her before getting exactly the
right one. The corset should leave no marks on the body. The danger is
that, unless well fitted, a corset interferes with circulation. Lacing
causes all kinds of troubles. It deforms the body and makes it hour glass
in shape, instead of free and beautiful like Miss James' picture of the
Venus de Milo (Fig. 130). When tight bands or corsets interfere with
circulation, the blood supply for the brain and the other organs is shut
off, and consequently these organs are not nourished. Most girls wish to
preserve the graceful waist line with which nature has endowed them. Do
you? Fat easily accumulates around the waist, but plenty of exercise,
gardening, sweeping, walking, climbing, will prevent this. Buy a corset
which supports your organs, one which does not press downwards; and
arrange the garters so that they will not be too tight and interfere with
the circulation.
[Illustration: FIG. 130.--Notice the beautiful lines on the figure of
Venus de Milo.]
=Underwear affects health.= Do you remember that we discovered the reason
why one should be particular about the kind of underwear worn? We learned
that ill health and fatigue are often caused by weight of clothing or by
tight clothing causing lack of circulation or by clothing which prevents
the skin from being ventilated. Textile materials and temperature of the
body are closely related. We should learn to know which materials to
select. Each person feels the need differently. Old people and little
babies feel the heat or cold more than other people. Grandmother Stark
usually feels cold and wears a shawl about her shoulders. Underwear must
be chosen in relation to climatic conditions and also for conditions
under which one wears them, for indoor or outdoor work. Each must study
her health, the climate, her age, and occupation, and plan accordingly
for the best kind.
Underwear should be chosen which can be easily cleansed, also that
which will permit plenty of air next to the skin. These properties of
materials, as we call them, must be studied.
The body, as we know, loses heat and water every day. Some materials
conduct heat more rapidly than others; and some absorb and retain, while
others eliminate, moisture more readily. Absorption and elimination
differ with different fabrics. Linen is quicker than other fabrics to
eliminate moisture. Wool on a dry body of a person who does not exercise
freely feels warm and continues so as long as the skin does not give off
more moisture than the wool can take up. If the body continues then to
give off moisture, the heat of the body cannot escape and one does not
feel comfortable. If a current of air or a draught occurs, the heat will
be conducted quickly and the bodily temperature reduced too quickly. So
underwear must not only prevent too great loss of heat by conduction, but
must be so constructed as to conserve heat when it is needed.
Heat is eliminated when materials conduct it. Porosity of materials
prevents too great elimination. The air in the meshes or pores prevents
this, as a still layer of air does not conduct heat readily. A loosely
woven or knitted shawl is warmer under certain conditions than one which
is firmer. Two lightweight garments are better than one heavy one because
of the air space between.
Wool is warm, but irritating to many people. It is not as cleanly as some
fabrics, for it absorbs the body excretions and is not easily laundered.
As it shrinks with use, it has fewer air spaces between the meshes. Any
loosely woven or knitted underwear with air spaces is more hygienic than
the closely woven.
Cotton garments are often woven loosely and so treated in manufacture
that they absorb easily. Silk is very pleasing but costly. Silk and
wool combined are also excellent, but expensive. The great argument for
wool or for wool and cotton is that evaporation is slow unless moisture
and draught are present, and so the bodily temperature is not apt to be
reduced so unduly as through cotton or linen; in other words, one is not
so apt to take cold.
Union suits form an even layer over the whole body and are considered
more hygienic than the double layer of vest and drawers at the abdomen.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. What underwear do you think is the best kind for you to wear
considering your age, work, climate, health?
2. Write a composition of two hundred words about the best kind of
corsets to wear, and why.
3. What important things will you consider the next time you buy a
pair of shoes?
REVIEW PROBLEMS
I. Begin to keep your clothing budget. Ask mother to permit you to
plan it. Do not stop at the end of the year; keep on for at least
four years.
II. In what ways are you definitely planning each day to keep
well? How do clothes help?
III. What facts learned at school can you give mother about wool,
which will help in buying your new winter coat.
IV. Plan a school exhibit of all the work done during the year.
Your teacher will make suggestions about the refreshments and
invitations as well as plans for mounting the work.
[Illustration]