HAND AND MACHINE SEWING
The next stage in the evolution of a straw hat _made from plait_ is the
sewing together of the material to form the necessary shape.
The earliest methods were, of course, all by hand. Perhaps the first
was that described in Chapter II, where the heads of the plait were
tucked in one under the other and rendered secure by the passing of
some fibre inside the loops of the heads, so as to make an almost
invisible joint, as in the case of a “Leghorn” hat. It may be said
in passing that this method was carried out by the Italian plaitters
in the case of chip plaits made of 9 ends, but without the securing
fibre. The result was that there was enough “hold” given by the tucked
in heads to ensure the edges holding together sufficiently to form
a perfectly flat plate. It was in this form that chip plaits were
first used for the “Granny” bonnets in vogue a century ago; for when
stiffened with gelatine or glue the joins were sufficiently strong to
enable the brim shape to be produced. The “Flats,” as they were called,
were made all of one diameter, and it therefore followed that one made
out of the finest plait would contain more rows than one made of a
coarser grade. The exact diameter was determined by the finest size
plait, and of that there would be 100 rows, hence the term “No. 100”
represented to the trade the narrowest plait. The qualities down to
the coarse ones were graded in 5’s, thus the next coarse size was “No.
95,” and so on, down even to “No. 65,” of which being very coarse only
65 rows were necessary to make the “flat.” To use for working, where
dyeing was required, the flat was “stripped” by taking the outside end
and gently pulling the flat, the centre of which was pivoted round
and round until the whole was undone. This in no way deteriorated the
plait, but it was soon found that to wind the plait into neat pieces
saved considerable trouble for marketing and subsequent use. This,
however, is only a digression recording a method of joining plait in
spiral rows, of which head wear was made, which after all is the plan
on which all sewing is based. The British sewers, with only a very few
exceptions, have always joined plaits together by means of an overlap,
that is, the head of one row covering the foot of another, thus, the
needle passing through the plait just under the head, to make the
stitch as little visible as possible, and through the foot close to the
edge, so as to lay the plait as thinly as firm sewing would permit. The
effect when sewn was of a tiny, practically invisible stitch on the
surface of the plait and a continuous stitch on the under side, the
stitches being about half an inch apart. (_See_ opposite page.)
[Illustration: Fig. 10 SECTION OF 4 ROWS OF PLAIT]
This backstitching formed a perfect “lock,” and, although for the
purpose of explanation the five right hand stitches are shown in a
graduated loose state, in actual working each one was tightened at its
completion before commencing the next. This method was common to the
sewing of all plaits, the coarser, harsher varieties necessitating the
use of the coarsest thread. For some plaits such as fine “split,” to be
used for “compo” finish, and horsehair crinoline a “running” stitch was
sometimes used in the early times, but it has been discontinued except
for broad silk or fancy plaits.
[Illustration: Fig. 11]
As some of the plaits were only about 1/8th of an inch in width, it
will readily be seen how deft and skilled an operative must have been,
to ensure the perfect spirals and equidistant rows that were the mark
of the best handsewn bonnets and hats. The nature of the stitch made by
any of the machines used for hat making with straw plait is necessarily
entirely different to that of the hand, although the one made by the
“Légat” machine followed the handstitch very closely. It consisted of
two strands of cotton forming a tiny, almost invisible stitch on the
surface of the plait and one strand only underneath, the length of each
completed stitch being about half an inch. It was made by a descending
shaft carrying a hooked needle, and the peculiar result was achieved
by very intricate and delicate machinery in a circular box facing the
operator. The delicacy of the parts was so great and the machine being
less rapid than the “Willcox Visible Stitch,” or the first “Wiseman
Hand Stitch,” it was soon eclipsed by its competitors.
[Illustration: Fig. 12 SEWING STRAW PLAIT INTO HATS BY MACHINE]
The “Willcox Visible Stitch” was produced first on what was afterwards
known in the trade as the “10-Guinea” machine. This was simply the
domestic chain stitch machine, from which the table or platform around
the needle had been taken away, in order to allow free working of
any part of the hat. In a short time this machine underwent a great
change for the straw hat purpose. Luton mechanics set themselves to
work, and appliances were affixed one of which rendered the ingress
of the plait more easy; another allowed for a minute and standardized
gauging of the necessary widths for the proper row-laying of the plait,
still further another made it possible to alter the actual length
of the stitch, and at last the model known throughout the trade as
the “17-Guinea” was universally adopted as the best type of visible
stitch machine for plait sewing. The “stitch” consists of one strand
of cotton on the surface of the plait and two strands underneath, and
from its chain-like nature can be easily undone if required. This
has been closely copied by other machine makers, the one produced in
Germany known as the “Dresdensia” being almost an exact copy of the
“17-Guinea.” Both these machines vie with each other in the favour of
manufacturers, best work being possible from either. The other model
having survived the tests of time and the necessities of the industry
is the “Wiseman Box” Hand Stitch Machine. This derives its name from
the inventor, and from the box-like case, with even a lifting lid, that
is its great characteristic. Mr. Wiseman in this machine, as in his
first model, which was not box enclosed, makes use both of the threaded
needle similar to the “Willcox,” and of the unthreaded hook-like needle
peculiar to the “Legat.” But contrary to the downward action of the
others, the “Wiseman” needles make an _upward_ thrust. They stand at
about 1/16 of an inch apart, the one with the eye (which, as in all
machines, is at the pointed end) carrying the cotton, and being placed
in the same needle bar move simultaneously. The upward thrust when
working sends the pair of them through the two overlapping strands of
plait which are kept at the proper place by special “guides.” When
they emerge on the surface of the plait, a little finger, called the
“looper,” takes one strand of the loop of cotton from the needle,
brings it across the intervening space where it is caught in the hooked
needle and released from the looper. Then both descend, and the result
of this trio of movements is a stitch of the width that exists between
the needles, consisting of two strands of cotton. The feeds then move
the plait forward about half an inch, and the operation is completed.
The under stitch consists of three strands, but as the cotton used in
this and all other straw machines is of the finest grades, say from
“80” to “100” for the best work, the stitch is hardly seen, and the
weight is not sufficient to be detrimental.
The centre of the top of the crown, called in trade parlance the
“Button,” is produced by taking an extreme end between the thumb and
forefinger of the right hand, the left holding the length part of the
plait. The right hand makes a sharp turn of the portion held and with
a slight cupping motion, such as would be used by a grocer making a
conical paper bag, permits the plait in the left hand to come under the
cupped portion, through the lapping of which the first stitches are
made. The spirals of the “button” are extremely small, and the beauty
of this part is enhanced by the gradual and regular increase of the
size of them. This operation produces a spiral going from right to
left, as in Fig. 13, and is always the method adopted by hand sewers;
it was in this way that all the bonnets and hats were commenced prior
to the adoption of machinery for sewing plait.
[Illustration: Fig. 13]
The button finished, recourse is then made to the “block” or shape of
the crown to be produced, for the subsequent sewing depends on its
contour. If this is circular the continual working around the button
until the desired diameter is reached, will achieve the required
result; but if the shape is oblong (as they frequently are, the trade
name for which is “oval”), it is necessary for the sewing to follow a
slightly crowded course at the narrow width, and a slightly extended
course at the length, for it is a desideratum that the edge of the top
should synchronize exactly with the “turn down row” as it is called,
so that with the first row sewn down the side of the crown, a clean
cut and square edge will be produced. This done, sewing continues,
always to the “block” contours, until sufficient depth is reached, and
this finishes the crown where the base is at equal distance all round
from the edge of the top. In some cases, however, it is necessary in
order to produce the actual outline of the model, to add in one place
or another at the bottom of the crown short extra rows of “gores” or
“slopes” (the local terms) which will increase the depth of the crown
at the place required; in some bonnets many extra rows are necessary
to give just the fit to any arch there may be in the head line of the
brim. In early times the bottom of the crown was always the same size
in circumference as the head entry of the brim, and in that case the
brim was commenced by sewing the first row of it to the last row of
the crown. In some styles that still obtains, and the hats thus made
are designated “one piece.” Modern models, however, often have the base
of the crown much larger than the necessary head entry. In those cases
the crown and the brim are made separate, and are called “two piece”
hats when finished, the head fit being provided by the brim alone. In
such cases the brim is commenced by sewing to a band of some cheap
material sufficiently stiff, made to the necessary head size.
Many shapes have brims which are of equal width all round. It is then
only necessary to sew directly off the last row of the crown, and,
conforming to the style, continue the sewing in the spiral manner.
Where a brim is flat it is most important that it should be started at
a proper angle to the side of the crown, for that may or may not be
exactly upright. There are crowns, such as boaters for men, of which
the sides are exactly at an angle of 90° to the brim, there are others
of which the top is smaller than the head fit, of which the sides
taper, making an obtuse angle to the brim line; and still further there
are others, where the top is larger than the head, where the angle is
sharpened. So that in order to make the brim perfectly flat due regard
must be made to the side crown incidence, and in process of making
great care has to be taken so as not to impart either fullness, which
would cause undulations, or tightness, which would make the brim either
to turn up like a saucer, or to turn down like a mushroom. Of course,
there are hats with brims of equal width all round that are designed
to do one or the other of these things, and in that case the operative
gives the necessary fullness or tightness either all round or in part
as the shape may require. But the majority of fashionable models have
brims of unequal widths; thus the front may be wider or narrower than
the sides or back; or the back may be of the narrowest width; or the
sides may be wider than either front or back, or each cardinal point
of the brim compass may be of different dimensions. In either of these
cases the proper result can only be obtained by one of three ways:
1st, by the insertions of the proper width and length of gores at the
part nearest to the crown and opposite, but in relation to, the edge
of the widest part or parts of the brim; 2nd, by starting the brim at
the crown line as if for an equal width, and putting the gores at the
edge of the brim at the place where the extra width is required; 3rd,
by sewing the brim as an all round one and then cutting the edge to the
required shape.
The first method is that always followed where a circular or extra
oval edge of the brim is necessary, the gores counteracting the
inequality of width will leave the circumference with a clean, true
sweep. The second method is only adopted where the brim outline forms
some abnormality, which it would be impossible to achieve by sewing
the gores to the crown, and where this is done each end of the plait
used is carefully crowded towards the part where it is joined to the
brim and laid down in such a manner as to preserve as far as possible
the original curves of the rows of plait nearest to the crown. The
third method is employed where the abnormal outline of the edge of the
brim is of a too acute nature to allow even of gores being worked,
and every season brings up one or more models that require this kind
of treatment. The brim is sewn, taking no notice of the inequalities,
to the width of the widest part (providing always that the head line
gores must be inserted where practicable); either before or after
stiffening or blocking, as the case may demand, the edge is cut with
scissors to a template of the shape, and is then bound with a row of
the plait sewn all over those parts which have been cut across the
rows, so that any possibility of fraying is averted. In the above
cases, which are all of more or less curved lines, a row of plait is
always sewn on the last row, making a double thickness. This is for two
purposes, to create an extra strength, and to permit the attachment
thereto of any wire or fabric desired, without stitching through the
brim proper. But there have been brims of which the outside edge had
a portion or portions that were quite sharply defined angles. These
are now done by the third method outlined above, but in the old hand
sewing days, where the operatives’ fingers, instead of a machine, had
to do the work, the angle was achieved by a process known as “nipping.”
This consisted of starting the angular portion with a piece of plait
turned abruptly, even to the extent of making the foot of the turned
portion lap over the foot of the foundation. This was sometimes done
in working a very oblong top of a crown, but then the two ends of the
accentuated oval were turned in as circular a form as possible, similar
to part of the formation of a “button,” but in the “nipping” case the
turning point was quite sharp, needing a small tuck of the plait to
be sewn underneath to get the required acuteness; the following rows
were treated in the same manner until the desired width was obtained.
By this means any angular projection of the brim can be obtained, but
it is only possible in hand sewing. Before the advent of machinery any
such process as No. 3, cutting the brim and binding, was never utilized
in the manufacture of best class goods, except for those bonnets which,
largely in vogue at one time, had very deep ears with round ends, and
even in these cases wherever possible the method No. 2 was adopted.
But when machinery became the prime factor in the sewing of plaits
other methods were necessarily taken up, for the capability of the
machine was not always equalled by the capability of the operator, and
_vice versa_; therefore, the best means common to the skill of the
greatest number became the general rule. It is possible that, with the
delicate adjustments which can be obtained on either of the two styles
of machines in use in the trade, the last of the four methods could be
sufficiently well done, but only a very small percentage of operatives
would be deft enough to achieve a good result, and even in the cases
of the first and second methods where gores are worked on the inside
or outside edges of the brim, the final crowding and laying down is
invariably done by hand sewing. The button also is another part that
the hat sewer by machine still makes by hand. In the machine finished
hats this part is turned in the same manner, _but in the opposite
direction_, thus the hand sewn hat spirals run from right to left,
whereas the machine made article rims from left to right, taking the
same orbit as that of the sun. (_See_ Fig. 14.)
[Illustration: Fig. 14]
As already mentioned, one of the earliest machines made for plait
sewing commenced the hat operations at the edge of the brim, but this
was a solitary instance, all others started at the “button” and the two
generic machines now in vogue, the visible and the invisible stitch,
follow, with the exception of the direction, the method of hand sewing.
In order that a machinist of straw plait should be capable of producing
the highest grade work, a thorough tuition of hand sewing is most
helpful, and this was well demonstrated when machines were first used.
The early appliances or attachments to the machines were of quite a
primitive nature, in fact, they were only those in use for domestic
sewing, and the subsequent machines made especially for straw work, did
not develop the niceties which now are part of the construction of the
up-to-date machine, and yet, in spite of these drawbacks, the machine
work done by the erstwhile hand-sewers has never been surpassed,
although by aid of the possibilities of adjustment and the advent of
mechanical power the present speed capacity has been at least doubled.
[Illustration: Fig. 15 SECTION OF ROLLERS, SHOWING ONE FLAT SECTION FOR
HEADLESS PLAITS, AND SIX WITH GROOVED RECESSES FOR RECEIVING THE HEADS
IN THE VARIOUS SIZES NECESSARY FOR DIFFERENT WIDTHS OF PLAIT]
A process common to both hand and machine sewing is the “milling” of
plait before using. This obtains mainly, if not wholly, on plaits
made of straw. In hand sewing times it was an absolute necessity, as
it imparted a requisite pliability to the somewhat harsh fibres, and
permitted their easier adjustment in sewing to the requirements of the
shape. It also, on those plaits which had “heads,” accentuated the
difference between the head and the foot, giving a greater boldness
of effect. The mills used for this purpose were made with beech
wood frames and with boxwood rollers. Generally these rollers were
designed and cut to take all widths of plait, and the “trolls,” as the
individual grooves were designated, were made with a double recess, the
smaller one of which permitted the head of the plait to escape the
pressure exerted on the foot. (_See_ Fig. 15.)
When the extra demand for machine made hats arose it was found that the
harsher plaits of China were too wearing on the wooden rollers, and
mills made of iron were produced, but on the same active principles as
shown above. To-day the majority of plaits used in the trade are not
milled, only the coarser and harder straw varieties being occasionally
done. All Tagal and soft pedal plaits can be machined without milling,
owing to the pressure mechanism which is now part of all the plait
sewing machines.