COURSE OF INSTRUCTION.
FIRST YEAR--THIRD GRADE.
EQUIPMENT.
Sewing box.
Pin cushion--20 pins.
Thimble.
Needles.
Scissors.
Thread cards.
Practice Piece--Unbleached muslin, 9" x 6".
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
Prepare Thread Cards--Cardboard 4" x 4", designed and cut for four kinds
of thread.
Exercise No. 1--Basting Design.
Exercise No. 2--Running Design No. 1.
Exercise No. 3--Overhanding on Practice Piece.
Exercise No. 4--Pot Holder--Weaving--Christmas Piece.[4]
Exercise No. 5--Running Design--No. 2.
Exercise No. 6--Overhanding--Running Designs 1 and 2 together.
Exercise No. 7--Running Design No. 3.[1]
Exercise No. 8--Hemming a Towel.[3]
Exercise No. 9--Running Design No. 4[1]
Exercise No. 10--Overhanding--Running Designs 3 and 4 together.
Overhanding Nos. 1 and 2 to 3 and 4.[1][2]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] See Electives, page 18.
[2] See Electives, page 18.
[3] See Electives, page 18.
[4] See Electives, page 18.
[Illustration: NO. 1-4.
CHILDREN IN NATIVE COSTUME.
SUGGESTIVE DESIGNS IN OUTLINE FOR THE RUNNING STITCH.]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXERCISES.
_Teach:_ One inch, one-half inch, one-fourth inch.
_Practice:_ "Drills for Beginners," page 10.
EXERCISE NO. 1--BASTING.
_Materials:_ Unbleached muslin 5" x 8" stamped with the three basting
stitches, No. 1, page 64; colored thread No. 50; needle No. 7.
Make pupils perfectly familiar with the _name_ and _use_ of this stitch.
See "Description of Stitches Used in Plain Sewing," page 63.
Beginning at the right hand follow the lines of the design with the
thread, placing the knots over the dots on the right hand side and
fastening over the dots at the left. Under each stamped row of stitches
put in one, two, three or more rows, depending upon the rapidity with
which each individual works. This will help to keep the class uniform.
EXERCISE NO. 2--RUNNING.
_Materials:_ Stamped running design No. 1, page 12. Unbleached muslin
6" x 8"; colored thread No. 50; needle No. 7.
Make pupils perfectly familiar with the _name_ and _use_ of this stitch.
See "Description of Stitches Used in Plain Sewing," page 63.
The object of this model is to give the pupils practice in the running
stitch. These designs are more interesting than practicing on plain
cloth, so if the work is not satisfactory, cut the knot, pull out the
thread, and try again. Give special attention to the knots and the
fastening of the threads and the general neatness of the work. Place the
knot on the wrong side and follow the lines of the design with the
running stitch.
EXERCISE NO. 3--OVERHANDING.
_Materials:_ Practice piece; colored thread No. 50; needle No. 7. Teach
the Overhanding Stitch on the Practice Piece. See "Description of
Stitches Used in Plain Sewing," page 63. Change the color of the thread
once or twice and teach the joining of the thread. Baste two folded
edges together and insist upon neat, careful work.
EXERCISE NO. 4--POT HOLDER--WEAVING--CHRISTMAS PIECE.[8]
_Materials:_ Weaving frame; netting needles; candle wicking in two
colors; brass rings.
[Illustration: THE WOVEN POT HOLDER MADE OF CANDLE WICKING.]
Teach the principles of cloth weaving and the terms warp, woof and
selvedge.
The weaving frames are made from one-inch board, 8" x 8". Three-fourths
of an inch from and parallel to the top and bottom drive a row of
nails, having very small heads, one-half inch apart, leaving an inch
margin at both sides.
Tie a slip knot in the end of the wicking and slip it over one of the
corner nails. Pass the wicking back and forth around the nails first on
one side and then the other. This forms the warp. Draw the threads
fairly tight and tie around the last nail. Thread the other color of
wicking into the netting needles, weave across the warp threads
alternately taking up and passing over them. In alternate rows take up
the threads passed over in the preceding row. Do not draw the woof
threads tight enough to draw the holder in at the sides. Slip from the
frame and fasten the loose ends by weaving them back into the holder.
Work a brass ring with the blanket stitch, using a strand of the wicking
and sew it to one of the corners.
EXERCISE NO. 5--RUNNING.
_Materials:_ Running design No. 2, page 12, 6" x 8"; colored thread No.
50; needle No. 7.
Follow the lines of the design with the running stitch.
EXERCISE NO. 6--OVERHANDING.
_Materials:_ White thread No. 50; needle No. 7. Running designs 1 and 2
are to be overhanded together. Turn a quarter-inch fold on the long side
of both pieces. Baste the folded edges together and overhand.
EXERCISE NO. 7--RUNNING.[5]
_Materials:_ Running design No. 3, page 12, 6" x 8"; colored thread No.
50; needle No. 7.
Follow the lines of the design with the running stitch.
EXERCISE NO. 8--HEMMING--PAPER FOLDING FOR A HEM.[7]
_Materials:_ Paper 4-1/2" x 7".
Fold the long way of the paper. First fold of the hem, one-fourth of an
inch. Turn half an inch hem on one side and an inch hem on the other.
Have each child cut from a card a gauge for measuring the hems and
insist that the hems be turned evenly.
Teach the hemming stitch on the Practice Piece with colored thread. Trim
the edge neatly, fold the hem accurately and baste in place. Bad habits,
that are hard to correct later, can so easily be formed in making this
stitch that I wish to caution teachers in regard to the position of the
needle in relation to the hem, the amount of cloth taken on the needle
and the tendency toward making the blind stitch or the damask hem
instead of the plain hemming stitch.
HEMMING A TOWEL.
_Materials:_ Crash, 9" woof, 6" warp; white thread No. 50; needle No. 7;
tape 4-1/2 inches.
Turn one-fourth inch fold on each side and across the bottom and baste.
Turn the second fold one-fourth of an inch on the sides and baste. Hem
the sides. Turn an inch hem at the bottom, baste and hem, giving special
attention to the corners where the bottom hem is turned over the side
hems. Hem the top with a quarter-inch hem if there is no selvedge. Sew a
loop in the middle of the top on the selvedge edge as follows: Turn in
one-fourth of an inch at both ends of the tape. Place the ends of the
tape side by side and down one-fourth of an inch from the edge of the
towel. Hem around the ends of the tape and back-stitch across the tape
just at the edge of the towel.
EXERCISE NO. 9--RUNNING.[5]
_Materials:_ Running design No. 4, page 12, 6" x 8"; colored thread No.
50; needle No. 7.
Follow the lines of the design with the running stitch.
EXERCISE NO. 10--OVERHANDING.[5][6]
_Materials:_ White thread No. 50; needle No. 7.
Running designs 3 and 4 are to be overhanded together. Turn a
quarter-inch fold on the long sides of both pieces. Baste the folded
edges together and overhand. Running designs 1 and 2 are to be
overhanded to 3 and 4. Turn a quarter-inch fold at the top of one piece
and the bottom of the other, baste the folded edges together and
overhand.
[Illustration: DOLL'S QUILT--ELECTIVE.]
ELECTIVES.
[5] Running designs No. 3 and 4 may be omitted, (this will also cut out
Exercise No. 10) and selections from the following substituted to fill
in the time, pupils furnishing their own materials and teachers planning
their own designs:
Pen wipers. Pin disks. Needle books. Small pin cushions for the sewing
box. A wiper for eye-glasses.
[6] The four running designs in Exercise No. 10 may be made into a
doll's quilt by basting to a lining, turning in and overhanding the
edges together and tacking. Pupils will furnish their own materials for
the lining.
[7] Instead of the small towel encourage children to ask their mothers
for a dish towel which they can bring from home to hem. Some
house-keeper of the neighborhood might be glad to have her dish-towels
hemmed for her by the class.
[8] Instead of the pot holder a child's picture-book may be substituted.
See "Paper, Cloth and Cardboard Construction," page 101.