THE LIBRARY
OF WORK AND PLAY
CARPENTRY AND WOODWORK
By Edwin W. Foster
ELECTRICITY AND ITS EVERYDAY USES
By John F. Woodhull, Ph.D.
GARDENING AND FARMING
By Ellen Eddy Shaw
HOME DECORATION
By Charles Franklin Warner, Sc.D.
HOUSEKEEPING
By Elizabeth Hale Gilman
MECHANICS, INDOORS AND OUT
By Fred T. Hodgson
NEEDLECRAFT
By Effie Archer Archer
OUTDOOR SPORTS, AND GAMES
By Claude H. Miller, Ph.B.
OUTDOOR WORK
By Mary Rogers Miller
WORKING IN METALS
By Charles Conrad Sleffel
[Illustration: Photograph by Mary G. Huntsman. The Last Step is Making
the Buttonholes]
NEEDLECRAFT
BY EFFIE ARCHER ARCHER
_Needlework Editor of well-known magazines. Connected with
New York Public Schools, Y. W. C. A.,
and Arts and Crafts Club_
[Illustration: Title Page]
GARDEN CITY NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1916
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN
LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN
COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. What You Should Have in Your Work Box--Sewing
on Buttons--Basting--Darning 3
II. Back-stitching--Over-casting--Creasing a
Hem and Hemming--Rolling a Hem--French
Hemming--Sewing on Tapes and
Hooks and Eyes 12
III. Gathering--Sewing on Bands--A Practical
Sewing Apron--Hemmed Patches--Gussets
and Tucks 26
IV. A Doll's Skirt--Sewing Case--Bindings--Doll's
Bed Linen--Pin Case 41
V. Making Buttonholes--Cutting from a Pattern--A
Doll's Dress 58
VI. A Lesson in Stencilling 74
VII. What Can Be Done with One Skin--Cut
Leather Bags, Belts, Book Covers, etc. 83
VIII. Tooled Leather and Tools Necessary 91
IX. The Simplest Stitches in Embroidery--Chain-stitching,
Outlining, Herring-boning, Cross-stitching,
Soutache, Coronation Braiding 98
X. Smocking--Feather-stitching--Lazy-daisy
Stitch 112
XI. Couching--Shadow-work--Turkish Stitch--How
to Stamp Designs 121
XII. Buttonholing and Wallachian Embroidery 130
XIII. Roman Cut-Work--Fancy Buttonholing for
Borders--Bermuda Fagotting 138
XIV. Satin-Stitch and Marking 147
XV. Eyelets and French Knots--Bullion Stitch,
and Other Fancy Stitches 160
XVI. Long and Short--Kensington Embroidery--Ribbon
Work for Simple Flowers 176
XVII. Hardanger Embroidery for Squares, Pin
Cushions, and Spreads 190
XVIII. Appliqué on Linen and Other Materials--Hedebo
Embroidery 198
XIX. Hemstitching for Handkerchiefs and Collar
and Cuff Sets--Simple Drawn Work
Stitches 207
XX. Easy Lace Stitches--Fagotting, Single Mesh,
Double Mesh, Spiders, Fan, Maltese Cross,
Twisted and Buttonhole Bars, Picots for
Simple Edge 227
XXI. Simple Baskets 242
XXII. Raffia Baskets and Napkin Rings 250
XXIII. Raffia Hats 262
XXIV. Knotting for Dolls' Hammocks, Shopping Bags
and Other Purposes 271
XXV. Simple Bead Chains on Single Strings--A
Homemade Loom--Woven Chains--Belts
and Purses 278
XXVI. Braiding and Weaving Four and Six Strands--Weaving
on Looms 295
XXVII. Simple Crocheting--Stitchery for Edges and
Shawls 306
XXVIII. Pattern Directions for Making Doll Caps
and Capes, Jackets, and Child's Bedroom
Slippers 320
XXIX. Irish Crochet Lace 333
XXX. Knitting, Plain and Purling--Wash Rags--Fancy
Stitches for Shawls 351
XXXI. Doll's Cap, Hood, Leggings, and Jackets 360
XXXII. Embroidery Suggestions for Boarding School
Girl 372
ILLUSTRATIONS
The Last Step is Making the Buttonholes _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
The Right Way to Darn 10
A Single Motif Being Used on a Stencilled Scarf 76
Many a Happy Hour is Spent Embroidering 164
It is Jolly to Make a Raffia Work Bag 250
Sewed Raffia Baskets Make Attractive Gifts 258
The Fascinating Task of Making Bead Chains 284
A Cushion Top Can be Woven on a Simple Hand Loom 296
Her First Knitted Shawl 356
NEEDLECRAFT
I
WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR WORK BOX, SEWING ON BUTTONS, BASTING,
DARNING
You will find that you are happiest when doing things for those you
love; and what greater help can you give than by learning to do things
for yourself that now those who love you best do for you? The little
everyday things that appear to be so simple, yet take so much of the
mother's time should be the things first to learn. There are so many
things that one could do if one only knew how, that it seems a shame to
waste time. Dolly needs new clothes, mother always needs help with her
sewing; and then, too, the numerous birthdays and Christmases follow so
quickly one on top of another, that there is hardly a chance to save
up for one before the next is here. Many a hard problem for the little
mother will be solved in this book.
It is lovely to have a little work-box fixed up with thread, needles,
and scissors, all of your own, and if you ask mother, I am sure she
will give some of her threads to help you start one. If you take a
card and shape it like a Maltese cross you will have space for four
colours of threads. You will need a card for the white alone because
you will find you use so much more of it. You must have a little
thimble and always use it or your finger will look cramped when
working. Have you noticed how pretty ladies look when sewing? Well, you
must do as they do, tap your needle with the thimble to send it through
the material (Figure 1).
[Illustration: Fig. 1. The way to use your thimble]
Have you ever wondered and wondered why it is that buttons have the
horrid habit of dropping off just when you wanted to dress quickly or
take Sally Ann walking? Well, I will whisper the reasons for this:
the first is, that the thread might have been worn out from active
service; or the thread used might have been weak; or lastly, which is
probably the true cause, the button might have been sewn too close to
the material and came off the first time it was used. Mother may not be
around to help you when the accident happens, and would you not feel
proud to sew it on for yourself?
To sew a button on securely you should make a pin-hole where the
button is to be placed. A four-hole white button is the easiest to work
on. Thread a No. 7 needle with a length of No. 40 white sewing cotton,
bring the ends together and make a knot. The right length thread is
measured from the tip of the thimble finger to the elbow. When a thread
is used double it should be twice the length of this. A neat knot is
made by holding the threaded needle in the right hand and by taking the
end or ends, as the case may be, between the thumb and first finger of
the left hand. Keep the thread tightly stretched, wind it around the
top of the first finger, then move the finger down the thumb, carrying
the thread with it about half an inch. Now with the nail of the second
finger bring the knot thus formed to the end of the thread.
A large ungainly knot is a disfigurement to a piece of sewing. You are
now ready to adjust the button; place the knot on the upper or right
side so that it will be concealed; after adjusting the button put a
pin across the top and sew securely through the holes, crossing the
threads. Sew not less than three times through each hole. Remove the
pin. Insert the needle from underneath, then bring it out between the
button and cloth close to the centre of the button. Wind the thread
tightly around the neck of the button three or four times. (The neck
is the threads between the button and material.) Wrapping the threads
around protects the stitches and allows room for the buttonhole to lie
under the button. Take the thread through to the wrong side and take up
three stitches, make a short stitch on the material and cut the thread
close (Figures 2 and 3).
[Illustration: Figs. 2 and 3]
When a three-hole button is used the stitches form a triangle on the
top of the button. A shoe-button should be sewed with a No. 2 needle
and coarse black thread. The stitches are taken through the shank of
the button. Fasten off the thread after sewing on two buttons, for if
they are all on one continuous string or thread and that breaks, all
the buttons are apt to come off. If each button is securely fastened
the thread may be passed, however, from one to the other.
[Illustration: Fig. 4. Even basting]
[Illustration: Fig. 5. Uneven basting]
Now I know you want to do some real sewing; it must not be big or
you will get very tired and think sewing is not as pleasant as you
fancied. The simplest stitch in sewing is basting. This is used to
hold materials together until you are ready to make firmer stitches.
In the following illustration the even and uneven basting stitches are
shown (Figures 4 and 5). They must be straight. Even basting stitches
should be taken about a quarter of an inch apart and in the running
stitch which is fine basting about an eighth or a sixteenth of an inch.
Pretty huck pillows can be made of even and uneven basting or running
stitches. A leaf, star or a figure cut out and traced on a piece of
muslin will make a nice design for running stitches (Figure 6).
[Illustration: Fig. 6. A simple design in running stitch]
If you will examine different kinds of materials before they are cut,
you will note that the threads run in two directions. The threads
running lengthwise must be the stronger, as they have more strain on
them. They are called the warp. The warp is set up first before the
weaving begins. The threads running crosswise are called the woof. It
is the weaker thread and forms the edge or selvage.
If you will take a card three inches square and prick a line of dots
half an inch from the top and bottom edges and prick a line a quarter
of an inch apart you will have a little loom. The dots must be directly
under each other. A piece of coloured worsted and a large-eyed crewel
needle No. 2 will be required. Make a knot at the end of your thread
and start from the upper right hand hole on the wrong side. Bring your
thread up through the hole and down through the lower right-hand dot.
The needle must now come up through the next hole at the bottom and the
thread be again stretched across the card.
When every hole has been filled and you have several rows of straight
lines, fasten off the worsted in the back. Another shade of wool should
be selected so that you can distinguish the warp from the woof. The
thread you are now going to use is the woof; commence at the top and go
straight across to the left line, up over and down under each thread
and so on till the row is completed. In weaving the next row, pick up
the threads of the warp that you went over last time. Alternate rows
agree (Figure 7). When finished, the little piece can be used as a
doll's mat.
To darn your stockings is almost as simple a matter as this weaving.
Instead, however, of starting the thread of the warp on an even line,
as on the card, start some higher than the others. The reason for this
is that an even line will be apt to make an uncomfortable seam in
your stocking. The woof threads are always connected to the stocking.
A darning ball should be used under the hole. In darning cashmere or
woollen stockings it is best to allow the warp to be very slack as
wool shrinks considerably in washing. Wool should be used for darning
woollen stockings.
[Illustration: Fig. 7. Weaving with worsted]
[Illustration: Fig. 8A. The first step in darning]
[Illustration: Photograph by Mary G. Huntsman. The Right Way to Darn]
Have you ever belonged to a sewing club? If not, try to start one
and see how much fun there is in it. The club should meet either on
Friday or Saturday afternoon, after the school work is finished. Every
girl should bring her stockings to darn and another piece of work, so
that when the darning is over she will have something to work on. If
there are more than four in the club it is a very hard thing to keep
up. Three is the ideal number for it. It is better to have a small
number--three, for instance. A large club is apt to be distracting, but
three or four little girls, with the right helpful spirit, will find
such meetings very instructive and entertaining.
[Illustration: Fig. 8B. The second and last step in darning]
II
BACK-STITCHING, OVER-CASTING, CREASING A HEM AND HEMMING, ROLLING A
HEM, FRENCH HEMMING, SEWING ON TAPES AND HOOKS AND EYES
[Illustration: Fig. 9. The right way to hold your scissors]
"Stitching is witching," the song book says, and it is true, for after
we know that stitch there are a hundred and one things we can do. Some
people call it back-stitching and we must try to remember that, so that
we shall understand of what they are talking. Get mother to give you a
piece of material to practise on that has a stripe in it. Now take your
scissors (Figure 9) and cut out two three-inch squares. Baste the two
squares together a quarter of an inch from the edge. Hold the square
over the first finger of the left hand ready for the back-stitching.
Let the basting run up and down over your finger. Start from the top
and make a small stitch backward, on the right side of the material,
instead of forward as you did in running (Figure 10). Pass the needle
under until you have a stitch twice as long on the wrong side as that
on the right. Take the next stitch backward close to the end of the
last one on the right.
[Illustration: Fig. 10. Back-stitching]
Remember that the stitch you take backward is only half as long as
the one you take forward. Stitching always looks very different on
the wrong side, but on the right side it ought to look like machine
stitching. This stitch might be called the lion stitch, because it is
so strong. It is used to join two edges together, as for the seams in
bean-bags or cushion covers.
In places where there will not be much strain we use a quicker stitch,
which is called the half-back stitch (Figure 11). This is very much
like the stitching of which I have been telling you. The wrong side
will look about the same, but on the right side instead of the
stitches touching there will be a space, then a stitch of equal length.
[Illustration: Fig. 11. The half-back stitch]
The next stitch to learn is the combination-stitch, which is made up of
both the running and the back-stitch (Figure 12). It is a stitch that
is greatly used for sewing long seams, as on underwear. By this stitch
we can cover the distance in about half the time that back-stitching
would take.
[Illustration: Fig. 12. The combination running and back-stitch]
Whenever you can avoid making a knot, do so, because it spoils the
look of your work on the wrong side. You can start your work, if it
is a seam, for example, by making two or three stitches on top of
each other. Follow the thread of the warp or woof of the material as
much as possible. After fastening your thread, make two fine running
stitches forward and one back. Keep the stitches the same length.
[Illustration: Fig. 13. Over-casting]
Over-casting is used on unfinished or cut edges to keep them from
fraying (Figure 13). The stitches all slant from right to left. Take
the stitches one eighth of an inch deep and one quarter of an inch
apart.
[Illustration: Fig. 14. Over-handing]
Over-handing is fine over-casting and used to connect two finished
edges together (Figure 14), as when sewing lace on ruffles, or joining
selvages. What is the selvage? It is the edge of the warp. The next
time mother goes shopping ask her to take you with her. When she tells
the salesman she wants so many yards of goods, whether it is for
kitchen towels or a dress for herself or for you, notice how the goods
is measured. The salesman will measure along one of the finished sides
of the goods. These finished edges are called selvages.
[Illustration: Fig. 15. The seam opened]
Make the stitches in over-handing as small as possible, keeping the
stitches even. Sew through both pieces of the material. Hold your work
between your thumb and first finger. Here again it is not necessary to
make a knot. Let a half-inch of the end of your thread lie on top of
the material toward the left side; the over-handing stitches will cover
this end. When the over-handing is finished run your thumb-nail along
the stitches on the right side. If your stitches are too deep there
will be a seam on the wrong side, whereas if the instructions have
been followed carefully the material will lie perfectly flat (Figure
15).
Now we are ready to help mother hem the new kitchen towels. First see
that the edge you are to hem is straight. If it is not, pull out a
thread so as to mark a line to cut by. You must take a thread that runs
the entire way across the end of the towel. Cut carefully along the
space out of which the thread came. Get a piece of card that has two
smooth or straight edges and make a notch one-half inch from the corner
(Figure 16). A half-inch hem is the one commonly used on a towel.
[Illustration: Fig. 16. A notched card]
If mother likes to have her towels with a wider or narrower hem, notch
the card the size she wishes. Turn the material back one-quarter inch
and crease it down with your thumb-nail. A second fold is made the
width of the hem. Take your measuring card and, placing the end of it
on the double edge, see if your hem is exactly the width desired. Baste
along the first folded edge to hold the material together for hemming
(Figures 17 and 18). Hold the edge to be hemmed toward you. Do not knot
your thread. Insert the needle at the extreme right of the hem. Pull
the needle through, leaving a little end, as in over-handing, to be
fastened down with the hemming itself.
[Illustration: Fig. 17. The first step]
[Illustration: Fig. 18. The second step]
Your needle should slant as shown in the diagram (Figure 19). Take a
stitch right through all the thicknesses of the material. Be sure that
it goes through to the other side. The fewer the threads taken on the
needle at the same time, the neater the result will be. The stitches
should slant from right to left. The stitches must be close together if
we want fine hemming. Let each stitch be the same size as the other and
slant in the same direction. The right side of the hem looks like a row
of short dashes.
[Illustration: Fig. 19. The way the needle should slant]
If your needle gets "sticky" when you are sewing, you should pass it
through your emery-bag till it is shiny and sharp again. The needle is
apt to get that way if your hands perspire. Ladies who like to keep
their sewing looking fresh and white, as if hands had never touched it,
find it a good plan to wash their hands in a little vinegar, or lemon
and water.
It is very necessary to sit so that the light falls over your left
shoulder. A little straight-back chair is another good help in sewing.
Do you know that many of our English great-grandmothers had very
straight backs? When they were little girls they had to sit on a very
straight, tall chair, an hour or two every day. A foot-stool was placed
under their feet, and their shoulders strapped against the chair. Of
course they did not sit there idle, but a piece of fine sewing was
given them to work. You see they did not have the opportunity to run
around and play as you have. Their chief recreation was their dancing
lesson.
[Illustration: Fig. 20. A corner basted ready for hemming]
The towel finished, the next thing to learn is how to turn a corner and
hem it. Shall we make a cover for Sally Ann's bed or a dust-cloth for
mother? In either case cut a piece of material eighteen inches square
and turn a hem and baste it as you did for the towel. The next side is
folded the same as the first. The corner should form a perfect square
(Figure 20). Sometimes the material is very thick and the hem wide; in
that case it is wise to cut a little oblong piece out of the corner as
shown in the illustration (Figure 21).
[Illustration: Fig. 21. The material cut from a corner]
Napkins and table-covers should be sewed with a French hem. Make a turn
about a sixteenth of an inch deep. The second turn should be about
three sixteenths of an inch wide. Fold the hem back so that it touches
the right side of the material. The hem is connected to the material
with tiny over-hand stitches. Open the hem, when finished crease with
the thumb-nail till it lies perfectly flat.
[Illustration: Fig. 22. Whipping]
A pretty new way of finishing a handkerchief is to roll the material
for the edge instead of folding it. Over-cast or, as we sometimes say,
whip it with delicate-coloured cotton, (Figure 22). The nicest material
for handkerchiefs is fine linen, but lawn is cheaper for practice
work. Hold the wrong side of the material to you. Then roll about one
eighth of an inch between the thumb and first finger of your left hand.
Do not roll more than an inch of the hem at a time. Take a needle
and thread it with a piece of coloured cotton. In this case it is
permissible to make a knot. Insert the needle at the beginning of the
roll. Over-cast or whip the rolled edge. The stitches should encircle
the roll and not go through it. When the rolled inch is over-casted,
roll another inch and repeat in this manner till the whole handkerchief
is worked. If you desire, when you have finished one side, you can whip
in an opposite direction toward the point at which you started, thus
forming a cross with each return stitch (Figure 23).
[Illustration: Fig. 23. A pretty finish for handkerchiefs]
Lace is sewed to raw edges by rolling and whipping the material and
connecting the lace at the same time.
[Illustration: Fig. 24. A rolled hem]
[Illustration: Fig. 25. One end creased one quarter of an inch]
[Illustration: Fig. 26. The tape open flat on material]
Tapes should be on all towels and on all your skirts and dresses that
are to hang on nails or pegs. Take a piece of fine tape about five
inches long. Crease one end down one quarter of an inch (Figure 25). If
the tape-loop is to be sewed on a towel find the direct centre of the
top edge of the towel. Lay the tape with the creased end open flat on
the towel (Figure 26). Sew along the creased line with back-stitching.
Fold the other end of the tape over, baste it down so that it entirely
covers the stitches already made and with small hemming stitches
connect the tape to the material (Figure 27). There should be two
tape-loops on your dress or separate skirt. There is usually too much
weight for only one loop. Place a loop in each armhole of the waist or
dress. For the skirt, measure the waist-band and place the loops so
that the band is divided in thirds.
[Illustration: Fig. 27. The tape finished]
Do you know that very few people sew on hooks and eyes properly? Yet
there is no difficulty in sewing them correctly and they look much
nicer. Take the eye, connect it to the material with two stitches that
make a cross. With the same thread pass the needle to the left-hand
loop. Insert the needle in the material so that the eye of the needle
is within the loop and the point of the needle comes just outside. See
that the thread passes from left to right _under_ the point of the
needle. Draw the needle through and repeat in this manner until the two
loops of the eye are firmly connected to the material. Sometimes it is
necessary to cover the upper part of the eye. In that case cover the
metal with fine over-and-over stitches as shown in (Figure 28B).
[Illustration: Fig. 28A. The eye firmly sewed]
[Illustration: Fig. 28B. A covered eye]
The loop of the hook is sewed on in a very similar manner at the
base, while the top of the hook is caught with eight or nine
over-and-over-stitches (Figure 29). These stitches are taken under the
hook portion and connect the under side only. Measure accurately just
where every eye goes and place the hook so that when it meets the eye
it will be straight. A sixteenth of an inch out of the way spoils the
appearance and is apt to pull the material crooked. Another point to
remember is that it is not a good plan to place the eyes on the extreme
edge. A margin of some size is most necessary to extend beyond the
eyes. Sometimes it is necessary to sew a piece of material so that it
extends one inch beyond the eyes if the eyes are sewed on the extreme
edge of the finished garment. This piece is called the fly piece.
[Illustration: Fig. 29. The hook]
III
GATHERING, SEWING ON BANDS, A PRACTICAL SEWING APRON, HEMMED PATCHES,
GUSSETS AND TUCKS
Though I know you don't like making samples, I am going to ask you to
make a little apron for a doll, as a model, before we make a real big
one.
Get a piece of muslin five by nine inches and a No. 9 sewing needle.
Thread it with a piece of No. 70 cotton. Baste an eighth of an inch hem
on both of the five-inch sides, and a three-quarter of an inch hem on
one of the nine-inch sides.
The basting of the three sides being finished we will now start to
gather the fourth side. Thread a No. 8 needle with No. 50 thread. Use a
thread a trifle longer than nine inches. Make a good-sized knot in the
thread so that the end cannot slip through the material. Start from the
right-hand side of the piece and insert the needle on the under side.
Let the knot come on top of the narrow hem about one quarter of an inch
from the raw edge.
The needle is now in position on the right side of the material. Take
up several stitches on the needle before pulling it through (Figure
30). The stitches are nothing more than running stitches. When the
running has been worked across the nine inches of the material, take
the needle out and make a knot in the thread.
[Illustration: Fig. 30. Gathering the apron]
Put a pin, vertically, close to the last stitch. Take up only a few
threads of the material on the pin. Draw up the running thread so that
you have about three and a half inches of gathering. Wind the thread
that extends beyond the gathering over the top and under the point of
the pin a number of times, crossing the thread at the middle of the pin
so that it forms an eight (Figure 31).
To allow the gathering to fall evenly, it will be necessary to stroke
it. Use a No. 2 needle for this purpose. With the right side of the
work toward you begin at the left-hand edge. Hold the work between
the left thumb and forefinger, keeping the thumb below the gathering
thread. Put the point of the No. 2 needle under the gathering thread,
holding it obliquely. Press the needle toward the thumb, bringing the
little plait under the thumb and drawing the needle downward. Pinch
the little plait down lightly with your thumb. Continue in this way,
putting the needle under each stitch (Figure 32).
[Illustration: Fig. 31. Gathers ready for stroking]
Let us now put a band and strings on our apron. Cut two strips of
material ten inches long by two inches wide. These are for the strings.
Baste an eighth of an inch hem on the two long sides of each strip.
Make a three-quarter of an inch hem on each string.
Over-hand the ends of the broad hem. All the hems that are basted on
the strings and the material itself should be hemmed with fine stitches.
[Illustration: Fig. 32. Gathering Strokes]
Cut another strip two and a half inches wide by five inches long. This
is the band. Turn down one eighth of an inch of the material all around
the band. Crease the band in half, lengthwise, so that the edges, just
folded, are inside.
Find the centre of the gathered material and the centre of the opened
band. Holding the wrong side of the apron toward you, pin the middle of
the apron to the middle of the band. Pin the gathered side of the apron
to the band, three quarters of an inch from each end of it.
Wind the gathering thread around the left-hand pin, drawing the thread
up to fit the band. With the point of the needle adjust the gathers
so that the fullness is evenly distributed along the band. Holding
the gathers toward you, baste with small stitches a little above the
gathering thread.
Turn up the band and on the right side of the apron hem the band in it,
catching up a gather with each stitch. Some people prefer to stitch
along the basting line instead of hemming (Figure 33).
[Illustration: Fig. 33. Taking up a gather with every stitch]
Baste the other side of the band down, and hem as on the right side.
Insert the strings in the band. Hem in the same way as on the band,
first the right side and then the left side, and now your little apron
is completed (Figure 34).
Would you not like to have a sewing apron that you can use as a bag
when you are not wearing it? It is such an easy thing to make that
after you have one for yourself you will be making them for your
friends for Christmas.
[Illustration: Fig. 34. The apron completed]
Get mother to measure you from the waist to the knees. The material for
the apron should be one and a half this measurement. Turn one third of
the material back. Baste the double edges together and sew with fine
combination stitches.
Turn this piece inside out. Crease back one eighth of an inch edge of
this pocket, as it were. Baste a piece of beading over this raw edge
right around the back of the apron. Be careful not to sew up the pocket.
The beading on the back must be the same distance from the bottom as
the beading in front; that is, we must keep a straight line. Sew on the
extreme edges of the beading with fine running stitches, to connect it
to the material. Now as the ribbon we are to run in the beading must
serve as a draw string, as well as for decoration, it will be necessary
to put two pieces in. So get a narrow ribbon about one half the width
of the openings in the beading. Each piece of ribbon must be long
enough to go once around the apron and enough of the ends left to tie
double bows--one for each side. Start one piece of the ribbon at the
right-hand side of the apron and the other at the left.
The top of the apron or single piece is finished with a piece of
beading which is sewed on, as on the pocket. A ribbon long enough to
go around your waist and to tie a bow in the back is run through the
beading (Figure 35).
[Illustration: Fig. 35. The apron]
When the apron is not being worn your work can be placed in the large
pocket and the single section folded within the pocket. The ribbons
are then drawn up tight and "bravo!" you have a work bag fit for a
queen (Figure 36).
[Illustration: Fig. 36. The work bag]
There are so many kinds of rents or holes that may happen to your
clothes that it is worth the while to know how to mend the various
kinds. There is an old adage that says, "Waste makes want," and we
would spend a small fortune in clothes if every time a wee hole made
its appearance we discarded the garment.
If it is a circular hole in a dress or underbody, as often happens,
under the arms, we will use the square patch. Cut a piece of the same
kind of material, three inches square, or larger if necessary. Turn a
fold of one eighth of an inch on the four edges of this square. Crease
it lengthwise and crosswise.
[Illustration: Fig. 37. The patch hemmed to the material]
Crease the material on which the patch is to be laid lengthwise and
crosswise through the tear. Pin the small piece or patch on the wrong
side of the large piece, or garment, so that the creases run in the
same direction. The warp must run the same way in both pieces. One
sixteenth of an inch from the edges run a basting thread. Hem the four
sides on the patch to the material (Figure 37).
[Illustration: Fig. 38. The pin in each corner of the patch]
On the garment side make a crease half an inch wide, from the hemming,
on the four sides. Four little squares will be formed in the corners.
Crease along the diagonal of each square. Place a pin one eighth of an
inch from each corner, within the patch (Figure 38). Cut the garment
from the centre of the tear to the pins. Repeat this on each side,
cutting along the crease which you made, one half inch from the hemming.
Turn in one eighth of an inch and baste. Hem all around (Figure 39).
[Illustration: Fig. 39. The garment side of the patch]
In patching material such as checked or striped ginghams, percales, or
other materials, the stripes or the checks must match so that the patch
is not too apparent (Figure 40).
[Illustration: Fig. 40. Matching the stripes]
Have you ever noticed how the slit or placket of a petticoat or side
opening of drawers is finished? A piece of material is put in of an
odd shape to strengthen the openings. This is called a gusset. Suppose
that you were making a petticoat. Join the skirt up the back from the
bottom, but leave eight inches open at the top. This top opening is the
placket. But let us take a small piece of material and practise making
the back of a skirt. We will put a hem and a few tucks at the bottom of
the material first.
[Illustration: Fig. 41. Basting the tuck]
Make a measuring card of a straight strip with an eighth, three
eighths, and three quarters of an inch notches.
Crease and fold a wide hem (three quarters of an inch), using the
measuring card as a guide.
Over-hand each end of the hem. Now baste along the hem. The
over-handing must be done before the basting. Now hem this wide hem.
Again, using the cardboard measure, on the right side of the model
fold a crease three quarters of an inch above the hem. Begin at the
right-hand side to crease and baste (Figure 41).
With a fine, even, running stitch, an eighth of an inch below the
crease, make the tuck (Figure 42). Measure every few stitches to keep
the seam straight.
[Illustration: Fig. 42. Making the tuck]
If a second tuck is desired, measure from the tuck instead of the hem.
Now we are ready for the slit which is in the centre top. On the wrong
side start at the top with an eighth of an inch hem, but decrease it to
almost nothing right to the bottom (Figure 43). Fold the other side in
the same manner. In hemming the two sides, start at the top.
[Illustration: Fig. 43. The placket hemmed]
Now let us practise making gussets on a piece of paper. Cut a piece
of paper three inches square. Fold it from corner to corner and cut
(Figure 44). Turn the straight or short edges of the paper one eighth
of an inch and fold along the two shorter edges (Figure 45).
[Illustration: Fig. 44. The triangle]
Hold the paper with the straight edge down, measure it from the two
points one quarter of an inch. Now cut a piece of material the size of
the paper and fold like model.
[Illustration: Fig. 45. The short edges folded]
Cut off the two points one quarter inch from each corner on the thread
of the goods (Figure 46). Turn these two straight ends and the bias
edge of paper one eighth of an inch (Figure 47). Turn point of paper
down one eighth of an inch from bias hem and crease (Figure 48).
[Illustration: Fig. 46. With points cut off]
Now cut the muslin gusset and fold just like the paper one.
[Illustration: Fig. 47. All sides are now creased.]
[Illustration: Fig. 48. The point folded over]
Hold the model or skirt with right side toward you, and turn up point
of gusset. Holding the wrong side of the skirt toward you, twist left
side of gusset to left side of placket and over-hand to creased line,
half way up the gusset (Figure 49).
[Illustration: Fig. 49. The gusset over-handed half way]
Over-hand right side. Turn bias edge of gusset over to right side, pin,
having straight edges parallel to warp and woof threads and then hem
(Figure 50).
Gather the top of the skirt and put on a band on each side of opening
about the same width as the one used on the apron (Figure 51).
[Illustration: Fig. 50. Gusset hemmed]
[Illustration: Fig. 51. The gusset model completed]
IV
A DOLL'S SKIRT AND SEWING CASE, BINDINGS, DOLL'S BED LINEN AND A PIN
CASE
Let us suppose that Sally Ann measures twelve inches from the crown of
her head to the soles of her feet and that you would like to make her a
gored skirt like mother's. Would you not feel happier if you made the
pattern and then cut the skirt yourself?
Take a piece of paper twelve by nine inches wide, mark every inch on
both the long sides of the paper. Lay a ruler so that it touches the
centre of the space between the first and second dots on the upper
edge, and between the second and third dots on the lower edge. This
will form the half of the front gore of the skirt. Mark it, "half of
front."
Now draw a line from the second dot on the upper edge to the centre of
the space between the fourth and fifth dots of the lower edge. Connect
the sixth dot on the upper and lower edges, mark this section "side
gore." Connect the eleventh dot on lower and upper edges and mark this
section "back." The remaining inch mark "belt." (Figure 52).
[Illustration: Fig. 52. The pattern drawn]
Cut the pattern apart along the lines drawn.
Take a piece of muslin twenty-four by nine inches. Tear off two inches
of the muslin on the length for the band and then ten inches for the
back of the skirt.
Fold the remaining piece of muslin with the two short edges together so
that the doubled piece measures six inches by nine. Place the straight
edge of front of skirt pattern on the fold of the material and the edge
of the side gore on the other edge. Pin the pattern down securely and
cut through both thicknesses of the material (Figure 53).
Pin the skirt together, placing a straight edge of a gore to a bias.
Baste a quarter-inch seam along the finished edges of each gore,
holding the bias edge toward you. Sew the seams up with combination
stitches. Press open the seams and over-cast each one to keep it from
fraying.
[Illustration: Fig. 53. The back, side gore and front]
Fold a hem at the bottom of the skirt an inch and a quarter wide. Baste
the hem so that seam comes to seam. On the front gore there will be a
fullness. Gather this fullness in with fine running stitches and baste.
Use a separate thread for the gathering. Now hem around the whole skirt.
Cut the placket two inches down through the centre back. Turn a hem on
the right side one half inch wide and on the left one eighth inch. Sew
the hem.
Lap the wide hem over the narrow at the bottom of the placket and
stitch across the wide hem two rows of stitching one eighth of an inch
apart.
Turn in the strip you cut off at first for the band one quarter of an
inch on the two short sides and on one of the long sides.
[Illustration: Fig. 54. The skirt]
Fold lengthwise, find centre of band and crease; one inch from this,
crease again.
Place and pin band in the same way as for the gusset described in the
last chapter, placing the middle crease at the middle of front of
skirt. Then pin the band also at the creases on either side of centre.
Gather each side of the skirt that is left. Draw in the thread to fit
belt. Spread the gathers so that most of the fullness is in the back.
Over-hand the ends and hem second side of the placket. This finishes
the skirt (Figure 54).
A basket or box of some sort is very nice to have, as we have said
above, for your sewing, but suppose you were going to sew with another
friend and you wanted a handy case in which to carry your sewing
implements? A cloth case that can be folded or rolled is very much more
convenient and may be carried in the large pocket of your apron. One
made of denim is inexpensive, wears well, and is highly practicable.
One yard will make you a case.
Cut a piece of green denim sixteen by fifteen inches long. Turn up four
inches of the material, baste down both sides. Baste a four-inch pocket
on the left-hand corner of your case. The rest of the case divide in
two. This will hold your darning cotton that comes on cards.
We have a pretty way of finishing this case, which is not only
ornamental but strong, and that is to bind it. Get a piece of tape long
enough to go around the whole case. Crease it lengthwise so that one
edge comes slightly below the other. Open it and lay it on denim and
then neatly back-stitch the right side and hem the wrong. The hemming
should be just below the back-stitching, and must not be seen on the
right side. Allow enough tape at the corners to make a good angle. Both
sides of the corner must be treated alike.
[Illustration: Fig. 55. The material caught from side to side]
It will be well to have a needle case to match the sewing case. Cut
a strip of material thirteen inches long by three and a half inches
wide. Cut this strip in four parts. Get a piece of cardboard that is
not too thick or of such kind that will break easily, as some of the
cheaper grades of brown cardboard are apt to do. Cut four pieces, three
inches wide by three and a half inches long. Thread your needle with a
piece of No. 40 cotton and put a big knot at the end. Take one of the
pieces of denim and a piece of the cardboard. Catch the material from
side to side with stitches about one quarter of an inch apart (Figure
55). After sewing these two sides sew the third and fourth in the same
manner. Cover each piece of the cardboard in this way (Figure 56). Take
two of the covered pieces and over-cast them carefully together.
[Illustration: Fig. 56. The four sides of material caught together]
You should have leaves of flannel to stick your needles in. Pink the
edges of the flannel. Pinking is snipping out the edge in little points
and can be done with scissors. Connect the two pieces of the needle
case with two tiny bows, or a heavy thread can be made to answer the
purpose. The flannel sheets are tacked through the centre like the
pages in a book (Figure 57).
The third or middle compartment between the spool case and darning
thread can be used for a miscellaneous pocket to hold the tape-measure,
emery-bag, small scissors and other necessary articles.
[Illustration: Fig. 57. The flannel sheets tacked through the centre]
A piece of tape stretched down on the denim with just enough spring for
the package of needles to pass through is a handy way to carry them
(Figure 58).
It is rather dangerous to travel with a pair of scissors with the
points unprotected. In Canada and the states that border it the
Indians sell the little sweet grass protectors. A cork, however, that
comes in small bottles such as you get from drug stores will protect
the points of the scissors as well as the sweet grass protectors, if
not as elegantly. If the scissors are too large to put in the pocket a
piece of tape could be stitched down to slip them in lengthwise. The
case should be folded in three parts when it is not in use and a piece
of tape the same colour as the binding tied around it (Figure 59).
[Illustration: Fig. 56. The four sides of material caught together]
Now that you have your sewing apron and a work box, you will love to
be sewing every chance you get. Suppose we plan a set of bed things
for Sally Ann. First let us make a mattress. The mattress on your bed
is covered, probably, with ticking, but this is too harsh for your
fingers to sew, so let us select percale or zephyr, and half-inch tape
for the binding; the filling can be cotton, hair, or feathers. If it is
impossible to get any of these three, newspapers chipped up very fine
will make an excellent padding. Many people use newspaper chippings to
fill pillows for summer use.
[Illustration: Fig. 59. The case folded]
Measure the bedstead and cut two pieces of percale or zephyr exactly
the same size. Now cut a stripe of the material, one inch wide, long
enough to go around the four sides of one of the pieces of the material
that you have just cut.
[Illustration: Fig. 60. The narrow strip to the large strip]
Baste the long narrow strip around one large piece. Lay the wrong side
of the strip to the wrong side of the material (Figure 60). The edges
must be even. Use the combination stitch of one running stitch and one
back-stitch just below the basting. When the strip has been securely
sewed to the four sides of the material, join the two ends together on
the wrong side.
Now take your tape, which may be white or the colour of the figure in
your material, and bind the edges by first running one side down and
then the other (Figure 61).
[Illustration: Fig. 61. Binding the mattress]
The other piece of material is sewed in the same manner--the wrong
side of the strip to the wrong side of the material. Do not sew,
however, around the entire four sides but leave about six inches open
through which the filling may be passed. After basting the strip with
combination stitching fill with cotton or whatever material you have on
hand. Do not fill the mattress so that it will be bumpy. Put a little
stick in and flatten the filling at the top. Now sew the opening up
and we are ready to quilt the mattress.
Thread a large needle with two pieces of heavy cotton floss or wool.
Push your needle through to the other side, letting a short end extend
above the mattress. Bring your needle back again close to where it came
out (Figure 62). Unthread the needle and tie the ends tightly. Cut off
what is left and repeat again two and a half inches over. It is best to
quilt in rows; that is, to start two inches in from the long side and
make a row parallel with the tape. The next row is made two and a half
inches farther over and the next row of knots should come in between
the first row of dots.
[Illustration: Fig. 62. Quilting]
This mattress is made just like yours and the pillow is the next
article we will make. The pillow should be half the width of your
mattress, as we will use two on the bed. Take a piece of material
twice the length desired for the pillow. Use the same kind of material
as that used for the mattress. Fold the piece in two with the wrong
side out. Join the two long edges and one of the short sides with the
combination stitch (Figure 63). Make the stitches one quarter inch from
the edge. Now turn the case inside out and fill with cotton. Turn in
the edges of the open end and over-cast them together (Figure 64). As I
have said before, it will be necessary to make two pillows.
[Illustration: Fig. 63. The pillowcase]
[Illustration: Fig. 64. Overcasting the open end]
The pillowcases can be made of lawn, cambric or muslin. Cut the
material a little larger both in length and width than the pieces used
for the pillow. The seams of the pillowcases will have to be felled.
Along the one short side and the long side make fine running stitches,
one quarter of an inch from the edge. Cut the raw edge from one side so
that the other is about an eighth of an inch wider. Now fold the wider
edge over like a hem so that it completely covers the cut edge and
hem neatly to the material. The open end has a wide hem of say three
quarters of an inch. When the hem is finished turn the case with the
work inside.
For the sheets cut two pieces of muslin or lawn large enough to cover
the mattress and to turn under. The selvage edge of the material should
run the length of the sheet. Turn in a quarter-inch hem on the two long
sides of each sheet and hem. Now turn a one-inch hem at the top and
bottom of each sheet. This completes the sheet (Figure 65).
[Illustration: Fig. 65. The sheet]
A blanket is of course very necessary to have and it can be made of
a piece of an old blanket or of canton flannel, cashmere, or plain
flannel. If a piece of blanket is used, finish the edges with the
blanket stitch which is described in Chapter twelve of the book.
The flannel, cashmere, or canton flannel is finished by turning the
edges over a quarter of an inch and herring boning or cat-stitching
them to the material (Figure 66). For cat-stitching see diagram in
Chapter nine.
[Illustration: Fig. 66. The blanket]
No bed is complete without a counterpane of some sort and this can
be made as fancy as you desire. A pretty one is made of strips of
insertion joined together by fine over-casting or fagotting. Fagotting
is explained in Chapter twenty. A row of edging will have to be sewed
like a ruffle around the two long and one short sides to complete the
counterpane.
[Illustration: Fig. 67. The crow's foot and spider on checked gingham]
If a very fancy counterpane is desired get a piece of checked gingham
of some light colour. The check should be a quarter of an inch square.
With your needle threaded with white or a shade deeper than the
darkest check make spiders on the dark squares and crow's feet on the
light. Directions for making a spider are given in the chapter on "Lace
Stitches."
A crow's foot is made by taking one stitch on the diagonal of the
square and two on each side of it, the stitches on each side of the
first one being a trifle shorter than the previous ones (Figure 67). A
counterpane like this is very attractive and does not require a great
deal of time to make.
[Illustration: Fig. 68. The envelope opened]
A dainty little pin case that will make an acceptable little gift for a
friend that is going to travel is the envelope pin case. Take a piece
of material such as linen, cretonne, or silk and another piece of
different coloured material for lining and shape one end as shown like
the flap of an envelope (Figure 68). A good size is nine inches long by
four inches wide.
Cut a piece of stiff paper a half inch smaller than the pieces of
material. Baste the material which will be outside over the paper so
that the edges are folded back one quarter on the paper. Turn a similar
fold on the lining and hem it to the material as shown on the flap of
the envelope opened.
[Illustration: Fig. 69. The envelope case closed]