Contains beautiful designs in Crochet for useful and
decorative purposes. It is uniform with this volume, and
issued by the same publishers.
Mending a Man’s Shirt.
[Illustration: CUFFS FOR ATTACHING TO WHITE SHIRTS.]
One of the many expensive necessaries in these expensive days is a
man’s white shirt. In many cases the finished article is treble the
price it was in 1914. This is partly due, of course, to the increase
in the cost of labour, as there is a considerable amount of skilled
work entailed in the cutting out and putting together of a man’s
white shirt. And the high price is partly to be accounted for by the
increased cost of materials.
But with all the care in the world, shirts will still wear out, and
must somehow be replaced. Fortunately this difficulty is not such
a serious one as it at first appears; a shirt can quite easily be
renovated—and without having that amateurish look that so often just
spoils things.
Repairing Shirt Tails.
The first parts to go, very often, in a man’s shirt are the tails.
Well, the simplest way to deal with this is to cut them off right
across, above the weak places. This is really far more satisfactory
than patching. A piece of calico or longcloth from another discarded
article is not difficult to get. Measure the same size as the portion
cut off. Hem round three sides. Run and fell the fourth side to the
shirt itself.
Perhaps you did not know, as I did not myself until recently, that
many of the essential details which go to make up the shirt, can be
purchased separately. In this way a weak front or collar, or the cuffs
can be removed, a new one substituted, and you have a new shirt without
its cost.
[Illustration: TWO KINDS OF COLLAR BANDS.]
Cuffs are parts that soon show signs of wear, and frayed cuffs gives
the shirt—and the man—a weary look. In this case, unpick the cuffs if
possible, if not, cut them off close up. The new cuffs can be bought
into which the sleeve is inserted, and the shirt regains its sprightly
appearance. At the time of writing, the price of these cuffs is 6½d.
and 8½d. per pair, and the result is well worth this small expenditure.
[Illustration: A FRONT FOR A SHIRT FASTENING AT THE BACK.]
Another method of repairing the cuffs is to cut off the frayed cuff,
and put on a narrow band. In this case, separate cuffs would be worn.
You do not even need to make these bands yourself. They can be bought
ready for use.
About Collar Bands.
Most women have, at one time or another, struggled with the shirt
collar-bands of their menfolk. When it is your first one, you start
off quite happily. After all, you say, it is a simple matter to cut
such a band, and will only require a small piece of material. But
you soon find out that it is not so simple as it looks, and, being
shaped, needs more material than you had thought for. And when you have
finished it, you have neither satisfied yourself, nor the owner of the
shirt. Men often assume a superior indifference to clothes, but there
are certain things about which no indifference is visible, one being
the collar band of their shirt. Collar-bands are cut in a scientific
manner, and even experienced workers, knowing that they are not very
easy to make, will probably be as thankful as less advanced workers,
to buy them shaped and stitched, ready for applying to the shirt.
These collar-bands can be bought singly or in half dozens, and can
be supplied opening at the front or back, according to the fastening
of the shirt for which they are needed. The present price of these
collar-bands is 3d. each. They are made in white calico, also in sateen
for coloured shirts.
[Sidenote: Fronts that you can Buy.]
When Buttonholes are Torn.
“But,” says someone, “buttonholes are my trouble. You can’t, surely,
buy new buttonholes to replace the broken ones?” True, but the case
is by no means hopeless. If this is your difficulty two courses are
open to you. Either refront the shirt, or else an additional front
can be worn outside the white shirt. This latter plan would perhaps
be too warm in the summer, though an extra front is a useful addition
in the winter. The use of separate fronts and cuffs help to solve the
ever-present laundry problem, as these can be sent to the laundry for
stiffening and polishing, while the unstiffened shirts can be washed at
home, thus effecting a very considerable saving in expense.
[Illustration: A FRONT FOR A SHIRT FASTENING IN FRONT.]
If, however, the separate front is objected to, you can buy fronts
for letting into worn shirts. There are two kinds, the front in one
piece for shirts fastening at the back, and the dividing front for
shirts fastening in front. These are supplied square, as shown in the
illustration. There are two qualities, price 9½d. and 1/-.
To apply the new front, first tack it on to the old front, then cut
it to the shape required, allowing sufficient margin to turn in a
fell. Then cut away the unnecessary material at the back from the
shirt, leaving here sufficient to turn in a fell. In this way you have
practically a new shirt again.
These are the portions that are most likely to show signs of stress and
wear. Should any rents occur elsewhere, a little patch must be added.
A Patch may be Necessary.
It is hardly necessary to remind you that it is better to mend and
patch with material that is not quite new. Very often a pillow-case
that is worn in one part will supply a sufficient amount of sound
material for re-tailing a shirt.
In looking through the shirts of your menfolk, you will probably find
one wants a new collar-band, another new cuffs, another a front, and
so on. They will not all need repairing in every direction. But even
if they did, and you had to get several new portions for one shirt, it
would be well worth your while, as the cost of these portions is very
slight.
Mending a Collar.
Men’s collars are among those articles that one had come to regard as
useless as soon as they are torn or worn, and therefore at the first
sign of disrepair to be replaced by new ones. Yet collars nowadays are
a far more expensive item than they were a few years back; a frequent
supply of new collars means a considerable outlay. Before discarding
the torn collar, therefore, it is well to see if it is not possible to
repair it, and it nearly always is possible.
[Illustration: A FLAP TEAR AND HOW TO MEND IT.]
[Illustration: A BUTTONHOLE TEAR AND HOW TO MEND IT]
The tear usually occurs in the little projecting flap for the
buttonhole, either where this piece joins the main part of the collar,
or the buttonhole itself. Two such tears are illustrated. Now either
of these can be very easily mended with a piece of tape. First of all,
wash all the starch out of the collar. When quite dry, tack a small
piece of tape over the tear, as illustrated, and machine it in place.
This makes a perfectly neat mend, and is quite easy to do. Moreover
when the collar is starched again, the tape does not show.
The Wisdom of Preventive Mending.
We do not, nowadays, spend long hours bending over fine stitchery that
is destined for no really useful purpose. To efficiently understand how
to mend and how to make is our more practical aim. A distinctive and
imperative branch of this knowledge is the art of preventive mending.
From the gracious days of our grandmothers, or our even more remote
ancestors, comes a lavender-scented remembrance of patiently executed
needlework, almost unbelievably fine; wonderful samplers were made and
monumental pictures depicting Bible scenes were toiled over until the
last of the innumerable stitches was filled in, and the triumph ready
to be framed and hung up on the wall of the best parlour.
Some of us possess examples of these forgotten arts, bead necklaces
so finely constructed that, entirely handmade and needle-threaded as
they were, they altogether surpass the pretty ornaments of the present
day, made upon apache looms. Samplers, too, we fondly cherish, if we
are fortunate enough to have had one or two handed down from mother to
daughter in our family.
The Day of the Ready-Mades.
But life to-day is more strenuous; the pride of the needlewoman must,
in the majority of cases, have a more practical aim. We do not despise
the lavender-scented sweetness and tranquility—sometimes we even
sigh for the qualities that can only come to perfection in days of
unhurried calm—but we recognise the every-day usefulness of the modern
needlewoman and applaud the sanity of her methods.
Microscopic stitching is a delightfully interesting pursuit for the
woman of leisure. The busy girl or the house-mother, harassed with
many cares, would not find such sewing a sedative for tense and weary
nerves; but the capable woman with quick, deft fingers and mind alert,
finds it both interesting and exhilarating, in its practicality, to sit
down and either make or mend something.
[Illustration: Children may be taught that darning is really quite an
interesting occupation.]
Mending and altering are two branches of the great art of Needlecraft
which no woman can afford to despise in these days of ready-made
frocks and shop-bought costumes. Turnings may be insufficient, buttons
sewn on with too scant stitches, hooks and eyes trembling to fall
off, but these deficiencies very easily can be put to rights. And the
business girl would find herself sorely pressed for time to do the
necessary shopping, matching trimmings, and the travelling to and
from the dressmaker for fittings-on, while not her time alone but her
pocket also would seriously suffer if the ready-to-wear gowns and
walking-suits were suddenly to be banished from our drapery stores.
A shop-bought costume that doesn’t fit, however, isn’t cheap at
any price. Learn, therefore, how to make alterations in the most
common-sense and practical fashion, and take preventive measures,
before the garment is worn for the first time, to overcome the little
deficiencies that we may expect to discover in the “ready-mades.”
Tools for the Practical Needlewoman.
Chief among the aids for the practical needlewoman, taking first rank
among her valuable assistants, comes the sewing-machine. For hard
wear and every-day use machine-stitching is generally much neater and
stronger than hand sewing, and the pace, of course, is far quicker. Her
sewing-machine is a good friend to the busy woman who has most need to
practise the art of preventive mending, for strength and speed are two
of her chief demands.
It pays to understand one’s sewing-machine, and to treat it with
tender care. Rough usage, or careless handling through ignorance of
the rightful functions of the different delicate pieces may lead to
dire disaster. A handbook of instructions is always given when the
machine is purchased: cherish this book, for if it is mislaid you are
at sea without your chart. The inexperienced girl who makes her early
attempt to fathom the mysteries of the sewing-machine will find that
a little personal instruction (which may be had at the depôt of her
own make of machine) will be more helpful than an hour spent in trying
to solve intricate problems by the aid of the printed page. Later on,
however, the printed directions will read lucidly enough when her
mind is conversant with the everyday workings of the machine, and an
intelligent glance at her useful little handbook will disclose to her
the cause and the remedy of the defective action.
Keep the machine scrupulously clean and thoroughly well oiled. To
do this is again to recognise the wisdom of preventive measures. An
un-oiled, dirty machine will always cause trouble in working, for
when the parts do not run smoothly, dropped and uneven stitches are a
frequent embarrassment.
[Illustration: Open and turn back, so that when the oil has soaked
through the clogged dirt it may be carefully cleaned away.]
[Sidenote: The Sewing Machine.]
Oil in every part, and open and turn back so that when the oil has
soaked through, the clogged dirt may be carefully cleaned away.
A capacious mending basket is a necessity for the practical worker, and
it is all the more convenient if it stands upon legs, table height, and
can be carried about to be stationed just within comfortable reach of
the mender’s right hand.
[Illustration: Her sewing-machine is a good friend to the busy woman
who practises the art of preventive mending.]
Keep always some tailor’s canvas for use as stiffening, buckram for
millinery, white leno, and fine black lining, rolls of old linen and
flannel for patching, stray pieces of lace, and left-over lengths of
embroidery or insertions. Roll up all oddments in soft, clean muslin
with tape or label attached, on which is written a list of the trifles
to be found within your treasury.
If you frequently find your tape measure mislaid, try this plan, and
thus prevent the long searching that interrupts your sewing. Cut as
long a piece off your tape as will stretch from end to end of your
machine, and paste it along the front edge of the stand. It thus will
be _always_ at hand when required, and will serve at any rate for all
the shorter measurements required.
It is a good plan to assemble your hooks and eyes on safety pins. Slip
the opened pin through the separate hooks and eyes, then when they are
all securely dangling, firmly close your safety pin, and they are ready
for use when needed and will not get tangled and twisted together as so
often happens if they are kept in a box.
Keep odd buttons in glass bottles. No more hunting in the dark and
dust! You can see the button for which you are searching, and by
shaking the bottle can bring it near to the top, where it can be easily
reached. Bone or pearl buttons for underwear, or any others that
are not affected by exposure, may be securely fixed upon a hairpin.
Straighten out one of the long hairpins, bend back one end about a
quarter or half an inch, run the point through the holes, and when your
buttons are neatly crowded together turn up the other end to hold them
securely.
Aids to Strength and Durability.
We have heard that in China it is the custom to pay the family doctor
to keep his patients in good health rather than to call him in only
after illness has laid the sufferer low. Many of us applaud this
system, but have neither the opportunity nor, perhaps, the courage, to
defy conventions in England.
But why not pursue the same wise course in dealing with household
mending? It works admirably.
Take that proverbial stitch that “saves nine” in very good time, even
before there is any apparent need for for it, and you’ll find it will
work miracles.
[Sidenote: Preventive Mending.]
Stockings, for instance. The toes and heels of children’s stockings
may be neatly darned before they are worn for the first time, for
this purpose using crochet silk or mercerised thread, which is less
bulky and clumsy than wool. Insist on frequent change of hosiery, and
forbid the wearing of any stocking that shows even the tiniest hole.
To prevent those long running ladders which are almost impossible
to mend, sew a band of silk or cotton, or a border cut from an old
stocking, round each hem of the new pair. Hose supporters (chief cause
of these destructive ladders) will seldom cut through this double band.
Or another excellent plan may be adopted. Take a round brass ring and
double crochet closely over it to make a soft, firm covering. Sew
this securely into position upon the stocking top with neat, strong
stitches, and always insert the clip of the suspender within this ring.
You will thus make it impossible for the tension to strain the stocking
beyond the area enclosed by the ring.
In the knees of children’s stockings small shields may be placed,
pieces cut from other stockings and fastened in so neatly that they are
quite inconspicuous and not at all uncomfortable.
The “ready-mades,” whether visiting frocks, walking suits, or
underwear, as was hinted in a previous paragraph, cry out loudly for
preventive mending. For instance, sleeves should be stitched in by
machine, for on ready-made clothes the machine stitching is not always
carefully done, and a weak place in the sleeve seam will quickly give
way under strain and start an ugly tear.
Embroidery with scalloped or pointed edging should be machined strongly
all round the extreme edges, the machine needle patiently following
the circuitous course of the pattern. This will double the life of
embroidered lace, preventing frayed untidiness and breaks, gaps and
tears.
To prevent an embroidery flounce from ragging out before the petticoat
itself is any the worse for wear, neatly hem the edge as soon as it
threatens to fray or gets torn by an accidental mis-step, and add a
bordering of Valenciennes or fine Torchon lace.
Buttons should receive careful attention when any ready-made garment is
bought. The trimness of effect and the general prettiness of coat or
costume may be entirely spoilt if one of a set of distinctive buttons
is allowed to drop off and get lost. Therefore sew on all buttons at
the time of your purchase. Stitch carefully with a strong thread; when
you have sewn through and through the button half a dozen times, wind
your thread round and round the strands which hold the button, between
the button and the cloth, making a sort of shank. Treat boot and shoe
buttons in the same way.
It is wise to strengthen bed-linen with broad tape laid on at the
corners, inconspicuously stitched into position, so that an added
firmness is given to the sheets where the clothes-pegs might do most
damage.
Look closely into the wool-worked buttonholing at your blanket ends.
You may, with advantage, stitch fresh buttonhole edgings that will keep
the neat turn-over, when the blanket is in use, for a longer time than
if the shop-bought edging were left to suffice.
Remember that half-an-hour spent weekly in preventive mending, will
save the busy housewife hours of darning and patching later on.
For Keeping out the Wind.
The value of old Kid Gloves.
With furs advanced 80 per cent. in price in some cases, and every sort
of leather and skin at a premium, it is evident that many who would
like new furs, and a leather waistcoat for motoring, will have to
forego these for a while, now that such items have become so expensive.
Those who are studying economy, however, will find an excellent
substitute for the leather, and the fur skins, in the old kid gloves
that have got beyond even the cleaner’s kindly aid. It is always
the fingers and thumb that go; the remainder of the glove will be
a serviceable bit of kid. These pieces can be used in a variety of
ways, and since they are impervious to wind, they may save you many
a chill—or more serious illness,—if you find a new thick winter coat
beyond your purse in these hard times.
Cut off the fingers and thumb, remove the fasteners, cut the glove
up to the top at the front opening, and spread it out flat—as you
see in the small illustration. There will be a little fulness at the
thumb-pieces, but this can be doubled over and stitched down flat.
[Illustration: Here is the piece of Glove with the fingers cut off.]
[Illustration: This shows some of the gloves stitched on the flannel
inter-lining.]
Perhaps your thickest coat is not nearly thick enough for the piercing
east winds that come to us in the early part of the year, finding out
our weak spots.
For an Under-coat or Waistcoat.
If you wish to avoid the cost of a new big coat, why not make a small
sleeveless coat, or a waistcoat to wear under your outdoor coat? For
this you will need about 1½ yards of silk for the outside, some thin
flannel for the interlining, and some more silk, or other suitable
material for the lining. I suggest silk, because this slips on so
easily, and the outer coat, in turn, slips on easily over the silk
waistcoat. It takes so little material that in all probability you can
get enough out of the silk lining of some discarded coat or underskirt.
Then of course there are the old gloves. Cut out the silk, outer and
lining, and the flannel, by the same pattern. Deal with the flannel
first. Onto this stitch the pieces of glove—they merely want pinning
in place first of all, and then run the machine round each fragment.
Put them on as they will best cover the flannel, it doesn’t matter how
irregular it all is, so long as the flannel is completely covered. It
doesn’t look elegant, as you are doing it; that again, is unimportant,
as it is all hidden by the silk. If you have not enough gloves for
your needs, a few bits of chamois leather will help you out.
Then make up the little undercoat, with the glove-covered flannel as
interlining, the kid against the lining, and you will find you have
something that keeps out the wind in a way a woollen hug-me-tight could
never do. And the glove-lined garment takes up so little room that it
does not add to one’s bulk; in addition, it is very light in weight—a
great advantage.
The idea is capable of various developments. A velvet stole edged with
a little fur could be interlined in the same way. It would be light and
warm, and a real comfort on cold days. It is quite surprising how the
kid interlining adds to the warmth of a garment.
A chest protector, like the one we illustrate, is invaluable for the
girl who has a weak chest, and is out in all weathers. This again is
quite easy to make.
In a garment like this, or any large surface, it is as well to run the
machine down the material after the pieces are all joined up; this
“quilts” it and holds it together.
[Illustration: The back portion is a little longer than the front.]
[Illustration: Showing the front of the Chest Protector.]
For Men’s Waistcoats.
Many men complain that they feel cold at their back, even though they
are wearing the thickest of vests. This is probably due to the fact
that the material used in making the back of the waistcoat is many
degrees thinner than that used for the fronts. The defect can be easily
remedied, however, if you have three or four old pairs of gloves.
Cut out a piece of stout black lining, the size of the back piece of
the waistcoat. Stitch the portions of the gloves to the wrong side
of this lining. They will not need to come below the strap at the
waist-line. Then turn in the edges, and apply this to the inside of the
waistcoat (glove pieces inside of course), and run it neatly all round,
taking care that it does not show above the top of the waistcoat at the
back. It will keep it better in place if you run a line of stitching
down the centre of the back, from top to bottom, after the lining has
been run on all round.
You will have a perfectly neat looking garment that simply looks like a
waistcoat with black lining at the back.