THE GIRLS OF PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL LEARN TO MAKE SIMPLE GARMENTS
This year the girls of the Sewing League of Pleasant Valley will receive credit for the garments they make. Miss James will help the girls to start the garments at school and will give full credit if the work is completed neatly. A nightdress, a petticoat, corset cover, or under slip, and perhaps a white summer dress skirt will be made. The school board has just furnished a machine, so Miss James is planning to teach the girls to use it. Many of them can practice at home too. Mrs. Stark, who has two machines, told Mollie she might bring the girls at any time for practice. Can you plan to learn to stitch at your school? There are many things one does not wish to sew by hand, and does not have time to make in that way. Not long ago Miss Travers, who came from the State Agricultural College to speak to the Mothers' Club at Pleasant Valley, told them that often people do not use good common sense about this question. She said there are times when one wishes to make garments and articles by hand, but it is foolish to do so when one has other duties in life to perform which are more important. Handmade garments are very beautiful to look at, but when they mean the sacrifice of health, because one has remained indoors to make them, they appear less beautiful. Miss Travers and the mothers had a long discussion about the wages paid in large cities to women who do this fine work. Miss Travers said the wage paid is usually very low.
Lesson 1
SOME COTTON MATERIALS SUITABLE FOR UNDERWEAR
Suppose you order the muslin for your nightdress and, while waiting for it to arrive, learn about the cotton materials which can be used for underwear. Can you add a whole page of white materials to your textile books?
Suppose you open the surprise box on your teacher's desk. It is quite full. Let us sort the samples and examine the white ones, especially, to-day; for your underwear is to be made of white cotton material. Let us look also at the ones which are almost white. They are unbleached white; the others have been bleached with a chemical to make them look so snowy white. They have been dipped in a bath of chloride of lime, and then in another bath of water and sulphuric acid, until the material has become white.
Do you know how our grandmothers used to bleach sheets and other unbleached articles which they wished to have white? Grandmother Allen used to bleach those she made on her hand loom. Why did they place them on the grass in the sun? What bleached them? This unbleached sample is muslin; it is for sheets. Here is some white which is of the same plain weave. The unbleached is cheaper. It comes one yard wide and can be bought for 5 cents and, in better qualities, up to 15 cents per yard. It wears very well—better than bleached muslin. Can you tell why? It is used for sheets and pillowcases. We may later make a pair of pillowcases from this unbleached muslin. The white muslin can be bought in a cheap quality for 7 cents a yard; and it may also be bought in finer qualities. Here is a piece of Alpine rose muslin from our sample box. Isn't that a pretty name for it? It is soft and much finer, and costs 30 cents a yard. Bleached muslins come in width from 36 to 72 inches. The wide width is used for sheetings and is woven that width that no seam may be necessary through the center of the sheet.
This soft, light cotton material is called nainsook. Isn't that a queer name? It is from an old Hindoo word for a material made and used in India. Nainsook is used for underwear and clothing for baby. It comes in several grades. Miss James has some coarser samples, too. It is soft and is nearly always finished, when woven, with very little dressing or starch to stiffen it. It comes 27 inches in width and varies in price from 15 to 50 cents a yard.
This soft crinkly looking material is called cotton crÊpe. It is used a great deal for underwear and for shirt waists or dresses. It is considered very economical. Does any one know why? Yes, because it is easily washed and, when hung out in the fresh air and sunshine, does not need to be ironed. Think of all the time saved. The little crinkles dry in place and look well. It costs from 12 to 15 cents per yard, and comes about 30 inches wide.
This piece is a cambric. It is a firm plain weave and is good for underwear. This quality is fine, and its name is Berkeley cambric. Some grades of cambric are coarser and are called cambric muslin. They are glazed and smooth in finish, and are used for linings and for other purposes. That name is also foreign, from Cambrai, France. Cambric is woven a yard wide and costs from 10 to 25 cents per yard. It is very durable material for underwear, not quite so heavy as muslin, and strong.
Dimity is thin. Look at this piece. Mollie had a dress made of it last summer. It is sheer and light, and has little cords or ribs. It is always easy to recognize on that account. It is used for summer dresses, sometimes for dainty underwear; but it is not suitable for underwear which must have hard usage every day. It costs from 15 to 50 cents per yard and is woven about a yard wide. Sometimes it comes in colors and also with pretty printed figures on it. See, here are some printed ones. What dainty patterns and colors! Would you like a dress of one of these? Miss James has found two other thin, sheer, white ones. There are so many I wonder if we can remember all. This thin one is lawn and is a plain weave. It comes in inexpensive qualities at 5 cents and in better qualities for 25 cents. The width varies from 36 to 40 inches. Do you know of anything at home or in school, made of lawn? Yes, dresses, aprons, curtains. It comes in colors too; here is a pretty blue. It is smooth and starched and pressed when one buys it.
This other is soft but not so starched. It is called mull. That is a Hindoo word, too. Do you remember that cotton was grown in India many years before we had it in America; that is why the cotton materials so often have Indian names. Mull is too fine for underwear, but it is used for pretty white dresses.
Here are two heavy white samples; one is called Indian head, and the other duck. Such strange names! Do you know their uses? Perhaps your mother had a skirt last summer of duck or Indian Head. Mrs. Alden of Pleasant Valley had one. Both these cotton materials wear well. The duck is used for men's trousers, also; and in very heavy qualities, it is used for sails or tents and awnings. John Alden's first long trousers were made of duck. How important he felt! Duck is sometimes colored blue or other colors. It varies in width from 27 to 36 inches and costs from 12 cents up. The Indian head is used for the same purposes as duck and comes in the same width for about the same price,—15 cents a yard up, according to quality.
Fig. 36.—A towel which Miss James uses at school.
We shall have time to study about only two more to-day. They are both heavy. This is galatea, and comes in white, like this sample, or in colors. It is firm like duck and Indian head. Can you tell for what it is used? Have you ever seen any before? It is used for dress skirts, and very often for girls' middy blouses or children's clothes. It washes very well. It is 27 inches wide and costs from 14 to 25 cents a yard.
The last sample is cotton birdseye or huckaback. It is sold by the yard or by the piece. It costs less per yard to buy it by the piece of 10 yards. It varies in cost, according to quality, and is woven from 18 to 27 inches wide. We also have huckaback towels made of cotton or linen or a mixture of cotton and linen. Here is one which Miss James uses at school (Fig. 36).
I wonder who can go to the board and make a list of all the new white material we have found in the surprise box. Shall we put them in our sample book? Who will write the use of each, opposite the name? If you cannot remember the prices and widths, look on the samples; many are marked, especially those which have come from the town store. Which do you think will be best for your nightgowns? Yes, cambric, nainsook, or muslin. Which will be softest and lightest? Which is the heaviest of these three? Shall we use the muslin? It is strong and will wear well. Shall we choose this piece? It is 10 cents a yard. How much shall we need? We shall talk about it next lesson. Any one who wishes to use the unbleached muslin which costs 7 cents, may do so; or the finer nainsook which is 15 cents a yard. How can the unbleached be made white as it is used?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Look up the story of how cloth is bleached in any of the library books on textiles, or in the encyclopedia.
2. Add six cotton materials you have just studied about, to your textile sample books.
3. Decide what kind of white material you wish to use for your nightdress.
Lesson 2
SELECTING PATTERN AND CLOTH FOR NIGHTDRESS
Suppose you decide about the pattern for your nightdresses, and send for the cloth and pattern.
Fig. 37.—A Pleasant Valley girl in a kimono nightdress.
A kimono nightdress. Miss James has a book of patterns; perhaps your teacher has. Let us look at them. Here are the nightdresses. This picture (Fig. 37) is a kimono nightdress; that means the sleeves are cut with the gown all in one, not made separately and sewed in. This name kimono is Japanese and means a loose garment. The picture shows a Pleasant Valley girl in a kimono nightdress. Miss James says there is only one piece to this pattern and the nightdress is easy to make. The way to measure for the amount of material for such a gown is to take the length from the shoulder at the side of the neck to the floor and add three inches for a hem. This gown can be cut without any shoulder seams, all in one piece. So you will need twice the length from shoulder to floor and hem. Why? If the cloth is one yard or more wide, it will not be necessary to piece the gown; so be sure to choose material which is a yard wide. Is there any one now who does not know how to measure for the material for the kimono nightdress? Let all write an order for a kimono nightdress pattern and for the muslin. Take each other's measures first and add together the amount of cloth needed. It will be easier to send one order for all. The best letter will be chosen to send to the store. As some girls are large and some small for their ages, it will be wise to order one pattern 12-year size, and another 14-year size.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. How much cloth will be needed for a kimono nightdress if the measure of the girl from shoulder to floor is 55 inches? How much do you suppose the Pleasant Valley girl in the picture needed?
Lesson 3
HOW COTTON CLOTH IS WOVEN
Not long ago we learned how the cotton plant furnishes us with cotton for clothing. There are many people who help in changing the cotton from fiber to cloth. While you are waiting for the cotton material and the pattern, shall we study how cotton cloth is made?
Cotton is used for many things. We learned that cotton is shipped in bales of 500 pounds each from the United States to all parts of the world. The manufacturer receives it at the factory and changes it by many processes into what he wishes to sell. Some manufacturers make only cotton threads of various kinds, for sewing, knitting, and crocheting. Others make cotton cloth of one variety or of several varieties. We know there are many kinds manufactured. Others make absorbent cotton, gauze, and such things for surgical use for the sick. Some make hosiery, gloves, towels; and others make knitted underwear, or laces and embroideries. Others use cotton for war purposes, for guncotton. John Alden said he did not know that cotton is used for so many things.
Fig. 38.—Miss James' little loom.
Fig. 39.—A small loom made from a box cover.
The loom for weaving cotton. We have learned that cloth is made of threads which run lengthwise, called the warp threads, and of crosswise threads, called the filling or woof. The machine for holding the threads and doing the work is called a loom. What is the firm edge which is woven called? Look at Miss James' little loom (Fig. 38). It shows the warp, and the filling yarn as it passes over and under and makes the firm edge as it turns each trip back and forth around the edge threads. If you have never woven a piece of material, suppose you take a box cover and make a small loom. The picture (Fig. 39) shows one made at Pleasant Valley School. Did you ever see your grandmother weave on a loom? Look at the picture (Fig. 40) of a grandmother weaving on a cloth loom. It is not Grandmother Allen, although she knows how to weave. The warp threads are rolled up on a big roller at the back of the loom and are extended to the cloth roller at the front near where she sits. She holds the filling thread in her hand. It is wound on a bobbin which fits in the shuttle. She throws the shuttle from side to side and works her feet to alternate the warp threads, in order that the filling thread may go over and under, and make the cloth. Look at the shuttle in the picture (Fig. 41); it holds the bobbin of thread. There are many kinds of looms. To-day cloth is woven on looms run by machinery. It is much easier and quicker than working by hand, and so cotton cloth can be made more cheaply. Frank Allen says he saw a loom at the silk factory he visited. If it were not for machines, our clothes would cost much more than they do. Think of all the people who help to give us our cotton clothes, from the planter who sows the seed to the manufacturer whose men prepare and weave it. Have you ever visited a cloth factory and seen the many machines and heard the great buzzing noise which they make? It is a busy place. Some factories make only warp, or filling, yarns. They are called spinning factories or mills (Fig. 46). They send their product to the other manufacturers who have only weaving machines for making the yarns into cloth. It is about 130 years (1789) since the first cotton mill was started in the United States, and only a few years longer since the first mill was started in England. Before that time, people of different countries made their own looms according to the ways they thought out. As men felt the need of clothing to wear, they tried to make cloth; and we find all kinds of primitive looms as their invention. Can you look up the meaning of primitive? Notice the two pictures (Figs. 43 and 44) of primitive people weaving. The Indian girl is holding the shuttle in her right hand; the loom is fastened to something and is also attached at her belt. In that way the warp threads are held securely while she passes the filling back and forth. On page 136 you will find a picture (Fig. 81) of a Japanese girl weaving silk. Notice the loom; find the roller holding the warp yarn. Find the shuttle which she uses to throw the filling yarn. Can you tell where she rolls the cloth as it is woven? Under her elbows in the picture is a cloth roller on which she rolls up the woven cloth as she weaves and unrolls the warp from the warp roller. Isn't this a wonderful story? We have not yet learned how the cotton is made into the warp and filling ready to be woven. We shall save that part of the story for to-morrow. The Pleasant Valley girls and boys enjoyed this part of the story about cotton and are anxious for Miss James to tell some more.
Courtesy of Draper Co., Hopedale, Mass.
Fig. 40.—"In days gone by."
Fig. 41.—The shuttle holding the bobbin of yarn.
Courtesy of Draper Co., Hopedale, Mass.
Fig. 42.—A weaving room in a modern factory.
Courtesy of Smithsonian Institute, Bureau of American Ethnology.
Fig. 43.—Indian girl weaving a belt by hand.
Fig. 44.—Another primitive loom and a girl spinning. The distaff with the wool for spinning is held under the girl's arm.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Try to make a simple loom. Take a piece of cardboard 10 × 12 inches. Make a row of holes about ¼ inch apart one inch from the top; another row ¼ inch apart one inch from bottom. String the warp back and forth from hole to hole so it looks like the picture (Fig. 39). Weave a piece of cloth with the filling thread which goes over and under.
2. Visit a weaving factory if you can.
3. See if you can spin a piece of carded wool. Perhaps you can card some wool with the hand cards which your great grandmother used, as the Pleasant Valley girls did.
4. Try to collect pictures of spinning. The primitive peoples did this in different ways.
Lesson 4
THE SPINNING OF COTTON INTO YARN
How the manufacturer turns the cotton into yarn ready for the weaver. This is called spinning. Shall we study how it is done?
Perhaps there is some one in your class who has visited a spinning mill and can tell how cotton is cleaned and made ready for weaving. This is what the girls of the Sewing League of Pleasant Valley saw the day they went to visit the mill. The Camp Fire girls went the same day, and Miss Ashly, their guardian, said that what they learned would count as an honor.
Fig. 45.—The cotton carding machine, which cleans the cotton.
Courtesy of Leonard & Green, Boston.
Fig. 46.—A cotton spinning room.
How cotton is prepared for spinning. The girls went to the lower floor where the cotton is received. They saw the bags and iron bands removed and the cotton pulled apart by a queer machine called a cotton opener, or bale breaker, for you remember the cotton was pressed very hard before being shipped. The cotton is then placed in pickers, or machines which blow it apart and blow out the leaves and dust and dirt. As the cotton leaves this machine, it looks like a big piece (6 ft. wide) of cotton batting rolled in a large roll. It looks soft and clean. Then the girls watched the men place this roll at the back of the next machine, called a carding machine (Fig. 45). Here it was cleaned some more; and such a wonderful thing happened. As it left the machine instead of coming out as a lap of the roll of cotton like it went in, it came out in a long thick coil which looked like a rope, and there were tall round cans ready to receive this continuous line of cotton rope. How soft and beautiful it looked! What wonderful machines the manufacturer had. Some one must have made them. Can you find out who made the first loom run by machinery? John Alden looked it up in the encyclopedia. Do you know who invented the first spinning machine?
Fig. 47.—Grandmother Allen's wheel used for spinning wool.
Then the girls visited ever so many machines which wound this cotton rope on spools. Each machine made the rope thinner and finer until it was drawn out as thin and round as the manufacturer wished (Fig. 46). Barbara Oakes noticed this: that these spinning machines not only drew out the cotton rope and made it thinner, but put in a twist which prevented it from breaking so easily. Do you remember how the cotton fiber looked under the microscope? The twist in the fiber helps in the spinning. Isn't it wonderful to think that such tiny fibers can be made into spinning yarns, and yarns woven into cloth?
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Fig. 48. —The flax wheel.
How cotton is spun. Did you ever see any one spin by hand? One day the Girls' League went to Marjorie Allen's grandmother's house. She took the girls to the attic and showed them her grandmother's spinning wheels (Fig. 47). There was a large one for spinning woolen yarn. This she called the great wheel. Then there was a small one called the flax wheel (Fig. 48) for spinning flax, or linen, into yarn for weaving. Grandmother sat down and showed them how to spin (Fig. 49). She pressed her foot on the treadle just like a sewing machine; and the wheels went round. The flax was on a little holder called a distaff. See the pictures (Figs. 48 and 49) of the wheels. She held and drew the flax while the wheels of the machine put in the twist. That is just what the modern spinning machine does, but it can accomplish much more in an hour than grandmother did in a day. Still it is a great satisfaction to possess some of the beautiful old textiles spun and woven by grandmother's hands. The girls had the pleasure of opening a great chest in the attic and looking at the hand-woven sheets and coverlets which Grandmother Allen prizes so highly. Barbara Oakes and Mollie Stark fairly clapped their hands and said, "How beautiful the colors are." The coverlets were made of wool and cotton yarns. Grandmother showed the girls the hand cards which she used when a girl in helping her mother prepare wool into carded rolls for spinning. Do you remember that the cotton at the factory passed through a carding machine to be cleaned and made into a cotton rope? Grandmother told the girls she used to do the same for wool. She used the little hand cards and drew the boards with the fine teeth back and forth to clean the fibers, and then made little rolls for the great wheel to spin. The picture (Fig. 50) shows how the hand cards are used. Wasn't that a long, tedious process?
Courtesy of Miss Mary E. Hoag.
Fig. 49.—Grandmother Allen sat at her flax wheel and showed the girls how to spin.
Courtesy of Miss Mary E. Hoag.
Fig. 50. —Grandmother Allen carding wool by hand.
Perhaps at your school you can have an exhibit of old industrial things once used in the home. Maybe your grandmother has something in the attic—some cards, or wheels, or old hand-woven materials. If you have a Girls' Sewing League, the girls will, perhaps, send out invitations and invite the mothers and grandmothers. The girls can prepare some coffee and cookies at school to serve the afternoon of the exhibit. The Pleasant Valley girls had such an afternoon entertainment and earned five dollars for their school fund. They will probably buy some dishes for the school lunch.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Try to find some pictures of very primitive spinning. Can you make a spindle?
2. What does the process of carding do to the cotton or wool?
3. Plan an exhibition of old coverlets and other old hand-woven textiles. Invite your parents and friends.
Lesson 5
CUTTING OUT A NIGHTDRESS
Fig. 51.—Laying the nightdress pattern on the cloth.
The patterns and muslin have probably arrived. Suppose you cut out your nightdress.
Miss James kept a memorandum of the amounts of material needed by each girl for her gown, and she has divided the cloth. She has, also, cut with Barbara's help several patterns from the commercial pattern, so that all may begin to work at once. Miss James has had such nice boards arranged and fastened with hinges to the walls under the blackboards. They are so convenient for cutting and can be let down out of the way when not needed.
Placing the pattern and cutting the material. Let us look at our patterns. Some girl will, perhaps, read aloud what the pattern says in the description printed on the outside or on the envelope of this commercial pattern. Who will hold up the nightdress pattern, showing how it is related to the figure? Who can tell what the small group of dots on the edge means? Who remembers how we can tell about laying the pattern correctly on the warp of the material? Those two things are important. It is also necessary to plan so as to waste as little as possible. Some girls will find that their patterns are too long. Measure from the shoulder at the neck of your nightdress pattern, and see if it is longer or shorter than your measure. If the pattern is too long, fold up the necessary portion. If too short, do not forget you must allow extra when pinning the pattern on the cloth. How much of the whole nightdress does this pattern give? If only one-half is given, the nightdress must be cut on a fold; back and front in one with a hole for the neck, as it slips over the head. How shall we fold the cloth so as to cut on a fold? Which edge of the pattern shall be placed on the fold? Have you placed it most economically on the cloth? Not an inch should be wasted. The pattern may or may not allow for seams. What will you do if it does not? If you must add for your hem at the bottom, do not forget to mark, with a fine pencil mark, the allowance for hem beyond the pattern. So you see there are many things to remember. Can you all cut out your nightdresses to-day and baste ¼-inch seams under the arms? Pin your seams carefully before basting. Instead of the sharp angle under the arm, which the kimono nightdress usually gives, cut a good curve. Your teacher will help you. The curve makes a better line and is easier to finish. The pieces left must be rolled carefully, and your name must be written on the outside of the roll. We may need the pieces later.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Cut a free-hand pattern of a kimono nightdress for your doll.
2. Show, with a piece of newspaper to represent the cloth, how the pattern can be placed economically.
Lesson 6
THE PARTS OF A SEWING MACHINE
Shall we examine the new machine to-day and learn to run it? You must practice before sewing your seams.
Courtesy of Wilcox and Gibbs Sewing Machine Co.
Fig. 52.—Single thread machine.
Do you know that sewing machines were invented less than one hundred years ago? Our great-grandmothers had to do all their sewing by hand, and some of our grandmothers too. A man by the name of Elias Howe, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, first thought about the sewing machine; and since then many different kinds have been invented, to be run by foot and also by mechanical power,—electricity. We have two kinds of foot-power machines. One kind (Fig. 52) has only one thread, which is placed on a spool on top; and the other (Fig. 53), the two-thread or double-thread, is like the one we have at school. The double-thread machine is called a lock-stitch machine, because one thread is on top on a spool and the other is on a little spool called a bobbin in the shuttle under the plate. The two threads lock together as the machine works. You will learn how later. The machine with only one thread on top is called a chain-stitch machine. The stitching made by it rips very easily; and the ends must be fastened carefully when one stops. The double-thread machine does not rip easily; and one can stitch on either the right or wrong side of a garment. On the single-thread machine, one must stitch on the right side always. Let us look at a machine before learning to operate it.
What parts do you find below the table? What use is the connecting rod? What does it connect? Watch how your teacher puts her feet on the treadle. What makes the wheel above the table turn around?
Courtesy of New Home Sewing Machine Co.
Fig. 53.—Double-thread machine.
You should practice running the machine first without any thread so as to learn to use the treadle well, and then with paper to see if you are holding it straight and making rows of pricks which are straight and even. If one cannot make rows of even pricks, it means the sewing will be crooked and must be ripped. Some of the Pleasant Valley girls practiced in this way at home.
What do you find besides the wheel above the table? The shaft has many parts. Can you name some? Yes, the spool holder, which holds the spool; the needle bar, which holds the needle and moves up and down; the foot, which is called the presser foot and can be raised or lowered by the little handle; the needle plate, through which the needle works; the feed, which is like little rough teeth of a comb and helps to push the cloth along as one stitches. The little attachment near the wheel is for winding bobbins for the shuttle. The shuttle lies in the shuttle race under the plate. Suppose we move the plate and take it out. See, the bobbin is in the shuttle. This is the second thread.
How do you regulate the machine? Jane asked Miss James about the screws. There are usually two large ones on the double-thread machines which are important. One screw is to make the stitch larger or smaller; we say, to regulate it. Miss James showed the girls how to do this. The second screw is to regulate the tightness of the thread. It is called a tension. Press your thumb and first finger tightly together and pass a thread between them. When you do not press very hard, the thread passes easily. When you press hard, it is difficult to draw the thread through, and the thread may break. Have you tried? The tension is regulated by a screw which presses two little plates together. The thread passes between the plates. When they are loose like your fingers, the thread passes easily; when tight, it breaks. So, in threading a machine, we must learn where the tension plates are, in order to pass the thread between them, and how the screw is turned to make the plates tight or loose. Your teacher will show you how to turn the screws.
To-day, while some girls are finishing the basting, others may try to run the machine, in turn. This is what you are to do:
1. Find all the parts whose names have been put on the blackboard, above table and below table.
2. Learn to treadle evenly.
3. Learn to raise and lower the presser foot on a piece of brown paper, and to stitch without thread. Keep the rows of pricks very even.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Study your machine. Find all the parts above the table; below the table.
2. What is the purpose of a tension? Show how it operates.
3. Learn to stitch, without a thread, even rows of pricks on brown paper.
4. See how much you can tell mother about the machine, when you go home.
Lesson 7
PRACTICE IN THREADING AND RUNNING THE MACHINE
Let us learn to thread the double thread machine and practice stitching. This requires much care, but is not difficult. The Pleasant Valley girls enjoyed this lesson very much.
As we learned, there are many different makes of sewing machines. All are based on the principles of the one invented by Mr. Howe. If we know the important points to remember in threading a machine, it will be very easy to follow the book of directions which comes with the machine. The names of some machines are the New Home, Domestic, Singer, Wilcox and Gibbs.
Here are the things to think about in threading:
1. Find the spool holder, and put the spool on it.
2. Find all the little eyes and holes through which the thread must pass. The book of directions will help.
3. Find the tension. Be sure the thread passes between the tension plates and pulls evenly.
4. Find the needle, and thread it from left to right, towards the wheel.
5. Find the shuttle. Look at your book of directions.
Miss James helped Barbara to put the bobbin in its place, and to thread it into the shuttle. Ask your teacher to help you if you do not know how.
6. Put the shuttle back in the shuttle holder.
7. Turn the wheel and hold the upper thread. This will bring the under thread up through the little hole in the needle plate.
Both threads should be on top before beginning to stitch.
Now you are ready to begin to practice stitching with a thread.
Try to remember these things, while stitching with a thread:
1. To treadle evenly.
2. To hold the material on the table at the left hand and to pass it on lightly. Do not pull it or push it with your left hand.
3. To turn corners evenly. Have the needle down in cloth. Raise the presser foot and turn the work. Put the foot down and continue.
4. Be sure to turn the wheel in the proper direction, or the thread will break.
5. Practice stitching parallel rows. Make good square corners. Use some scraps of cloth for this sewing, and practice at home.
Those who have not practiced on the machine may do so during study periods, if there is time. We can move the machine into the coat room.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Barbara Oakes does not turn good square corners on her practice piece. Why?
2. Marjorie says her thread breaks every time she starts. Why?
3. Show some one how you can bring the under thread up through the needle plate, preparatory to stitching.
4. Practice threading the machine, following book directions if you do not know how.
5. Practice rows of good straight stitching.
Lesson 8
THE FRENCH SEAM AND ITS USE
What kind of seams shall we make on our nightdresses? How shall we finish the bottom? The Pleasant Valley girls did most of this at school in one lesson, but finished at home.
Fig. 54.—The French seam. First sewing near raw edges.
Making French seams on the nightdress. We have learned that our dish towels had to be hemmed because of the raveling of material. Anything which is to be washed a great deal must have its raw edges finished in such a way that they will not ravel. As nightdresses are washed often, we must make our seams so that the edges will not pull out. Who can name other garments which are washed often? Who can tell what we can do to prevent edges from fraying? Yes, we might make small stitches, called overcasting, on the edge of a plain seam. There is another way, which we shall learn to-day. It is called a French seam. The French seam is sewed twice. The seam is basted as you have done, on the right side of the garment; seams are usually basted on the wrong side. Then, the seam is sewed close to the basting stitches. We shall sew ours by machine. The French seam is used on some garments made by hand. The first sewing (Fig. 54), then, is a tiny row of running stitches, close to the basting. After the first sewing, the basting should be removed and the edges trimmed to a 1/8 inch seam. This must be done carefully. Then, turn the garment to the wrong side. Press and pinch the seams evenly so that the sewing of the seam is exactly on top of the fold as you pinch it. Next, baste again ¼ inch from edge, and sew the second time, by machine. This seam is often used on dainty handmade underwear. Then, the second sewing is two runs and a back stitch, like that you used on your aprons, and is made by hand. What must we be careful about, then, in making the French seams on our nightdresses?
Fig. 55.—The French seam. Second sewing.
Making the hem of the nightdress. How much was allowed for the hems at the bottom of the nightdresses? Everybody knows how to turn a hem. The first turning is ¼ inch; and the wide turning, 3 inches. All use your gauges or tape measures; and turn and pin and baste carefully before stitching. Who can tell why the tiny plaits are necessary at the hem turning? Where shall we lay them? Yes, at the seams and between, if necessary.
Now you will have plenty to do to finish seams and hem. The Pleasant Valley girls, after this lesson, finished theirs at home.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Show on a practice piece how a French seam is made:
a. By hand.
b. By machine.
2. Name some garments or articles on which the French seam might be used. Why?
3. What are the important things to remember in turning the hems at the bottom of the nightdresses?
Lesson 9
PROTECTION FOR THE BODY AT NIGHT
Do you know that clothes help to keep us well? Mollie Stark wishes to know what kind of clothing should be worn at night.
What should be done about clothing at night? We have learned that, in order to keep well, we must think about the right kind of clothing as well as food. Grown people sometimes forget about this; and growing girls and boys, too. The body must be kept clean; and clothing worn next to it should also be kept clean at night as well as during the day. Who can remember how many pints of water the normal body gives off each day? It loses about three pints in 24 hours. Can you recall what becomes of this waste? Yes, some is evaporated, but some is collected by our clothes; that is why they are soiled as they collect the perspiration and excretions, although often they do not look soiled. The day garments should be hung up at night in a place where they will air and dry out by morning. They should not be shut up in a closet. Different clothing should be worn at night. A muslin nightdress, like those you are making, is usually suitable for six or seven months of the year; but some of us who live in the country or in houses not well heated require warmer clothing at night. Old people and babies, as well as sick people, require more clothing because they are not able to resist the cold as easily. Do you recall why? What is the normal human body temperature? Why is the human body called a machine?
Fig. 56.—The clothing worn during the day should be aired at night.
If our day clothing collects waste and should be aired at night, what should be done with the night clothing during the day? Yes, it should be well aired. Have you ever noticed how the air of a room is spoiled by the odor of night clothing and of bed coverings which have not been properly aired? Some people roll up the nightdress and put it under the pillow. That nightdress will not smell sweet and clean at night. Clean clothing is absolutely necessary in order to keep well. We shall some day learn how to cleanse clothing properly, by washing. Clothing worn next to the body should be changed once a week at least, and twice or three times if possible. When one works very hard and the body sends off more waste, clothing should be changed more often.
The body which is to wear the clean clothing should be washed every day. It may not be possible to take a tub bath or a swim in the river or lake, but one can bathe all over with a bucket of water and a cloth and soap. It pays, for one feels so fresh; and, then, the waste of the body is removed by the washing, and the pores of the skin are kept in good condition. When our skin is in good condition, we do not feel the cold as much as do those who do not bathe frequently.
Do you remember that we said our clothing must help to save some of the body heat? That is how clothing protects. Why must some heat be saved? We also learned that when our body works very hard much heat is created. Where does it go? It is not all saved. Why? Our clothing helps to prevent the heat of the body from escaping too rapidly. We should plan to wear light clothing in summer and heavier in winter, or to adapt our clothing to the weather. This is only good sense. In summer we have cool days, and in winter warm ones. People whose habits of living keep them indoors a great deal should be clothed lightly for a warm house and, when going out, should protect themselves with extra clothing. The boy or girl who walks to school rapidly does not require as much clothing as one who rides. Can you tell why?
Have you heard that several layers of thin clothing are warmer than one thick layer? Frank Allen says he knows why. Yes, because of the layers of air between the thicknesses of clothing. Still air does not carry the heat away, so we feel warmer with several layers of still air. Clothing helps to keep the layers of air from conducting the heat away too rapidly. Porous clothing is always better because air can pass through and can be collected in the meshes. Loose wool material is warm because it holds the air between the spaces made by the woolly fibers. Some day we shall study the wool fiber as we have the cotton, and find out why it collects air and why woolen clothes shrink. Do you think you understand why clothes should be changed at night? Can you tell your big brother at home why? Mollie Stark and Jane Smith told about this part of the story when they went home from school. Mrs. Stark had invited some friends in for tea. All enjoyed hearing Mollie's story.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Why is it important to change one's clothing weekly?
2. What care should be taken of the clothing worn at night? Why?
3. How do clothes help to keep us well? Tell mother or father how.
4. Look in your teacher's book on physiology. What does it say about body temperature; about cleanliness of the skin?
5. Write the story of what you think Mollie and Jane told about this subject at Mrs. Stark's tea party.
Lesson 10
LACES AND THEIR USE
We must finish the sleeves of our nightdresses, and also the neck. Shall we use some lace? Do you know that there are many kinds of lace? How shall we sew it to the gown?
Imitation Cluny insertion $.12
Imitation Cluny edging .15
Real Cluny insertion .25
Real Cluny edging .18
German "Val" insertion .09
German "Val" edging .09
French "Val" insertion .13
French "Val" edging .13
Fig. 57.—The names and retail prices of a few good laces for underwear.
Cotton beading $.03
Linen machine-made beading .04
Linen beading .06
Real torchon insertion .24
Real torchon edging .16
Machine-made torchon insertion .07
Machine-made torchon edge .10
Irish crochet insertion .85
Irish crochet edging 1.10
Fig. 58.
Do you know that there are many kinds of lace? The day Marjorie Allen took the girls to visit her grandmother, they saw many things in the attic. Grandmother Allen also showed them some old lace and undergarments which were decorated with lovely embroidery. It was all done most evenly with lovely flowers and scalloped edges, and all in white cotton embroidery thread. There were some dainty old laces, too. The girls learned the names of some of them. The Sewing League sent for several samples of modern laces of the same names. There were cluny laces like these in the sample box. Cluny lace is often quite heavy and is used on heavy materials. The lighter cluny laces are more suitable for underwear. The cluny laces are hand or machine made. Which do you think are more expensive? Have you ever seen any one make lace by hand? It is sometimes done on a lace pillow with pins to outline the pattern. The little bobbins of thread are thrown around the pins. Can you get from the picture (Fig. 59) an idea of how it is done? Torchon lace is also used, but is not quite so heavy as cluny. It is either hand or machine made. Both of these are linen laces, but sometimes are imitated in cotton. They are not so pretty when made of cotton. It is better taste to buy of good lace the amount one can afford than to buy a cheap imitation. If one can only pay for a cotton lace, then choose a cotton kind, such as the laces called valenciennes. The girls sent for French valenciennes and also for "German Val." lace edging and insertion. What is the difference between an edging and an insertion? The German valenciennes laces are somewhat coarser. There are also some samples of Irish crochet lace. The real Irish handmade crochet is done with a crochet hook, by hand. The imitations are made by machinery. Marjorie's grandmother has some real Irish crochet and some real old valenciennes lace. It is handmade and must have cost a great deal of money. In grandmother's day machines had not been invented for making lace. Let us look at the samples which Miss James has. The pictures (Figs. 57 and 58) show some of those used by the Pleasant Valley girls. Which would you like on your gown? The German valenciennes wears well and is not expensive. The machine-made linen cluny or torchon lace is attractive, suitable, and it wears well. Why do you think a fine French valenciennes lace does not look well on thick muslin underwear?
Fig. 59.—Lace being made by hand on pillows with tiny bobbins of thread.
Besides using lace, what are some other ways of finishing a garment? We shall send for our laces and also learn another way to finish neck and sleeves, which will cost less. We can use bias bands of lawn to finish the rough edges. Cut them 2½ inches wide (see page 25), and they will be about one inch finished. The feather stitch added will make a pretty decoration. Scalloping is easy. The gowns might be finished with the hand scallop around neck and sleeves, if one has the time.
We shall learn how to sew on the lace insertion or edging. The girls who use lace may decide to have only the edging. If insertion or beading is used, too, it is sewed on first.
While we are waiting for the lace to come, we can prepare the edges of the neck and sleeves. If we use a French fell, the sewing will not show on the right side at all when the lace is entirely in place; besides, only one sewing is necessary for the hem and lace. This is how it is done:
1. Turn to the right side of the garment at both neck and sleeve edges, a hem of 1/8 inch. The first turning must, also, be 1/8 inch. Baste very carefully with small stitches.
2. Turn these hems backward to wrong side and crease so that the edge of the turned hem is exactly at the finished edge of the garment. This is where the lace is to be sewed. We shall learn how to sew on the lace next lesson.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Bring to school all the samples of lace you can find at home. With your teacher's help compare and discuss their uses. Mount the best samples for an exhibit.
2. Ask your family and friends to show you any old pieces of lace they may have.
3. Consult the encyclopedia or other books, and see if you can learn more about how lace is made. There are several good books all about lace.
Lesson 11
TRIMMING THE NIGHTDRESS
A new way to sew on lace by hand, and an inexpensive way to trim the nightdress.
Did you find it very difficult to turn the narrow hem around the neck of your nightdress? Jane Smith almost cried; but Miss James helped her a little. It is always more difficult to turn a hem on a curved edge than on a straight edge. If the turns have both been made the same width and if the basting stitches are small, there will be no difficulty. After the hems have been turned backwards and creased to the wrong side, we are ready to sew on the insertion. Hold the insertion straight with the right side to the right side of the gown, and with the edge of the insertion to the edges of the creased hem. Now great care must be taken. The overhanding stitch is to be used. You learned this stitch on the bean bags (page 28). In taking the stitch be very careful to put the needle through the edge of the hem, the creased edge, and the lace. The sewing will not be neat unless all these edges are caught by this sewing. This is important.
If one wishes, it is possible to use only the lace edging without the insertion. Sew it to the gown in the same way one would sew it to the insertion. Towards the worker hold the lace just a little full. Sometimes one can pull the thread at the edge of the lace and use it as a gathering thread; but, as not much fullness is required, it is very satisfactory to hold the lace a little full with the thumb as one sews. Small overhanding stitches will hold the fullness as it is distributed evenly. The right side of the lace is placed towards the right side of the insertion so that the two edges of lace and insertion are overhanded together. Sometimes, if the neck of a gown is too big and one wishes to make it smaller, tucks can be put in groups at the center front or back, in number according to the amount to be taken up. In calculating for tucks, one must remember that the tuck takes up twice the amount of material as the width of tuck desired, and covers its own width in lying flat. If tucks are used to make the neck size smaller, it will be found more satisfactory to put a narrow facing around the neck before trimming.
To seam the ends of lace, make a plain seam on the wrong side. Lay it flat, turn under the two edges together, and hem in a narrow hem.
A pretty way to finish the edges of neck and sleeves is with bias bands. Cut strips as for the pot holder (see page 25). White, pink, or blue lawn may be used for contrast. Cut the bands 2½ inches wide. They will look one inch wide finished. Place on the right side, right of lawn to right of gown. Make ¼ inch seam and stitch. Turn to wrong side. Turn under ¼ inch and hem to wrong side. Another way to finish is to baste the band and decorate it with the featherstitch to hold the turning. This stitch is a pretty decoration (see page 120). It is placed on the right side and at the bottom of the band. It should be made with white cotton embroidery thread; #25 D.M.C. cotton is very good for such finishings.
Fig. 60.—Nightdress with sleeves set in, and sleeves and neck finished with bias bands.
The neckband will need a tape or a ribbon to hold the fullness of the band close to the neck. The binding should be started and finished at the front, and the ends of binding should be turned in (Fig. 60). This will leave an opening where the ribbon can be run in. This is a satisfactory finish and is not expensive. The lawn is 12 or 15 cents a yard; and ½ yard will cut enough bands for several girls' gowns. The D.M.C. cotton will cost only two cents a skein. Send for these in time.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Can you suggest any other finish for the nightdress?
2. If you should wish to add 3 tucks each ½ inch wide at the bottom of your gown and with ½ inch space between them, how many extra inches in length would you have to add to your gown length? The Pleasant Valley girls worked this out in their arithmetic class.
Lesson 12
CHOOSING A PATTERN AND MATERIAL FOR A WHITE PETTICOAT
Do you think you can send for the cotton material and for a pattern for a petticoat? What kind of cloth will you use? Perhaps you would prefer to make a slip instead of a skirt.
Who can remember the names of the best cotton materials for underwear? What shall we choose for our petticoats or slips? Look at the pattern book and choose a simple petticoat. We shall learn to make one with a ruffle. It is very useful in summer to wear under thin dresses, although some girls may prefer to make a slip which combines petticoat and waist. What sizes shall we order? How much cloth will be required? We shall need three lengths of cloth for the skirt. Let us take our length measures for the skirt, allowing four inches extra for hem and finishing. Those who wish to make ruffles of the material will need one yard extra of same cloth or of lawn. Which will be less expensive, a ruffle of Hamburg embroidery edging or a ruffle of lawn decorated with a fancy stitch? Which will take longer to prepare?
The girls of Pleasant Valley School decide on a pattern with five gores. What does that mean? Would you prefer some other? Why is the five-gored pattern a good one for the petticoat?
Fig. 61.—A simple petticoat.
The girls choose cambric for their petticoats. Some decide to buy the lawn and to make the ruffle with a simple decoration. In calculating for the ruffle, allow 1½ times the width of the skirt. This is full enough. The depth of the ruffle is according to desire. It may be from 5 to 10 inches deep. Cut it across the warp. Can you tell why? Others may decide to make a simple ruffle of the same material with a decorated hem; a few may use the Hamburg ruffle. Which ruffle will you decide to use for your skirt or the bottom of your slip?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Calculate how much material you will need for your petticoat without the ruffle.
2. Calculate the amount for the ruffle.
3. How will the patterns help you to make these calculations?
Lesson 13
LEARNING TO MAKE THE PETTICOAT
The girls of Pleasant Valley have had so much practice that the petticoat will not be a difficult task. Do you think you will find it easy too?
Mollie Stark is delighted to make the petticoat, for she needs one to wear under the new dotted Swiss dress that mother made for her birthday. She saw in the "Pleasant Valley News" that there will be an unusual sale of Hamburg edgings; and she thinks she will go to town and see if it is something she can use. Miss James told the girls that Hamburg edging which is full of holes and in which the pattern is poor and poorly embroidered, is not worth buying. The edge is usually very weak and pulls out after one or two washings. The Hamburg edging called "blind embroidery" has no holes and is likely to be firmer.
Let us study briefly how the petticoats are to be made:
1. Cut out. Follow pattern, placing economically. Allow extra for hem, if necessary, and one inch for receiving tuck under which the ruffle will be placed. Fold pieces left over; they will be needed.
2. Pin and baste gores. Be careful to match notches—front, then side gore at each side, then back gore at each side of side gore, five in all. Pin from top down. Baste from bottom up with bias edge towards worker. Holding thus prevents stretching.
3. Make French seams by machine.
4. Make hem on bottom. Baste a two or three inch hem as planned. Stitch. Sometimes dust ruffles of the same cloth or of lawn are placed on the bottom of the skirt instead of a hem. They are made about 3 or 4 inches wide and cut across warp of cloth. The skirt is then cut 3 or 4 inches shorter, and the ruffle makes the length by being added at bottom under a tuck 3/8 inch wide. This ruffle has ½ inch hem on the bottom edge and is sewed to skirt with a seam on the right side. The tuck is made directly above it and is stitched flat to cover the raw edges. A hem at the bottom is enough, and is suitable for young girls, when a ruffle is to be added above for decoration and fullness.
5. Prepare tuck on skirt for ruffle. Measure from bottom of skirt depth of ruffle. At that point make a tuck 3/8 inch deep. Baste and stitch. This must be same distance from the bottom of skirt all the way around, and on the right side of skirt. It is not always necessary to use a tuck. A bias band can be used instead or a beading to cover the raw edges of the ruffle.
6. Prepare ruffle. This may be of lawn with edge hemmed and decorated with featherstitch, or it may be of Hamburg edging or of same material with scalloped edge (see page 142). A ruffle of the same material with a simple ½ inch hem may also be used. The width of ruffle is half as full again as the width of skirt. The depth can be 5-10 inches as desired. Divide ruffle in quarters, and gather.
7. To join ruffle to skirt. Divide skirt in quarters. Pin quartered ruffle in place. Draw up gathering threads to fit skirt. Wind thread around pins to hold. Baste. If a receiving tuck has been made, turn it down over the raw edge of ruffle and baste and stitch on very edge of tuck. If a tuck has not been made, baste over the raw edges of ruffle a band of finishing braid or beading or a bias strip of the same cloth as the skirt, 3/8 inch wide; stitch on both edges.
8. To make placket. Use straight strip 2 inches wide. Start at waist line, right of strip to right of skirt. Sew all around placket opening. Stitch. Turn to wrong side. Hem down by hand. Lap at bottom of opening so it lies flat. Backstitch across the bottom with a slanting line of stitches. This makes a flat back with no fullness and is called a bound placket.
9. To finish top of skirt. Cut bias strip of cloth about one inch wide; sew to right side. Turn over to wrong side even with top; turn so as to be ½ inch wide finished; stitch on edge, flat. Lap skirt in back with three buttonholes, one at waist and two below in placket lap.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Calculate how much ruffling of Hamburg edging will be needed for a skirt 2½ yards around.
2. Get samples of embroidery and pin to the Bulletin Board, where all the girls may see them.
3. Practice making a receiving tuck.
4. See if you can plan a section of a dust ruffle for a petticoat. Make the skirt part of brown paper with tissue for the ruffle.
Lesson 14
HOW TO MAKE A CORSET COVER
The new problem of corset cover is not difficult, if one has learned all the preceding lessons. Let us study how to trim this garment or the waist of a slip.
Some of the girls of Pleasant Valley will make combinations of corset cover and skirt, and others the corset cover (Fig. 62). They decide to use nainsook and to trim them with German valenciennes lace. About 1½ yards of cloth are necessary. They have sent for a simple pattern and will make them partly by hand. Miss James gave them the following directions:
Fig. 62.—A simple corset cover.
1. To cut. Place pattern economically. Pin and cut.
2. Baste. Pin and baste underarm seams and shoulders. Sew French seams by machine.
3. Make front laps. On left side make hem ¾ inch wide turned to wrong side. On right front make hem turned to right side ¾ inch wide. Stitch this 1/8 inch from each edge to form front lap. It could be run by hand if all handmade or featherstitched with tiny stitches. This lap is for the buttonholes, which are made vertically, three or four in the lap. If it is desired to conceal the buttons, make an extra strip for buttonholes and stitch under the right front lap with the stitching of hem.
4. Finish bottom. Even the bottom, and make as a finish a narrow hem ¼ inch wide.
5. Gather at waist line. In center fronts and in middle of center back, gather at the waist line to fit figure. Baste on inside of waist over these adjusted gathers a straight band ¼ inch wide, with edges turned. Baste and stitch this top and bottom to hold gathers. Waist line can, also, be finished, if desired, on right side with beading or with a band.
6. To finish top of cover and sleeves. Make the same finish as for kimono night dress. This is neat and attractive. The top of the corset cover can be gathered to fit the figure, or tiny hand or machine tucks of 1/8 inch in width may be run about three inches deep each side of the front laps, five or six tiny ones being made on each side, according to the amount of fullness to be taken in. The top can be finished with a Hamburg beading for ribbon, sewed on with a French seam; and then lace may be overhanded on the edge of it. The finish of the sleeves should correspond to the neck finish.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
Calculate how much beading and lace or lace alone will be necessary to trim a corset cover. Draw sketch of how it is to be decorated.
REVIEW PROBLEMS
I. Practice sewing on the machine at home. Learn to turn good square corners and to stitch straight.
II. Plan to make a slip or some extra garment at home, using the principles and knowledge gained at school, in sewing seams, trimming and making.
III. In what ways are you planning to protect your body at night? How do you ventilate your room? How air your clothes?
