THE PLEASANT VALLEY GIRLS LEARN TO MAKE MORE GARMENTS

Would you like to learn to make some useful garments? Perhaps, then, you can help with the family sewing and make some useful garments for your sister or mother. Some day you may wish to be a seamstress or a dressmaker and to earn money in that way. Barbara Oakes says she expects to do so. Now is the time to begin to learn how, and later perhaps you may go to a dressmaking school.

Barbara Oakes and some of the League girls have a class which meets once a week for instruction in gymnastics and fancy dancing. In the spring or early summer they expect to give a dance outdoors. A pageant will be prepared by some of the members of the Mothers' Club; and the dance is part of that pageant.

The pageant will picture the history of Pleasant Valley. The Mothers' Club is planning to have all the people who will, take part. Have you ever seen a pageant? It is a pleasant way to learn history and to celebrate an interesting local event. Pageants have been held in many parts of the eastern and western states; and in England there have been many pageants. Perhaps you can plan a pageant for your town. While the girls are practicing their dancing and gymnastics, bloomers will be very useful, and the girls have decided to learn to make them. Would you like to learn how? The bloomers will be useful for school gymnastics, too. You can also make a middy blouse and a skirt to wear with them, so as to have the whole outfit.

Lesson 1

THE PATTERN OF THE BLOOMERS

Let us study the pattern which your teacher has brought to school. You have learned to read patterns. You must also calculate how much material to order, and what kind.

Let us open the pattern and study its parts. Yes, the long narrow strips are for the belt; some are for the placket facings. Notice if the dots indicate where these are to be placed: on a fold of material or lengthwise of the cloth. There is one other piece. It is the leg; so two must be cut. Is it possible to cut two at the same time? How, then, should the material be folded? Notice the perforations. They will help us to know which part of the pattern is to be placed on the warp of the cloth. How wide is the width of the pattern at the widest part? If it is 34 inches, then it will be easy to calculate how many lengths to buy of cloth 36 inches wide. Measure the length of the pattern and see if it is long enough for you to allow for fullness at the knee so that there is some to blouse over. If not, how will you add to the pattern? This extra length must be allowed in ordering the material. Can you tell how much cloth to order? See if you can calculate.

What kind of material will you use? Some of the Pleasant Valley girls wish wool material because it will be warmer for winter wear. Dark blue or black serge is very durable, is washable also, and will shed the dust. Here are some samples. Sateen is also a durable cotton material, but it is not so warm. It is easier for girls to handle in making than wool. Bloomers can also be made from gingham, percale, galatea, or other cotton cloth. Which will you choose? Shall we not write for some samples of these different materials? The Pleasant Valley girls wrote and received them in a few days. Perhaps you too are learning how to order by mail when you are too far away from town to go shopping. Try to make all the calculations to-day and to learn all about the pattern. Pin the pieces of the pattern together; also try to hold them up to your figure or the girl next to you. It helps one to learn where the parts lie on the body and to locate where the seams will fall. The Pleasant Valley girls worked in pairs and helped each other with the cutting, fitting, and planning. This is a good way when each girl does her part.

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Open the pattern for the bloomers. Notice the parts, also the perforations and directions.

2. Calculate how much cloth will be necessary for a pair of bloomers for yourself.

3. Bring samples of materials suitable for bloomers.

---

Lesson 2

THE STORY OF WHERE WOOL IS GROWN

While you are waiting for the samples of wool serges, galatea, and sateen, let us study about wool. Wool is the most important textile fiber. All girls should know about it, whether you will use wool or cotton for your bloomers.

In the picture (Fig. 115) you will see a very peaceful scene. The sheep are grazing and storing up food and energy to be converted into food for us to eat and clothing for us to wear. Mr. Allen has over a hundred sheep on his farm. How grateful we should be to the patient sheep. This animal fiber called wool is a variety of hair, and varies in fineness. The coarser varieties are called hair. Hair is obtained from the angora goat, the camel, and alpaca. Perhaps your teacher has a microscope. Look at the fibers under the glass. You can see how hair differs from wool. There are tiny serrations on the wool surface which look like the scales of a pine cone, lapping one over the other. This is a wonderful thing to see; for it is on account of these tiny serrations which close up when in hot water that one must be so careful about laundering woolens. Wool looks wavy in length. It is fine and has a luster; while hair has a smooth surface and lies straight.

Have you ever seen sheep sheared of their wool? Perhaps it is done on your farm. Sheep are usually sheared only once a year, in April or May. If there are only a few sheep, it is easy to use the hand shears like those in the picture (Fig. 117); but where there are many sheep, the machine clippers must be used. These clipping machines can be run by hand or other power. They shear close and save wool. Notice the machine which the man in the picture (Fig. 118) is using; it is just like the one Mr. Allen uses. Frank or John sometimes helps. The coating of wool from one sheep is called a fleece. On the large sheep ranches of the West the fleeces are tied into bundles, and these bundles are put in sacks holding about 400 pounds to be shipped to certain wool-purchasing centers where the buyers examine the wool and buy in quantities.

What do you know about the sheep industry? Our sheep industry is very important. The western states, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Oregon, support about 38 million sheep. That is a large family to shear and feed.

Other countries grow sheep for clothing wools, too. Australia, England, South Africa, South America, Spain, and Germany all give much attention to sheep raising.

---

This industry is very old. We read in the Bible that wool was used long ago and that King David of Israel wrote psalms as he tended his sheep on the hillside. Abel, the brother of Cain, was a keeper of sheep. Can you find these stories in the Bible? Writers of many ages tell about wool—Pliny, Homer, and Virgil. Alexander too, when he journeyed to India in early days, saw beautiful woolen shawls being made.

Some sheep give a better quality of wool than others. The Merino wool is the very finest. The camel furnishes a beautiful soft fiber. Then, there is the angora goat of Asia Minor, which provides us with mohair. This is a lovely soft fiber resembling silk. Can you find this country on your map? Look for Peru and for Chili. The sheep there furnish the alpaca and llama wools.

Some wool fibers are long, and some are quite short. The length of fiber, or staple as it is called, varies. An average length is 7 or 8 inches. How does this compare with the silk or linen fiber? Is it as long as cotton? The fibers also vary in strength and luster, fineness, softness, and elasticity. What do these words mean? Can you find them in your dictionary? The tiny serrations on the wool fiber cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are, however, very important; for it is this characteristic of wool which makes it felt, and, because these tiny serrations interlock, it is possible to make the fine texture of broadcloth and other fine wool materials. We shall study how later. Do you think we wish the tiny serrations to interlock when we wash woolen articles? If they do, what will happen to the garment? Do you know how this can be prevented? If you have sheep on your farm or near, will you bring some of the wool to school. It is dirty. Perhaps you can wash it at school, and see how soft and fine and lustrous it is. You may also be able to dye some. The center of the wool fiber is rather porous, and this enables the fiber to take up dye easily.

The wool from some sheep farms varies on account of the differences in climate, soil, and breed of sheep. The sheep of southern England produce short and fine wool; while in the north, where it is colder, the wool is stronger and coarser. Wools from Saxony and Silesia are very fine. The English and Australian wools are of several qualities. The long wools come from Lincoln and Leicestershire, and the shorter from Suffolk and Shropshire. Can you find these places on your map of England? The long coarse wools are used for carpets and for knitting, because they are so strong. The short wools used for clothing are about 3 to 4 inches in length. The long wools, about 10 inches in length, are called combing wools and are used for materials which are loosely woven like serges, homespuns, and others.

Next lesson we shall study our samples of woolen materials. Bring all the scraps of different kinds which you can contribute. Put them in the surprise box. We shall learn the names of the most common ones. Will you make a sample book for these too?

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Find on the map the principal countries producing wool.

2. If your teacher has a microscope, compare wool and hair. How do they differ?

3. Why do woolen garments shrink when washed in hot water?

4. Why is wool the most important fiber of commerce?

5. Tell some of the uses of long coarse wools; of the finer wools.

---

Lesson 3

SOME OF THE MOST COMMON MATERIALS MADE FROM WOOL

There are many materials made from wool. Let us learn to-day about those which are used most commonly.

Perhaps some one in the class will sort the pieces in the surprise box. Mollie Stark sorted those at Pleasant Valley School. Do not sort according to color, but place them in three piles. We have the thick, close materials, which are heavy and firm. Then we have the thin, sheer ones. In the third pile, place the medium weight ones which look strong and are wiry but not so closely woven and firm as those in the first pile. Shall we learn about some of each kind?

Let us see what we have in the third pile of wiry, more loosely woven materials. First we have the serges. Here are several pieces. Some are fine with the twilled weave, and others are twilled but the weave is coarser. They are very serviceable and are suitable for bloomers, or for dress fabrics. Here is a sample of a plaid serge. Marjorie Allen had such a dress last winter. It is possible to buy plain colors too. Serges are woven quite wide, from 42 to 54 inches, and cost from 75 cents to $3 per yard. Cheviots are very similar to serges in price and width, but are somewhat heavier in appearance. The surface of some is rather rougher than serge, although there are smooth cheviots too. Have some samples of serges been sent from the store? You must examine these, too, to see if you will select one for your bloomers.

This coarse one in the same pile is a homespun, and this is a tweed. They are both rough, wiry, loosely woven, and made of rather coarse yarn. They are rather open in texture and were both in olden times spun and woven by hand, but are now made by machinery. Tweed gets its name from a place in Scotland. These materials are very serviceable, especially for rough wear for suitings, coats, or dress goods. The color or pattern is not always clearly defined, because the yarn of which it is woven is mixed in color. Homespuns are somewhat cheaper than tweeds. They cost from $1 to $3 per yard, and are woven from 42 to 50 inches wide. Tweeds are a little wider, 52 to 54 inches, and cost from $2 to $4 per yard.

There are four samples in this pile, not quite so heavy. They are cashmere, challie, albatross, and henrietta. Have you ever heard these names before? They are all common wool materials. They are often used for girls' school dresses, for wrappers, and for baby wear. They are all softer than serges. Cashmere and henrietta resemble each other. They both have a twilled weave. Henrietta was originally woven with a silk warp. One can buy silk warp henrietta to-day. Grandmother Stark has one. Is there a sample in your box? Cashmere is also soft, and the finer qualities are made from hair of the cashmere goat. Cashmere is woven 36 to 45 inches in width and can be bought for from 75 cents to $1.25 per yard. Henrietta is about the same width and price, except when it has silk warp. Then it is more expensive.

Challie and albatross are about the same weight. I am sure you have all had a pretty challie dress sometime. Challies are figured;—sometimes the pattern is woven in and sometimes printed. It is made sometimes of a mixture of cotton and wool, or silk and wool; but now challies can be bought in all cotton too as well as in all wool. They come about 30 inches wide and cost from 50 to 75 cents per yard.

Albatross is also soft and a fancy weave. It too is used for dress goods and costs about the same as challie, 50 cents to $1 per yard. It is woven from 38 to 45 inches in width.

Let us now examine some of the heavy ones in the first pile. Yes, every one knows the name of the heavy fine piece. It is broadcloth and is used for coats and dress goods. There are also some lighter weights of broadcloth with a smooth satiny finish. They are called lady's cloth. A very good broadcloth is expensive, and costs about $5 per yard. One can buy it for $1.50, but as a rule it is not very satisfactory under $2 per yard. Broadcloth is closely woven, smooth, and soft in finish. It is from 50 to 58 inches in width. Has any one at your house a dress or coat made from this? Examine it and ask how durable it has been. Father's winter overcoat was perhaps made of melton, or covert cloth. Mr. Allen had such a coat last year. Examine the samples. They are both heavy. Melton is about the same width as broadcloth, 52 inches, and costs also from $2 to $4 per yard for a good quality. It is used for suits, overcoats, and heavy garments. This is a standard material and is usually dark blue or black. Uniforms are often made from it.

Covert cloth is, also, used for overcoats and suits. It is heavy, but differs from the smooth surface of broadcloth. It is a heavy twilled cloth.

Felt and flannel are both in this heavy pile, although there are some lightweight flannels. Felt is not woven, but is compressed, so that the wool fibers are matted together in a flat mass. It is made 24 to 50 inches in width and costs from 80 cents to $1.50 per yard. I am sure you all know its use. School pennants are made from it, and so are some table covers. Flannel is woven. It is finished with a soft surface which is slightly napped. What does that mean? It is a rather loosely woven fabric, and is used for many purposes. Can you tell some? Yes, petticoats, baby garments, waists, dressing sacques, shirts for men. It costs from 50 cents to $1 per yard. Sometimes it is made of a combination of cotton and wool, instead of all wool. It varies in width from 27 to 36 inches.

Let us examine some of the thin samples. Here is one which it is almost possible to see through. It is called voile and is thin and gauzy, like veiling. This sample near is called nun's veiling. It, also, has an open mesh weave, and is a common wool material. They are both used for dress goods, and are made in solid colors. There are also some printed voiles, but they are usually made of cotton. Wool voile costs from $1.25 to $2 per yard and is woven from 42 to 45 inches wide; while nun's veiling is narrower, 36 inches wide, and slightly less expensive, from 75 cents to $1 per yard.

Here are some samples called etamine and grenadine. They are similar to the voiles, of open mesh weave, and are used principally for dress goods.

Bunting is another open mesh weave. We certainly all know its use. Look at the flag flying on your schoolhouse. Bunting is about 24 inches in width and costs about 35 cents per yard. It is sometimes made from mohair.

Here are three samples: one called brilliantine; and another, alpaca; the third, mohair. The brilliantine and mohair do not feel as soft as the wool serges or cashmeres, but rather more wiry. They are made from hair of the Angora goat. They are serviceable, for they both shed dust and wear well. They are used for dresses or dust coats. The Alpaca is made from the hair of the llama, which is bright, strong, and elastic. All of these materials are bright and glossy. Here are their prices and woven widths:

There are still some common wool materials we have not mentioned. Yes, blankets. They are made of cotton as well as of wool, or of a mixture of the two. They cost from $7 to $30 per pair if all wool. The combination of cotton and wool can be had for less.

Carpets are also made from wool yarn. They are woven so that the yarn stands up in loops, and then these loops are cut as in velvet carpet. In Brussels and ingrain carpets the loops are not cut.

Suppose you plan to arrange your sample books with three columns of materials made from wool. You may have four or five columns if you prefer to put the mohairs, alpacas, and brilliantines by themselves, and the blankets and carpets in a separate column. That is the way the Pleasant Valley girls arranged theirs. The first will be the heavy materials; then the medium weight, and then the thin ones. It is easy to sort and label them now that you know their names, uses, and widths. Before very long we shall learn the story of how the wool fiber is made into so many different kinds of cloth. It is treated by different processes in manufacture in order to get a smooth close finish or a loose wiry finish. We shall learn how.

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Tell the difference between felt and flannel.

2. Name some heavy wool materials; some of lighter weight. Tell where you have seen them used.

3. Look up the story of how carpets are made. Perhaps you would like to study about rugs, too.

4. How do serges and broadcloths differ in appearance?

5. Plan to collect materials for the five columns of the chart. Mount with prices and widths.

---

Lesson 4

MAKING A PAIR OF BLOOMERS

Let us begin to make the bloomers to-day.

First, we shall lay the pattern. Some girls have probably chosen serge for their bloomers, and some have ordered galatea or sateen. The black or the blue are serviceable. Suppose you cut them out to-day. You have studied the pattern which your teacher had. Perhaps some girls will find it necessary to add in length or width. Your teacher ordered the pattern by size, according to age. 14-year size was chosen. Perhaps you must make yours smaller or larger. One pattern can be adapted to the whole class. This you allowed for, in ordering the amount of cloth. Let us place the pattern carefully. Be sure that the perforations which indicate lengthwise of the material are placed on the warp. Can you cut out both legs at the same time? Can you tell where to place the two strips for the bands, and for the placket facings? Which way of the material will the length of band and facings be cut? Pin carefully in place and cut with an even motion. It will perhaps be safer to mark the notches with a pencil or with a white thread. Girls sometimes forget—cut the notches too large and spoil the cloth.

Then we shall learn to make a flat felled seam. The two legs are to be sewed up on the right side. Be very careful not to make both legs for the same leg. That is the mistake Marjorie Allen made. Baste the seam ½ inch wide. Then stitch close to the basting. Cut off one edge of this seam to within ¹/₈ inch of the stitching, and lay the other edge of seam flat on the cloth for the fell. Turn in the raw edge, baste, and stitch flat. This must be done very carefully, for it is very easy to make a fell which is wrinkled and full instead of flat (see Fig. 119).

Join the two legs together at the center with the same flat fell. Be sure to have the two leg seams come together. This is important.

The placket openings lie over the hip. A single strip may be used to bind this opening, or a regular placket may be made according to your pattern. If a strip is used, cut it lengthwise of the cloth and one inch longer than twice the length of placket opening. If cut 2½ inches wide, the finished facing will be one inch in width. Place the right side of the strip to the right side of the bloomers. Baste ¼ inch seams, holding strip all around the placket opening; and then stitch. Turn to the wrong side, turn in ¼ inch and baste, stitch again. Care must be taken at the bottom of the placket opening to make the seam of sufficient width so that it will not pull out.

At the bottom of each leg make a hem, one inch wide finished. Stitch, leaving one inch open. This is the opening for the elastic band. Run in the elastic before completing the hem by hand.

Now we are ready for the bands. There is one for the front and one for the back. If your pattern allows for fullness, gather to fit ½ of your waist measure. It will be necessary to measure your bands and to allow the two inches for lapping on the back band. The front band is usually shorter than the back. Fasten the bloomers so that they lap towards the front.

To put on the band, work in the same way as in putting on the apron or petticoat band, except the band is turned to the right side for tailor finish on a garment with flat fells. Begin by placing the right side of the band to the inside of the front, and also back of the bloomer portions. Baste, stitch, turn to the right side. Snaps may be used, or buttons and buttonholes, for closing. Buttonholes can also be placed at the center front and at the back of the bands, if the bloomers are to be fastened to a waist. How shall the buttonholes be placed in cutting for fastening in this way? Do you think it is very difficult to make the bloomers? The girls who use serge can make the placket facings and bands of silk or sateen or some lining material which will be thinner. Only the most experienced Pleasant Valley girls used the serge—those who had sewed at home.

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. What are the important things to remember in cutting out the bloomers?

2. How does the band of the bloomers differ from that put on the petticoat?

Lesson 5

THE STORY OF HOW WOOL IS MADE INTO CLOTH

The Pleasant Valley boys and girls learned how wool is made into cloth after it has been sheared from the sheep. Would you like to know?

First, the wool is sorted. Wool sometimes travels a long distance before it is delivered to the manufacturer. Perhaps the wool in your skirt was grown in England or in Australia, and was shipped in great sacks to New York, and then to the manufacturer. As it is sheared from the sheep, it is dirty and full of burrs, grease, and perspiration. This grease helps to preserve the wool until the manufacturer is ready to use it; and, although he buys the wool by weight and pays for dirt and grease, he prefers to do so because of the preserving qualities of the grease. Even ? of the weight may be dirt and grease. The first thing the manufacturer does is to sort the wool to put the good grades together, and to separate them from the poor ones. You remember the fleece is the whole coat of the sheep. Some parts of this coat are better wool than others; especially the part from the head and upper part of the back and sides. About seven different grades are separated for different purposes.

The second process is washing or scouring. Wool cannot be carded and spun until the dirt and grease are removed; so the next thing the manufacturer does is to remove the grease, or "yolk" as it is called, by washing. This must be done very carefully so as not to break or injure the wool. Perhaps you can bring some dirty wool from your farm to school and wash it. Soft soap is the most harmless. Use a soft water at a low temperature (120° F.). Can you tell why it must be low? The washing is done in a series of tanks. You can see them in the picture (Fig. 121). The wet wool is swished back and forth by means of wooden forks which carry the wool forward and beat it out. There are rollers for passing the wool from one tank to another. Then the wool must be dried. This is done in a kind of wringing machine called a "hydro extractor." Then it is beaten into a fluffy mass.

Then a strange thing happens. Oil in wool is necessary in order to help in the spinning and to keep it soft and elastic, so the manufacturer must return some oil to the wool, after having washed it all out. Olive oil is used.

If there is any dirt or any burrs left in the wool, they must be removed. A machine called a burr picker is used to beat out the dirt.

Then the wool is blended. Do you know that the wool skirt which you are wearing may not be made of all new wool? Wool can be used over and over again. Old wool rags are pulled apart and mixed with new wool. If this did not happen, the manufacturer would have to charge much more than you pay for serge or some woolen materials, as he would have to use all new wool. That is why some wool materials are so expensive. If only new wool were used, there would not be enough raised in the world to clothe everybody. The wool manufacturer, therefore, blends, or mixes, the wool before it is sent to the carding machine. In blending he knows just what color, style, and grade of material he wishes to produce, and he grades accordingly. Cheapness is one of the principal reasons for blending. Sometimes cotton or jute are mixed in, if the manufacturer wishes to produce a very cheap material which is not all wool.

Would you like to know the names of some of the all-wool substitutes which are used in reducing the cost of all-wool materials? Marjorie Allen's grandmother told her, and Marjorie told the League girls. Shoddy is one; it is made from old rags, like woolen stockings, flannels, soft underwear; materials which have not been felted together. Do you know what felted means? The rags are washed, ground up, and prepared to mix with the new wool. Mungo is another queer name which is given to woolen rags which have been felted, as broadcloth or men's suitings. Flocks is nothing but dust or waste from the clipping machines when cloth is sheared or clipped in finishing. This is used to fill in. So you see nothing is wasted.

The next process after blending is carding. Do you remember how cotton is carded? Long ago, when Marjorie's grandmother was young, wool was carded by hand. Look at the picture on page 77 and see how Grandmother Allen holds the cards. She is preparing rolls of wool for the spinning wheel. The manufacturer must prepare the slivers, or rolls like ropes of wool, for the spinning frames as they are called to-day. The machine which helps to produce these ropes is called the carding machine. It also helps to clean the dirt from the wool. The picture (Fig. 122) will show you how the wool carder looks. There is a center cylinder and around it revolve small cylinders. They are all covered with wire teeth which help to pull the wool apart and to cleanse it. If you were to stand before the machine, you would see a gauzy, filmy sheet of wool the width of the long rollers as it leaves the machine. The wide gauzy mass is pulled together as it is drawn through a hole at the front of the carder and is delivered or wound up in the can, just as we learned the cotton was delivered. This wool roving is then wound on spools and is ready for spinning. Do you remember the story of how cotton is drawn out and twisted and wound on spools? Wool too must be spun and made into yarn, before yarn can be woven into cloth. The manufacturer makes woolen yarn and also worsted yarn. Do you know the difference? We shall study in our next lesson about them.

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Ask your grandmother to tell you about sheep raising on the farm, when she was a girl.

2. Tell why the manufacturer must blend old and new wool. What are the names of some old rags of wool used for this purpose?

3. Tell how carding was done in olden times. How is wool carding done to-day? Why is carding an important process in the manufacture of cloth made from wool?

---

Lesson 6

SOME FACTS TO REMEMBER IN PURCHASING WOOL CLOTHING

Why does the manufacturer use woolen yarn in weaving some materials and worsted yarn for others? If one knows this, it will be a guide in purchasing wool materials. The Pleasant Valley girls know.

The difference between woolen and worsted yarns. Before you can answer the question for this lesson, you must learn the difference between woolen and worsted yarns. Worsted yarn is prepared from the sheep giving long wool. It is prepared by processes which comb it until all the short fibers are removed and only the long straight ones are used. This combing prepares the long wool fibers for spinning so that they lie parallel. This makes an expensive yarn because so much is combed away. This fine combed worsted yarn is used for high grade worsted materials, as some cheviots or fine tweeds, and for underwear.

Woolen yarn is not combed to remove the short fibers. It is, instead, carded a great deal so that the wool fibers are well mixed and the serrations of the tiny fibers arranged so that they will interlock, when put in water of high temperature, and the gelatinous scales are opened up. Woolen yarn is woven into broadcloths and meltons. After the weaving the cloth is put into vats where the temperature opens up the serrations and the scales interlock, and make a close, smooth piece of cloth. This is called fulling. Isn't this interesting? Do you see why the manufacturer uses worsted instead of woolen yarn for making underwear? If worsted yarn were used for making broadcloth, there would not be the same close finish. The worsted yarn is combed and the fibers are not in position to interlock as in the woolen yarn (Fig. 124). Can you answer the question now why worsted yarn is used sometimes and woolen at others?

After the yarn has been spun, it is woven into cloth just as cotton is prepared and woven. Woolen yarn is fuzzy; cloth made from it is woven loosely and then it is put into vats and shrunken or fulled until the cloth is compact, as broadcloth.

Worsted yarn when made into cloth is shrunken very little or not at all. It is woven as it will appear. Beautiful homespuns and worsted suitings are the result.

Many fabrics made of wool are of simple weave like the plain homespun, but complicated patterns are also woven of wool. The yarns are arranged in the loom in the same way as the cotton about which we studied. Many beautiful patterns are made in woolen materials, even the complicated patterns of double cloth weaving like the old-fashioned golf capes, made of doubh, which were worn a few years ago.

So you can see that the manufacturer must know whether he is to adulterate his wool cloth with cotton or reduce the cost of production by using mungo, shoddy, or flocks. Flocks is put in when the cloth is shrunken or fulled in the vats. The short pieces and dust, or flocks as it is called, are drawn in as the serrations open and the cloth is shrunken.

This is all useful to know, for it helps one in purchasing materials. Most of us cannot afford to buy cloth made of all new wool, but we should be able to tell whether cloth is made of cotton and wool mixed, or all wool. We will know by price whether the all wool is new wool or not. No shopkeeper should sell a cotton and wool for all wool. When we have our textiles labeled as foods are now labeled, we shall be able to tell. What have you learned to-day which will help you in purchasing wool materials?

Woolen and worsted yarns are used also in the manufacture of carpets, rugs, hosiery, blankets, underwear, and also for knitting purposes. Do you know how to knit? Does any one know at your home? It is a useful and pleasant accomplishment. Shawls, afghans, caps, and sweaters can all be knitted. Miss James taught the Pleasant Valley girls to knit bright scarfs which they wore for tobogganing the next winter. Some girls made them for sale.

Points about buying woolen garments. Here are a few things to think about which Miss Travers from the State College told the Mothers' Club of Pleasant Valley to remember in buying wool garments or materials.

1. Wool mixed with cotton should not be sold for all wool. It is a cheaper fabric. It wears fairly well, but is not so warm. Pull the fabric apart, untwist the fibers to see if cotton is present.

2. Garments bought ready-made of cotton and wool do not keep their shape as well as all wool garments.

3. Burning a piece of the fabric will help you to identify the fiber. Wool burns slowly, chars, and gives off an odor of burned feathers. Cotton burns quickly with a flame.

4. A good wool material can always be used over again. The inexpensive is not cheap unless you wish something which does not look well or wear well but is cheap.

5. Remember that a close twill weave is more durable than a basket weave. Think about this in buying; for the weave of material affects the wearing quality.

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. How is yarn which is to be used for underwear treated in manufacture? Why?

2. How does this treatment differ from yarn used in the manufacture of broadcloth?

3. What are some of the things your mother thinks about when she buys a garment made from wool, in order to get good value for her money?

---

Lesson 7

THE CLOTHING BUDGET

Have you ever thought how much your clothing costs father and mother every year? Marjorie Allen and Barbara Oakes tried to figure the cost one day. Girls must begin to learn how to spend wisely, for they will very soon have the responsibility of being spenders. If you can make some of your clothing, you will help to reduce the cost. Would you like to learn to make a budget as well as a simple dress skirt to wear over the bloomers? Suppose we study to-day about the clothing budget.

Have you ever tried to calculate how much is spent each year for your clothing? If not, suppose you try. Girls who know how to make some articles of clothing can have more for the same amount of money. Suppose you send for the material for your dress skirts. It is wise to learn to make a very simple skirt first. Choose a simple pattern. Your teacher will help you. What material will you use? Perhaps you would like a middy blouse later to wear with the skirt. Can you name some suitable cotton materials to use for this purpose? Yes, Indian head, galatea, duck. You have studied about all of these and should have them in your sample books. Such a dress will be suitable for school wear. Talk with your teacher and calculate how much cloth you must buy for your skirt and middy. While you are waiting for the cloth you have ordered, let us study how Marjorie's Cousin Ann, who works at Paterson, manages to plan each year for her clothing. She has such good plans. Do you know that such a plan is called a budget?

Would you like to learn to make your clothing budget? Ann earns $10 per week and her room and board cost her $6 per week, so she has $4 for other expenses. She puts aside $1.50 each week for clothing, and so has $6 per month or about $75 per year. She lives near her work so does not have daily carfare, and she goes home at the noon hour for a little rest and for lunch. The rest of her money she divides in this way: Each week she tries to save 75 cents or $3 per month. The rest she uses for church and club expenses, for gifts, newspapers, or occasionally she buys a new necktie or an extra waist; but usually the $75 supply all her clothing needs. This is how she manages. She plans for more than one year, usually trying to keep three years in mind. Ann also goes to the Girls' Club and has learned to make her waists and some simple dresses.

The following is what she bought the first year. Remember she had some clothes to begin with before she started to keep her clothing budget. Your budget will of course be different from this, but this will show how Ann manages with $75. Some things which she needs you may have no use for in your section of the country. Try to plan what you would substitute. This will at least be a working basis for you, and will give you some suggestions for making yours. Marjorie Allen and Barbara Oakes have made their clothing budgets. They have $60 per year for clothing. What do you think they omitted from this list? The things marked * are made at home. Ann's mother helps her; but Ann learned to make clothes at her Sewing Club.

First Year

Notice that in the second year some articles are left over from the year before. This is because Ann has foresight. She is a good manager, and takes care of her clothes too, and plans ahead. Do you?

Second Year

Try to find below, in the list for third year, the articles left over. Also new articles which will be of service the fourth year. Do you not think it is wise to plan in this way? Marjorie and Barbara have enjoyed making their budgets.

Third Year

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

Plan a clothing budget with mother's help, and see how yours will differ from the above. Perhaps mother spends less for your clothes or more. Mrs. Allen says that Marjorie is learning to purchase so wisely that next year she may buy all of her own clothes. Of course, Mrs. Allen will always be willing to help when Marjorie needs her.

---

Lesson 8

PLANNING TO MAKE A DRESS SKIRT OF COTTON MATERIAL

Let us begin to make our dress skirts.

Open the pattern carefully and examine it. How did you order it, by age or by waist measure? The pattern books usually say order by age for a girl unless she is large or small for her age; then order by waist measure.

Notice how many pieces you have. Notice whether some are to be cut on a lengthwise fold: perhaps, the center front and maybe the center back if it has a panel front and back. Notice how many gores there are. Do you know what a skirt gore is? Look at your pieces. A gore is always wider at the bottom than at the top. Can you tell why? Gores are of different shapes. Style sometimes regulates the width, for some seasons skirts are very narrow and at other times very full. The gores help to reduce the fullness around the waist. Do you understand? Notice how many gores your pattern has. The front panel is counted as one gore, and the back panel a gore. There are skirt patterns with three, four, or even eleven or more gores. Perhaps your pattern has three gores like the one in the picture (Fig. 128). Then the center back will be cut on a lengthwise fold of material, as there will be two front gores joining the back with seams at the hips. This is an easy pattern and suitable for a young girl. One must think of suitability in selecting the style to be worn. Instead of three, you may have a plain five or seven gored skirt. Then the center front will be placed on a lengthwise fold, and there will be two gores each side of the front for the five gored skirt, and three each side of the front for the seven gored. A five gored skirt is a simple one.

Study your pattern. Notice all the notches; also just where the pattern is to be placed on the warp threads. This is very necessary. Take your tapeline and measure the skirt length; compare with your own measures. Your teacher will show you how to take your skirt measure, at front, hips, and back, from the waist line to the desired length (see page 50). You have learned how. Pin the tapeline about the waist and measure from it. If your pattern is too long, it will be wise to double it over at the center to reduce the length. If too short, add a few inches at the bottom in cutting your cloth. Remember you must allow for the hem according to desired width (see page 50 for changing patterns).

Now lay the pieces economically. Remember the wide end of the gore usually cuts to best advantage at the end of the cloth. Pin and cut out after your teacher has approved.

The pattern usually allows from ³/₈ to 1 inch for seams. Notice how much. Match the notches, pin, baste, and then try on. If too loose or too tight, it is possible to stitch inside or outside of the bastings and so to alter. The seams can be finished by overcasting the rough edges (see Fig. 28).

If your pattern calls for an opening or placket at one side of the front, it will be appropriate to make a hem running lengthwise of the skirt as a finish at the placket, and the skirt will not be seamed with a simple seam at that place. Turn to the wrong side one inch for hem along the right front. Baste. Lap this hem over the left side. Baste flat to the left portion of front, and stitch nearly one inch from edge, to within 8 or 9 inches of the top. The placket opening on the under side of front can be bound with a two inch strip, sewing on right side at the edge and turning to wrong just at the edge. If the pattern does not allow for a hem on right front and lap finish on the right side of front, but only for a simple seam, then it will be necessary to face the right front portion with a strip 1½ inches wide.

Pin the skirt to the belting. It is possible to turn in the skirt edge at top of belt so that it comes even with the top of the belt. This makes a slightly raised waist line. Stitch neatly at the top edge. Turn hem at the bottom the desired width and baste carefully. The stitching of the hem can be done on the right side for neater finish if the basting is done with care.

Sew on hooks and eyes. Be careful to attach the hooks so that they will not show on the outside of skirt.

Mollie Stark was so successful with her skirt that she made one for her older sister Ruth, and also won the prize at the County Fair contest.

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Study some of the skirt patterns which mother has at home. Compare with the one used at school.

2. What is a skirt gore? Describe. Draw on the blackboard.

3. Give some suggestions for economical cutting.

---

Lesson 9

CLOTHING IN RELATION TO HEALTH

Do you know that clothes help to keep us well? The Pleasant Valley girls learned how, and we are to study, too.

Well people are usually happy people and they can do many more things for themselves and for others than sick people. Have you ever thought about this? All people wish to be well, but many are not because they forget that it is absolutely necessary to think each day about keeping well. There are many things which help to accomplish this. One cannot wait until the end of the month or year to think about keeping well, but must do so every day, as you have learned. Exercise and good habits, sleep, proper food, recreation, and proper clothing all have a share. Clothes are more important than people think. Ill health is often the result of lack of thought in the protection of the body. Let us study how clothes affect health. You know clothing helps to keep us warm or cool, if we dress properly. You have learned how necessary it is to preserve an even body temperature. Growing girls must think about this, for no girl is well dressed who does not think about the relation of clothes to health. Is a dress really beautiful if it is unhygienic? Miss Travers told the Mothers' Club that clothing should serve our use in the best way, should be pleasing and artistic, but also comfortable enough to permit freedom. Did you ever feel sorry for the poor Chinese women who squeeze their feet? Many American women squeeze their waists as well as their feet. This prevents proper circulation of the blood and causes many complaints, loss of hair, and serious troubles, because the circulatory system cannot carry nourishment to the many parts of the body.

Perhaps you have noticed some girls wear very thin stockings, low shoes, and low-necked dresses; really very scant clothing in cold weather. Is this a good practice, do you think? Why not?

Heat and energy are generated by the body. We have learned that it is a machine. Food, water, exercise, rest, keep it going. Heat and energy are the result and are needed if the machine is to run well. If the heat is all carried away quickly because the surfaces of the body are exposed to the cold, then there is a waste of the energy which should go to provide for the necessary workings of the body.

Why do we wear clothing? The principal reason is that the body may be protected from the cold and that the temperature of the body may be kept constant. It protects also from sharp, hard objects and briers and stones which might injure the feet. Many people think only of the decoration. This does affect our choice of clothes too, but should not be the prime consideration. Miss Travers told the girls of Pleasant Valley to keep these things in mind in choosing clothes:

Some things to remember in choosing wearing apparel.

1. Adapt your clothing to your work. One cannot do garden and house work in stiff collars and unsuitable clothing.

2. The condition of health will affect choice. Strong, well people do not need the same kind of clothing as sick or delicate people.

3 Age makes a difference; young people are more vigorous than old people. Babies feel the heat or cold more than adults.

4. Clothing should be chosen in relation to climate and temperature; in winter, one should prevent an undue loss of heat, in summer, clothing should not interfere with loss of heat.

Some important things about wearing clothing.

1. Wet clothing is very dangerous and should be removed at once. If this is not possible, exercise, keep moving, until there is opportunity for a rubdown and change. John Alden always runs when he gets his clothes very wet.

2. The clothing worn next to the skin should be changed twice a week. The body gives off impurities which are absorbed by the clothing. This change is necessary if one wishes to keep well.

3. Clothing worn at night should be aired during the day, not shut up in a closet or folded and placed under a pillow.

4. Clothing worn during the day should be aired at night. This is necessary for health. The same underwear should never be worn day and night both. How do you air your clothes? (Fig. 56.) Many mothers do not change baby's shirt at night and wonder why he cannot sleep and is so cross. Sometimes this irritability is due to this very cause.

5. Outer garments should be rather closely woven, so that the wind cannot penetrate and carry the heat away too rapidly.

6. Heavy garments are a great burden. One wearing them is not free to act or work.

Next lesson we will study about selecting our clothes, shoes, underwear, and other garments with reference to health.

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Write on the blackboard some important things to remember in choosing wearing apparel.

2. Tell some important things to remember in wearing clothing.

---

Lesson 10

MORE HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CHOOSING CLOTHES

Clothes help to keep us well. Let us study about the wise selection and use of them.

Buying shoes. When Barbara Oakes goes to buy a pair of shoes what do you suppose she thinks about besides the fact that they are pretty and that she likes or dislikes them? She remembers that they should fit her feet. She thinks about these things:

1. They should suit her purpose, be adapted to her use.

2. They should fit the instep and heel snugly.

3. They should be straight on the inside line.

4. The heel should be broad enough to balance the body well.

5. The soles should be strong enough to walk, and thick enough so dampness cannot strike through.

6. There should be plenty of room for the toes to move. (See Fig. 129).

7. They should be long and wide enough for comfort. Tight shoes are a strain on the body.

Many girls have "fallen arch." This affects the whole nervous system and makes them ill. Many are suffering and do not know the cause. Barbara Oakes was ill for a long time before her mother or the doctor knew why. It is not necessary to wear an arch supporter or an orthopedic shoe, if one has normal feet; and one can have normal feet if the above things are remembered. Some girls choose foolish footwear, and later have much discomfort and are unable to walk.

Very great care must be taken to keep the feet dry. It is cheaper to buy a pair of rubbers than to pay a doctor; and rubbers save shoes and keep the wet from rotting the thread of the shoes. Many women forget that it is dangerous for a woman to get her feet wet.

Selecting clothing that is healthful. Stockings should be chosen in relation to climate. It is unwise to wear thin, transparent stockings on a cold day. If possible have two weights and select according to weather.

Corsets are important. They may seriously affect health if not worn correctly. They should fit snugly over the hips but allow freedom at the waist line. For young girls corset waists are very satisfactory. Great care should be taken, however, when the first corset is selected. Jane Smith says her mother tried several for her before getting exactly the right one. The corset should leave no marks on the body. The danger is that, unless well fitted, a corset interferes with circulation. Lacing causes all kinds of troubles. It deforms the body and makes it hour glass in shape, instead of free and beautiful like Miss James' picture of the Venus de Milo (Fig. 130). When tight bands or corsets interfere with circulation, the blood supply for the brain and the other organs is shut off, and consequently these organs are not nourished. Most girls wish to preserve the graceful waist line with which nature has endowed them. Do you? Fat easily accumulates around the waist, but plenty of exercise, gardening, sweeping, walking, climbing, will prevent this. Buy a corset which supports your organs, one which does not press downwards; and arrange the garters so that they will not be too tight and interfere with the circulation.

Underwear affects health. Do you remember that we discovered the reason why one should be particular about the kind of underwear worn? We learned that ill health and fatigue are often caused by weight of clothing or by tight clothing causing lack of circulation or by clothing which prevents the skin from being ventilated. Textile materials and temperature of the body are closely related. We should learn to know which materials to select. Each person feels the need differently. Old people and little babies feel the heat or cold more than other people. Grandmother Stark usually feels cold and wears a shawl about her shoulders. Underwear must be chosen in relation to climatic conditions and also for conditions under which one wears them, for indoor or outdoor work. Each must study her health, the climate, her age, and occupation, and plan accordingly for the best kind.

Underwear should be chosen which can be easily cleansed, also that which will permit plenty of air next to the skin. These properties of materials, as we call them, must be studied.

The body, as we know, loses heat and water every day. Some materials conduct heat more rapidly than others; and some absorb and retain, while others eliminate, moisture more readily. Absorption and elimination differ with different fabrics. Linen is quicker than other fabrics to eliminate moisture. Wool on a dry body of a person who does not exercise freely feels warm and continues so as long as the skin does not give off more moisture than the wool can take up. If the body continues then to give off moisture, the heat of the body cannot escape and one does not feel comfortable. If a current of air or a draught occurs, the heat will be conducted quickly and the bodily temperature reduced too quickly. So underwear must not only prevent too great loss of heat by conduction, but must be so constructed as to conserve heat when it is needed.

Heat is eliminated when materials conduct it. Porosity of materials prevents too great elimination. The air in the meshes or pores prevents this, as a still layer of air does not conduct heat readily. A loosely woven or knitted shawl is warmer under certain conditions than one which is firmer. Two lightweight garments are better than one heavy one because of the air space between.

Wool is warm, but irritating to many people. It is not as cleanly as some fabrics, for it absorbs the body excretions and is not easily laundered. As it shrinks with use, it has fewer air spaces between the meshes. Any loosely woven or knitted underwear with air spaces is more hygienic than the closely woven.

Cotton garments are often woven loosely and so treated in manufacture that they absorb easily. Silk is very pleasing but costly. Silk and wool combined are also excellent, but expensive. The great argument for wool or for wool and cotton is that evaporation is slow unless moisture and draught are present, and so the bodily temperature is not apt to be reduced so unduly as through cotton or linen; in other words, one is not so apt to take cold.

Union suits form an even layer over the whole body and are considered more hygienic than the double layer of vest and drawers at the abdomen.

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. What underwear do you think is the best kind for you to wear considering your age, work, climate, health?

2. Write a composition of two hundred words about the best kind of corsets to wear, and why.

3. What important things will you consider the next time you buy a pair of shoes?

REVIEW PROBLEMS

I. Begin to keep your clothing budget. Ask mother to permit you to plan it. Do not stop at the end of the year; keep on for at least four years.

II. In what ways are you definitely planning each day to keep well? How do clothes help?

III. What facts learned at school can you give mother about wool, which will help in buying your new winter coat.

IV. Plan a school exhibit of all the work done during the year. Your teacher will make suggestions about the refreshments and invitations as well as plans for mounting the work.

---