Textiles and Clothing - Kate Heintz Watson (open ebook TXT) 📗
- Author: Kate Heintz Watson
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Laundering is the great ally to tears and not only doubles the size of the hole, but pulls the threads apart so that it is impossible to make the mended place neat and smooth, therefore all clothing should be mended before washing. Stockings and woven underwear are much worn by the rubbing on the washboard and thin places going into the washing frequently come out as holes, so that it is true economy of effort and time to "run" or darn the thin places before they are worn through. It requires much less time and the garments last longer.
It is a good plan, especially in knees of stockings and knitted underwear, to baste a piece of fine net over a worn or broken place and darn over it. (See Darning.) Thread used for darning should be as near as possible the size of the threads in the garment. Darning cotton, linen, wool, and silk of all shades can be bought, so that the problem of matching is no longer a difficult one.
In mending the knees of boys' trousers a round patch should never be used. The seams should be ripped and the piece set in then, if the seams are pressed well, the patch will scarcely be noticeable.
When bodices are worn under the arm, rip the seams and set in a new "under arm" piece. A good plan for one whose dresses are apt to wear through quickly is to have the under arm pieces and the adjacent parts of the front made of two thicknesses of the goods; then, as the outside wears through, the edges can be hemmed down or taken into the seam.
When table cloths begin to wear in the middle fold or along the edge of the table, a few inches cut off one end and one side of the cloth will change the fold and the place where it falls over the table and give it a new lease of life. If the hem is turned down once and cat stitched, it will resemble the selvage more than a twice turned hem.
In repairing or lengthening garments that have become too short, much can be done by adding to the bottom of the skirt and sleeves material of different texture. A cloth or serge skirt may be lengthened by facing with velvet of the same shade, covering the line of sewing with cord, braid, or passementerie of the same shade or black. There should be an underfacing of light-weight crinoline to make the bottom of the skirt firm and to give strength. The same facing and passementerie may be used at neck and sleeves.
Thin gowns of lawn, dimity, etc., can be lengthened with a faced or extension hem, the line of sewing to be covered with feather stitch or any of the fancy stitches of white or colored thread. If the lawn or dimity has a colored figure, the embroidery silk or cotton may match this. Under skirts and drawers may be lengthened in the same way or rows of tucks may be added.
In waist repairing, the sewing silk should match the material. Set the patch into the seams when possible and trust to careful pressing. If the material begins to wear near the end of the bones, cut off the bones an inch and take in the dart or seam. If the silk wears off around the hooks and eyes, move them along ever so little. Make a virtue of worn out seams by taking them in and covering them with fancy stitching. If the garment is lined, the outside should be carefully basted to the lining before stitching to take in the seam. It has been said that silk waists are serviceable as long as the upper parts of the sleeves remain good.
If garments have not been well cared for from the first and beyond a certain point, "making over" is poor economy. Never attempt cleaning and making over old clothes unless the material is good enough to make it worth while to do the work well.
The mending basket is an important adjunct of mending and should be well supplied with darning cotton of all colors and sizes, good English tape, black and white, of different widths, linen tape, bias tape, different kinds and sizes of needles,—sewing, darning, shoe, carpet, and tape needles.
For repairing bands and facings, where buttons have been torn off by wringer or iron, and for strengthening weak places, tape is invaluable. It saves the time required to turn in the edges of the cloth and is less clumsy and bungling.
The mender should use good judgment as to the amount of work to be applied to each garment. She should substitute the machine needle whenever possible and not put tiny stitches by hand into half worn garments or in unseen places. Ripped tucks and bands can be sewed in a few minutes on the machine. Serviceable darning can be done on the machine.
Before putting away freshly laundered clothes it is a good plan to take out the clothes already in the drawers and lay the ones washed last on the bottom, thus all garments will wear alike, each article in its regular turn.
BIBLIOGRAPHYHome and School Sewing, Frances Patton, ($.60, postage 6c).
School Needlework, Olive C. Hapgood, ($.75, postage 6c).
Sewing Course for Schools, Mary Schenck Woolman, ($3.50, postage 20c).
Progressive Lessons in Needlework, Catherine F. Johnson, ($.90, postage 8c).
Sewing and Garment Drafting, Margaret L. Blair, ($1.25, postage 10c).
Manual of Exercises in Hand Sewing, Margaret L. Blair, ($1.25, postage 10c).
Dressmaking Up to Date, Butterick Pub. Co., ($.25, postage 8c).
Note: The above books may be borrowed, one at a time, by members of the School. Send the postage given with request. They may be purchased if desired.
TEST QUESTIONSThe following questions constitute the "written recitation" which the regular members of the A. S. H. E. answer in writing and send in for the correction and comment of the instructor. They are intended to emphasize and fix in the memory the most important points in the lesson.
TEXTILES AND CLOTHING PART IIIRead Carefully. To make this test of greatest value to you, write fully from your personal standpoint and experience. Try as many methods given in the text as your time will allow so that you may ask for explanation if the descriptions are not clear to you. Methods are many; if you do not agree with these given, suggest better ones.
1. (a) What are the requisites for good dressmaking? (b) How does dressmaking differ from white sewing in make, finish, and ornamentation?
2. From your point of view what do you consider a successful garment?
3. Give methods of altering patterns.
4. Give briefly the cutting and making of a wool garment from patterns: (a) waist, (b) sleeve, (c) skirt, (d) collar, including methods of stitching, pressing and finish, stating how patterns should be placed on lining and outside materials.
5. How may pressing be done to give the best results? What garments require little or no pressing, and why?
6. (a) State some of the principles and purposes of ornament. (b) What is your idea of ornament applied to garments? (c) Give some errors in ornamentation not named in text.
7. Cut from magazines illustrations showing your idea of good and faulty ornamentation in dress. Give reason for your opinion.
8. Illustrate in some way, either by picture, drawing, embroidery, braid, or stitching, some design appropriate for ornament work on neck or sleeve.
9. Where should ornament be placed, and why?
10. (a) Give your idea of appropriate design on textiles. (b) The advantage and disadvantage of plain materials.
11. Make a color card of silk, wool, paper or raffia showing colors that contrast. (b) Colors that harmonize.
12. What colors do you find satisfactory for your own wear, and why?
13. What materials are best suited for infants' garments? (b) What can you say in regard to children's clothing?
14. What is your opinion of the care of clothing? (b) What experience have you had in cleaning (a) cotton, (b) wool, (c) linen, (d) silk, (e) velvet?
15. Do you consider it economy to repair garments? Can you suggest better methods than those given in the text?
16. If possible make some garment, shirt waist, skirt, or simple dress while studying this lesson and describe in detail how you went about it, the result, time taken, total cost. Tell why you selected the design, the color, the material.
17. Have you found the ready made garments satisfactory in underwear and dresses?
18. Tell of some of your failures in dressmaking and give the reasons for your lack of success.
19. What methods, new to you, have you tried in connection with this lesson? What questions have you to ask?
20. Can you add any suggestions that would be helpful to others in this work?
21. Wherein have the lessons been of practical value to you?
22. For Teachers. Draw up an outline for a course in sewing to combine two considerations: (a) adaptability to the child's interests and capacities, (b) orderly sequence in the technical part.
Note: After completing the answers, sign your full name.
REFERENCES: ORNAMENT AND DESIGNBachelder—Principles of Design in America. ($3.00.)
Brown—History of Decorative Art. ($1.25.)
Carter, Mrs. H. J.—Historic Ornament in Color. (15c. a sheet). Prang.
Clifford—Period Decoration. ($3.00.)
Crane—Claims of Decorative Art. (Out of print.)
Crane—Line and Form. ($2.25.)
Daniels—Teaching of Ornament. ($1.50.)
Day—Application of Ornament. ($1.25.)
Day—Nature in Ornament. ($4.00.)
Day—Ornamental Design. (Out of print.)
Day—Planning of Ornament. (Out of print.)
Day—Decorative Design of all Ages. ($0.40.)
Day—Ornament and Its Application. ($3.25.)
Day—Ornamental Design, Anatomy of Pattern, Planning of Ornament. ($3.00.)
Day—Some Principles of Everyday Art. (Out of print.)
Glazier—Manual of Historic Ornament. (New edition in press.)
Hulme—Birth and Development of Ornament. (Out of print.)
Jones—Grammar of Ornament. ($18.00.)
Prang—Art and Ornament in Egypt. ($1.50.)
Note—The books out of print may be found in some public libraries.
REFERENCES: HISTORY OF COSTUMEEarle—Costume of Colonial Times. ($1.25.)
Earle—Two Centuries of Costume in America, 2 vols. ($2.50 each.)
Evans—Chapters on Greek Dress. (Out of print.)
Fairholt—Costume of England, 2 vols. ($1.50 each.)
Hill—History of English Dress. (Out of print.)
McClellan—Historic Dress in America. ($10.00.)
Planchet—History in British Costume. ($1.50.)
Quegly—What Dress Makes of Us. ($1.25.)
Racinet—Costume. ($2.00.)
Rhead—Chats on Costume. ($1.50.)
Schild—Old English Peasant Costume from Boadicea to Queen Victoria. (Out of print.)
SUPPLEMENTARY PROGRAM ARRANGED FOR CLASS STUDY ONTEXTILES AND CLOTHING MEETING I
Primitive Methods
Endeavor to obtain a Colonial spinning-wheel in working order, and get some one to operate it.
If possible, obtain samples of weaving done on a hand loom.
Examine a hand-loom if possible. They may be seen at the manufacturers of rag and remade carpets.
References: Woman's Share in Primitive Culture, Mason, Chapter III, The Weaver. ($1.75, postage 16c.)
Colonial Days in Old New England, by Earle. ($1.25, postage 12c.)
Textile Fibres
Collect an exhibit of raw fibres and fibres in process of manufacture. Send to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Botany, Washington, D. C., for small samples; to manufacturers of thread; to friends in manufacturing towns.
Test the various fibres by burning. Examine under a microscope with a small hand-glass, if greater power cannot be obtained. Try warm acid—sulphuric, hydrochloric, or oxalic—on the fibres; let the fibres dry. Also try a solution of caustic soda on the fibres.
References: The Textile Fibres, by Matthews. ($3.50, postage 16c.)
Textile Fibres and Cotton Fibre, pamphlets of the American School of Correspondence. (50c. each, postage 4c. each.)
Send for all the Government Bulletins mentioned in the Bibliography, page 104. Note that the free bulletins are obtained simply by addressing the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., but the sale bulletins only by sending coin or money order to the
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