Handicraft for Girls Part 9

CHAPTER VI.

COURSE OF INSTRUCTION.

FIFTH YEAR--SEVENTH GRADE.

EQUIPMENT.

Sewing box.

Pin cus.h.i.+on--30 pins.

Thimble.

Needles.

Scissors.

Thread cards.

Practice Piece--Unbleached muslin 12" 9".

ORDER OF EXERCISES.

Prepare Thread Cards--Cardboard 4" 4", designed and cut for four kinds of thread.

Exercise No. 41--A Trial Piece for Finis.h.i.+ng the Bottom of Drawers.

Exercise No. 42--An Underwaist or Corset Cover.

Exercise No. 43--Collars, Jabots, Bows, etc.--Christmas Piece.[32]

Exercise No. 44--A Study of Home Furnis.h.i.+ng, Decoration and Care.[33]

Exercise No. 45--Twist b.u.t.tonholes.

Exercise No. 46--A Pair of Drawers.

Exercise No. 47--Cloth Darning.

Exercise No. 48--Textile Fibers and Fabrics--Wool.

FOOTNOTES:

[32] See Electives, page 61.

[33] See Electives, page 61.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXERCISES.

Review Divisions of the Foot and Yard Measure.

EXERCISE NO. 41--A TRIAL PIECE FOR FINIs.h.i.+NG THE BOTTOM OF A PAIR OF DRAWERS.

_Materials:_ India linen 8" 8", ruffle 12" woof, 2" warp; white thread No. 70; needle No. 8.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A TRIAL PIECE, GIVING PRACTICE ON THE HEMMED SEAM, TUCKING, AND PUTTING A RUFFLE INTO A HEM-TUCK.]

Hemmed Seam: One inch and a quarter from the top crease a fold with the warp. Cut on this crease.

See description of the Hemmed Seam, page 86.

Putting a ruffle into a hem-tuck and tucking: Measure up from the bottom two and one-fourth inches--or twice the width of the hem-tuck plus one-fourth inch for the seam--and crease with the warp, across the piece. St.i.tch, or run by hand an inch tuck, taking care to measure and make perfectly even. Measure up three-eighths of an inch from this st.i.tching and crease for another tuck. St.i.tch, or run by hand an eighth of an inch tuck. Measure up three-eighths of an inch for another tuck.

Put in a cl.u.s.ter of three tucks. Hem the ruffle with an eighth of an inch hem, gather and stroke the gathers.

See description of gathering and sewing a ruffle to a straight edge, page 69.

Place the wrong sides of the cloth and ruffle together and baste to the edge extending below the hem-tuck, bringing the seam exactly to the edge of the tuck. Baste and st.i.tch the edge of the hem-tuck over the seam of the ruffle.

EXERCISE NO. 42--AN UNDERWAIST OR CORSET COVER.

_Materials:_ Pupils may furnish their own materials for an underwaist such as they wear. This may be of any style. Patterns can be secured from the mothers. If there is any difficulty in securing supplies from the home, a child's waist on a small scale may be subst.i.tuted.

THE SMALL WAIST.

_Materials:_ Bleached muslin 24" woof by 10" warp, bias facings 54" by 1"; white thread No. 70; needle No. 8.

See the draft for the pattern of the small underwaist, page 53.

Patterns: Multiply all dimensions by four. Each girl can draft her pattern from the teacher's dictation, or one pattern can be drafted before the lesson and the members of the cla.s.s cut their patterns from this one. Insist that the patterns be exact. Have the patterns pinned on, and submitted for inspection before the cutting is done, to avoid blunders and waste of material. Cut the front double. One inch has been allowed for the hem on the backs.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DRAFT FOR PATTERN OF UNDERWAIST.

_This draft can be used for an underwaist of any size. Determine the length of the under arm seam in the garment required and divide this by 1-1/4. Multiply all dimensions by this quotient. As a small fraction complicates the process and makes very little difference, use the whole number which is nearest the quotient obtained. The slight alterations necessary can be made in the fitting._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FRONT OF CORSET COVER AND BACK OF GIRL'S UNDERWAIST.]

Baste, half-back st.i.tch and fell the seams. Turn the hems at the back, baste and hem. See description of the Bias, page 79. Put the bias facing on the bottom first, then around the neck, and last around the armholes. Teach the joining of the bias facing by having the bottom facing in two pieces and then insist that the ends of the armhole facing be joined in the same way. Overhand neatly the ends of the bottom and neck facings. Make four quarter-inch b.u.t.tonholes and sew on the b.u.t.tons.

EXERCISE NO. 43--COLLARS, JABOTS, BOWS, ETC.--CHRISTMAS PIECE.[34]

The styles of dressing the neck vary greatly from season to season. This is also modified by the taste of individuals. Pupils may furnish their own material for any kind of collar desired, after thoughtful consideration of the prevailing styles. It is possible to make a great variety of useful and dainty articles at a trifling expense which will be most acceptable Christmas gifts. If so intended, lead the pupils to study the appropriateness of their gifts. Those pupils who find it difficult to furnish their own material may subst.i.tute a collar made from an imitation of linen which will afford the same experience in making, but will not be quite as desirable an article to wear.

_Materials:_ Imitation linen 15" woof, 8" warp. This amount will cut either the Dutch collar by piecing the band, or the ordinary stiff collar. The patterns for both, or the collars from which patterns can be cut, can be brought from home by some member of the cla.s.s. Be absolutely sure of the size before cutting out the collar, as a quarter of an inch will make a difference in the comfort and fit. It is an excellent plan to have collars of different sizes--12, 12-1/2, 13, 13-1/2--in the cla.s.s, try them on, and mark the b.u.t.tonholes on the bands from the right sized collars. The "Dutch" collar can be made with a plain hem and finished with the fine featherst.i.tching or any of the ornamental st.i.tches, or it can be embroidered in a simple pattern with the eyelet embroidery. This gives an excellent opportunity for an original design, or if so desired a pattern can be transferred by the use of the carbon paper. The stiff collar, if made double, is first sewed up on the wrong side and then turned and st.i.tched along the edge on the right. It is then put into the double band, which has been made in the same way. If so desired the collar can be made of a single embroidered piece with the worked edge, or finished with the hemst.i.tched edge and ornamented with fancy st.i.tches.