The Woman's Institute - Home Sewing - Part 6

This volume deals with trims, mending and has an extensive dictionary of sewing terms. (I'll see what I can do about sharing those later) I'll show a few of the more obscure findings.

"Boning and Stays for Collars - usually consist of narrow widths of covered featherbone in both black and white. In Fig. 4 are shown two varieties, that in (a) being covered with silk ribbon and the one in (b), with floss. Besides collar featherbone, which is sold by the yard, there are celluloid collar stays and, as shown in Fig. 5, covered wire ones called serpentine. These are made 2 to 3 inches in length and are usually covered with silk or cotton thread. They may be purchased on cards having six collar stays on each card, or the serpentine variety, attached to a binding, as here shown, may be purchased by the yard."

"Skirt Braid, shown in Fig. 11, is a smooth, evenly woven, twilled braid that is made in only 3/4 inch width. It is used to protect the bottom of skirts from hard wear when they are long and full. Braid of this kind may be obtained in mercerized cotton or wool in all standard colors, and is sold usually by the 3-yard pIece or the bolt."

"Cabochon Foundations-In the making of bunch bouquets and various other ornaments, whether of ribbon or other materials, cabochon foundations, as shown in Fig. 17, will be found useful. Cabochon foundations are merely small pieces of buckram pressed into a dome or similar shape, here shown, those in (a) being white buckram and those in (b), black. In (a), the cabochon shown at a and b have not had their edges cut, while those at c, d, c, and f have been trimmed."

"Coat Weights, one of which is shown in Fig. 25, are round, oval, and oblong, and they vary in size from No. 1 to No. 4, the largest being about the size of a half dollar. Such devices are used to give weight to the lower edge of coats, to panels in coats, and to parts of woolen dresses."

"Shot-Weight Tape, shown in Fig. 26 (a), consists of closely woven cotton material in which small shot is held. It is used in the bottom of tunics, the ends of sashes, etc., in order to make them hang correctly."

"Flat-Weight Tape, shown in Fig. 26 (b), is used where more weight is desired than the shot-weight tape provides."

And for you youngesters this is a Darning Egg (or Darner or Darning Ball)

And this what you do with it...