SCHLESINGER LIBRARY RS MATC% GEWING The Needle and Thinible, Are Industry's Symbol. ILLUS TATED FOURTEENTH THOUSAND. The Arthur and Elizabeth SCHLESINGER LIBRARY on the History of Women in America RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE From the library of Elizabeth H. Wright Gift of Conrad Wright ILLUSTRATED. SEWING PRIMER, WITH SONGS AND MUSIC. FOR SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES. ARRANGED BY LOUISE J. KIRKWOOD, NEW YORK. FOURTEENTH THOUSAND. NEW YORK : CINCINNATI : CHICAGO: AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY. Braunworth, Munn & Barber, Printers and Binders, Brooklyn, N. Y. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE ... .... .. .... .... . .. .. .. ... .. .. .. Preface.......... Hints to Teachers .... Preparation for Sewing. The Workbasket Cutting. .. Needles and Thread. Basting ......... Overhanding. ..... Hlemming. Runping ............ Felling. Stitching and Backstitching. Gathering . Overcasting. Buttonholes. ... Herringbone and Feather Stitch.... Patching and Darning .. Putting away Work .......... Solomon's Industrious Woman About Dresses ...... Woven Fabrics. Shopping Song.............. SONGS. 1. The Patchwork Quilt..... 2. Katy Did .... 3. Little Jenny ............ Try, 0 Try..... PREFACE. have been placed within the reach of the poorer children, those of the middle and higher classes suffer neglect. This want has been recognized in the public schools of some of our large cities, and, as a result, sewing introduced as a regular exercise. . If girls of but one grade—say from nine to twelve years—could be afforded the opportunity of be- coming familiar with the use of the needle, it would be a telling step in the right direction, putting them in possession of a most valuable art, which would prove an armor of defense against temptation to idleness, which leads to want and so often to crime. That this little book may give an impulse in the direction of this industrial pursuit is the desire of a practical worker. L. J. K. HINTS TO TEACHERS. With the aid of one or two good monitresses, to give out the cotton and to carry back and forth the work from teacher to scholar, and with a good supply of basted work on hand, one teacher can manage successfully a class of from twenty-five to thirty girls; more than this it is not wise to try to teach, else the scholars will be neglected and the teacher overburdened. LABEL THE WORK. Each child should have her work rolled up by itself and marked distinctly. !! It is a good plan to have for each one a little thimble-bag two inches square, made of white muslin and marked in ink with her name in full. When the time for sewing is over, let each one roll up her work neatly, put her thimble in her bag and pin it to her work with the name uppermost. Arranged in this way it will take but a very few minutes to give out work to a large class, and make a very simple operation of what, with less system, be- comes a confused one. SHORT HOURS. Experience has taught that, for little children, from one-half to three-quarters of an hour daily is quite long enough to secure the best results. They will hardly grow weary in this time, and in most cases they will lay down their work reluctantly. HINTS TO TEACHERS. WRITING. Then, too, you may write the child's name and age in a fair clear hand; you may add a motto, or some short line. Get her to hem in a neat patch in a piece of cloth; she will be proud to stitch her initials on it. Anything of such personal interest she will work at very gladly, and will all the while be growing more and more skillful with her needle and captivated with its possibilities; thus traveling, if not a royal road to knowledge, at least a very pleasant one. NEEDLES AND THREAD. 13 22. How should you cut linen? First draw a thread and then cut along the line of it 23. Is it necessary to cut off the lengths for sheets and pillow- slips ? Not if the goods are of cotton. Cut across the selvedge, and tear it the rest of the way. NEEDLES AND THREAD. 24. How should a sewer choose her needle and thread ? According to the work she has to do. A coarse needle and thread for coarse work, and a finer needle and thread for finer work. A No. 8 needle with No. 50 cotton is suitable for nice sewing on ordinary, under-clothing. The writer, in school work, has always chosen “Clark's Mile-End” white thread, on black spools, and found it very superior. 25. What kinds of needles are used in sewing ? Betweens, blunts and sharps. Betweens are best for little girls to use, because they are not so easily bent or broken. 26. How long a piece of thread should be used ? A piece about as long as the arm of the sewer. 27. What is good to rub the fingers with when they are damp? A piece of soft chalk. 28. What should one do when the thread kinks ? · Break it off and begin at the other end. In using spool cotton, thread the needle with the end that comes off first, not where it is broken, as this causes it to kink. OVERHANDING. | 1-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6--LH-HG-1-4-4-4- Showing the seam opened and on the right side. OVERHANDING.* 34. How must an overhand seam be held ? Between the first finger and thumb of the left hand. 35. Should the sewer put a knot in her thread ? No; she should leave a little end of the thread and sew it down with the first stitches. 36. In what direction should she sew ? From the right hand towards the left hand. 37. How should the seam be finished ? By sewing back two or three stitches. This will fasten the thread securely. 38. When the seam is finished, what should she do ? Pull out the basting, open the seam, and rub it down with the nail. * See Orerhanding, page 46, which is a complete le son in rhyme for the overhanding seam. The Scholar should not take the stitches in the cuts as models for size. They are represented as considerably enlargod, so that the line of the thread and the direction of the stitches may be clearly seen. 18 STİTCHING AND BACKSTITCHING. sewed, when possible, with the grain of the muslin ; thus, a chemise from the bottom up, and drawers from the top down. 48. How should the seam be sewed ? Alternately, with one backstitch and two running stitches and then hemmed down neatly. 49. When is a fell seam well done ? When it is narrow, very evenly turned under and carefully sewed. STITCHING AND BACKSTITCHING. OOOOOOOOO Stitching. all Backstitching, showing the needle in position. 50. What is the difference between stitching and backstitch- ; ing? In stitching the stitches meet ; in backstitching there is a space between. The manner of taking the stitches is the same in each. OVERCASTING. 56. What is the rule for gathering ? Take up two threads and skip four threads. 57. What should be done after the work is gathered ? The gathers should be placed. 58. How ? Draw up the gathering thread tightly and fasten it by twisting it around a pin, and place every gather straight with the point of a coarse needle. 59. How may the gathers be sewed to a band ? Each gather should be either hemmed, back- stitched, or overhanded to the band or part, as the case requires. OVERCASTING. Showing overcasting stitches, with the needle in position. 60. What are overcasting stitches ? Loose over-and-over stitches taken over the raw Guges of a seam. 61. How should seams be made ready for overcasting ? They should be evenly trimmed with the scissors. 62. How should overcasting stitches be made ? They should be easy, slanting, even, and not too close or too deep. 22 BUTTONS—HERRINGBONE AND FEATHER STITCH. 70. Give rules for making buttonholes in under and outside garments. Make six stitches in each end of the buttonhole for undergarments, that it may be sírong and even. For outside garments make the head of the button. hole round by cutting out a small piece, that the button may fit nicely. The foot of the buttonhole should be finished with a small buttonhole bar. BUTTONS. 71. How should buttons be placed on a garment ? They should be securely sewed on, exactly oppo- site the buttonholes and on a line straight with the edge of the button side of the garment. 72. How can one mark the place for the buttons ? Lay together evenly the edges of the buttonhole and the button side of the garment, then mark the place through each buttonhole either with lead-pen- cil dots, basting stitches, or pins. If there are to be but one or two buttons to be sewed on, put the threaded needle directly through the buttonhole, slip the button on the needle and sew through and through the holes securely, then wind the thread three times around under the button and fasten it off on the under side of the garment. IIERRINGBONE AND FEATHER STITCII. Herringbone stitches. Feather stitches. THE PATCHWORK QUILT. Words by A. W. K. Music, "Old Noah." 1. O Ma - ry made a patch-work quilt, o - ho, O. V ho, O Ma · ry made a patch-work quilt, o - ho, HE- ho, Of prettiest col - ors it is made, And in the prettiest SI pat-tern laid, And Oh how gay is Mary's patch-work quilt. 9:= 2CËFIRL=FFA THE PATCU WORK QUILT. THE PATCHWORK QUILT. O Mary made a patchwork quilt, oho, oho, O Mary made a patchwork quilt, oho, oho, Of prettiest colors it is made, And in the prettiest pattern laid, And oh how gay is Mary's patchwork quilt! . O Mary's quilt is soft and warm, oho, oho, O Mary's quilt is soft and warm, oho, oho, All lined with cotton fleecy white, To keep the cold out well at night, · And oh how gay is Mary's patchwork quilt! . The girls who learn to knit and sew, oho, oho, The girls who learn to knit and sew, oho, oho, Will make the household warm and bright, And fill the home with cheer and light, And oh how gay is Mary's patchwork quilt! :) KATY DID. KATY DID. Poor unhappy little Katie, Sitting all alone, Tears upon her face, and sadly Sounds her troubled moan. Katie tore it, tore her dotted dress of snowy lawn; Katie tore it, tore her dotted dress of snowy lawn; Chorus.—Yes, she did, Katy did, Katy did'nt, Katy didn't, Katy did, Katy didn't, Katy did—she did. Zephyrs, hush, and hush, you Rover, Never tell the tale Of the race that Kittie led you, Over hill and dale. Katie tore it, tore her dotted dress of snowy lawn; Katie tore it, tore her dotted dress of snowy lawn; Chorus.-Yes, she did, etc. Cheer up, cheer up, little maiden, Cease your tears to spend; See, this shining little needle Soon the rent will mend. Katie sewed it, wove the stitches close with needle fine ; Katie sewed it, wove the stitches close with needle fine; Chorus.—Yes, she did, etc. Never, never mind them, Katie, You so well can sew; When the tear is neatly mended, None will ever know. Katie sewed it, wove the stitches close with needle tue, Katie sewed it, wove the stitches close with needle fine; Chorus.—Yes, she did, etc. LITTLE JENNY. Music by permission of Wm. A. Ponii & Co., owners of the Copyright. Words by A. W. K. 1. O bu - sy lit - tle Jen - ny, Sit - tiny ver - y still, Holding fast her nee - dle, Working with a will, How pink her lit - tle fin - gers, Nails a rim of NUT - TOR pearl, Hold your nee-dle stea - dy To thread my lit-tle girl. JOIN SWIFT FLYING NEEDLE. SWIFT FLYING NEEDLE. O swift flying needle, Stitching to song, Through muslin and linen, Speed you along. So much is to do, Quick you must be, Work shall be well done By you and by me. Fingers so snowy white, Daintily clean; Stitches so small and light, Scarcely are seen. Over and under The thread we will take, Running and felling The garments we make. One little rule Must ne'er be forgot: Hide like a secret Each little knot. Thus active and lively At work and at play, We must grow wiser And better each day. STI.CHING FIRM AND FAST. STITCHING FIRM AND FAST. SELECTED. Stitching now so firm and fast; For what we make you know must last, But if it's wrong we take it out; For we must mind what we're about. All kinds of sewing we must do, And keep our garments tidy too, Our needles straight, and sharp, and bright, And cotton clean, and fresh, and white. We put all idle thoughts away, It's time for work and not for play; So we stitch, and hem, and run, And finish what is once begun. Only see our needles fly, For we're taught to always try Not to waste our precious time, For that we know would be a crime. OVERHANDING. Air—"Coming through the Rye." Words by L. J. K. 0 - ver-handing, 0 - ver-hand-ing, See me, see me a sew, Stitch - ing e - ven, neat and deft - ly N As I go, I go. | Thread grows shorter, shorter, shorter, Make a knot, then, shall I ? shall I ? (TOTT VOITT This you know, you know, No, no, no, no, no, Take Leave a new the end one, and FINE new sew one, new one, it. 0 - ver, More to So, so, sew, so, to , sew. 80. OVERZÁNDİNG. OVERHANDING. Overhanding, overhanding, See me, see me sew, Stitching even, neat, and deftly As I go, I go. Thread grows shorter, shorter, shorter, This you know, you know; Take a new one, new one, new one, More to sew, to sew. Make a knot then shall I ? shall I ! No, no, no, no, no; Leave the end and sew it over, So, so, so, so, so. Ah, ha, ha, the end I'm reaching, Tell me, tell me, say, Shall I break the thread I'm holding 9 Nay, nay, nay, nay, nay, Not until I fasten tightly, Make it stay, stay, stay. Take three stitches going backwards, That's the way, the way. Now I'll snap my thread so closely, None can say, can say have work unneat or careless Done to-day, to-day. Ah, ha, ha, my patch is finished, Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, Pull the thread that bastes it even, So, so, so, so, so; Open now and smooth it nicely, Lay it low, low, low; Stretch it out and see the stitches, If they show, they show. Look, they stand like tiny soldiers In a row, a row. Strong and neat, so close and even, Thus I sew, I sew. THE STİTCHES ÎN TIME. * Words by L. J. K. From Yale College Songs, by permission of Taintor Brothers, Merrill & Co. Oh hemming. run-ning, stitching, felling. O - ver-hand - ing, but - ton - hol - ing, Darning, gathering, chainstitch, too, We can M1 UUTI LI do them all, you know. Oh, darn - ing, gather-iny, chain-stitch, too, Oh darn-ing, gathering, chainstitch, too, Oh, darn-ing, gath-er - ing, chainstitch, too, We can do them all, you know. * This makes a pretty Exercise song, the motions of which are suggested by 'the words of each verse. STITCHING A ROBE FOR BABY. STITCHING A ROBE FOR BABY Stitching a robe for baby, So soft and white and fine, Never were stitches smaller Than shall be these of mine. Stitching a shirt for papa, Gusset and seam and band, Oh, I will do it nicely, Hem, fell, and overhand. La, la la, etc. Stitching a dress for Dolly, With overskirt and basque, And the prettiest little ruffles, What more could Dolly ask? Stitching the soft, red flannel, For the children cold and poor, To keep the nipping fingers Of Jack Frost from the door. La, la, la, etc. 54 FINGER LESSON. FINGER LESSON. AIR-The Whip-poor-will, p. 48. Now, fingers, stand up for your lessons ; The short one, the thick one, the tall, The long one must put on the thimble ; The others should wear none at all. But don't think you may ever be idle, Or guess you'll have nothing to do; You each must learn to be nimble And do the work fitted for you. Now, thumb and forefinger, attention ! The needle I put in your care. Short finger, both you and your neighbor To manage the thread you're the pair Left fingers, pay all close attention : No needle or thread I've for you, But what's just as needful in sewing Is what you must every one do. It is very, yes, very important To hold the work even and true, And so you must try to be careful, For this work depends upon you. Ten fingers, you've all had your lessons, I pray you, remember them well; Let none of you e'er be found napping- How naughty that would be to tell. FASTEN THE THREAD. FASTEN THE THREAD. AIR– Buy a Broom, without the chorus, p. 34. Good morning, dear Nellie ! How clean and how neat All over you look, From your head to your feet! Pray tell me, is this The dress which you made ? And this the neat hem, Which you yourself laid ? The stitches are tiny And even, I see, And set in quite closely, Just as they should be. The gathers seem all To be even and straight; But are they sewed firmly ? A minute pray wait. A slight little pull Reveals quite a hole; The threads all begin To twist and to roll. Now, what do you think The matter can be ? That something is wrong Is quite plain to see. Of sewing like this One cannot speak well; Just look at it closely, I think you can tell. FITTING FROM THE FIGURE. LESSON II. FITTING FROM THE FIGURE. 1. What is the first thing to be done towards fitting a waist ? Having the lady stand in an easy position, pin the lining, lap allowed to the dress hem; pin very closely, 2. What is the second step ? Pin the lining smoothly to the shoulder, cut out the neck, and proceed to fit the darts. 3. What next? Pin the lining under the arm, cut out the armhole, and cut off the shoulder. 4. How do you fit the back ? Pin the center fold of the lining to the center of the back, shaping in the seam at the waist, so that the lining will be straight across the back from arm to arm. 5. How do you fit the other parts ? Pin the shoulders together, cut out the neck, then the armhole, and pin together under the arm. THE KIRKWOOD SEWING SYSTEM INCLUDES The Llustrated Sewing Primer, Which, by years of use in industrial schools throughout this and other countries, has become a standard in this line. Its popularity and usefulness as a text-book, as well as a song-book, in such schools, is attested by constant commendation, as may be seen by reference to the circulars of the same. The School Sewing System Box, Which exhibits the practical part of teaching sewing, in harmony with the instructions of the Primer. It is arranged for holding a large supply of prepared or basted work, in eight graded lessons. When fully furnished it is a complete outfit for School Sewing. The School Sewing Practice Cloth In the Sheet Form, A later development of the plan of both Primer and Box, consists of white cotton, size, 18x36 inches, on which are printed the outline graded lessons of the stitches used in plain sewing, with directions for its use-the practice being basting, over-handing, hemming, running, stitching, over-casting, fell seams, gathering, buttonholes, patching, and darning. * The Practice-Cloth and Specimen Book Is an improved form of the same lessons. The pages of the Specimen Books are for mounting the finished lessons of the cloth. * The School Maid's Sewing Folio Consists of patterns of miniature garments with the cloth to make them of, and full directions. For information, address MISS LOUISE J. KIRKWOOD, Yonkers, N. Y. * Used in the Circles of the Order of the Thread and Needle. Short extracts from private letters, taken from hundreds of others of similar import. DAVENPORT, Iowa. I can give the Primer unstinted praise. HARPER'S FERRY, W. VA. The Sewing Primer is indeed a help. ANNAPOLIS, MD. The Primer has been the greatest help and comfort to us. - MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. We are the happy possessors of your Sewing Box and Primer, and find them the greatest helps. BALTIMORE, MD. Have been using your Sewing Box, and realize how much trouble it cost to have saved me so much. CHICAGO, ILL. The Sewing Box is admirably gotten up. OGDENSBURG, N. Y. I cannot say too much in praise of your system. It it so complete and so ingenious. NORWICH, CONN. We have been using your Practice Cloth this season with pleasure and profit, and with increasing interest. SAVANNAH, GA. The Sewing Box with Practice Cloth arrived some time ago, but I have been too busy to write and tell you how much I enjoy it. BUFFALO, N. Y. The School Sewing Practice Cloth has been a great help to us this season, has relieved us of all the anxiety of preparing work. LE MOYNE INSTITUTE, MEMPHIS, TENN. We have found the system most admirable in its workings, and have not let pass an opportunity to commend the same to other schools. EESE delaletten When daylight is flitting, We take up our knitting.