Textiles and Clothing | Page 4

and the
letting off of the warp as the cloth is taken up.
[Illustration: SWEDISH HAND LOOM
Norwegian Woman Weaving Linen at Hull House.]
[Illustration: DIAGRAM OF THE WORKING PARTS OF A LOOM.
S--Shuttle for carrying the woof; R--Reed for beating up the woof;
H--Frame holding heddles, with pullies (P) making the harness;
T--Treddles for moving the harness.]
[Sidenote: Colonial Loom]
No essential changes have been made since our grandmothers made
cloth a hundred years ago. The "harnesses" move part of the warp now
up, now down, and the shuttle carries the weft from side to side to be
driven home by the reeds to the woven cloth. Our grandmothers did all
the work with swift movements of hands and feet. The modern weaver
has her loom harnessed to the electric dynamo and moves her fingers
only to keep the threads in order. If she wishes to weave a pattern in the
cloth, no longer does she pick up threads of warp now here, now there,

according to the designs. It is all worked out for her on the loom. Each
thread with almost human intelligence settles automatically into its
appointed place, and the weaver is only a machine tender.
[Illustration: FLY SHUTTLE HAND LOOM.
The Pulling of the Reed Automatically Throws the Shuttle Back and
Forth and Works the Harness, Making a Shed at the Proper Time.]
[Sidenote: Primitive Fabrics]
No textiles of primitive people were ever woven in "pieces" or "bolts"
of yards and yards in length to be cut into garments. The cloth was
made of the size and shape to serve the particular purpose for which it
was designed. The mat, robe, or blanket had tribal outlines and
proportions and was made according to the materials and the use of
common forms that prevailed among the tribes. The designs were
always conventional and sometimes monotonous. The decoration never
interfered with its use. "The first beauty of the savage woman was
uniformity which belonged to the texture and shape of the product."
The uniformity in textile, basketry, or pottery, after acquiring a family
trait, was never lost sight of. Their designs were suggested by the
natural objects with which they were familiar.
[Illustration: PICKING COTTON.
From Department of Agriculture Bulletin, "The Cotton Plant."]

FIBERS
Both the animal and vegetable kingdoms furnish the materials for
clothing as well as for all the textiles used in the home. The fleece of
sheep, the hair of the goat and camel, silk, furs, and skins are the chief
animal products. The principal vegetable fibers are cotton, flax, ramie,
jute, and hemp.
[Sidenote: Chief Fibers]

Cotton linen, wool, and silk have heretofore formed the foundation of
all textiles and are the principal fibers used for clothing materials.
Ramie or China grass and pineapple fibers are sometimes used as
adulterants in the manufacture of silk. When woven alone, they give
soft silky textiles of great strength and beauty.
COTTON
[Illustration: PRODUCTION OF COTTON]
Cotton is now our chief vegetable fiber, the yearly crop being over six
billion pounds, of which the United States raises three-fourths. Texas is
the largest producer, followed by Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.
The remainder of the world supply comes chiefly from India, Egypt,
Russia, and Brazil. The Hindoos were the first ancient people to make
extensive use of the cotton fiber. Not until the invention of the cotton
gin by Eli Whitney in 1794 did the cotton begin to reach its present
importance. Only four or five pounds of the fiber could be separated by
hand from the seed by a week's labor. The modern saw gins turn out
over five thousand pounds daily.
[Sidenote: Native Home]
Cotton is the white downy covering of the seed of several special of
cotton of cotton plant. It is a native of many parts of the world, being
found by Columbus growing in the West Indies and on the main land,
by Cortez in Mexico, and Pizarro in Peru.
[Illustration: COTTON FIBER ATTACHED TO SEED]
[Sidenote: Sea Island Cotton]
The value of cotton depends upon the strength, and evenness of the
fiber. In ordinary cotton the individual fiber is about an inch in length.
The sea island cotton grown chiefly on the islands off the coast of
Georgia, Carolina, and Florida is the most valuable variety, having a
fine fiber, one and one-half to two inches in length. Some of the
Egyptian cotton belongs to this species. Sea island cotton is used

chiefly for fine laces, thread and knit goods and for the finest lawns and
muslins.
[Sidenote: Upland Cotton]
The short fiber or upland cotton is the most common and useful variety.
It is grown in Georgia, North and South Carolina and Alabama. Texas
cotton is similar to upland, but sometimes is harsh with shorter fiber.
Gulf cotton occupies a position between upland