Houck, Frances

English

James Madison University

April, 1930] THE VIRGINIA TEACHER 115 DO GIRLS LIKE TO REPAIR CLOTHING? WHEN we consider the needs of our pupils, we find that Clothing Repair is one of the necessary units to be taught. It is usually unattrac- tive—we think of darning and patching as "necessary evils"; but we do not feel that we can discard a garment because there is a slight tear or hole in it; and if we are to be well groomed we must keep our clothing in good repair. If a unit in Clothing Repair is taught, the first essential for success is to intro- duce the unit in such a way that the pupils feel a need for it, and have an interest in carrying out the work. In beginning our Clothing Repair unit in the 8th grade, Harrisonburg Junior High, we told the pupils of the clothing needs of some families reported by the school nurse. As there was just time enough before Thanksgiving to work in our unit, the pupils decided to collect clothing for a Thanksgiv- ing box and give the contents to the nurse for distribution. The pupils brought to class at the next meeting, garments which had been discard- ed. During the class period, the pupils in- spected their garments, and listed the things that needed to be done to make them wear- able. Some lacked buttons, others had ripped seams, and still others holes and tears. They compared lists and found that most of the garments needed to be darned in one or more places. This opened the way to a class problem in darning. The teacher showed the class the steps in darning a hole correctly, by work- ing with a large model, listing the steps on the board as she went along. Each pupil was allowed to do a little work on the large model. Standards were set up for a good darn and listed on the board. The class then made practice darns. They realized that just as they needed to practice before they attempted to play a piece on the piano, so their darns on the garment would be better if they practiced on a separate piece of material before-hand. In some cases two or three practice darns were made before the pupil felt that she was proficient enough to work on her garment. After the darns on the garments were completed, the class found, by comparing lists, that most of the garments needed patches. This was conducted as a class problem also. The teacher used a poster which showed the steps in making a hemmed patch. Standards were set for a good patch and as in the darn, listed on the board. Practice patches were made—-some of checked material and others of plain ma- terial. As most of the garments had been made at home, the pupils brought scraps of mater- ial to be used in patching them. One gar- ment, however, was ready made, and the pupil had no material with which to patch it. The dress had a belt long enough to be tied in a bow, and the pupil was able to use part of it for her patch—fastening the belt with a snap. This was brought to the at- tention of the class. The work was so successful that several of the girls asked if they might take their garments home to be worn again. In our exhibit for the quarter we showed the mend- ed garments. Much interest was developed, and many of the pupils reported work done at home. GUIDE SHEET (To be used in Clothing Repair Unit) Problem : How shall I make a darn? References: Clothing for Women—New Edition (Baldt) Clothing Construction—(Brown and others) Tools and materials: Clothing for practice, scissors, needle, thimble, darning egg, and suitable thread. 1. What is meant by darning? 2. Where may a darn be used? 116 THE VIRGINIA TEACHER [Vol. 11, No. 4 3. Under what conditions is it better to darn a worn place than to patch it ? 4. List the requirements of a good darn. 5. Set up standards for the thread to be used in darning. (a) Knitted materials. (b) Woven materials. 6. A good method of making a darn in a garment is; (1) Trim away the uneven, worn edges about the hole with scissors, being careful not to trim away more ma- terial than is necessary. (2) Put in lengthwise rows of running stitches, beginning far enough away from the hole so that the worn places are reinforced. (3) When the hole is reached, carry the thread across it and continue with running stitches. (4) Continue with running stitches until enough rows are put in to cover the hole and worn places. (5) Turn the cloth and put in crosswise rows of stitches, weaving under and over the lengthwise threads, as in plain weaving. (6) After filling in hole, continue put- ting in running stitches until all worn places are covered. 7. Practice darning until you feel that you are ready to apply it to the garment. Frances Houck. Home Economics Clubs will be interested to know that the Women's Bureau of the United States Department of Labor has made a one-reel film which shows the "ins and outs, the whys and wherefores, and the who's who of the bureau." This film can be borrowed. "Come into the Kitchen" shows kitchen plans, both new and remodeled, with lec- ture, and is available as a loan from the Office of Co-operative Extension Work, U. S. Department of Agriculture. This is issued in lantern slides or film strip. HOME ECONOMICS IN BUSINESS Fortunately home economics is a living, growing subject. Its rami- fications touch the home in hundreds of ways. Cooking, sewing, home manage- ment, direction of group living, supervision of diets in disease, personal hygiene, social relations, euthenics and many other things are subdivisions of the general theme. One of the more recent developments is home economics in business. Why has this opportunity come to home economics women? In what way can they justify themselves in this field, which, at first glance, seems so far removed from the original concept of our profession. A little study of the situation will provoke the ques- tion as to why home economics waited so long before invading the business world. It is business which controls advertising and it is advertising which today wields the greatest influence of any one phase of mod- ern life. Is it not the mission of the home economics worker to aid in directing this mighty force toward the betterment of the home, through the dissemination of accu- rate information which will be of real value to the homemaker and buyer? Ten years ago the idea of home economics women going into commercial work shocked those holding academic positions. The lat- ter doubted whether or not standards of ethics could be retained in the midst of keen business competition. It speaks well for both business and home economics that they have stood the test of time. Home eco- nomics women have become better business women and business men have acquired a vision of the relation between an educational department and the consumer—buyer. What is the status of the home-economics- in-business woman today? If she is doing an honest piece of work for an ethical firm she holds the respect of her colleagues in both the academic and business fields. 

Do Girls Like to Repair Clothing?

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Do Girls Like to Repair Clothing?

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James Madison University