Textiles and Clothing Part 1

Textiles and Clothing.

by Kate Heintz Watson.

TEXTILES AND CLOTHING

[Sidenote: Origin of Textile Arts]

Spinning and weaving are among the earliest arts. In the twisting of fibers, hairs, gra.s.ses, and sinews by rolling them between the thumb and fingers, palms of the hands, or palms and naked thigh, we have the original of the spinning wheel and the steam-driven cotton spindle; in the roughest plaiting we have the first hint of the finest woven cloth.

The need of securing things or otherwise strengthening them then led to binding, fastening, and sewing. The wattle-work hut with its roof of interlaced boughs, the skins sewn by fine needles with entrails or sinews, the matted twigs, gra.s.ses, and rushes are all the crude beginnings of an art which tells of the settled life of to-day.

[Sidenote: Primitive Methods]

Nothing is definitely known of the origin of these arts; all is conjecture. They doubtless had their beginning long before mention is made of them in history, but these crafts--spinning and weaving--modified and complicated by inventions and, in modern times transferred largely from man to machine, were distinctively woman's employment.

The very primitive type of spinning, where no spindle was used, was to fasten the strands of goats' hair or wool to a stone which was twirled round until the yarn was sufficiently twisted when it was wound upon the stone and the process repeated over and over.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ITALIAN WOMAN SPINNING FLAX

Spindle and Distaff.

From Hull House Museum. (In This Series of Pictures the Spinners and Weavers Are in Native Costume.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: RUSSIAN SPINNING

Flax Held on Frame, Leaving Both Hands Free to Manage the Thread and Spindle.

From Hull House Museum.]

[Sidenote: Spinning with the Spindle]

The next method of twisting yarn was with the spindle, a straight stick eight to twelve inches long on which the thread was wound after twisting. At first it had a cleft or split in the top in which the thread was fixed; later a hook of bone was added to the upper end. The spindle is yet used by the North American Indians, the Italians, and in the Orient. The bunch of wool or flax fibers is held in the left hand; with the right hand the fibers are drawn out several inches and the end fastened securely in the slit or hook on the top of the spindle. A whirling motion is given to the spindle on the thigh or any convenient part of the body; the spindle is then dropped, twisting the yarn, which is wound on the upper part of the spindle. Another bunch of fibers is drawn out, the spindle is given another twirl, the yarn is wound on the spindle, and so on.

[Sidenote: Spindle Whorl]

A spindle containing a quant.i.ty of yarn was found to rotate more easily, steadily and continue longer than an empty one, hence the next improvement was the addition of a _whorl_ at the bottom of the spindle.

These whorls are discs of wood, stone, clay, or metal which keep the spindle steady and promote its rotation. The process in effect is precisely the same as the spinning done by our grandmothers, only the spinning wheel did the twisting and reduced the time required for the operation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPINNING WITH CRUDE WHEEL AND DISTAFF

Distaff Thrust Into the Belt.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: "GOSSIP" IN THE OLDEN TIMES]

[Ill.u.s.tration: COLONIAL WOOL WHEEL

The Large Wheel Revolved by Hand Thus Turning the Spindle and Twisting the Yarn, Which Is Then Wound on the Spindle; Intermittent in Action.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: COLONIAL FLAX WHEEL

Worked by a Foot Treddle; Distaff on the Frame of the Wheel; "Fliers" on the Spindle, Continuous in Action; Capacity Seven Times That of Hand Spindle.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: DUTCH WHEEL

Spinner Sits in Front of the Wheel Spinning Flax at Hull House.]

[Sidenote: Distaff]

Later the distaff was used for holding the bunch of wool, flax, or other fibers. It was a short stick on one end of which was loosely wound the raw material. The other end of the distaff was held in the hand, under the arm or thrust in the girdle of the spinner. When held thus, one hand was left free for drawing out the fibers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Graphic Diagram Showing Time During which Different Methods of Spinning Has Been Used.]

[Sidenote: Wheel Spinning]

On the small spinning wheel the distaff was placed in the end of the wheel bench in front of the "fillers"; this left both hands free to manage the spindle and to draw out the threads of the fibers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SYRIAN SPINNING

Spinner Sits on the Floor, Wheel Turned by a Crank; Spindle Held in Place by Two Mutton Joints Which Contain Enough Oil for Lubrication. At Hull House.]

The flax spinning wheel, worked by means of a treadle, was invented in the early part of the sixteenth century and was a great improvement upon the distaff and spindle. This it will be seen was a comparatively modern invention. The rude wheel used by the natives of j.a.pan and India may have been the progenitor of the European wheel, as about this time intercourse between the East and Europe increased. These wheels were used for spinning flax, wool, and afterwards cotton, until Hargreaves'

invention superseded it.

WEAVING

Someone has said that "weaving is the climax of textile industry." It is an art practiced by all savage tribes and doubtless was known before the dawn of history. The art is but a development of mat-making and basketry, using threads formed or made by spinning in place of coa.r.s.er filaments.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PUEBLO WOMAN WORKING HEDDLE IN WEAVING A BELT]

[Ill.u.s.tration: A NAVAJO BELT WEAVER]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ZUNI WOMAN WEAVING CEREMONIAL BELT]