The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-03-11
ABOUT NEEDLES.

The holidays are over, and again we
are learning to sew. To-day we have
hens.
If the first fold of the hem is not per-
fectly straight, no care in the turning
of the second fold will be of any avail
In this, as in other things, it is of the
greatest Importance that the first step
should be right.
Your first folds are evenly donep
The second fold of the hem, if mar
row, should be firmly pressed down,
and sewed without basting. The wide
a basting close to the edge.
And now, while the folding and bast-
ing go on. tell me what were used long
ago to fasten together the skins of
animals of which garments were made.
Natures needles they were. Surely
some one can guess. "Thorns" Yes,
it was thorns, with fibres of plants for
the thread; and very good purpose
they served, am sure.
Did see some one biting off threadP
Have you not seen the edge of tooth
worn and uneven from biting off
threadP Thread of all kinds should be
broken. or cut with slanting clip of
the scissors.
But the needles. Who made the dis
covery that bone and ivory skillfully
shaped made better needles than thorns
do not know; neither can I tell you
whose wise head invented way to
make them of steel. Needles of steel
were first made in Germany four CEN
turies ago. Spanish needles were at
one time celebrated. For two hundred
years they have been manufactured in
England, and English needles are now
the best in the world.
Your hens are ready to sewP
Hide the knot under the edge of the
hem. and make the stitches equal dis
tances apart, giving the needle a slant
ing position as it passes through the
cloth. Use it carefully, my dears,
sMhilA. ] tell -Eea-with what skill and
labor it is fashioned for your hands.
Large coils of wire are cut until each
piece is the length of two needles.
These pieces are made straight, and
sharpened at the ends; then two eyes
are stamped near the middle, with a
cross-cut between. These twin needles,
now head to head are filed apart, and
each lies by itself. But it is far from
being ready to begin the work for
which it is designed. It must be
smoothed where the filing was done;
heated to redness and plunged into oil
to temper the steel; sand and emery,
putty powder and oil. must polish it
bright; soap and water must cleanse
it. And even then it is not ready for
use. The eye is to be made smooth,
that the thread may not be cut, and q
final polishing is required to make it
dainty enough for the work it must do.
The needle was tempered - made
hard-that it might not be easily bent.
Tempering steel is done in various
ways-sometimes by heating the metal,
and cooling slowly in water; some.
times the cooling is done by blast OF
cold air.
In lecture, which perhaps some oi
your mothers and grandmothers heard,
Wendell Phillips told the story of the
discovery of tempering steel by cold
air. which just here will interest you;
once upon a time, centuries ago, q
knight who had broken his sword went
to an armorer to have the pieces weld
ed together. When this had been done
the heat of the fire had softened the
steel. Selling his sword. the knight
hurried away, not waiting for the
plunge in cold water which should have
tempered the blade. Mounting his
horse, he rode up the mountain side
cooling his sword by waving it back
ward and forward in the keen wintry
air. unconsciously giving it, as he af
terward learned, temper far exceed.
ing that which it would have received
at the armorer's hand.
oil 1os~
learned already the truth Of Lowell.
line, Work that's half done is Away,
asking to be done again" = Lydio
Tdber Robinson, in Harper's Young Peo