Arizona republican., 1892-08-14
WEAVING WAS AN ART
IN THE DAYS OF HOMESPUN WoM-
 EN USED TO WORK HARD.

ting and Embroidering-They Manu-
 factured All Their Own Cloth.
 In the days of homespun four ounces of lint, cotton or half pound of lock wool was a days stint in spinning, though a clever spinner could easily do twice as much. Wool was often colored before spinning-dyed black or red, then carded with white. The resultant thread, steel or red mixed, was wonder fully soft and harmonious in color.
 old silk carefully raveled, then carded with white wool or cotton, made the silk mixed that was such favorite for the long stockings worn with knee brooches, as well IS for homespun gowns. They were woven in checks, stripes and cloud ings. One of the prettiest was dice cloth--a kind of basket weave-of alter nate white and black or gray threads, thirteen to the group. It was trouble some to weave-a thread too many made balk in the pattern. Children and servants had simple checks in blue or COpptIdS anu Wultc. lSbiotyo iOi "ihOci wear were gorgeous in green and scar let and black and blue.
 Dyeins was part of the home work, as we'll as weaving and spinning. From walnut hulls, bark and root came twen- ty shades of brown. Green walnuts and sumach berries gave beautiful fast black that did not stain the wearer. Hickory bark or peach leaves gave a glowing yellow; swamp maple, black ish purple; sugar maple, light leather tint, and oak bark, set with copperas, a handsome grayish color. In fact, a skilled dyer could get twenty colors from the woods and fields.
 Except for flannels, carpets and blankets the warp was usually of flax or cotton. A very pretty carpet had half the warp of coarse wool doubled-a strand of green and one of brown. In weaving when the wool came upper most very coarse wool thread was shot in. When the cotton came up very fine thread caught and held it almost in- visibly Beaten mp thick the effect was that of messy, clouded Turkey fabric Other carpets were woven in stripes or plain, like webbing, the wooden wool threads passing over and under the cot ton warp two at time.
 Size'was estimated by the number of threads that. laid side by side, made cloth the regulation yard wide. The coarsest was 400. From that it went up and up with hardly limit except that of the spinners' skill and patience. There was scarcely anything they couldn't weave on the looms--jersey and serge, and cotton and linsey, house linen, bed linen, blankets and counterpanes. The counterpane was homespun high water mark. Woolen ones had usually the figure in colors skipped mp on white o' blue ground. Those of cotton were
 fit white and bleached till they dazzled
 e eyes. Of some easy patterns a
 lever woman could weave eight yards
 a day.
 Of honeycomb. huckaback and dia- mond draper three yards was good days work, Fancy patterns were more tedious. The crown of skill and patience was knotted cloth. The weave was per fectly plain, but at intervals of an inch big soft cord was woven in and pulled up in little knots all along its length. Over the body of the cloth they formed regular diamonds. For the center they made an elaborate arabesque design. Down one side of the spread the maker generally drew them up to shape her initials. with either the date of making in roman letters or her husbands name opposite, to balance her own.
 There was room, and to spare. Beds in those days stood four feet from the floor. Counterpanes were three yards by four without the fringe, which was either woven with dates and initials in the deep open heading or knitted in open lozenge pattern to which deep tas- sells were attached. It fell over a val ance, also homespun, and was either fringed or edged with netted points at the bottom.
 Weaving was not the sum of house. wifery in that era. The good danes knew as much of embroidery as their favored great-granddaughters. One of them has left behind her monumental piece of work, in which can be found no less than nineteen different stitches. many of them among the rarest and most difficult known.
 The netting needle and stirrup filled up many day. The bed was the piece. de resistance in furnishing then. It was tall four poster, and, besides counter pane and valance, had netted curtains and netted points, edging the long pill low and bolster cases. Window cur tains were netted, too, besides edgings and fringes for all kinds of household articles. In particular the toilets" that fell over the high square bureaus had often a netted fall half yard deep around them. In addition, caps, ruffles, purses and fichus were netted. The lat ter were called dress handkerchiefs, and folded high about the throat over the low cut gowns. On them the netter lavished her choicest art.
 Sometimes the mesh was as fine all most as bobbinet. Netted capes were high in favor, but the square with long ends was accounted better for young women. Sometimes they had fringe or tassels about the edge, or even ruffie of the net with big pattern run in. The handsomest finish was embroidery. For that the net was tackled smooth over cloth. the figures were wrought through both, then the under fabrics were cut away, leaving something closely approaching old rose point.
 The women who practiced these arts made tatting, knit lace, stockings, nit