Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1894-08-24
ABOUT BLACK SILK.


From MAKING B2d bargains
There are really very few women who
can distinguish between q good black
silk and an inferior one, and q few
hints given BY an expert and reported
in The Delineato1 will doubtless be &C.
ceptable to many shoppers:
In the first place, never be beguiled
into buying cheap silk. Very often ..
pretext for its cheapness suggests q gen
uine bargain, but the wise woman, I'M
less she knows of q good reason for the
reduction, will choose some other ma
terial if she cannot afford to purchase
silk at an adequate price. Costumes is
Of course no guarantee Of real value, SO
the shopper is advised to purchase an
eighth Of yard Of an admired fabric
and test it at leisure when she reaches
home. This may seem like waste to
the overeconomical mind, but it will
prove good investment if it prevents
bad bargain in the end.
In testing piece Of silk first try to
tear it both lengthwise and crosswise.
If it gives way readily in either direc.
tion, you may be sure either that the
dye has destroyed the fbers or that the
thread is made up Of what is known as
waste silk. Pure silk properly dyed
is the strongest textile known, but near
~ all the cheaper dyes, and particularly
the dark colors and black, are made
with such basis that they eat into and
weaken the fabric.
The firmness Of the weave may be
proved by scraping diagonally across
the silk with the thumb nail. If the
material is strong and pure, any amount
of manipulation will not make tho
threads slip, and if the nail makes &
space as wide as its own thickness be-
tween the threads the silk is certainly
of inferior quality. The next test is ap-
piled by raveling bit of the silk and
carefully examining both warp and
wool. Often pure silk warp has a
heavily loaded wool, and in other cases,
especially in satin weaves, the wool has
an inferior backing, the surface being of
good silk. Pure silk has good luster
and is very soft, but if the gloss is arti-
fetal the fabric will be hard and brittle.
When pure silk has been dyed improp-
erly, it looks very much like cotton,
but tits somewhat softer.
Another excellent test consists in pull
ing out the threads both ways and try
ing their strength. . Catch them with
both hands an inch apart, give quick
jerk and note the force needed to breaE
! them. If they part easily, the silk is not
! good. Tear the silk along the lines from
! which the threads have been taken, and
| if there are Fuckers along the tear they
may be regarded as indicating strong
texture. A method of testing that is
considered conclusive is to burn frag
ment Of the silk and also some Of the
Rawlings. If the silk is pure and wei
! dyed, it will take fire slowly, ever
when held directly in the fame, ant
the fire will go out almost as soon az
the silk is withdrawn, leaving ashe!
| that are nearly jet black. Weighted and
| improperly dyed silk is highly infam
mable. It quickly takes fire, and the fir
is difficult to extinguish, smolderin&
after the silk is removed from the flame
and leaving ashes that keep the shape
Of the cloth and are Of light yellow
ish red tint. Cotton in the fabric can hi
readily detected by the odor of the
smoke: Ever" woman should remember
that the requisite qualities of good sill
are strength, smoothness; luster, rich
ness and lightness, no matter how thicl
the material