The Cairo bulletin., 1907-07-29

Varied Ilraids of Which Women's
Hats Are .i,Gc and T.cir various
Sources OF S.ipply-Thc Hand NO-
lg ven lsraids Of Italy, rocesses OF
Hat Manufat tire.

lls ven hraius u itaIy---i i'>NS" Va
Hat Manufacture.
What the making of toys is to the
I people OF certain parts OF Germany
! the plating OF braids for Eats Is ID
/ the people dive ling in ce.,ain parts
4 OF Italy, and u In Germany whole
7 families or all 20 people in dis
\ triet may all the. lives be elgasel
1 In the making OF some particular
I kind OF toy peculiar TO that Az lct,
SO In Italy whole i.niies, aud II
may be succeeding generations, a,s
! engaged always In place. ] the same
kind OF braid
The hat braids produce ] in Italy,
which are largely for won.al's hats
! are named after the cities or dis
tficts whence they come. TLas there
is a Milan braid, Tuscan braid, a
Carpi braid, and so on.
Milan braids may vary la fine
ness and quality, but they a,e all
alike in their characteristic cave.
The art OF making Milan braid Is
IL
who in turn hand 1t down to their
children: In this family they make
always that one kind of braid.
The braids of finer quality are
made at home by the older and more
experienced workers OF the family,
those of poorer quality by the child
rem in their odd hours or, 1t may be,
on their way to and from school,.
Where these braids are made child
rem may be seen walking along the
Streets or roads plating straw braid
as they go. as children might be seen
In the streets here knitting through
a spool the woven cords which they
use. when they have made enough
Of 1t. perhaps, for reins to play horse
with or which they may make into
bracelets or neck chains or fashion
into a lamp mat But while such
knitting as is done here is done
chiefly for amusement, the hat braid
that the children in italy plat in this
way goes TO swell the total of the
famlys production of braid, which
In due time, with that OF many
other families in the region, will be
gathered up and taken TO one or an
other of the varions Italian cities,
which are AZ once centres of the col
lection OF such brads and markets
whence they are distributed through
out the world
Switzerland and Belgium are the
fa haT
braids for womens hats, braids OF
silk and OF other materials, being
mostly made by machinery There
are now made also fancy hat braids
In this country
Fancy hat braids are made Of 4
variety Of widths and weaves, There
are hat braids made of hemp fibre.
and hat braids in which silk Is used
IN combination with other materials
There is woven hat braid made OF
pyroxylin, a gun cotton material,
looking as here used not unlike
horsehair. and among the braids OF
recent years Is one that Is made OF
horsehair and that is called Neapoll-
tan, though it is not made in Naples.
The hair for the making of horse
hair braids, which are produced In
variety OF weaves and colors, Is
gathered in Austria and Bavaria.
It is bleached and dyed, and made
up into braid in Switzerland and
e'gium. Horsesalr is fine AMI costi3
braid and lightr thar straw.
Women's hatsare sometimes made
all in one piect but coM3nonli in
two parts, the Gown andEY he brim.
separately. watch are lateF Aewed to-
gether; this because thesh3ad size.
as the opening In the briml for the
top of~the head is called, may he
smaller than theSn inside of th9 crown,
or because the base of the CROWN may
be smaller than IFS top: iwomen's
hats are made In many shaBes.
With the braid OF whatever kind
II may be. on reel at her side, the
operator sits at power driven sew
Ing machine For the very center OF
the top of the crown she draws tho
braid around for two or three. turns
and sews Il with her own fingers.
huu Aufn ellt 6Adi - VA inc
and now under her expert guidance
and manipulation the top of tho
crown expands rapidly. On a table
in front of her she has a block of
the shape of the hat crown she is to
crown form OF this sort is
called a block, and a brim form
fsnge
While many hats are thus shaped
and ironed By hand on wooden blocks
and fsnges, some are shaped and
pressed in hydraulic presses, in which
the blocks and fsnges are metallic:
and then there are some hat bodies
that are not put into their f-al
shapes in either Of such ways. but
which are sized and finished in the
shape of a ball cone. these to be
gathered up and fashioned into their
ipal shape by a skilled and artistic
designer.