Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-04-02
THE STORY OF THE
MYLADY'S HEADGEAR
Making of the Braids Gives
Employment to Hundreds
of Families All
Through Italy.

! what the making of toys Is to the
people OF certain parts of Germany
me plating of braids for hats Is to
The people dwelling In certain parts
: OF ltniy ana as I'm Germany whole
families, OF all the neople in dis.
/ trict may all their lives be engaged In
! the making Of some particular kind
OF toy peculiar 10 that district, so in
: Italy whole families. and 1t may be
succeeding generations, are engaged
always In plating the same kind of
braid.
The hat bralds produced I'M italy,
which are largely for, womens hatsa
! are named after the cities or dis.
tricts whence they come Thus there
Is Milan braid and Tuscan braid
and Carp braid and SO on.
Milan braids may vary In fineness
and quality, but they are all alike
In their characteristic weave. The
art OF making Il Milan braid Is taught
DS mother to her children, who in
turn hand 1t down to their children;
III this family they make always that
one kind of braid
The braids of finer quality are mala
at home by the older and more ex.
perlenced workers of the family:
those OF poorer quality by the chill
dfeh III their odd hours, OF il may he
on lheir way TO and from school
Where these braids are made children
may be seen walking along the streets
or ROADS Mating straw braid as they
go. as children might be seen i'm the
street here knitting through 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 Il lamp mat.
But while such knitting Is done here
Is done chiefly for amusement the
hat braid that the children I'm Italy
plat III this way goes to swell the to-
tal of the famlly's production of braid
which In due time, with that of many
other families In the region, VII he
| gathered UP and taken TO one or an.
other of the various Italian cities,
which are at once centers of the col,
lection of such braids and markets
| whence they are distributed through.
out the world.
italy Is the principal source of sup
| ply for the narrow straw braids and
| for wood hralds, Carpi being the cen
ter of wood braid production. The
wood braids are made of extremely
thin, narrow ribbons of wood, woven
or plated as straw braids are. and
made in various patterns OF braid. the
wood braids being among the wider
braids.
, Switzerland and Belgium are the
cMei producers of various fancy hat
Draids for womens hats, braids OF
| SILK and of other materials. the
| braids produced in these countries be-
ing mostly made by machinery. There
/ are now made also fancy hat braids
| in this country.
Fancv hat braids are made of va
riety OF materials and in great VA
: riety 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.
/, Ihere is woven hat braid made OF
+, pyroxSiin. gun cotton material, look.
! Ing as here used not unlike horse
| halr; and among the braids of recent,
years is one that is made of horse
hair, and that is called Neapolitan,
though Ii is not made in Naples.
The hair for the making of horse
hair braids. which are produced in a
variety of weaves and colors, is gath.
| cred In Austria and Bavaria. II IL
! bleached and dyed, and made up into
braid in Switzerland and IRsleium.
Horse hair is a fine and costly braid
; and lighter than straw.
Women's hats are sometimes made
all In one piece. but commonly in
TWO parts, the crown and the brim
| separately. which are later sewed to
! sether, this because the head size, as
/ the opening in the brim for the ton
/ OF the head Is called. may be smaller
than the inside of the crown. or he
cause the base of the crown may be
| smaller than its top. Women's hats
are made in many shapes
with the lraid of whatever kind it
may be, on reel at her side, the OPP
erator sits ut power.driven sewing
machlne. For the very center of the
top OF the, crown SHE draws the braid
around for two or three turns and
sews 1t with her own fingers. and
then she starts on the machine: and
now under her expert guidance and
manipulation, the top of the crown
expands rapidly. On a table in front
OF her she has q block of the shape
OF the hat. crown she has to make
a crown form OF this sort IL called n
block, and a brim form a flange. is
When she has brought the top part
OF the crown to nearly the required
diameter she tries 1t on the block,
and when it is exactly right she starts
building downward to form the
edge OF the top with no other aid than
that afforded by her skilled handling
or material and machine. The sides
quilt to the requisite depth, she tries
the crown on the block again, and as
far as its construction Is CONCERNED.