Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-05-10
Maxine Hoopskirts.

res. We WI NSu at SohfS oNu Jo~'
In my time" said a man who in the
course OF this life has followed many
callings, but 1t always seems TO me
that the oldest thing ever did was
making hoopskirts.
! "Taht was fore the war when
That was before the war when
wore hoopskirts. The fashion came
in suddenly and at once every woman
wanted hoopskirt and hOOpskirt fac
tories sprang up over night.
THE fastory worked in occupied
a big room. floor in factory Dhiid-
ing: 1 should say there was room
there for fifty workers and 1t was all
taken up The work that we had 10
do was very simple. anybody couia
learn it in no time: hut for all that
a hoopskirt factory made queer
sight
The skirts were made on skeleton
frames of the ,Xac, shape and size Oh
the skirt to be produced. and so mere
was big floor filed with the skirt
! frames. each supported on low pc
dastal and each made to turn Oh a
spindle Sc; in The pedestal, SO tha'
the worker could stand or Sit IN one
, Mace and turn the frame to bring
the work TO him.
"Our work was the running OF the
thin. narrow covered steel riDbohs'
the hoops of the skirt. through the
Skin, tapes. practically the making Oh
the skirt. There was given TO eacn
o,erator a bundle OF these tape skef
etons. each one consisting OF waist
j band with buckles attached and WIN
tapes depending from it OF the ie"s II
of the skirt to be made. the huhloe'
OF these tapes in skirt depenu'ns
AGAIN OH it's kind and quality. wen
srst buckle the waist band around the
I ton of the skirt frame ana tnen
stretch the tapes down in their pi'pe.
nositions on the side Of the frame AMI
secure them, and then We were reau!
70 60 ahead making the skiEt.
The taues were woven with hoEi-
! zon,,, one ming through the fabric al
uniform distances apart and tnfoue'
! ,bes. We reeved the hoops. the thin
Az, covered steel ribbon for the hoops
VIC had on a reel on little 'ape
alongside Of US. Having pnuea .ne
J tanes down n the frame and all reaas'
YOU Just put a tape needle on the nee
end of the wire on the reel anu p'o
! ceeded TO thread the wire throush
the opening in the tapes on the 1orn's'
Then. having length enough 10 zap
vou broke of the wire with a/pai
~ pliers and Tapped the ends anu
pinched over and around them ''..'e
metallic clasp, to hold the ehus ~
rctber. And then you started OH 'ne
nex, hoop down. and so you coh''h'
nod until YOU got the hoops all IN.
! III was easy work and puichiy
dane I'm, some were quicker at II
,h.n others. and not all did it equa'iy
we'll for it took some skill to cut On
and fasten each hoop in exactly "s
| nronar length, so thot the nnlsueu
sr;r, would hang smooth and "o.
an. graceful in exactly its Designer
shape. all
.Tbere must have been many IN"
lions OF those hoopskirts maze III '"n
DAYS when hoops were worm ic' a.
xomcn wore them and bought ne"
ones as the old ones wore out or 'he
fashions changed; in those DAYS So.
us.d see discarded rusty noopSN" =, ,
IN the ash heaps as you might see o'o
ON the ash heaps as you might SEE
old hats or shoes. And some "o
x,ho didn., buy hoopskirts OF the sue. 1
wire kind made their own hoopsS,..,
With reeds such as are sued IN DASH DASH
~c.vipc, which they bought In s'o..s
and sewed into skirts, an inexpeus'.
substitute for thu steel wire sk'
oh yes in those days all the To
men wore boopskirts, and na'u,a" raw"
these few plays that we've been no.
ing lately in which the women sr
pcarcd in costumes OF that time nav
had a peculiar interest Tor me- y,
c.usc IN the days when such COSTUME
were worn I worked in hoopsN''
factory"
!