1. Decide how many patterns and what sizes will be required for your class.

2. Appoint a committee to purchase the patterns before the next lesson.

Selecting Your Material. - The best way to select materials is to have a number of samples from which to choose. There are certain materials that are suitable for each of these garments which you should consider before making your choice. Materials suitable for nightgowns are outing flannel, Berkley or Lonsdale cambric, crepe and longcloth. Two materials suitable for the kimono are crepe and flannelette. Some of the materials suitable for the apron dress are gingham, percale and chambray.

Appoint a committee to go to the stores and get samples of these materials and any others which are suitable for your garments. The committee should get the price and width of each material and ask if the colored materials are guaranteed not to fade.

Study of the Samples. - If you are to buy materials wisely you must learn first of all to recognize materials and to judge them for their quality and suitability. There are several kinds of underwear material from which the nightgown might be made. Your committee has probably brought in Berkley and Lonsdale cambric, crepe and longcloth. It is always easy to recognize crepe because of its crinkly-surface. Can you think of other words to describe the feeling and appearance of crepe? If you compare the cambric with the longcloth you can see that the cambric has a smoother, more shiny surface than the longcloth which is soft and duller in appearance. Can you shut your eyes and tell the difference by feeling them? Examine the other samples of underwear material that have been brought in and note the difference in appearance and feeling. This will help you to recognize them. How would you describe the surface of outing flannel?

The most commonly used kimono materials are crepe and flannelette. Crepes suitable for kimonos come either in plain colors or in printed patterns. Flannelette, like outing flannel, has a soft, fuzzy surface and may be bought in plain colors or in printed patterns.

Among the samples of materials suitable for apron dresses that the committee should have brought in are gingham, cham-br'ay and percale. Each of these materials is easy to recognize. Percale has a pattern printed on one side and is finished with a rather glossy surface. The pattern is generally made up of small, geometrical figures. Gingham is different from percale in that the pattern is woven instead of being printed. The pattern in this material is usually woven in stripes, checks or plaids. Examine the right and wrong sides of the samples of percale and gingham and compare them. It also helps to see how the pattern is made in each material if you ravel out a few threads. Chambray is always made with colored threads one way and white threads the other way. Which way of the cloth are the colored threads woven?

The Cotton Cloth Contest. - Your teacher will hang twelve samples of cotton cloth on the wall. Each one will have a number. Make a blank on a piece of paper like the one shown below. Examine the sample closely and fill in the name of each of the samples.

Tests for Judging Materials. - You should be able to judge qualities of materials as well as to know names and kinds of materials. One way of judging materials is by the firmness and evenness of the weave. Ways in which to judge the firmness and evenness of weave are suggested below. Why do you think it is desirable to have an even, firm weave?

1. Pull the material between the fingers to see if the threads spread easily. In firm materials the threads will not pull apart easily.

2. Hold the samples up to the light and compare the evenness of weaves.

3. Examine the samples and estimate which ones have the most threads to the inch. The more closely woven materials should be the more durable. Materials, especially those used for underwear, are sometimes finished with a kind of starch which fills up the open spaces in a loosely woven fabric. When the cloth is washed this starch comes out leaving a sleazy material.

1. Examine the samples to see if you can tell from their appearance if there is a great deal of starch or sizing in them.

2. Wash one-half of each sample to see if the material remains firm. It is advisable to cut each sample in halves and save one-half without washing so as to compare it with the part that has been washed.

Colored materials should be tested for fading before they are purchased. Appoint a committee to wash one-half of each colored sample so as to test for fading. Be sure to use warm water and soap as you would if you were really washing a garment. The samples can be dried with a hot flatiron to hasten the drying.

There are many other things that you may wish to know about how cloth is made. These things you will learn later when you have worked with more materials.

How Much Material Will You Need? - Whether your class decides to make their own patterns or to buy commercial patterns, you must estimate the amount of material that will be required.

Before you read the next paragraph, see if you can tell what three things will determine how much of a given material you will have to buy to make a kimono garment for yourself or any other person. Two of these things you can think of easily. Perhaps you can tell the third also.

(The amount of material depends upon three things, your height, the kind of sleeves you wish to have, and the width of the materials You have already learned that the amount of material required is twice the length of the garment plus the width of the hem. If you wish to have long sleeves you will probably have to buy extra material for the pieces that have to be added to the sleeves. Materials generally come about thirty or thirty-six inches wide. In Fig. 19 you can see how it is possible to cut longer sleeves from the thirty-six inch material. If you wish to have long sleeves and are using narrow material you will have to buy extra material for the pieces which are added to the sleeves. If you are using bands to finish the opening of the kimono it will also require extra material. Bands may be cut either lengthwise or crosswise of the material. Can you see a place on the thirty-six inch material from which to cut lengthwise bands without buying more material? Will it be more economical to have lengthwise or crosswise bands if you are using thirty inch material?