CONTENTS

PAGE
[The Pleasant Valley School]1
[Chapter I. The Pleasant Valley Girls Learn to Sew:]
[Lesson 1. Toweling and Other Cotton Samples]6
[Lesson 2. The Story of How Cotton Grows]11
[Lesson 3. The Hemming Stitch]19
[Lesson 4. The Stitching Stitch]23
[Lesson 5. The Overhanding Stitch]28
[Lesson 6. Planning to Make an Apron]31
[Lesson 7. Using the Running and Back Stitch on the Apron]34
[Lesson 8. Making and Attaching the Apron Yokes]37
[Lesson 9. How to Make a Buttonhole]39
[Lesson 10. The Use of the Commercial Pattern]46
[Lesson 11. Taking Measurements and Cutting Out the Petticoat]50
[Lesson 12. Making the Petticoats]53
[Chapter II. The Girls of the Pleasant Valley School Learn
to Make Simple Garments:]
[Lesson 1. Cotton Materials Suitable for Underwear]58
[Lesson 2. Selecting a Pattern and the Cloth for a Nightdress]63
[Lesson 3. How Cotton Cloth is Woven]65
[Lesson 4. The Spinning of Cotton into Yarn]72
[Lesson 5. Cutting Out a Nightdress]78
[Lesson 6. The Parts of the Sewing Machine]80
[Lesson 7. Practice in Threading and Running the Machine]84
[Lesson 8. The French Seam and Its Use]86
[Lesson 9. Protection for the Body at Night]89
[Lesson 10. Laces and Their Use]93
[Lesson 11. Trimming the Nightdress]98
[Lesson 12. Choosing the Pattern and Material for a White Petticoat ]101
[Lesson 13. Learning to Make the Petticoat]103
[Lesson 14. How to Make a Corset Cover]105
[Chapter III. Learning to Make Attractive Gifts for Christmas
Or For a Birthday Present:]
[Lesson 1. The Story of How Silk is Produced]109
[Lesson 2. Simple Articles Easily Made from Silk Scraps]116
[Lesson 3. The Names and Uses of Several Silks are Discussed]122
[Lesson 4. More Useful Gifts and How to Make Them]127
[Lesson 5. Cousin Ann Tells How Silk is Made into Cloth]131
[Lesson 6. The Blanket Stitch can be Used in Many Ways]138
[Lesson 7. Learning to Make the Cross-stitch]142
[Lesson 8. How to Make the Hemstitch]147
[Lesson 9. Another Useful Gift and a New Stitch]149
[Lesson 10. The Darning Stitch]152
[Chapter IV. The Pleasant Valley Girls Learn to Care for
Their Clothes and to Help Repair the Household Linens:]
[Lesson 1. Care of Clothes]156
[Lesson 2. Learning to Darn Straight Tears]163
[Lesson 3. Darning Stockings]167
[Lesson 4. Patching Saves Clothing and Other Articles]171
[Lesson 5. The Story of How Linen is Grown]174
[Lesson 6. Common Linen Materials are Identified]181
[Lesson 7. Removing Common Stains from Table Linen]185
[Lesson 8. Learning to Wash and Iron the Table or Bed Linen]188
[Lesson 9. The Story of the Manufacture of Linen Yarn into Cloth]191
[Lesson 10. A Talk about Buying Linens]196
[Chapter V. The Pleasant Valley Girls Learn to Make Other Garments:]
[Lesson 1. The Pattern of the Bloomers]201
[Lesson 2. The Story of Where Wool is Grown]203
[Lesson 3. Some of the Most Common Materials Made from Wool]209
[Lesson 4. Making a Pair of Bloomers]215
[Lesson 5. The Story of How Wool is Made into Cloth]218
[Lesson 6. Some Facts to Remember in Purchasing Wool Clothing ]224
[Lesson 7. The Clothing Budget]230
[Lesson 8. Planning a Dress Skirt of Cotton Material]236
[Lesson 9. Clothing in Relation to Health]240
[Lesson 10. More Health Problems in Choosing Clothes]243
[Chapter VI. Choosing and Wearing Clothes:]
[Lesson 1. What it Means to be Well Dressed]250
[Lesson 2. The Choice of Colors for Clothing]256
[Lesson 3. Selecting a Hat]262
[Lesson 4. Making the Middy Blouse]268
[Lesson 5. Suggestions for Buying Garments of Wool and Silk]271
[Lesson 6. Learning to Use Some Simple Textile Tests ]278
[Lesson 7. How Pattern is Made in Cloth ]285
[The Ellen H. Richards House]291
[Index]

THE PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL

This is a story of the way in which the mothers and fathers, the teacher and pupils, and their friends in the township work together to make the broad valley in which they live truly a Pleasant Valley. The new school stands where the little red schoolhouse was built for those who are now grandmothers and grandfathers, when the town was first settled. The old building had become too small for all the young folk, but everybody loved the place and it was not until a fire had destroyed it that money was voted for larger and better housing for the school girls and boys.

These small books can describe only a part of everything that is being done in and for the school, and for the home people too, for you know that no town can prosper and no country be great unless the homes are healthful and happy, where all the members of every family work and play together. Do you not want to help, too, in your home, and in your town?