Would you too not like to visit a silk factory? Perhaps come day you may be able to go to Paterson or to some large city, and may see all the wonderful things which Marjorie's cousin saw. The book pictures will give you a good idea of how a mill or factory looks inside. It is a very busy place. Perhaps your teacher may be able to get some stereopticon or motion picture views to show you, as Miss James showed the Pleasant Valley children. She used the church lantern. Some of the mothers and fathers came, too, to hear the story about silk.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Find on your map the most important city in the United States for the manufacture of silk.
2. Write a story about the silk "throwing."
3. If there is a silk mill in your neighborhood, plan to visit it with your teacher.
4. Look up the story of Jacquard, the inventor of the loom devices for making beautiful patterns.
Lesson 6
THE BLANKET STITCH CAN BE USED IN MANY WAYS
Did you ever hear of a stitch called the blanket stitch? It is very useful for decoration. We can make some attractive gifts if we know how to make it. Would you like to try to-day?
Fig. 82.—The blanket stitch.
Did you ever notice how pretty some verandas look in summer time? Mrs. Stark of Pleasant Valley has a very attractive, cosy porch. Yours can look pretty, too, if you will give thought and a little time to it. You can plant some pretty vines as the girls did at the Ellen H. Richards house. The cucumber grows wild and can be transplanted. Perhaps in the attic you can find an old table, which will do to hold your sewing things. Can you make a cover for it? Perhaps you can make a porch cushion, too. The blanket stitch (Fig. 82) will be useful for both.