Braid (hair)

“ All the hair appertaining to the hinder part of the head, is braided together for its whole length, and ultimately blended with black ribbon; which continues the braid for many inches, or even for a foot or more, so as to render it doubtful, at a certain distance, whether the hair does not occupy the whole length. ”

“ Persons with very long, narrow heads may wear the hair knotted very low at the back of the neck. If the head be long, but not very narrow, the back hair may be drawn to one side, braided in a thick braid, and wound around the head. When the head is round, the hair should be formed in a braid in the middle of the back of the head. If the braid be made to resemble a basket, and a few curls permitted to fall from within it, the shape of the head is much improved. ”

“ Select any article you may wish to make, and by referring to the patterns, you can easily find the style and directions whereby to braid it. We might have given twice the number of patterns, or even more, but any person can, after a little experience, readily invent new and different styles of braids, and by so doing, each can satisfy their own peculiar taste. ”

“ It is enough for women to protect [113] their locks, and bind up their hair simply along the neck with a plain hair-pin, nourishing chaste locks with simple care to true beauty. For meretricious plaiting of the hair, and putting it up in tresses, contribute to make them look ugly, cutting the hair and plucking off it those treacherous braidings; on account of which they do not touch their head, being afraid of disordering their hair. Sleep, too, comes on, not without fear lest they pull down without knowing the shape of the braid. ”

“ Some of this hair comes from poor women, but the staple product is from the heads of boys who wear their hair parted in the middle, and plaited in a long braid, which hangs down their backs. At marriage, they cut this off, and bind what remains in a tight, round knot on the top of the scalp, using pins or not as they please. ”

“ The prettiest fashion in hair-dressing for very young girls is either to wear the hair in lovely loose curls or else in long braids. One thick braid is apt to be less comfortable than two braids, and as a girl can seldom do her hair nicely herself, she should get her mother or sister to help her, unless there is a maid who has time to give the hair the careful brushing it needs. ”

“ The girls very frequently use the braids to make circular or other shaped mats. They also braid rags and make rugs of them. Hay, grass, clover stems, or varied colored strings are braided and from these are made necklaces, watch chains, bracelets, or rings; corn husks and silks are braided and used for doll's hair. The boys use the braided cord, grass, straw, leather, or willow bark, for harness, whips, fish nets, swings, to make bows or as belts for machines. Boys have a greater interest in saving string and when they find a cord of any kind it usually finds its way into their pockets. ”

“ Young girls also wear their hair in queues, but as when older their heads are not shaven like those of the boys, a larger quantity of hair is drawn back into the braid, making it much heavier. When married their hair is put up in the fashion of the women of the district where they live, but married women never wear their hair braided.
One who has lived long in China does not like to see a thin, uneven queue, tied with a cotton string; it has a slovenly, poverty-stricken air; while a thick, glossy braid, with a heavy bunch of silk in the end of it, looks tidy and prosperous ”

“ She walks painfully along to her place and holds her work at a disadvantage in the poor little cramped left hand, but she likes to be there with the others.
Most of the heads are covered with little tight braids, on some heads standing at every angle, on some laid smoothly down, one braid tied to another. A few have their curly hair cropped close, and here is a little girl with a bushy mass overshadowing her lively face. She takes but a stitch or two until she goes up to the front and holds her work out for her teacher's inspection. ”

“ The uncut hair of the men falls about their faces, which sometimes gives them a wild and leonine aspect. The women part their hair in the middle, exactly like European women, and at the end of the braid they fasten a tuft of gay bird-feathers, wings, and breasts. All the women have their ear-lobes pierced ”

“ Pull out that frill a little more—so; here, let me tie your sash; now for your slippers. I’m going to braid your hair in two thick braids, and tie them half-way up with big white bows—no, don’t pull out a single curl over your forehead—just have the soft part. ”

“ The unmarried men wear the hair in one long braid like a Chinese pigtail, but when one marries he combs his hair to the top of his head and ties it in a stiff top knot which is visible through the gauze hat. The foot is encased in a sock, padded with cotton, and a canoe shaped shoe of grass, cloth, leather or wood. ”

“ GOLD POSY EARRINGS (page 20) You’ll need:
(for pair) 2⁄3 yds. Wright’s Loop Braid 9956, gold
To make: 1. For each earring, fold 1⁄3 yd. braid in half. Fold raw ends in and roll loosely on itself into a disk. Stitch through base of disk to hold.
2. Glue to earring back.
20
See page 19 for instructions
21
See page 22 for instructions
22 FULL BLOOM ROSE HAIR CLIP (page 20) You’ll need:
1 clip on velvet hair bow
To make: 1. See appli-tique instructions (Page 23)
2. Glue rose to center of hair bow.
PEARL & MIDDY BRAID CIRCLE PIN (page 20) You’ll need:
4 yds. ”

“ French braid, whether made of linen or of cotton, is laid on the pattern with stitches taken across it, from one edge to the other. This mode of putting on braid prevents it from stretching, as, from the nature of the plait, it would otherwise do. In forming angles, each edge should be sewn down to the paper, and then the braid turned over. Circles are made by laying the braid on the design, and forming it into the proper shape with the fingers, before tacking it down. ”

“ Braiding should always be done with a strand of the silk of which the braid is made. Before beginning, cut off a yard of the braid and draw out the threads for sewing with. Thread the end of the braid on a large darning-needle, and draw it through the silk to the wrong side for the commencement, and do the same at every necessary break, sending the ends down. Run the braid on very smoothly, taking the stitches across it slanting and cut along the centre, as is usually done. The braid should lie perfectly flat, and the edges be smooth and even. ”

“ The braiding of the sleeve and collar is not such a difficult matter as was formerly the case, but it will be found an advantage to have the sleeve seam sewn and pressed open before any braiding is attempted. Whatever the pattern of braiding to be followed, care should be taken to have it as correct as possible, when putting on braid or cord, special care must be taken not to get it on short. For pressing gold lace the iron used should be moderately cool, a piece of cloth should be put over the lace to be pressed, and a piece of lining put on top of the cloth. ”

“ The outlines of any design in Point Lace are made in braid of various sorts, in thread, or sometimes in linen. The braid used is either French linen or cotton braid, or that now known as Italian braid. French braid is a simple plait, more or less wide; Italian braid is, in fact, a pillow lace insertion, somewhat resembling a tape, but with edges like those seen in all other pillow lace. It enters very much into the composition of Venetian and other valuable Italian lace, whence the name Italian braid has been given to it. ”

“ Another cross-stitch design
A very simple thing to do is to braid a dress for yourself. Now that all the large pattern houses are carrying transfer patterns you can get a design [107] for braiding very cheap. A little girl I know braided a dress for herself and one for her mother last summer. She used light blue chambray and braided it with white. There are several kinds of braid, but the easiest to use is soutache, whether it is cotton or silk. It is a flat braid and varies in width from one to three eighths of an inch. ”