Glove Making - How to Make Leather, Knitted, Crochet and String Gloves for Men, Women and Children

THE CHOICE OF LEATHERS

IN the realm of fashion gloves play an important part. They are the finish or last word in our appearance, and also add to our comfort, for nothing can be more cosy than a warmly lined pair of gloves. Then for state occasions, or uniform, gauntlets give an air of distinction.

It is impossible to fix with any certainty the date when the glove as we know it to-day really originated, although it is possible that the caveman used to protect his hands from cold and against rough usage in thick forests, etc., by adopting some kind of rude covering, coarsely fashioned from the skins of wild beasts. This has been improved upon through the ages until to-day, when we have such perfection and variety in the making and wearing of gloves.

In the making of gloves, the only implements needed are a skin, a pattern, a pair of sharp scissors, a pencil (in some cases pen and ink), and needle and thread. Now for a summary of various skins suitable for the home glove maker:—

Chamois.—Originally leather made from the skin of the chamois, or Swiss mountain goat, now practically extinct. To-day the term is used for sheep or lamb skin which is put through a process of fish-oil dressing or shamming which makes the leather soft.

Doeskin.—Formerly deerskin or antelope skin, which it is now almost impossible to get. Sheep skins finished on the grain side and dyed are sometimes sold under this name.

Fleshers.—Sheep skins are split edgewise, and the half nearest the flesh is known as a flesher, It can be dressed as chamois or suède. This is a very useful skin for making up, as it does not stretch easily, is hard wearing, and washes well.

Tan-cape.—Originally the name of leather made from Cape sheep skins. Sheep and goat skins tanned by the dipping method and given a glacé finish are now often known as tan-cape; this is a good hard-wearing leather.

Chrome Sheep or Lamb Skin.—A delightful skin to make up, as it is soft and easy to sew. Of a yellow-brown colour, it will sometimes be found that the dye has not taken all through the skin, and the edges should therefore be stained with spirit stain to match.

Nappe.—Can be obtained in a variety of browns, and is as soft as chrome, but dyed throughout. The greatest tendency to stretch is usually lengthwise, not across the skin, so care must be taken when choosing a skin to see that the patterns will cut economically; a skin might be large enough to cut two pairs lengthwise, but not across. This skin has the appearance of stout kid, and is really sheep or lamb skin dressed on the grain side, i.e., the side from which the hair has been removed.

Kid.—The leather made from kid skins, or the trade name given to light-weight lamb skins dressed on the grain side. Kid is the finest and thinnest of all leathers.

Suède.—This is not a distinct leather, but is produced from fleshers—sheep or lamb skins finished on the flesh side by means of a dry emery wheel, which gives the suède effect.

Mocha.—Actually the skin of Arabian haired sheep. Other skins are now tanned and finished by a special process and sold as mocha.

Buckskin.—Heavy-weight deer skin.

The above will show that gloving leathers are procured in most cases from sheep and lambs. Kid and goat leathers are sometimes used; antelope and reindeer are more difficult to obtain, and more costly, and therefore these leathers are not often used by amateurs.

The skin when first removed from the lifeless animal is known as pelt—i.e., skin with hair on. When the hair is removed it becomes a fell, and the dealer is known as a fellmonger. Health, age and climate all help to make a difference in the quality of the skin. In the older animals the skin is thick and heavy and has to be put through a splitting machine, dividing it into what are known as splits.

As the skins of no two animals are the same, great care must be taken in the selection. Choose a skin—chamois or otherwise—which stretches one way only—across (or what was round the body of the animal) for preference. Hold the skin up to the light and reject it if there are many holes or thin places, and select one of even thickness, good finish and colour.

Avoid a loose spongy skin, or the result will be a badly shaped pair of gloves. A good quality skin repays the extra cost; a finely grained one will wear better, and be easier to sew. A smoothly finished chamois does not soil so quickly as the cheaper, fluffy kind.

It is more economical to buy a 6 ft. skin, as this should cut two pairs of gloves.

PATTERNS AND HOW TO ADAPT THEM

THE simplest pattern for the beginner will be the slip-on type consisting of three pieces, the hand or trunk part, the thumb, and the fourchette (meaning fork). Glove making calls for commonsense in choosing the skins and in laying out the patterns; a stiff leather requires a wider pattern than a soft, sagging skin. The patterns are usually made of stiff brown paper, and can be obtained with working instructions. The sizes are measured across the back of the hand.

When you have chosen a satisfactory skin, a little time must be spent in the arrangement of the patterns. After stretching the leather across and lengthwise to find which way the stretch is, place it on the table wrong side up. If there are any thin or bad spots it is a good plan to mark round them with pencil on the wrong side, so that they can be avoided when placing the pattern. Also, the tail end of the skin is sometimes thick, and this should be missed if possible when planning the pattern.

The hand part of the pattern is then laid on and marked out. It is a good plan to place a weight on the pattern over the thumb opening, in order to keep it steady. If the skin is a chamois or light coloured, use a hard pencil and draw round the edge of the pattern, unless it is a particularly stretchy skin, in which case mark the outline with dots.

When the fingers are reached continue round, but on no account draw down between the fingers; simply mark the base of each with a dot. The stitching on the back of the hand should also be marked in this way. Now move the weight on to the fingers, and draw round the thumb opening. With a ruler, draw lines from the dots at the base to the tops of the fingers. The back of the hand is about half an inch lower than the front.

FIG. 15.

Lift off the pattern, reverse it, and mark out another hand in exactly the same manner. This gives the right and left hands. Then mark out the thumbs, reversing the pattern for the second, and lastly the fourchettes, of which six pairs are needed, the pattern being reversed to make a pair. These are all cut the same length, and the waste pieces and sides can be used for them, but remember the stretch must still be round the hand. Where the material allows, the fourchettes should be cut side by side, making the right side of the one do for the left side of its pair, so saving time in marking and cutting out.

FIG. 16.

PATTERN FOR THUMB.

Always be sure you reverse the patterns, or you will find you have two for each hand. When the sixteen pieces are marked out, any lines which are not quite clear should be marked over again; then the gloves can be cut out.

If this is your first pair of gloves, cut out the fourchettes first, in order to get accustomed to cutting the leather. Use a large pair of sharp scissors and cut right through the lines, making good long cuts, but not allowing the scissors to close, as this may leave a jagged edge. Cut round the tops of the fingers only (a pair of curved nail scissors is helpful here); the fingers should not be cut down until afterwards, otherwise they would hamper the sewing.

FIG. 17.

Fold over the thumb and make a hole in the centre large enough for the scissor points to go through; then cut along the line and take the piece right out.

Fig. 17 shows a double fourchette and quirk. The latter is generally used for more advanced work, in which case six will be required. Care must be taken in cutting out the fourchettes as provision should be made so that the quirks will fit in correctly between the fingers at the base of the fourchettes. Always arrange to have the base of the centre slit of the fourchette on the palm side. The quirk is sewn to the fourchette in the same manner as the fourchette is sewn to the fingers of the glove.

MAKING UP

Stitching.—Stabbing or prix seams are generally used for hand-made gloves. The two raw edges are placed evenly together, wrong sides facing each other, and stabbed together on the right side about one-sixteenth of an inch from the edge, using about eight stitches to an inch. The stitches should be small and even, and carried right through the skin so that they appear on both sides. (Fig. 18.)

FIG. 18.

To stitch, hold the work along the length of the first finger, not over it or the glove will be pulled out of shape. Use ordinary sewing needles, size 6 to 8, and mercerised cotton No. 12, which is soft and yet strong, and is not likely to cut through the leather when the gloves are washed. Do not pull the stitching too tight, as this is liable to make the leather wear into holes. On the other hand the stitches should not be too pronounced—just tight enough to sink into the leather.

Other threads such as button-hole twist may be used, and this should be first of all drawn over a piece of beeswax (obtainable from a chemist for about 2d.) to keep it from untwisting when being worked. Coloured threads and mercerised cotton can be obtained from dealers. Glovers’ needles are not recommended, as they have three sharp sword-like edges which are apt to cut through to the edge of the work and tear the leather away. They can, however, be used for heavy gardening gloves where the leather is too strong for an ordinary needle; in this case care must be taken not to go too near the edge of the leather.

Thumbs.—The thumb is put in first of all, and the stitching begun at the lowest point in the thumb-hole, i.e., the 1 marked on the thumb should be placed to the 1 of the thumb-hole. Stitch to 2 and then to 3. (Fig. 16.) Commence with a knot at the end of the cotton, and when stitching the thumb make sure that the extreme point is well pushed inside the glove by pulling the stitch taut. Continue sewing from 3 to about one inch down the side of the thumb; then make a half-stitch, leaving the thread about two inches long for tying. Now fold the thumb right side out, and see that the top is well curved round, with no points or jagged edges.

Start with a knot on the inside at the top of thumb, and stitch round, down to 4 and on until the end of the thread is reached. Measure now and again to see that the thumb is going to fit the hole. If you find it too large, gently stretch the hole, and vice versâ. Great care must be taken in the handling and sewing, so that the pieces do not stretch. When finished, tie the ends with a reef knot on the inside.

Points.—We now come to the three tucks on the back of the hand. Find the marks made on the inside of the glove at the base of the lines, and push a needle through the leather, in order to mark the outside. From the centre dot fold the glove in a straight line to the base of the second finger, and, holding it between the first finger and thumb of the left hand, prick-stitch it, thus making a small tuck up to within a quarter of an inch of the finger-base. Finish off the thread on the inside, or, if preferred, it can be worked down to fill up the space made in the tuck; this gives a good substantial ridge. Work the other two tucks from the dots to the base of the first and third fingers in a similar manner. Care must be taken to see that each stitch is uniform.

Elastic.—The glove now being in a flat state, elastic may be herring-boned inside at the bend of the wrist. (Fig. 19.) Turn in the raw edge of the elastic and hem it firmly to the glove about half an inch below the base of the thumb. Herringbone across the wrist in a straight line over the elastic to within half an inch of the side of the glove, Draw up the elastic to the width required, cut off, and hem firmly down. The stitches may be taken right through, as they hardly show when the elastic is drawn up.

FIG. 19.

FIXING THE ELASTIC.

Fourchettes are sewn on the back of the hand first. Take a pair of them with right sides facing, and oversew the base, starting at the lowest point A to B as shown in Fig. 20. When opened out they should form an angle-forked piece which goes between the fingers. The point B is stitched to the base of the first finger on the back of the hand, and fourchette and finger are stab-stitched together half-way up the finger. Measure the length of the fourchette against the finger itself, and cut off level with the top, re-tapering it with the pattern as guide, and stitch up almost to the top, leaving enough room for about two stitches to fit in. Then pass the thread inside and fasten off.

FIG. 20.

Some people prefer the stitching taken right to the tip, but this is inclined to make the finger-end bulky. On the other hand, care must be taken that the fourchette is not cut off too short. When working, it is best to hold the hand-part of the glove in the palm of the hand, as otherwise the weight of the leather sometimes tends to pull the glove out of shape.

Recommencing at the base, stitch the right of the fourchette to the left side of the second finger to half-way up, taper and finish off as before. The remaining fourchettes are made and sewn to the hand in a similar manner. The second and third finger fourchettes should be left a trifle longer than the fingers, to allow for the curve at the top; Those for the first and fourth fingers can be cut off level with the top. Great care should be taken to see that the joints of the fourchettes come exactly to