Part 152

A broken crank is a very tiresome and awkward accident. The cause is either a flaw in the metal or the crank being of insufficient strength. A smart snap is generally the only warning given, and the crank “yields” all round as though made of putty. A crank does not, as a rule, break clean through unless in very faulty iron. It begins to open and “gape,” and finally breaks. The rider can do nothing except tie up the fracture (if not occurring at one of the crank axles) in splints with string, and then inquire for the nearest station, or trundle the machine to the nearest smith, and let him weld it together, in the case of the crank being solid. It often happens that country smiths are only used to rough work. It must, therefore, be impressed upon them most strenuously, that rule-of-thumb will not do. The following method of mending a solid crank has been given by a skilful repairer:--

The broken crank axle, when taken out, should be laid upon a board or piece of stout paper; then, ends being joined at the fracture, the smith should carefully mark round with a pencil the exact size, and, referring to his plan, he will see and mark the amount he may allow to weld, so that the thickness may be the same, and also the throw, and that the two projections fitting into the bearings are straight and level with each other.

Hollow cranks are mended by putting a piece of iron inside, riveting and brazing.

For a broken axle, the best remedy is to get the machine along as well as possible on one driving wheel and the steerer, getting it either carted or carried to the nearest station, from which, if no qualified repairer is near at hand, it can be sent to the maker to be fitted with a new one. It may be comforting to know that, unless in a very light machine, broken axles occur in the proportion of one in a thousand.

Very unpleasant and very common among lady riders is the accident called “being wound up” in the driving chain. Insufficient dress guard is one reason; a full skirt and a gusty day are others. Such misfortunes are to be prevented by fitting a piece of tanned cord netting at the side from the framework to the tilt rod stay, if it is on the same side as the chain, which most of them are. This netting is laced on with fine waterproof twine, both of which can be obtained of Unite, in Edgware Road. The cost altogether of a yard of netting is 2_d._, and whipcord 2_d._ more. The netting is impervious to wet, can hardly be seen when riding, and is easily attached, making no noise or rattle. Wire netting rattles dreadfully, and is not nearly as good, whilst 20 times more expensive.

Most bad accidents are due to recklessness. An opinion is common amongst people that to ride a tricycle is the simplest thing in the world, and that, as the machine will stand alone and is tolerably safe when going slowly, no care is requisite in descending hills. It is easy to distinguish between an old rider and a novice in going down a steep hill. The experienced rider, knowing the danger, goes with feet on the pedals and machine well in hand, both braking and back-pedalling until the bottom of the hill is well in view, when she indulges in a “fly,” still keeping under control, although going fast.

The novice, not knowing how dangerous it is to lose control, comes down erratically--in many cases quite unable to stop--and if she does manage to, by means of a strong brake, strains the machine, and does damage that way. Most of the notoriously dangerous hills in England have danger boards erected by the National Cyclists’ Union--in the form of small painted iron plates on a post, bearing the following: “Notice to Cyclists.--This hill is dangerous.” Accidents may be avoided by “braking” and back-pedalling down the steepest part until well in sight of the bottom of the hill. If the hand brake of a front steerer get oily it fails to check the machine properly. The remedy for this is to dust powdered resin over the drum, which dries up the oil, but makes the brake almost too powerful; therefore, after applying resin, it should be used with caution. If a machine from any cause--such as the brake refusing to act, or being out of order--runs away down-hill, the only thing is to try to keep clear of ruts, and avoid swerving by keeping a firm hand on the steering and a cool head. If presence of mind is once lost, a bad accident is a foregone conclusion. On the other hand, a cool rider may manage to guide her machine safely to the bottom.

A common consequence of a run-away is a “buckled wheel.” This looks a most alarming accident, but can be rectified in a few minutes if the wheel is well built. The wheel assumes the form of an erratic 8, the spokes are bulging, loose, and twisted.

To set matters right, the rider should place her knee on the bow of the hub, and, putting one foot on the rim at the bottom, with the two hands take hold of the rim furthest from her inwards. Pulling at these simultaneously, and pressing with the knee the rim with a snap will resume its round form, and a little adjustment with the spoke-tightener of such spokes as are loose completes the operation.

Loose tyres can hardly be called an accident in themselves, but as causes of such they demand attention. If they become loose, a gas jet should be held under the rim until the cement begins to bubble and ooze out between the rim and the rubber. The tyre should be pressed into place and tied firmly with string, and left like that for 12 hours to set. If no cement remains in the rim, some of Rockhill’s, or, if nothing better can be obtained, Prout’s elastic glue, should be melted in an iron spoon and run into the felloes. Singer’s tyre heater is a good one to use where gas is to be had; but if in the country, where it is not available, recourse must be had to a blacksmith, who should be persuaded to heat relays of red-hot irons, which are held under the rim, as in the case of gas. If a tyre comes loose suddenly, it may be firmly fastened by tying it to the iron felloe with thin string at every 2 in. Each tie should be quite distinct from the others, and the string drawn so tightly as to sink into the indiarubber tyre. A machine will run many scores of miles before any of these strings is cut, and then they can be easily replaced. (F. J. Erskine, _Field_.)

SUPPLEMENTARY LITERATURE.

‘Revised Laws of Lawn Tennis.’ London. 6_d._

M. S. F. and S. F. Monier-Williams: ‘Combined Figure Skating.’ London, 1882. 5_s._

H. E. Vandervell and T. Maxwell-Witham: ‘A System of Figure Skating, being the theory and practice of the art as developed in England, with a glance at its origin and history.’ London, 1869. 6_s._

‘Rules of the Game of Hockey.’ London. 6_d._

E. D. Brickwood: ‘Boatracing, or the arts of Rowing and Training.’ London. 5_s._

E. D. Brickwood: ‘The Rowing Almanack and Oarsman’s Companion.’ London. Yearly. 1_s._

W. Wilson: ‘The Swimming Instructor: a treatise on the arts of Swimming and Diving.’ London. 2_s._ 6_d._

C. Box: ‘The English Game of Cricket: comprising a digest of its origin, character, history, and progress, together with an exposition of its laws and language.’ London. 21_s._

H. F. Wilkinson: ‘Modern Athletics.’ London. 1_s._ 6_d._

_THE WORKROOM._

It is impossible within reasonable limits to give a comprehensive treatise on all the various forms of useful and ornamental needlework. Moreover, so many changes take place in fashions that no book can keep pace with them, and the best information is to be found in the newspapers specially devoted to women’s wants, notably the _Queen_. To this journal readers are referred for the many developments of fancy needlework, and to it is due the credit of the following brief notes on some of the most widely useful methods of effecting darns, patches, and repairs.

=Patching.=--When a large hole or thin place makes its appearance, it must be mended by a patch, matching exactly in texture and pattern. The fresh piece should, if possible, be slightly worn, to prevent a too great strain on the old, causing the tear to start afresh. Hence the importance of storing up odds and ends. A careful housewife has always a good stock in her piece-bags, one of which she reserves for white, the other for coloured scraps. In repair, and with a plain material, patching is comparatively an easy matter; but stripes, checks, and brocades call for some ingenuity in arranging the design so well that no break is perceived. When the fabric is cut on the bias, the renovating piece must correspond, though as a rule patches are either square or rectangular in form. Squaring corners constitutes the chief difficulty of patching. To manage these perfectly, they need mitreing or nicking as the case may be, and both piece and hole have to be sewn even to a thread. Garments, specially children’s, occasionally require mending at the elbows and under the arms. To prevent an unsightly repair, it is necessary to rip up the seams, and, having sewn the patch in neatly on either side of them, to join the sleeves or armholes again. In articles too shabby to be worth very careful doing up, the added piece may be slip-stitched on, provided it follows and never breaks the seam. Judgment is likewise requisite in the choice of cotton and needles, both as to colour and size. If too coarse, they draw up the threads, and the cotton if too fine breaks away from the stuff altogether. The easiest way of patching is to fix the fresh piece on the right side before removing the old. There are three different methods of doing this, viz. counter-hemming, slip-stitching, and sewing and felling. These are by some considered best for new materials.

_Counter-hemmed Patch._--This could be utilised for almost any repairing, except that it takes such wide turnings. For its execution, cut out a piece of material considerably larger than the hole or worn part, and turn it down all round about ¼ in. Place it smoothly over the decayed fabric, taking care not to strain too much, or the stuff underneath will set in rucks. Tack and hem down neatly on each side, letting the stitches be extremely close at the corners. Turn the work on the wrong side, cut out the worn part, and make a hem on the patch itself.

_Slip-stitched Patch._--Proceed as before, but, instead of hemming, slip-stitch neatly on the right side. The result will be a very tidy patch, specially suitable for cashmere, silk, merino, and other fine materials that do not wash. Slip-stitching also answers remarkably well in home contrivances, such as recovering ball shoes when faded, and thus utilising scraps of silk, &c., to harmonise with the toilette.

_Sewn and Felled Patch_ (Fig. 161).--Crease the material on the right side at about 2 in. beyond the thin place. Cut a suitable patch straight to a thread, allowing ¼ in. turning all round for the wrong side. Tack or pin it upon the fabric, and sew regularly; flatten the seam, and turn the work. Lastly, remove the worn place, and finish off the patch by a narrow hem on the under surface. If necessary, make a tiny slit at each corner to keep the fresh piece square. More experienced menders prefer to cut away the threadbare portion first, and then let in the patch. This is decidedly the best way, though it makes the management of the corners more tiresome; however, a little practice soon overcomes the difficulty.

_The Sewn Patch_ (Fig. 162).--Remove the worn part entirely, and nick the corners of the hole for the turnings. Cut out the patch ¼ in. wider all round. Crease the edges of both hole and patch, and tack them together on the wrong side. Mitre the corners of the piece to make the repair set well. Sew the four sides neatly and closely, taking the stitches only one or two threads into the stuff, and fasten off securely. Fell down the turnings, or only overcast them if mending a woollen, silken, or extremely stout fabric, such as coutil, &c. When completed, flatten the seams by the thumb-nail or thimble or, if necessary, press with a hot iron.

_The Run Patch_ (Fig. 163).--Prepare the hole exactly as for the sewn patch, and crease down a turning as a guide to the stitches. Cut out a fresh piece to fit, allowing ¼ in. on each side. Fix it in place, and run carefully on the wrong side, taking care not to pucker in the least, and letting the stitches be closer together at the corners. Make the seam neat by felling which will set without mitreing the corners.

_The Darned Patch_ is frequently employed, when short of scraps, for mending or strengthening play-room knickerbockers, carpets, or any rough fabrics. The small bit, or even a piece of another material, matching as nearly as possible in colour, may be placed under the hole, then secured, and almost concealed, by rows of neat darning.

_The Seamless Patch_ is very similar to the preceding, but the darning, instead of covering the weak part, merely surrounds the edge. The repair often appears in sheets, towels, &c., wherever, from scarcity or frailty of stuff, a seam is undesirable. Cut a piece of the same material a little wider than the hole itself; tack it upon the wrong side of the fabric, letting the edges of piece and hole overlap. When both have been pared, secure the patch to the stuff on the right side by darning backwards and forwards about 6 stitches in height. Leave regular loops, and see that the needle takes in both upper and under surfaces. The darning crosses at the corners, thereby giving them additional strength. With the exception of the corners, neither rows nor stitches should be as close together as in ordinary mending.

_The Buttonhole Patch_ surpasses the seamless patch in neatness and flatness, and is reserved for the best linen in cases of accidental burns, stains, &c., where the damage cannot well be rectified by darning. The patch is very valuable in stockings, and has recently suggested an excellent plan for seaming petticoat bodices without the slightest ridge, thus facilitating the perfect fit of the fashionable corsages. To make it, cut out the worn part and prepare a piece, identical in material, and of the exact dimensions of the hole; work separately the edges of patch and hole in close buttonhole stitch, with embroidery or flourishing thread. Secure the piece to the fabric by 2 or 4 pins at the corners, and sew it on by passing the needle from the loop of each stitch over the opposite one.

_The Flannel Patch._--There are three ways of mending flannel. In the first fix the piece exactly like the seamless patch, then herringbone all round on the right and wrong side, letting the upper row of stitches exactly cover the under one. For the second process, commence as for the run patch, but, instead of felling, herringbone the turnings. In the third and lightest method, crease the 4 sides; manage the corners as already described; set in the patch so that the former exactly correspond with those of the material; then herringbone the edges of the renewed part and hole together. Flannel patches are equally well adapted to the repairing of old quilts.

_Flannel Strengthening Patch_ (Fig. 164).--This repair, as shown by the illustration, is in frequent requisition for thin places round the armholes, &c. Cut out a piece of fresh flannel the desired shape, tack it upon the material, and herringbone all round. The stuff, being so apt to stretch, needs the hand to be held rather loosely in working.

=Joining.=--In the alteration as well as the mending of garments, joining is in constant requisition; hence a neat and imperceptible mode is invaluable for all kinds of needlework. To this department belong herringboning, matting seams, net mending, laced and fine drawing, besides various ways of joining fur, canvas, carpets, and velvets.

The well-known herringboning is a most useful method of uniting two hemmed or stitched edges of flannel, list, or woven underclothing. It also replaces drawn-work insertion, in antimacassars composed of linen or embroidered strips, as well as in coloured handkerchief borders, where it unites squares, &c., of lawn or cambric. The lacey stitch adds to the ornament of the handkerchief, besides suggesting a pretty way of using up scraps. When not utilised for the join itself, herringbone stitches are often made on the right side of the material to conceal the seam. These are sometimes caught down with stitches in a contrasting tint, and at others worked over a braid.

_Fur Joining._--When a piece of fur has to be divided into narrower bands, say about 4 in. in width, no scissors must be used. To separate it, lay the fur lightly on the table, hair downwards, and with a ruler and red chalk pencil mark out the divisions boldly on the skin. Take a sharp-pointed penknife, or, still better, a chisel, and, holding it quite perpendicularly, cut by the red chalk lines, resting the penknife against the ruler, in case of slips. Bear slightly when cutting, just enough to let the knife pierce quite through the pelt without touching the hairs. If this operation be successfully performed the skin will separate into bands with smooth, even edges, and the fur remain untouched. Before joining, two things have to be considered--the right way of the fur, and its various shadings. Some specimens, such as the skunk, chinchilla, and squirrel, graduate very much in tint; therefore a little contrivance is required for the ends to match as nearly as possible, and not to place a dark hue close to a light one. If this, however, cannot be avoided, let it be done regularly, in order that the colour shades off at equal distances and the fur has no patched-up appearance. With regard to the right way of the fur, the joining offers no difficulty in straight bands, but calls for some management in corners, &c., especially when the pieces in hand, being already worn, have slits or shabby spots that need replacing. Now the fur is quite ready for joining. Take a fine needle and smooth cotton or silk, bring the two edges of the pelt together, and unite them by a flat sewing, pushing back meanwhile any stray hairs. Do not pull the cotton too tightly, for fear of spoiling the skin.

_Transferring._--In applying old or new woolwork to satin, cloth, or velvet, cut about ¼ in. beyond the design, turn under the edge and tack firmly on the foundation. Conceal the join by a silk cord, chenille, or rows of gold thread. Appliqué work suggests many good ways of utilising ancient needlework, that has lasted intact long after the ground is threadbare. The embroidery is cut out with sharp scissors, and lightly tacked to a fresh foundation; then secured with a kind of running, taken invisibly--a buttonhole, cord on net, herringbone, or any stitch employed in appliqué. Washing fabrics obviously require the firmest sewing. By such means, the well-known Swiss muslin embroidery is transposed, and antiquated collars, handkerchiefs, &c., are adapted to the reigning styles.

_Canvas Joining._--Strips of Berlin woolwork frequently run too short for the purpose intended, and need joining to additional bands. To accomplish this neatly, overlap the edges for about 1 in., letting every bar lie exactly in a line with the one underneath. Tack them in place, and cover with cross-stitch in the groundwork colour, drawing the wool rather tightly at the join, to keep the double thickness as flat as the rest of the work. In the same way squares for Berlin wool carpets are united. Borders with a running or broken pattern are more easily connected, as the scroll, spray, &c., merely require matching; but with equidistant medallions or geometrical figures the necessary space has often to be made up by letting in strips of canvas. The same process can be applied to tapestry repairing, which now comes more within the sphere of ladies’ work, thanks to the introduction of the faded tints, so much admired. Time-worn or worm-eaten spots are cut away, and a piece of new canvas basted outside the hole. Then, with wool matching precisely each tint, the decayed part is copied in again, perhaps with the alteration of a stitch here or there, to make it meet unbrokenly the original work; if well done the replenishing cannot be detected. In woven tapestries the woof threads, after a lapse of years, give way, and countless slits make their appearance between the ribs. These may be effectually mended by drawing together the breaks, with crewels of the same colour, fastening off on the wrong side by passing the needle in and out 2 or 3 tapestry threads. If extremely worn a good strengthening is a backing of stout crash.

_Carpet Joining._--Felts and all light fabrics are simply seamed by flat sewing; but in Brussels, Wilton, and thick piles the joins to lie smooth are connected by passing the needle in and out first one edge and then the other. Should the seam set full, dashing on a little water will rectify it. If in case of accidental burns, &c., the carpet has to be mended on the floor, the only available plan consists in placing on the patch, and securing both surfaces by darning. Repairing carpets when up gives the opportunity of strengthening patches, hems, &c., by felling stout webbing on the wrong side. When stair carpets require binding, the webbing matches the predominant colour in the pattern.

_Matting Seams._--These are made in the following manner: Bring the two edges together, take a straight stitch over both, pass the needle slantwise under one edge, and through the adjacent one. Thus the right side presents a row of slight sewing, the wrong a series of sloping stitches taking in one selvedge only.

_Velvet Joining._--Faults or cuts, &c., in velvet and plush are concealed by very careful seaming on the wrong side. The needle enters half the thickness of the material (Fig. 165), leaving no stitches visible on the upper surface, and the sewing is drawn till the edges just meet and no more. Care must be taken to work in all stray filaments that no fluffiness disturbs the smoothness of the pile. When finished make the seam still firmer by rows of darning, 4 or 5 stitches in height, and running parallel to the sewing; leave no loops, but pass a horizontal stitch from one darning line to the other (Fig. 166). The preceding is also adapted to satin repairing, though on account of the close shiny surface this cannot be quite as satisfactorily made. Complete the mending by passing the wrong side of the fabric over a cool iron, the steam of which raises the pile.

_Laced Joining_ (Fig. 167) consists in the uniting of torn edges of a slit accidentally made by a thorn, knife, or scissors. In every home it is constantly needed for the temporary repair of those well-known three-cornered rents caused by mischievous nails, knobs, spikes, &c. Laced joining is also the only way of stopping cracks in old silk dresses, umbrellas, and parasols; for the latter being neatly strengthened and concealed by a narrow galloon run on both right and wrong sides. To execute the seam, trim the torn edges, and draw them together, holding the work between the thumb and fourth finger of the left hand. Imitate a kind of lacing thus: point the needle from the chest, and pass it under the right edge; turn the needle in the contrary direction, and slip it beneath the left edge, and so on. Be sure to take in enough of the fabric to bear the stitches, which are to be as close as necessary for the material. Judgment is indispensable also for the placing of the stitches; a knife-cut in a delicate material has a sharply defined edge, and can be drawn together straight to a thread, but in a jagged or worn part the stitches enter more or less deeply into the worn part, according to the state of the piece.