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Sinamay. — The term "sinamay" is often used in connec- 

 tion with abaca. The word simply means a gauzy fabric. 

 Besides abaca sinamay there are also others, as for example 

 pineapple, maguey, and banana sinamay. 



Abaca sinamay is used by Filipino women for waists 

 (camisas) or, like buckram, to stiffen the bottoms of skirts. 

 Occasionally, the skirt itself is made out of the sinamay. 

 Blocked sinamay hats are seen at times in Filipino hat 

 stores. 



Pinolpog. — Abaca cloth can be softened by winding it 

 around a piece of wood and beating it thoroughly with 

 sticks as it is being wound. The fabric is then called 

 pinolpog in Visayan and pinokpok in Tagalog. Pinolpog 

 in various colors can be neatly embroidered and made into 

 pretty hand bags. The material is also very suitable for 

 cushions. These can be decorated with abaca braid and 

 in many other ways. 



Tagal braid. — It is only within very recent years that 

 factories have been established in Manila to manufacture 

 abaca braid out of the knotted abaca fiber. The process 

 of manufacture consists in winding the knotted abaca, 

 which is usually sold in hanks, upon spools and then making 

 it into braid by machines. The width of the braid depends 

 on the number of spools in the machine, and the number 

 of fibers wound at one time on each spool. 



A considerable number of these machines are in operation 

 in abaca-braid manufactories established in Malabon, Rizal, 

 and Manila. A braiding machine of 13 spools is on exhibi- 

 tion in the industrial museum of the Bureau of Education. 

 (See also The Philippine Craftsman, Vol. I, No. 2, 1912.) 



The chief use of the braid is for ladies' hats, which are 

 made in Europe by sewing the strands of braid together. 

 Hats, especially for women, made by weaving the braid 

 as is done with bamboo and buntal fibers are very attractive 

 and will probably find a good market when they become 

 more generally known. 



Slippers. — The abaca fiber is used either natural or 

 colored in the manufacture of slippers. The first abaca 

 slippers attempted in schools were often made with plush 



