THE STORY OF COSTUMES 



the heat of the iron itself is given off, and with the 

 electric iron, at least, there was no vitiation of the 

 atmosphere. Both these types of irons are great 

 time-savers, from the fact that there is no stopping 

 to test or change irons. The danger of having the 

 iron too hot or too cold is also avoided. 



Of course the great time-saver in the factory is 

 the sewing-machine in its various forms. Aside from 

 the cutting and pressing almost the entire process of 

 manufacture is now performed on special sewing- 

 machines, practically no handwork being done on 

 the cheaper garments. Many of these are still run 

 by hand, but steam and electricity, particularly the 

 latter, are rapidly replacing foot-power, as referred to 

 more extensively in the chapter on the sewing-machine. 

 Among the remarkable adaptations of the sewing- 

 machine, are the ones for working buttonholes 

 and sewing on buttons. The first of these outstrips 

 the seamstress some thirty to one, while buttons can 

 be sewed on something like eight times faster than by 

 hand. 



While the proportion of ready-to-wear clothing 

 manufactured is much larger for men's clothes than 

 for women's, the latter is a growing industry increas- 

 ing steadily in importance. The first manufactures 

 of this kind, in the form of cloaks and outer garments, 

 were made in the early sixties, and cloak manufacture 

 was about the only one engaged in extensively until 

 about a quarter of a century ago. Since that time com- 

 plete outfits of ready-made garments of every descrip- 

 tion have been in the market. 



[85] 



