Chapter 24 Sewing Equipment
415
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
embroidery. Size 30 is a heavier thread
that gives bolder topstitching and
greater fi ll-in when using programmed
decorative stitches on your sewing
machine.
• Heavy-duty thread. This thread is also
used for heavier fabrics that require
heavy thread.
• Buttonhole twist. Used for topstitch-
ing and hand-worked buttonholes,
buttonhole twist is thicker than other
threads.
• Basting and quilting. Basting and quilt-
ing threads are used to make quilts and
other craft items.
• Metallic thread. These threads add
sparkle to decorative stitches.
Fasteners
Fasteners close the openings on garments. They include zippers, buttons,
hooks and eyes, snaps, and hook-and-loop tape. The pattern envelope will list
the type of fastener a garment requires under notions.
Inventions We Cannot Live Without
For thousands of years, buttons and belts
were the only fasteners used to hold clothes
together. Then an engineer named Whitcomb
Judson invented his clasp locker in 1893. It was
really a series of hooks and eyes that closed
mechanically. It was not a real hit, however,
because it was rather crude and tended to come
open—not a real advantage.
In 1913, Gideon Sundbach developed a
similar fastener using metal teeth—the prototype
of today’s zipper. He sold these fasteners to the
U.S. Army for use on soldiers’ clothing and gear
during World War I. Sundbach is considered the
father of the zipper industry.
The word zipper was actually coined by B.F.
Goodrich in 1923, whose company sold rubber
galoshes equipped with zippers. Goodrich named
them zippers because of the zipping sound they
made when opened and closed.
Velcro® is another fastener that has found
many uses. A Swiss engineer named George
de Mestral invented it in 1948. He got the idea
while hiking. George noticed how burrs (burdock
seeds) stuck to his clothing due to their hooklike
protrusions. He used this concept to develop
Velcro, which consists of one strip of nylon with
loops and another with hooks. Though used mainly
in apparel, Velcro is also used to fasten many
other items. Can you name some of them?
Highlights in History
24-7 Choose a
thread color that
is slightly darker
than the fabric color
or matches the
background color in
a plaid.