Unit 9

ELEMENTS OF DECORATION

1.Read and translate the words

Button, buttonhole, functional, detailed, flat, carved, jeweled, corded, plain, attachment, solid, layer, surface, strips, filler

2.Read and translate the verbs

To hold, to slip through, to raise, to fold, to ravel, to extend

3.Match the English word combinations in column A to their Russian equivalents in column B

4.Read and translate the text

Buttons and buttonholes are both functional and decorative, but their primary purpose is to hold two sides of a garment together by having a button on one side of the garment slipped through a corresponding opening or loop on the other side. Buttons range in size, and they come detailed or flat in a wide range of geometric shapes. Buttons can be made of plastic,

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metal, or natural substances, or covered in fabric or leather. They can be plain or decorative – jeweled, corded, carved, or saddle stitched.

Buttonholes are openings or loops wide enough to accommodate the size of the button, placed on an overlapping section of the garment or as a loop where the centerlines meet. Women’s-wear garments button right over left, through vertical, horizontal, or angled slits.

Basic types of buttons:

1)Sew-through buttons – the buttons that have two or four holes for attachment.

2)Shank buttons – the buttons that have a solid top and various types of shank (wire, fabric, loop, metal, or plastic) attached to the underside. The shank raises the button away from the fabric surface, allowing room for layers of fabric to fit smoothly under the button when closed.

Types of buttonholes:

1)machine-stitched – stitched as straight or keyhole openings;

2)bound – folded fabric covers the raw edge opening in the garment;

3)loops – narrow strips of turned bias with or without a filler;

4)slits – the cut in leather, plastic or fabric that will not ravel. Button closures require an overlap extending beyond the centerline.

The extension should be equal to the diameter of the button. The center of the button is stitched on the centerline of the garment. The buttonhole starts at the centerline and finishes on the body of the garment.

Buttonhole length is determined by the diameter of a flat button plus 1/8 inch. The buttonhole placement starts 1/8 inch out from the center front. However, consideration must be given to the distance between the holes of the button or to the width of the button shank. Mark the buttonhole placement out from the centerline one-half the width of the shank. Otherwise, the buttonhole will not be centered with the button [11].

5.Answer the following questions

1)What is the main purpose of buttons and buttonholes?

2)What material can buttons be made from?

3)What are buttonholes? Name the main types of the buttonhole.

4)What types of buttons can you name?

5)What is the length of the buttonhole?

6)Where is the center of the button stitched?

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