III Make up a plan of the text.

IV Translate the paragraph in italics in a written form.

V Questions for discussion:

1. Why wasn’t children’s clothing a separate group of clothes last century?

2. How is it divided nowadays?

3. What do numbered sizes mean?

4. Why is it better to buy larger sizes for children?

5. What should parents avoid buying?

6. What fabrics are preferable?

7. Why is it important to buy children’s clothes made of natural fibres?

8. What is admitted for older children?

TEXT C

I Mind the following words and word-combinations:

1. millennium - тисячоліття

2. an option – вибір, альтернатива

3. to fit – підходити

4. to adjust – пристосовувати

5. a torso – торс, тулуб

6. to benefit – мати вигоду

7. to suffer from – страждати

II Listen to the text and be ready to answer the questions:

1. Why is sewing at home good if you have a non-standard type of figure?

2. How can you dictate your own style to commercial products?

III Listen to the text again. Decide if the statements are true or false.

1. There are no important reasons why to sew at home.

2. It’s better to make your own clothes if bought ones don’t fit you.

3. Sewing clothing at home can allow you to adjust and individualize the pattern.

4. If you dislike the styles of commercial goods you may sew your own ones.

5. One can’t make clothes at home to avoid allergies.

UNIT 3

TEXT A

I Listen and remember the following words:

1. overwhelming – величезний

2. to launder – прати

3. stiff – негнучкий, жорсткий

4. linen – льон

5. fine – тонкий

6. springy – гнучкий, еластичний

7.an appearance – зовнішній вигляд

8. grainline – лінія направлення нитки

9. a selvage – кромка

10. stretch –розтягнення

11. a loop – петля

12. give – еластичність

II Read and remember the following phrases:

1. a solid colour – стійкий колір

2. drapable – здатний драпіруватися

3. a fair weight – чиста вага

4. crosswise grain – нитка утку

5. lengthwise grain – нитка основи

6. bias grain – нитка основи під 45°

Fabric information

Selecting the right fabrics may seem like an overwhelming task. You may already know whether you want a solid colour, a printed pattern, or perhaps a multicoloured fabric. Do you need a fabric that can be laundered frequently? Do you want smooth or textured, stiff or drapable, lightweight or heavy? Some basic fabric knowledge will help you make choices.

Natural fаbrics are made from plant or animal fibres, spun into yarns: cotton, wool, silk, and linen are the most common. Naturals are often considered the easiest fabric to sew.

Cotton is used by people in almost every country in the world. You can find what a fabric is made by looking closely at the threads. You will see that cotton threads are even and rather round. The surface of the cotton fabrics has very fine hairs all over it. These can only be seen if it is held up to the light. Cotton fabric is often white, but to make it pretty it is often coloured, either all over or in a pattern. It is usually better to wear coloured materials, for colour helps to make people feel happy.

Linen looks like cotton, but it is stronger, firmer and often heavier. The threads are very smooth and round. No fine hairs can be seen on the surface. Linen is cooler to wear and more expensive than cotton. It can be used for clothing such as dresses or men’s coats, but it is more often used for such articles as tablecloths.

Silk is a beautiful fabric. It is soft and shiny. The threads of silk are so fine that it is hard to see each one separately. Silk is expensive and, although it is so fine, it stands up to hard wear when made into cloths of a fair weight. It is cool to wear and looks very beautiful. Wool is the best material to wear, for it is the warmest. Wool is very soft and springy. The surface of the fabrics is covered with very fine hairs. These tiny hairs help to make it so soft and warm. Wool is also much thicker and heavier than cotton, so that it keeps out the cold. But it is not so easy to wash as cotton. When it is washed badly, the springiness is lost and the wool is then hard and uncomfortable to wear. Woven fabrics have straight lengthwise and crosswise yarns. The pattern in which the yarns are woven gives the fabric its characteristic surface texture and appearance of wool. The outer edges of woven fabrics are called selvages. As a general rule, they should be trimmed away because they are often heavier than the rest of the fabric, and they may shrink when laundered or pressed. Grainlines are the directions in which the fabric yarns run. Strong, stable lengthwise yarns, running parallel to the selvages, form the lengthwise grain. The crosswise grain is perpendicular to the lengthwise grain and has a small amount of give. Any diagonal direction, called the bias, has a fair amount of stretch.

Knit fabrics consist of rows of interlocking loops of yarn, as in a hand-knit sweater, but usually on a finer scale. Knit fabrics are more flexible than other fabrics, and they all stretch. These features mean that garments made of knits require less fitting and offer more freedom of movement. When sewing with knits, select patterns that are specifically designed for knit fabrics.