This backstitching formed a perfect “lock,” and, although for the purpose of explanation the five right hand stitches are shown in a graduated loose state, in actual working each one was tightened at its completion before commencing the next. This method was common to the sewing of all plaits, the coarser, harsher varieties necessitating the use of the coarsest thread. For some plaits such as fine “split,” to be used for “compo” finish, and horsehair crinoline a “running” stitch was sometimes used in the early times, but it has been discontinued except for broad silk or fancy plaits. [Illustration: Fig. 11] As some of the plaits were only about 1/8th of an inch in width, it will readily be seen how deft and skilled an operative must have been, to ensure the perfect spirals and equidistant rows that were the mark of the best handsewn bonnets and hats. The nature of the stitch made by any of the machines used for hat making with straw plait is necessarily entirely different to that of the hand, although the one made by the “Légat” machine followed the handstitch very closely. It consisted of two strands of cotton forming a tiny, almost invisible stitch on the surface of the plait and one strand only underneath, the length of each completed stitch being about half an inch. It was made by a descending shaft carrying a hooked needle, and the peculiar result was achieved by very intricate and delicate machinery in a circular box facing the operator. The delicacy of the parts was so great and the machine being less rapid than the “Willcox Visible Stitch,” or the first “Wiseman Hand Stitch,” it was soon eclipsed by its competitors. [Illustration: Fig. 12 SEWING STRAW PLAIT INTO HATS BY MACHINE]