Mike Carpino on Working as a Cutter Circa 1960
Channel: Reher Center
Date: 2022-12-09

Mike Carpino describes his job in the cutting room at Baltz Pajamas circa 1960. 

Image Credit: Daily Freeman Dec. 9th, 1956

This interview with Mike Carpino was conducted by the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History for the 2022 Sewing in Kingston exhibition.  
Interviews were conducted by Sarah Litvin, Sarah Gordon and Sydney Maresca between 2019 and 2022.
The Reher Center is a museum and cultural center that preserves and honors the legacy of Reher's Bakery and amplifies immigrant stories of the Hudson Valley, past and present. The Reher Center's mission is to foster belonging by engaging all people through culture, community, work, and bread.

Transcript:

Mike Carpino: My job was basically in the cutting room, which from what I can remember, I don't remember how many tables but these long tables, uh, best I can picture them were probably 30, 40 feet long where they laid out the fabric. And I think there had to be at least two if not three of these tables in that-this big room where all the cutting was done. Basically I would lay out the material on these tables. I don't know how many layers of fabric were laid out before the cutter came in with the saw and carved out the patterns, you know, laid the pattern on top of the fabric and cut out the patterns. And, um, basically from there-and I never really went upstairs to see what was going on here, but all that time I can't remember going upstairs where the seamstresses were taking these-these cuttings and, you know, assembling in the, uh, the fab-the garment.