The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-01-10
MAKING PAPER PATTERNS.
How Women Who Live Away From the
Centers of Fashion are Able to Cut Their
Garments as stylishiy rs Those In the Big
{ftfez.

0ue often nears OF the severe 1aSl7O0S
of ..ye olden tines" of plain skirts and
bodices, fine in material but simply con-
structed, even for 1.-THE Sunday best, !"
and we can but look in establishment TO
see the contrast few years have
brought about Wondering how this
great revolution had taken place. re-
porter called on large fashion-house to
make inquiries. Having stated his OBJ
ject, he was conducted to a suite of
rooms, each occupied by a number of
pretty girls. all busily engaged in cut
ting and folding papers.
when dresses became more elabo-
rate, people in moderate circumstances.
little able to afford dressmakers' bills,
and who yet wanted to keep up with
the fashions of the day, were at loss to
know what to do, till the inventive
genius of man came to the rescue with
paper patterns. This idea gave rise to
a large business, which was taken up
by few companies, generally in con-
nection with the sale of sewipg-ma-
chimes, thus combining the advertising
power needed for the two departments
Since then several houses have started
Independently, and one large firm has
even given up the machine department,
paper patterns having absorbed all the
capital, time, and attention of the COM
pany.
: xviii you tell me how the patterns
are made?n
when design has been submitted
designing styles is a profession by
itself -either made up from paper or
shown from French drawing or plate,
and has been approved, competent fit
tiers initiate the design in cheap muslin,
simply lasting the parts together, yet
being extremely careful to obtain per-
feet and well-itting model from which
the pattern may be copied. These
models, to insure sure and stylish
figure, are fitted to live model, who
wears the ghostly dress till every plat
is properly adjusted and the garment
made to compare exactly with the origi-
nal design. This cloth model is then
sent to the description-writer, who
carefully rips it apart, at the same time
marking each portion that it may be
exactly replaced from the directions she
writes to accompany each pattern.
Next comes the grader, who takes the
disseeted garment and cuts an exact
pattern of each part, putting in all the
notches and perforations as marked
upon the cloth by the description-writer.
The latter by this time has sent the
directions to the printer, who is fast
making ready the envelopes to hold the
pattern when completed"
How are they made to fit different
personsp"
''The grader, who has a system of
measurement known only to the pro-
fession, prepares separate patterns or
duplicates OF the garment properly en-
larged or diminished to suit both great
and small. He sends these paste-board
patterns of the different sizes to the
cutters, who stand before large tables
with immense sheets of tissue paper in
layers of fifty spread before them. The
pattern is then marked upon them and
cut with large shears, and then is
handed to girls, who with trained fin
fiers rapidly fold and place them in
the envelopes now in waiting.
Much art work is required in an es-
Enlistment of this kind. as the cloth
model, after fitting, has to be sketched
by skillful artists, who are to bring out
in the most graceful manner the curves,
folds, and various novelties represented
in the fashion, to make as acceptable a
wood-cut as possible to use in the illus
trated catalogue, upon the envelopes
and other advertising mediums Most
houses issue fashion paper, few spicy
and catching notes from the outer
world helping the circulation of what
without these would be pure adver-
Using sheet
"Are these patterns much sought
after?'
"Over million of patterns are sold
yearly by one house, agencies being es-
tablished all over the world, though il
is conceded that the most substantial
orders are from the growing West and
from towns where the facilities for OBJ
tanning reliable styles are few and fee
bic. A love of being la mode lies
either latent or expressed in the heart
of every woman, and to the favored
ones living in the city walk down the
leading street or avenue brings to the
mind Of both young and old some new
idea of dress, with which the country
girl can only be blessed by the advent
of city visitor or by the fashion papers
brought by the kindly mails. These
papers are eagerly waited for and
grasped on their arrival Each new
style is conned and criticised, and the
want of the heart filled and happiness
made complete by the knowledge that
few cents will bring the requisite pat
tern and full directions for the making
of the garment desired
"How many new styles are brought
out month";"
From fifteen to sixty new styles are
manufactured monthly, and these some
times form a nucleus for two hundred
page magazine partially made up of
stories, articles on art decoration, prac-
teal housekeeping. etc., forming still
another solid medium for farther circn-
lation of the styles manufactured. Twice
a year styles are ''killed' in order to
keep the stock reduced to the proper
number. The undesirable fashions are
easily detected on examining the orders.
which reveal sometimes tickle and
changeable public taste. A stroll
through an establishment like this de-
scribed is interesting as illustrating q
manufacture well repaying the happy
invention of the discoverer of want
long felt and supplied with the little
oblong envelopes containing the mystic
rious angles, curves, and curious shapes
of brown tissue, dotted and notched,
called paper patterns. IN Y. Mail and