The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-05-21
PAPER PATTERNS.
HOW INVENTIVE GENIUS AIDS THE
DEVOTEES or FASHION.
Designing Patterns and Fitting Them to
the MOdel-Suiting Both Great
and SEnau-Sending Out the
Fashion Papers"
&c 20 Ma1 and Express.l


One often hears Of the severe fashions
Of ~ye olden times; of plain skirts and
bodices. fine in material but simply con
1rncted, even for the Sunday best" and
we can but look in establishment to see
the contrast a few years have brought
about. Wondering how this great revo
luton had taken place, a reporter called
on large fashion house to make inquiries.
Having stated his object he was con-
Quoted to a suite of rooms, each occu-
pied by a number Of pretty girls, all busily
engaged in cutting and folding papers
" hen the dresses became more elabor-
ate, people in moderate circumstances, lit
tie able to afford dressmakers' bills, and
who yet wanted to keep up with the fash
ions of the day, were at a loss to know
what to do, all the inventive genius of man
eane to the rescue with paper patterns.
This idea gave rise to large business,
which was taken up by few companies,
generally in connection with the sale of
sewing machines, thus combining the adj
Yertising power needed for the two de.
partments. Since then several houses
have started independently, and one large
firm has even given up the machine de-
partment, paper patterns having absorbed
ell the capital, time, and attention of the
company
WIN you tell me how the patterns are
nader"
"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 filters initiate the de-
sign in cheap muslin, simply basting the
parts together, yet being extremely care
ful to OBJ in a perfect and we'll fitting
model from which the pattern may be
copied These models, to insure a sure
and stylish figure, are fitted to q live
model, who wears the ghostly dress till
every plait is properly adjusted and the
garment made to compare exactly with
the original design. This cloth model is
then sent to the description writer, who
carefully rips it apart, at the same time
be exactly replaced from the direc-
tons she writes to accompany each
pattern. Next comes the grader, who
takes the dissected garment and cuts an ex-
act 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
persons2"
The grader, who has system of meas
urement known only to the profession,
prepares separate patterns or duplicates OF
the garment properly enlarged or dimins
ished to suit both great and small He
sends these pasteboard patterns of the diff
ferent sizes to the cutters, who stand be,
fore large tables with immense sheets Of
tissue paper in layers of fifty spread be-
fore them. The pattern is then marked
upon them and cut with large shears and
then is handed to girls who with trained
fingers rapidly fold and place them in the
envelopes w waiting
Much art work is required in an estab-
Hshment of this kind, as the cloth model,
CKafohPd
full 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 illustrated cata-
logue upon the envelopes, and other adj
vertising mediums. Most houses issue
fashion paper, few spicy and catching
notes fron. the outer world helping the
circulation Of what without these would
be 3 pure advertising sheet
Are these patterns much sought after:
SOVer a million patterns are sold yearly
by one house, agencies being established
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 obtaining reliable styles
are few and feeble. A love of being Ia
mode lies either latent or expressed in the
heart of every woman, and to the favored
ones living in the city a 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 a rival Each new style is
conned and criticised, and the want of
the heart filed and happiness made COM
plete by the knowledge that a few cents
viii bring the requisite pattern and full
directions for the making of the garment
desired.
"How many new styles are brought out
a month";"
From fifteen to sixty new styles are
manufactured monthly, and these some
times form a nucleus for 200-page mag
azine partially made up of stories, articles
on art decoration, practical housekeeping,
etc, forming still another solid medium
for further circulation of the styles man
ufactured. Twice a year styles are
skilled" in order to keep the stock reduced
to the proper number. The undesirable
fashions are easily detected on examining
the orders which reveal sometimes a
tickle and changeable public taste.
stroll through an establishment like this
described is interesting as illustrating
manufacture well repaying the happy in
vention of the discoVerer of a want long
felt and supplied with the little oblong en-
Yelopes containing the mysterious angles,
curves and curious shapes of brown tissue.
dotted and notched, called paper patterns
The Two Dumases.
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