Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-01-28
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embroidering machines, and of
course, more than as MANY
persons skilled in the use Of
and this particular sort
of needle-work has passed
from an art to an industry.
The art lies back Of it, in the
pattern-making.
The machines, of course,
have been greatly improved;
and their work has become
more perfect, though scarcely
more wonderful.
A word on the machine it
self. OF iron, five yards long,
nearly as wide, and half as
high. Don't expect a descrip-
ton. The right hand heavily
turns this complex and pom
derous machine; the left hand
follows the pattern; one foot
governs one side Of the ma
chine; the other the other.
Embroidery has become a
strong mans work, not a
woman's.
We venture a word on how
the left hand of a man SO bur-
dened with work all over can
follow the tiny lines and vary
ing curves of the pattern. The
pattern is six times as large as
the work to be done. A big
fingered man with the skill that
comes of day.long practice
month after month and year
after year can follow a pattern
six times as big as the work.
The machine that rehnes his
pattern down to one-sixth the
size rehnes his blunders out
of sight.
Three years ago a novel
and sharp refinement of this
embroidery skill brought Point
de Venise to light. Not a
thread of the fabric wrought
upon is cut away. Not a
thread is in sight. 1t is wound
all over; wound to every line
of the pattern; wound to the
! size of every line; wound fine,
! wound heavy, heavy on fine;
: the fine is the background;
!, the heavy stands out. Another
5 embroidery; it well deserves
Q another name.
Q Not fifty men of all the
9 thousands of St. Gall embroid-
erers have the requisite skill,
? we are told, to make Point de
h Venise. Hence its rarity.
: 1t is a singular fact that
!. nearly two-thirds of all the St
: Gall embroideries come to the
n United States. Another more
: : singular-where the patterns
2 come from. Not enough for
n n the uses of fashion to have the
!. embroideries. Patterns must
!, change from year to year.
/ Now, if you please, we'll
tell how these changes come
about.
y A wonderful merchandise
a school is retail trade. The
st man or woman who has had
N the longest and widest expert
70 ence in buying and selling
:. embroideries, coming in con
as tact with makers and users,
4 he or she has the chance to
become the best suggester
h and critic of patterns. That
N person is Mrs. Burns, our
e e embroidery buyer and man.
ye ager.
eGr At the proper times Of the
At year designers are sent out
,e from St. Gall by the makers.
e Mrs. Burns suggests, They
!, design. She criticises. They
,e recast their work. And so
X the patterns are made. In
III due time the embroideries
= come. The designs are ours
of course. The embroideries
come to us and to nobody
a else. Next year we are done
" with both, and the rest of the
g world is welcome to them.
e We are told by one of the
IS St. Gall carbohydrates
g that they are perfectly willing
l. to keep our patterns a year
o from other merchants. After
e our year is over we have the
r makers word for it, our pat
terms are better merchandise
is than those designed in St.
t Gall without the help of prac-
If teal criticism. Not one in
h ten St. Gall designs, he says,
Ie succeeds; not one in ten OF
IS ours is a failure.
c, There are, then, two ways
tt of importing embroideries.
IS One, to take them as they
a come; the other, to help de-
It sign them. Nobody else takes
'r the pains to help the maker.
= Nobody can perhaps.
IS After all it comes to this.
1t We gather up your various
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