The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-09-29
A WONnERFuL INVENTION.

Ladies' Dresses Cut to Fit Perfectly and
According to Any Fashion by Machine.
One day this week l met short, good
natured, prosperous looking man, whose
face yet bore the tan of an ocean voyage
1 recogniz ed in him Mr.. A. Mcdowell, the
inventor of the garment drafting machine.
He occupies much the same position as
Elias Howe once did. standing without a
rival as an original inventor. He told me
he had just returned from Europe. where
he mas been looking after his interests in
the garment cutter. The sale in England,
France and Germany comes up to his
expectations. His business in this
country doubles itself each year and
daily his machines are shipped to
nearly every city in the United States
Mr. Mcdowell has every reason to be en-
thusiastic over his invention. It.must be q
great satisfaction to him to see it so uni
Versally used and appreciated in such q
short time from its Introduction. In the
last four years the Mcdowell garment
drafters have made their way into nearly
all the first class dressmaking houses in
the United States. Among those who
use it in this city are such houses as Alt
mans Denning's and Stern's.
Mr.. Mcdowell tells me that he worked
at his invention for eight years before he
got it so that garments cut with its help
would fit every form and follow every
fashion. 1t is the complement of the sew
ing machine, since it shapes the parts
which the sewing machine joins into
clothes. The machine takes the place of
the tailor's square. 1t consists of an ar
rangement of strips of brass or nickel
the whole being the outline form OF any
part of garment. Each joint is pivot,
working in q slot which is nicely gradu-
ated, so that the drafter can be set not
only to any Size but also to allow for any
inequality in the figure of the person for
whom the garment is to be made.
In using this drafter the usual meas
urements of the person to be fitted are
made and the drafter is then set to cor
respond to the figures. This is done very
quickly; saving four-fifths of the time
| taken by the old-fashioned process of
drafting in chalk on paper with the help
of the tailor's square, the adjusted
| frame being simply laid upon the Innings
and the outlines marked along its edges.
| The construction of the drafter is so sim
| pie that its use is soon learned-in one
| tenth of the time, in fact, once spent in
| learning the use of the square. Persons
who never could learn to use the square
successfully may become efficient cutters
with the help of this machine. 1t does
| away with all the guess work and hgur-
ing and enables the cutter to perform five
times the work that he could do with any
| other system.
The cost of this great laborisaver, in
Guiding a book of instructions, is trihing.
Dressmakers in the city who wish to learn
| the use of the machines are personally in
structed at the offices of the Mcdowell
| Garment Drafting Machine Company, No.
6 West Fourteenth street, New York city.
| Here suite of rooms is set apart for the
purpose, and competent instructors at
! tend, who not only explain the use of the
drafter, but also give free lessons in bast-
ing, draping and the matching of stripes
| or plaids. These lessons are given free to
all who buy the machines. The pupils
are also given free access to the pattern
| department and imported fashions and
! books. Those who become competent are
| recommended for positions in large estab-
| lishments. Persons wishing TO investi-
| gate will be welcomed, Mr. Mcdowell as
/ sures me, at the offices of the company
| His invention is a wonderful one, and
after seeing it in use | am satisfied It ac-
complisnes great results in saving labor
and securing the perfect fitting Of gar
ments made with its assistance.-M. Il
| n, IN Ncl0 YORK. World.