Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-29
ACCORDION SKIRTS.
A Mystery of Interest to all Women Ex-
planned at Last. .

1t has been the good fortune Of STAR re-
porter to find solution for what has hitherto
been popularity regarded as frst-class
mystery-namely, the process Of making that
manner of garment 80 beautiful to the eye and
so dear just at present to the fashionable fem
mime heart the wonderful ACCORDION skirt. I"
The method whereby the so-called ACCORDION
pleat is made has been kept religiousy a secret
ever since the introduction of the novelty.
You can procure a skirt so prepared from any
dress maker, dry goods shop or sewing ma
chine place; but the work is not done on
the premises. Such of it as is purchased in
Washington is mostly mads up in Baltimore by
a merchant who will not show his machine to
anybody-not even to those who act his
agents and people in his own trade. And yet a
STAR reporter has learned Just how this ma
chine is constructed and the process that is en-
ployed Neither the one nor the other is SO
very complicated after all.
To begin with, there is good-sized iron box
without cover, with parallel wires stretched
across it in two layers, one layer of wires below
the other. The stuff to be pleated is FIRST wet
and then passed through the wires In and out,
over an upper wire, under q lower one, then
over the next upper wire, under the next lower
one, and 80 on until as much Of the material il
taken up as all the wires will accommodate.
These ups and downs Of the cloth form the
lines of the pleats, and behind the last Of the
II
wires, which, being screwed up with powerful
screw, folds up all the wires compactly to-
gether like book, pressing the pleats into the
smallest possible compass. 1t only remains now
to dry the material in that shape, and for this
purpose the iron box is placed in an oven with
perforated top and permitted to bake there,
the moisture that evaporates from the stuff
going off as steam. When sufficient time has
elapsed to allow for q thorough drying of the
cloth. the iron box 10 taken out Of the oven,
the screw is undone, and the cloth is withdrawn
beautifully pieated accordion fashion and
ready to be made up. The Baltimore man
produces several hundred yards of ACCORDION
plesting daily, aAd, inasmuch as the consumer
pays so cents yard for the work, there must
be a reasonable profit in it. No wonder it is
thought worth while to keep the method .
secret
SIMPLE CONTINUANCE.
However, it is likely that this monopoly will
be wiped out before long by the placing on the
market Of a very simple contrivance recently
invented, which any woman can afford to bur
and will have skill enough to use. 1t will cost
less than 81 to manufacture, will be sold for
IS, and will do to perfection not only the ac-
GORDON pleating but knife pleating, the machine
consisting of little more than two long strips
OF brass adjustable TO . table and . wooden
roller. Each pleat, after being folded by the
machine, II ironed separately with hand iron
to the belt, supposing that IL 10 intended for
an ACCORDION skirt But, Of course, many other
things besides skirts are made socordeon fash-
ion nowadays, such - capes, cl0aks, lamp
shades, 10. It will be cheering news 70 the
ladies that the ffty cents yard rate i mot
be great while before every woman who
makes her own dresses win perform the accord
con process - matter Of course upoa the
material shs buya