The evening world., 1891-04-23
Nell Nelson Tells How tho Art Of
DreSSmakins Is Taught
Absolute Correctness In Details
a Necessary Adjunct.
Rich and Poor Attend tho Glasses
and Learn to Cut and Fit.

Nearly every association OF working
women has class in sewing where
the members are taught the rudi-
ments Of dressmaking for nothing
usually where an artist is engaged
TO teach system Of cutting
and fitting q tuition is charged, generally
! SO or IS per cent. less than tho school rates.
OF course the advantages Of the school are
superior to those afforded in Christian
Association or workingwomen's club, for
the reason that the conditions are better
The night scholar takes her lesson after
hard days work Of eight or ten hours con-
finement she is rarely enthusiastic,
however anxious to learn, because of
fatigue, and the best results are
light, which, however perfect, is often the
cause OF serious blunders, pupil waking
up in the morning to find that she has
stitched her black dress with green silk or
made tho waist half right and half the
wrong side OF the cloth out.
The dressmaking school is the only one
where the pupil is admitted without ex-
animation. Tho applicant pays for term
or years instruction, and during that
time is at liberty to enter any class that
may be in session during the day and to
bring piece Of work to the teacher and
receive suggestions for correcting defects.
1t is not unusual for seanstress aspiring
to cut and fit dresses TO take waist to the
school teacher and get her assistance in
making the collar set right or the garment
| to button without wrinkles.
In q certain school In Broadway, the
most popular In the city perhaps, from
twenty to thirty pupils can be found in
class any hour in the day. II would amuse
the reader to know the various objects
entertained by the women for the
study. One morning there were
twenty-five in class. Ten came from
out of town to learn the system
for professional service; two were chari-
tably inclined ladies who teach in the indus
trial schools and were desirous Of enlarging
their experience five young ladies from
wel-to-do families wanted to learn in order
to be able to do their own sewing, and the
other five were girls from dressmaking
shops, who knew how to sew, but wanted
to master the system of drafting.
| They sat about q long cutting board
watching pretty blonde girl, who had o
coat basque in hand that she was joining.
She was more like the typical college girl
in style and appearance than dressmaker,
tailoress and teacher. There were the
countless little finishing feminine touches
about her that are so very captivating and
SO characteristic OF the born coquette.
She was that rarest OF beauties-a nat
ural blonde. Her fluffy yellow hair was
banged In front, knotted in the back and
stuck with gilt pins, q long lead pencil
jabbed in at the top OF her head giving her
a look Of sorio- Importance.
She was dressed In daintily made blue
flannel dress, with no more of the tailor
made severity about II than La Tosca
toilet. piece OF fresh, white ribbon tied
under her chin took the place OF a collar
she had lace. edged cambric handkerchief
In her belt, bunch Of butter cups In her
breast; she wore silvor ring on one hand, a
little silver bracelet on the other she talked
In clear but sweet voice her face was
bright and pleasant and her influence was
both pleasing and refining. 10 the slipshod,
slovenly. dressed women in the class who
were watching her she must have been q
revelation.
As she basted the cores together she
talked sound sense. all her remarks being
pertinent to tho work. Now and then she
would digress from the material and in
dulge in personalities.
She told the class that "the best adver.
tisement a dressmaker could have was q
good fitting dress on her own back-not
! necessarily costly or elaborate. but modern
stylish or fashionable.
This would serve as o model often fol
customers Of her own age and type. II
, would also give the stranger confidence IL
. her ability to 1T correctly. To say yor
have not time to dress well is quite as non
sensical as it would be for baker to say
y he ate heavy soggy bread because he hasn'
time to make good bread. You must weAl
dress OF some sort and 1t will be 4
your interest to have 1t trim, pretty ant
MODERN"
She also cautioned the pupils against At
! ting before looking glass. Get your Gus
toner away from 1t until you want he
opinion. Cultivate silence; you will hay,
no time for gossip II you do your work as /
should be done"
Then she showed them how to join the sid
i bodies to the back without stretching tb
y cores how to baste the arm-holes and necl
to prevent their enlargement; the impor
10 tance OF beginning at the waist line TO bast
ami the nice adherence to the tracing 70
. accuracy OF 1T. "Althirty-second OF Al
: inch too much taken OF one seam or adde,
to another viii throw the waist out O
balance"
: She advised extreme neatneSs In finishing
but said IL was folly 70 bind seams wit
ribbon and feather stitch Whalebone casing
" with bright silk. Turn in the cloth an
lining, run them with . nne needle an,
thread, and yGu will have done all that 1
necessary to nnish the Seams. No poo
y woman. abe said, could afford to wear goo
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