Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-02-02
A Talk WITH A Dn1ssMAKeR.
Any Young Woman Stay Learn 10 MAKE
Her own Dresses Tor Twenty Dollars.

Any Young Woman Stay Loarn To Make
Her own Dresses Tor Twenty Dollars.
II have travelled north. south, cast and
west. selling our patterns" observed the
uufashionably Attired teacher Of dress.
making, land now have settled down for
n spell TO give lessons ia drcssmaking
Folks look me mp and look me down when
talk about my business. and II am not
wearing a dress made according TO the
latest fashion they seem 20 think that I'm
humbug. There isn't woman alive
that cares lcss for such things than do,
but II you will look at this thrcc-ycar old
basque have on you will see that every
seam Is in it, place, aud there isn't n wrln.
lle In II.
Look, too, at the drapery Of tho skirt, II
Il out Of fashion. of course, ~ II was done
before the bouifant style went out. but you
can sec u isn't what you might call home
made work. Ia ~ som dress In ilg leave,
~ not, but II did you may bc sure they
would 10 properly put together and not
botchcd have been thoroughly laugh,
our dressmHking system, and Il goes TO my
heart when ! walk along broadway 90
Sixth avenue TO see women Just In front
Of me who have spoiled lot Of nica goods
In trying to make their own dresses with.
out knowing the simplest rules in regard
to cutting aud fitting. | say better to have
one dress that ITS well than a dozen that
look MS II they had been thrown nj you.
Am going 10 change all THAR am
going to try. ] have got a partner, you
know. a lady who used 10 b. draper at
Nine. Ks. and sbo and have rented
large room for our workshop, and
have got IL furnished quite respectfully.
We bought an ingram carpet Ia preference
to Brussels, because IL will DO NO much
easier TO sweep--shreds OF dress material.
and ends Of thread, and pins and needles
do stick NO to Brusselsl We have long Ia
blcs to cut out work on, and lot OF camp
chairs for our pupils 10 sit on-for our pur'
pose they are better than ordinary chairs.
MS they can be doubled up aud piled In tho
corner when not IN use. We advertise In
two papers, aud have kt,le boy TO dis.
tribute circulars. aud guess wen get
along all right, IA now pupsls are coming
In most every day.
What arc my eharges' Twenty dollars
for teaching the business. and Il Isn't a
penny too much. Just think what WON.
mn would save In one year by making and
altering her dresses for hcrelfl There ara
dozens and hundreds Of snleswomen, Ia
say nothing Of other working girls, who
have to be forever planning how to look
stylish on salaries Of five aud six dollars a
week. By purchasing their goods In the
stores where they work they can get them
NJ considerable discount, aud II they
can save the expense Of a drsssmnker 80
much less money goes out Of their pockets.
Too tired TO sew after working hoursi
That's all you know about III I've seen
girls who could dance all night after
standing all day behind the counter, and
look rs fresh rs dRises the next morning
Sewing Is no harder work than dancing
"How many lesaonsl As many AS thcj
care TO take. We donf like To have an,
one 40 away from w Until she hhs Learned
all we can teach her Ia the way OF cutting
lifting, draplng and the rest Of It, an,
some learn fast. while others learn slow
pressmakers born, not madei No, don't
agree TO that. Folks say II about cooks.
believe, but Il Is different with drcssmak
.r-, though OF course some women ar,
handler with their fingers than others. ant
some have got more sense about lstenlnl
when you give 'em directions. mysel
was real slow coach when was learning
the business, aud more than once, ate
spelling good material. felt like throw
ing down needles aud scissors aud glylnI
up, but | stuck II out. and now what
don't know about making dress ism
worth knowing.
"The trouble with some girls IN that afte
they have taken a few lessons they bcgil
TO think themselves frat class dressmak
ers, and want 10 leave us and slash ava,
for themselves. ! tell them don't wan
them to leave me until they get II well int
their heads that there's all the differenc
In the world between the right and tn
wrong way OF doing anything about
dress What nre my hOurs9 | open shol
at o'clock In the morning and close II a
10 o'clock at night My room Is mucl
fuller In the evening than during the day
rs that Is the time the girls come who can
leave their work til O O'Clock. Wo tcacl
Fifth avenue ladies and salcswomen an,
living out girls nnd-well, any lady tina
comes along believe our hardest work
Ing pupils are housemaids who are tryinl
to III themselves to be ladies' maids Thes
come when they can aud stay as long u
they can. aud after taking their money W
do our best to give them the worth Of IL.
at would often be easier for me to ge
the wrinkles out Of n waist by giving II
Jerk or two with my own hands, but tina
wouldn't do my pupils any good, and so
expound and explain until at last they ge
the Idea. Some Of 'em dtape without an,
teaohing hardly, while 10 save me can
help laughing NJ the way tho others fdgo
around the dress forms, making their skirt
look worse and worse the more pins the,
put In. However II they have patienc
aud perseverance,, and are willing to lister
to what they are told, they get them righ
at last-and when they can drape skirt
more than half Of the dressmaking battl,
u over New York Tribune.