The morning times., 1896-04-12
PATTERNS THAT PAY.
How to Study Practical Designing
by Correspondence.

1t is mistake to suppose that 1t re-
quires a wonderful amount of talent or
genius To become a successful designer.
Any woman of average intelligence can
master easily the fundamental rules and
principles, and if patient and pansta king
may become, i'll time designer, and
thereby earn her daily bread and butter.
OF course, some pupils are more apt than
others, and during their first year of-in-
struction are able TO sell their designs
to carpet or wallpaper manufacturers.
Designs sell for So, So or $40, and if one
is fortunate enough TO get position as de-
signer or colorist in a factory, the sa larry is
from SO to 81 B, S25 or $50 a week.
Furthermore, n demand exists for pat
terms which cannot be filled by the de-
signers already at work in this country.
All the big manufacturers send abroad
for hundreds or for thousands Of Co.
lars worth OF patterns yearly, and many
of the designs cannot be woven ar printed
just as they are received. For exam
pie, a wallpaper manufacturer seldom
gets pattern that exactly fits his own
machinery, and frequently they are taken
from silk, chintz, cretonne, bits of car
pet-an ything that will give an idea to the
maker. After reaching this country they
must be adapted. Sometimes flower is
taken from piece of chintZ; a SeoInetrical
tlgure from wallpaper, etc, ana cofniJlned
| to MA kc a pleasing whole.
These designs could be made quite as.
well IN our own land and by women.
| Such q thing as a practical working pat
| tern nude by woman was unknown here
| less than twenty years ago, and although
! many women have become successful de-
signers since then. it is said by an authority
| on the subject that several thousand more
| should find employment in this profes-
| sion.
| One OF the beauties of learning the art is
| that it can be successfully acquired by cor
| respondence.
The School of Industrial Art, in New
| York, founded by Mrs. Cary, instructs
| many hundred of women yearly, 500 say, OF
| which perhaps eighty are learning the
art Of designing by letter. One ambitious
| japanese boy is a pupil. He can write Eng
liSli, fortunately, and is becoming quite ex-
| peft-aS the designs he submits show. He
| is q patient youth. too, for the letters ey-
changed between pupil and teacher are a
month en- route. Instruction is also given
| by letter To women in the Sandwich Isl
ands, in the West Indies, in Canada and
nearly every State in the Union.
The designs are for wall paper rugs, car
pets, oil cloths lace, silk, window shades
| stained glass, calico, and prints portiereS
linen, Easter and Christmas cards, furni-
ture. book covers, fan mounts, and so on
al lnflnltum Time rallS me- one en-
thusiaStic designer declares, Ito design
the different things | can think of to do
One is never too Old TO learn his art; in
decd, a grandmother is doing successful
work as a designer and earning $25 q
week.
Perhaps a description of the method o1
instruction for beginners may be of in
terest.
First, the pupil is taught to judge of dis
tances by making lines of certain length
and Judging the length by her eye.
/ Draw the line three inches long, Is
perhaps the instruction given by the pro.
fessor. Nothing is copied everything is
drawn either from the mind or from the
object.
The pupil draws the line. Probably
not one in the whole school will make il
just three inches long. After it is drawn
they test it, find out whether the lines
are too long or too short. what the diff.
ference is, and draw another, which
probably more nearly approximates the
proper size. They are told to draw q
three-inch square; next, to draw its dag
onals and diameters: TO bisect the sides;
| to draw lines from the points of dissection,
either diagonal, vertical, or horizontal.