Omaha daily bee., 1897-03-07
EMBROIDERY THAT PAYS.
A Woman Who Earns Fifty Dollars q
Day by Fancy Nccdlcwork.

a Woman Who Earns FIFTY Dollars n
Day by Fancy N~ccdlework.
do l think a woman can earn a good
living by embroidery Mrs. Willis S. KEEL
logg of Westfeld. Mass. said, in answer to
the question OF one of a number of women
who were looking over her pile OF beautiful
embroideries the other evening. II make a
large amount Of money yearly by embroi-
derry"
Yes, but you are a married woman with
a Judge of the district court for a husband.
You don't have to earn a living; you work for
what many women call Injuries, not the alb
solute necessities of life," one of her listen
ers objected.
What you say is quite true Of me now,
though 1t hasn't always been so. l have only
been married a few years, and begun to
make my bread and butter by embroidery
twenty years ago. l gave lessons when l
was IA. You see l have been taking lessons
since | was quite small; then l came here to
New York and was studying Kensington.
when my father died very suddenly. My
mother and l then had to face the world. OF
course 1t was easter for melt always Is
for a young woman. Well, l begun by giving
embroidery lessons; Kensington was then the
rage. My charges were 81 for a two-hours'
class lesson with fifteen in a class. I had my
first class In Westfeld, Of course; then l
branched out in the different small towns
around us. | would give two lessons a day,
one in the afternoon and one in the morn
ing. You see my time was very we'll paid
for at $50 a day; then, too, l made a profit
on all the materials / used. At the end of
my first season 1 had saved up enough money
to go to Europe. l went on a cattle ship, the
round trip being very cheap.
Il spent my entire time that season in
Europe in South Kensington, and devoted
myself to learning embroidery. When |
came home my classes increased, l had
moro applicants than 1 could manage. Then,
too, my work was in such great demand that
! began to think out some plan by which |
could be able to fill the orders that came
pouring in. At first / employed girls in
Westfeld as my assistants, paying them 81
a day, which left me a good profit. Then
as tho years went on and the business con- |
tinued to grow, l picked up these girls all
about the country. | now keep twenty
nine regularly employed. The majority are
in Westield, but many of them are scattered
over the country, and l have never even
seen them"
How do I manage? Why, easily enough.
Tho girls hear of me, send me samples of
their work and ask for employment. l for
ward them pieces stamped and begun, and
they know that If it is not worked as 1t is
begun they will not be paid. or course, my
larger and more important pieces ! have done
where / can superintend them. No, l have
no shop nor even advertise. I get large
orders through the merchants here in New
York and in Boston. / make a speciality
of furnishing new houses and carry out the
idea of the architect l did the bird ~portieres
in General Porter's new house on Fifth ave-
nue.. Then, too, | have done several rooms
for Mrs. Parkhurst and many other
Weather, though possibly not such well
known people in New York and Brooklyn.
Ono house in Boston, in which I like my
work. is that of Mr.. c. H. Bond on Common
wealth avenue. l did the curtains, hangings
and cushions of the Turkish room. The
dining room with several dinner and lunch
sets. One of the dinner sets was of white
satin sheeting four and one-half by two and
one-half yards, with a hemstitched hem four
inchea wide. There was a bunch of orchids
between each plate done in cream shaded
to green. Then the entire center was pow
dred over with orchids stems and petals.
There was a bedroom furnished in mahogany,
in which everything was of white satin with
gold bowknots. The portieres were of heavy
white satin, with a pigeon net in gold and
pigeons in the natural colors. In one OF the
children's rooms the design was in orchids, |
carried out in pink and green. /
Il always find that wealthy people, in
small towns especially, are always willing to
add to their collection anything particularly
beautiful or unique. Many of my things
are my own designs, but in the majority of
Instances they are adaptations. l am the
only person j know of who does colonial
patterns, which are all adapted from de-
signs used by architects in ornamenting the
mantles, windows, ETC., Of those old houses.
My firebrand piece is an adaptation and l
have had hundreds of orders for different
pieces in that design.
Now, although it is no longer necessary
for me to earn a living for myself and my
mother, I have duties to my husband and
child, l do not feel that it would be we'll to
give up a work to which l have devoted so
much time and energy. l go to Europe
every summer for three or four months,
travel around among the older cities and
pick up all the ideas and suggestions posi-
BILE for designs. Then j go over to South