The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-06
LADIES. TAnoRs IN JAPAN.
little senmstreSses Who Work From
sun Rise 10 sun set for ~ Cents.


sun Rise TO sun Set for - Cents.
There are ladies' tailors in Japan, buf
these are chiefly patronized by the giddy
Geisha girls. for women of any socia
standing whatsoever place the destinies
Of their wardrobes exclusively In the
hands Of seamstresses who come 70 the
house The japanese sewing woman,
however. bears fortunately no resemblance
fn her methods to those cOld-blooded
butchers OF time and good material. who
are known and feared in this country. one
and all the IiIde jobbing seamstresses
are modest artists in their way, and near
" every one is the graduate Of a sew
ing school OF good standing.
The memory OF Japan hardly extends
back to a time when there were not ex-
ceilent sewing schools in the country. but
q recent years only have the women
learned TO use thimbles and know the de-
lights of razor-edged shears as manufac-
tured in and exported from Europe or
America. When sewing machines were
FIRST Introduced from the states they made
q vast futter in the sewing schools ana
IN private families. The little japanese
women even now are rather timid about
using them, and lady who dresses rally
well will simply refuse TO have her pretty
frocks made other than by hand.
The machines are Wen enough, II you
intend to wear European clothes, and
ten years ago the japanese women vel
coined the tight. heavy European dress
with an enthusiasm that threatened 10
make the kimono a relic Of the past. This
fad for Western fashions is every year
losing It's hold on the feminine mind Ia
he ar wis
going back to their own simple. comfor-
table and beautiful mode of dress.
When you want a sewing woman In ia
pan you do not advertise for her or look
out for a sign on house walls. She Is
found by requesting her address OF a
friend. The friend is sure TO know Of an
expert who will come TO your house with
all her utensils and sew from sunrise 70
sunset for % cents. The % cents is asked
for making cotton dresses, while a some
what higher price IS demanded for sew
ing on silk. Among the tools Of her pro-
1ession the seamstress carries a book Of
fashion plates, which Is just as explicit
IN details of cut and color combinations
as the plates published in Paris or New
York. From an artistic standpoint, these
Japanese fashion plates are far ahead Of
anything one sees even in France, just
as the designs on their cotton crepes are
little masterpieces. and their dyes are abb
eolutely clear after the fabric has been
washed and torn to rags.
Contrary TO the American custom, there
Is no matching of samples in Japan. When
the seamstress comes she spreads out her
fashion book TO its fullest extent and then
when a selection is made some body goes
Of and shops, for cotton thread sewing silk
and the like, and the sewing woman meas
uTes her employers for gowns by means
OF a queer little rule.
Cutting out goes on on the floor, and
it takes from one to three days to make
q gown. One fitting only is exacted. and
in Japan there are rarely any scraps left
over. 1t requires exactly twelve yards OF
13-inch wide goods TO make a lady a COM
plete suit. so with exquisite thrift the
manufacturer of fabrics cuts his cloth into
dress patterns of just that amount, and by
using straight lengths everywhere tire
dressmaker contriyes not to waste an
fr.ch.
This sensible arrangement, OF course,
would be impossible, If, as with US, the
cut of garments varied every season. In
Japan no such tickle and foolish extrava-
gance Is countenanced. The shape of wo-
mems garments scarcely varies by a hairs
breadth from year TO year, but the pat
terms used in decorating cotton and silk
goods changes with nearly every bolt. At
ter few dress lengths have been printed
OF in the factory, a new design Is made,
q new combination of cOlors brought about.
and in consequence for her spring ana
fall dressmaking any woman has actually
hundreds Of exquisite designs to choose
from without the least fear Of wearing the
same pattern as that chosen by a dozen
othen feminine friends.
The same rule holds good with regard
70 the embroidered silks and crepes, and
moreover, there Is an opportunity TO dis
play a deal OF good taste and knowledge
Of etiquette in your choice of a pattern
Designs Ia japan are made and especially
approved for tho sole benefit Of young and
unmarried women. and by no means do
they assume to appear in cottons or silks
oecOra I'd for young married women or for
clder!y aides
So subtle are these distinctions in pat
terms that foreigners rarely or never learn
all the ramifications of this branch of ell
quette In dress. but the fact Is neverthe-
less that actors don't presume 10 adopt
the same pattern as lay folk. The Geisha
girls adopt especially ornamented fabrics
as their very own. AS nearly as IL is
possible to define the differences. il can
be safely assumed that very young ladies
don't pretend TO wear stripes and dots Cav
flower patterns are made for their use
while on the actors robes appear whole
scenes. animals. tableaux and landscapes
The Geisha wear Powered dresses too
but the distribution and colors Of the
blooms are quite different from the same
blossoms on a young ladys gown Elder
y persons generally affect solid colors. IN
relieved by printed or embroidered frivoli-
ties and In Japan the most important fac
tor In good dressmaking is the stitching
The little seamStress, who curls up COM
fortably on the floor in the midst of her
work, Is just as faithful a disserninator
OF gossip as her American prototype. her
needle Is an unusually long steel affair.
with round eye IN the end, and her
stitches are not 80 varied as ours. She
does not nil, backs itch, or overland. Be
cause Of the exceeding looseness of the
feminine garments in Japan close, strong
stitching as not necessary, for no strain
falls on any of the seams. and in run
ming and hemming. a long and rather
loose stitch is taken.
Quite coarse thread is used in all gen
eral sewing, and the object Is to make
stitches almost invisible on the exterior of
a garment or to make them boldly orna-
mental OF the ornamental stitches done
with gaily colored silks there is simply an
Infinite variety, for a capable eeamstress