The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-26

Most Of the experienced flower makers
earn 81. 81 and SIS a week al piece work.
but there are quantities Of violets turned
OUT that yield only % cents or % cents a
day, OF about cents bunch. There are.
Of course, common violets. made Of the
coarsest muslin, crudely dyed and tinted.
Good violets. although easy to make, re-
quire care in the cutting OF the petals, in
ths choice material. and tAe color and
shading.
"A hower-maker never has work the
whole year round. unless very proficient.
From the last Of December TO the first Of
May : what We call the spring season. and
the fall seaon begins the first OF August
and ends in October. ccasionally there
comes a year when il : the fashion TO
wear flowers on the winter bonnets. and
that means a wind-fall Tor the flower
makers. There has been a rage for arti-
fetal flower decoration at Christmas. and
for the balls and suppers among the poorer
people throughout the country, a conse-
quent increase in the demand Tor the COM
mon grade. snowy flowers, which are made
and sold mostly on the east side.
Ten years ago there was not a SILK
flower made IN America" the hower-nak-
er continued Our workers could work
fairly well in stifened goods. muslins.
lawns. etc, and they could handle satin
and velvet. but they never attempted any
thing in SOFT six. We did not understand.
either. how TO manage the stuff, or what
implements % Use in preparing It for use.
The French had all the secrets. and silk
flowers cost twice what they do now.
Now every fower-maker Of pretension has
her little sjlk-working implements d dell
cate lite tool for crimpiRg a gutter for
making the dsnts. in imitation Of natural
flower petals, and creaser for making
those almost invisible cross lines watch
you scarcely notice at all. but the absence
Of which would alter The looks OF the
petal very much. None Of our domestic
silks do for fower-making. We have 70 i'm
port d great deal and even in dyeins I
must confess that We have something to
learn vet. No flowers are made OF ColOred
materials. All the different textures, cot
ton cloth. velvet, silk, satin, plush. are
bought white and dyed afterwards.
1t Is hard 10 say which department or
process OF flower making is the most i'm
portant-the coloring and tinting. the cut
ting and shaping, or the putting together
of the petals and final disposition of them.
If a flower-maker were ever so expert. and
the PETALS were dyed badly. her work
ewould go for naught. and all the natural
shaping and tinting in the world could not
make successful blossom If the petals
were clumsy disposed and the stamen
crude. and other details imperfect. Flower
making is like piano playing: II takes con-
slant practice and nice judgment. and the
maker must be able TO put some EXPIRES
sion into the arrangement of her leaves
and blossoms"
In going through a flower factory we see
first the great sheets Of lawn, linen and
muslin laying ready for the stihener. In
the cutting room layers upon layers of the
undyed stiffened goods are cut up into
leaves and petals. the cutters each fur
nished viii special die or stamp that cuts
through to the block below. and leaves the
petals etc, ready for the colorer. To color
all these bits Of velvet, satin and lawn
some simple hue and spread them out
smooth would seem no easy task, but. in
addition. each separate petal, whether
crimson. violet pink or purple. must in
turn be shaded light at the edges, deepen
ing in tint toward the heart of the flower.
or may be notified or variegated according
to the nature of the plant.
Young girls help in this work and in the
spreading out and drying. They are like
wise employed to pink or fray the edges
Of ire petals. soallop them. point them. or
half crumple them, according to the bios
som TO be initiated. The wiring Of the
stems (the stems all being imported Is
also done by young girls. The centers OF
the commOner flowers the little thread
ike stamens and pistiIs. are made by ma
chinery and fitted in by the flower makers
makers have a separate department. as do
those who tie up the lunches.
Il always wanted to make flowers"
said an expert when a visitor expressed
interest in her work. When I first left
school at a. / worked On bead trimming
that got my hand in for delicate work.
perhaps, but I soon got another place 10
line hats and curl feathers. I did nothing
but that for year. but I had an eye on
the fl1wer-makers al! the while. and used
70 Try my hand once fl a while I've been
making flowers now for eight years. and
IN between seasons I work a feathers and
make aiErettes. ! have charge Of the silk
flower department, and I've adapted two
or three French notions ar 20 the making
Of grasses and field flowers that got from
the imported stock"
The laurel both pink and white. the pond
lily and the dandeIion are all novel
American-made flowers introduced for the
first time this season They compare well
with imported blossoms. The laurel ike
the lilac, Is one Of the most difficult Tow
e-s "a make. but Is Reproduced success
fully. and the pond lily Is a welcome add
ton 20 the flowers especially suitable for
white. green or black hats II the most
delicate grasses and fragile plants Ike
the uistiet0e ard Scotch heather the i'm
ported flowers exceed the home manufac-
ture. In dne roses and orchids the French
excel as il the more fragile flowers that
lock as though breath would blow them
away. The French dyes are the best
They can zrt their -ich material cheaper
and with = larger selection - draw on
than the American. and thai- skilled labor
r cheaper. But IN the making of f3w-
ers this country taz made rapid strides
during rh= fs=- feqe seasons IN addition
- -ha originating Of ruodeis for Hra ao~-
81 work. the designers have q aeId r. ere
dev.vrg ~ smart 1z- -rirnrl O. Pc cold
% o-t-7f-.ox-n markets clusters and afx-
rettes e flowers ard v-inEs informing 3D.
shica miE1- ind buyers 10 Grand street
er Essr Bros day. - in no other part 81
New York, s-i which are s9lga, by the
buyers rom Texas ard various points
south and wast
a woman got that ~. les great ..-.-'