The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-02-14
DREssMAKING IN INDIA.
1t Is Done by Men, Who Are Part
of the Household Service.

Dr. Pauline Root, in Harpers Bazaar.
At the risk of sending all my readers
to India for dressmaking, 1 shall let
you into one Of the secrets of India's
charm to the Anglo Indian. Since com
ing back to this country nothing seems
harder than to get sewing and dress
making done; and though Indian tai
lors might drive an ordinary home
dressmaker insane, they certainly do
take care of their mistresses in a most
fatherly manner. OF course they are
men, and, of course, they are as much
a part OF ones establishment as the
cook or the butler. Ny tailor was an
Inheritance, and fell to my happy lot
along with my dignifed white haired
cook, my maid and my portly and
lordly butler.
Pandarum was ever faithful to my
interests, and, when work waxed short,
did not rebel at being "let out" to 9TH
er ladies. In fact, so famous was Pan
darum as a buyer, and for style and
exquisite embroidery, that he was Of
tener called for by missionary and civil
liam friends than 1 liked. He had a
goodly family, who all, of course, lived
on the tailor street. / remember well
his handsome old paralyzed father,
and less well his wife and children.
think there We're seven in the family,
and yet Pandarum's wages were but
1926 months-and no meals!
Promptly each morning he came to
my room, took out his mat and un-
rolled it on the veranda under my win
dow, and placed upon it his hand Sing
er sewing machine and his large basket
of work Mending he seldom did, for
that could as we'll be done by native
ayah; but he had so real an interest in
all my wardrobe that he saw to it that
long cloth" and cambric in quantity
were kept on hand, and that 1 made
frequent and sufficient purchase of
hand made laces and embroideries from
the native schools to keep me in an as
sOrtment of lingerie such as he thought
fitting How he loved to plan and fuss!
What cOncoctions in rulfles and tucks
and insertions adorned my night
dresses, skirts and other garments!
When no other work was ordered, he
would inspect my bureau drawers, and
inform me that ! needed new night
gowns or skirts, and that, If it was
madams pleasure, he would begin the
garments at once. ! might have to in
terruEt him, but, though a man of
much decision of character, he was
enough of a Hindu to respect my au-
| thority, and would lay aside his tucks
ana shirrinEs to re-linr the carriage or
| to mend the saddle which had perhaps
| been hung too near the wall. and Sc
! had become the feeding ground foI
| white ants
Or perchance there was needed a pair
Of slippers to go with an evening dress
| Until a month ago had one pair which
| was wholly hand made, and which
! had kept as a curiosity. The soles
were cut out by the native leather
! worker, who brought his tools to the
| veranda and copied the soleS from an
! other pair; the lining was of plain
| satin, and the outside of pale yellow
/ satin embroidered in gold.
/ The India tailors can copy almost
anything from fashion papers (though
| they have not the Worth touch in dra.
! pery), and as for gowns from home
! they copy them so literally that a new.
conner not only has the satisfaction OF
| setting the fashion, but soon to the
arousing of another set of emotions,
! finds herself without one gown which
! is distinctly her own!
Some of the tailors do excellent en-
/ broidery. | still have cana wear a
! times, when | wish TO be very festive,
pale yellow India silk-to which the
| yellow slippers belonged-heavily anC
eXquisitely embroidered in gold.
Usually embroderers are specialists
and get rather higher wages than Pan
darum did, but he did my dress as par
of his regular work, and as beautifully
as any specialist from the temple coul(
! have done.
AS to upholstering furniture lin coo
| linens and cottons, of cOurse), making
the strong nettings for beds, or punk
abs, which are so necessary to our com
fort, he had no superior.