The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
DRESSES MADE AT HOME.
KTLFU work At WHICH THB AMER
IC1N WOMAN EICELS.


ICAN WoMAN EXCELS.
Three-ouarters OF the Dresses Worn in This
Country Are the Def Handiwork of the
wcarers-Tho Rise and Present lmpor-
tRnce of the Paper Pattern Industry.
Despite tho tremendous number OF profess
sional d%ressmakers. probably three-uuarters
OF tho dresses worn by American women are
made by their own hands. Home dressmak-
ing. too. is constantly improving and increas-
ing both In the country and in cities. The per-
lection Of paper patterns is directly responsible
for the improvement and increase In TINS
branch OF home industry. This pattern busi-
ness has grown to enormous proportions, and.
while IL Is strictly an American institution, 1t
Is now finding its way into Great Britain and
the countries OF Europe. The people over
there like our paper patterns and are begin
ming TO make large demands for them.
Some people have an idea that only country
women or city women OF very limited incomes
do their own dressmnking. In this SUPPOSE
ton they are vastly mistaken. Women living
In small towns or In the country do make their
own gowns. but the very poor OF the cities as o
rule do not know how to sew we'll enough to do
this. They are compelled to wear the very
cheapest grade Of ready-made garments. Two
classes OF city women who do most OF their own
sewing are the upper middle and middle
Cl0sSCs. Iney nave generous euVuBH ullOW-
ances, but realize that 1t takes a small-sized
fortune yearly to supply all the gowns neces-
sary TO their station in life when made by even
a moderate priced modiste or tailor. or
course the very wealthy demand dress
makers who can create and not copy.
although one OF New York's leading society
women made an effort last fall to get tho
women Of her set not only to design but to
make some of their own gowns at home. 1t
was claimed by some that her object was to re-
buke the fashionable drossmakers and tailors
who have greatly increased their prices within
the last few months. She denied this and said
that her one idea was to bring out the native
talent of fashionable women along this line
and also to give them q knowledge of dress
making. which would enable them to exact
greater art from the professionals. Be that as
1t may. her scheme failed and very few women
Of wealth go in for home dressmaking. Some
Of them would probably be happier IL they did.
and certainly their dressnakers would. for
while their treasures might be depleted
their patience would not be so sorely tried.
Women living on farms or in isolated and re-
mote settlements and villages would be lost
without the paper pattern and the fashion
sheets and magazines issued by people in the
millions OF fashion sheets are distributed free
Of charge annually in the United States. and
those who know, estimate that nearly as many
The paper pattern is entirely an American
iG1dstitptiGn.m SAID d the the manager nG q OF 9ne Of the
dophtedly taught more women the art Of dress
making XII e. than AL of the sewing schools in The
the paper pattern is n foreign product. That is
because we receive many OF our fashions from
through Ill Illustrations and patterns. On the
other hand, the patterns produced here are
at about the same prices they bring here. The
French people have not adopted our paper pat
Of ~drcssmaking of high and OF low price.
nIhe paper pattern business first became
esta blished prior to 1870 two are still in the
held. A large number have started in the last
thirty years, but most OF them have, come to
hitting and designing was not understood In
every detail; To understand the pattern bust
two things cannot be separated.
No women IN the world are so well informed
American women. Somebody viii say. The
Erench women dress better Perhaps q few
how about. the country women in France?
Take our American women the States over,
from I rn lowest to highest, and they are the best
can women. We lost $4,000 lO i If SG we Years. Aln ago
in a Gr ss.smBR rIt to start VIZ z bE9Per B PS!tsrp b EsElisS
women do not help themselves as a class. As
little the first thing she thinks about
Is getting a maid for herself. What does an
hIl'i icdl NOllln 40 WDtIl nor husband bpEiDS /
to prosper a little2 Does she get Il maid to do !
everything for her? Mo-: she pitches in and
helps him to prosper all the faster by making
her own gowns and underclothing and bonnets,
need be. and she economics in a thousand
Other ways. Then. when her husband Is able
to pay. the very best dressmake rs are none too
good for her.
1t is an absolute fact that 10 per cent. of the
nfess goods sold in this country are made up at
nome. Millions OF patterns are sold annually.
Ihcy go TO every village OF ] 900 Inhabitants
upward In every State of the Union. They
are sold in settlements even down to those Of
SOO people. Only to-day IA letter came to me
rom a man IN a country place of 200 saying
nat ne nad such a demand for patterns that he
ihu families ,relied a, great deal on foreign
periodicals with colored plates. but the
'arlous pattern companies now issue beauti-
III lnagazineS with coIored plates. which sell
Is cheap as 30 cents a year. They are enabled
o 90 thlS. because Americans have made great
lroSress IL coiored plate work and wood en-
tt get back directly to the home dress
business, | want to say that American
women nave more natural tact in investigating
md working out things than the women OF
my other country. This is not mere senti-
nent, but an opinion born OF experience.
'apeGr patterns are used on all materials cost
nE rom u to 70 cents a yard. Nine times
q Ten when q woman pays a dollar "A
ara Tor cloth she takes IL to n drcssmnker to
made up, Well, with the changing seasons.
ne stores where patterns are sold are crowded
snring orsummersewing. The %draughting Of
.aper patterns is now so perfect that If they
elect the correct size and follow the simple
h.eeg cannot fail TO get a good fit.
There is every inducement NOWADAYS for
Ionen 70 40 thelr, own drcssmakinG. In ad-
lion 20 IaIteIhs heing much more perfectly
raughted and graded according to sizes than
ormer'y. they are far cheaper. Tho average
hper pattern used to DO sold for 80 and 10