Evening star., 1902-01-20
Dainty Island Fabrics to Be Found
in Them.
EVERYTHING LOVELY And CHEAP, TOO
The Ways Of the Indian and
Chinese TaiIors.
SILKS AND CACHEMIRES

ing Chinese bring their textiles. These,
owing to the tariff, are not as cheap as in
China One of the amusements of the idle
mornings in Manila is sitting on the floors
of the corridors and steps bargaining with
the Chinese pack men who are ready to
supply every need. From them one may
buy satin brocade or Chinese muslin at 5
cents a yard Indeed. We all had these
Chinese muslins, sheer fine barred ma
terial, ten yards for un peso-that is to say
for one dollar. silver. The Chinese grass
linen of Manila Is only about eighteen
inches wide, and one may buy forty yards
for 81, silver. This is so lustrous that it
looks like silk.
But let me celebrate the StuffS of LuZon.
These are pre-eminenuy pima and just
pronounced peny and hoosy Pima resems
bles silk bolting cloth. 1t is made from
the fiber of the pineapple stalk. 1t is ivory
white in tint, and the nuns and native
women they have taught will enrich it
with embroidery equal to anything in
France. just is made of pine fiber and
hemp, and has stitches of silk called lista.
1t is sometimes called Manila gauze. AS
a fabric it surpasses grenadine in texture
and durability. The native dyes have none
of our tints and their reds, yeilows. blues
and purples excel in beauty and vitality;
for, like the Latin races, they exult in
color. When We went to Manila these
could be bought for eight and twelve dol
lars. silver, for twenty barraS, a little
less than our yard But war and our de-
mand have brought these prices up to SIS
and S2J piece. l speak of Mexican money,
which divided by two, becomes gold.
Manila produces beautiful hats. The finer
sell from SIS to SO, and rival the popular
Panama. The women there do not wear
hats, but we found the mems hats adapt
able. For 20 cents one could afford fresh
hat every few weeks. 1 still wear one of
mine which exceeds in comfort and light
ness anything we have except the crino-
lines. When the duties permit we viii
doubtless have these goods in this country.
Sewing Is cheap in Manila, where one may
have a competent maid, who is capable
seamstress, for ST. silver. a month.
DressmaLing in the Orient.
1t is at Yokohama that the east begins
to unfold it's treasures of silk and crepe
Now is the time to begin to invest in silk
petticoats and shirt waists. 1t is the coun-
try also for renewing, matching, indulging
ones caprices. Wanting some gray crepe
of a particular shade to make revers for a
black velvet coat purchased, by advice,
white crepe for 80 cents yard, had it dyed
the exact tint for 80 cents and gracefully
embroidered with white and black butterflies
according to the required forms for 81. In
effect it is a work of art, each butterfly be-
ing individualzed and worthy of study.
Thus one may have robe embroidered ac-
cording to ones fancy, as did an @cquaint-
ance who chose to have cherry blossoms
and branches bestrew her gown.
The sewing is accomplished with equal
ease There are swell Japanese and Chi
Eese tailors, but the joy of ones heart Is
the little Japanese sewing man who comes
to your home to take your measure and
directions returns to fit you, and brings
home your work when he promises it. Thus
For
apiece, from silk which cost q cents a yard
When silk is bought by the piece one may
indeed enjoy luxury. We bought piece Of
white silk, forty yards, for yen 80 (s15)
and divided it up between US. Thus white
shirt waists. skirts and lingerie so to say,
which the neighbors clamored to hemstitch
at cent a strip.
The Chinese tailors of Yokohama have
a worldwide reputation. Who does not
know Chang Chow on the Yokohama bund?
In him doth the naval officer put his trust
Inc rousseau Of a budding naval officer is
something to see-blue cloth, white satin
and gold lace galore. 1t is the hope of
every MILDLY to come into these on the
Aslatic station, for the reason that he may
get MS wardrobe for more than one-half
less than the price of it at home For ex-
ample, one that know cost but 800 in the
east, against 500, which would have been
tne cost In this country. As for tailor made
costumes, the American women thinks her
self poor indeed II she cannot get a suit
from Chang Chow.
Exquisite Grass Linens.
II IS not only In luxurious materials
that China Is rich. 1t produces a grass
linen in white and pellucid blue, which Is so
valuable a fabric for summer wear that
one wonders it has not been imported. The
chinese are ayerse to cutting this stuff,
nor did 1, 1 regret to say, want to buy a
piece of forty yards yard wide.
NO no, me catchee you one piece.
missy, said my Chinese tailor, and so he
dld and brought me my dress lavish with
exquisite hemstitchings, paying him for the
whole Sll.3O Mexican, of which $3.50 was
Tor the making. This put into our money
Is 40 cents 81 FOR the goods and s2-2o for the
making This dress / still wear and cling
10 with devotion that no other gown in
spires The Chinese cottons are also good
and their blue and white chambray seems
10 grow clearer with each washing
Hong Kong Is so English that it does not
compare with Shanghai as a shopping port
But Canton. up the Pearl river, is unri-
vailed, as / have said, for its satins erepes
feather fans and embroideries The sale on
secondhand embroideries here and at the
treaty ports fairly coaxes the money from
ones purse The dealers squat at the hotel
doors at the hour of tihin and day after day
the bargaining goes on. One woman was a
month buying a mandarin's coat for an op-
era wrap, finally getting 1t at her own
price. which was SIG. Mexican. For trifing
amounts one can buy strips Of embroidery
which money could not purchase at home.
While the cut of the Chinese garments ever
remains the same, the Chinese are very
particular about the fashion of their orna-
mentation, whence com IS this wealth OF
secondhand embroideries.
The seamstress Man.
In India the durzie is the seamstress
1t is amusing to watch him sewing in his
booth and shop, holding down the long seam
or hem with his toes, for the natives OF
the east are almost prehensile. BY wear.
ing shoes We deprive ourselves of additional
hands India has been so long under In.
glish commercial influences that one misses
the variety and cheapness of China
secured Calcutta for an embroidered mus.
lin, such as one reads Of in old novels, but
only could find designs that reflected Man.
chester in cheap embroidery. In India tin.
sci seems to take the place Of workman
ship. Possibly In remoter towns one might
do better. The weblike muslins the Tus.
sore silk. and. OF course, the cachemires
seem most desirable.
Coming down to Egypt one may buy
feather boas to a great advantage, and
wisely supplement ones wardrobe with q
Pretty little embroidered Arab jacket.