Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29
A GREAT INDUSTRY
The Evolution of the Paper
Pattern Business.
MARVELLOUS CHANGES
IN GRANDMoTHER's DAY HOW
DIFFERENT IT WAS.
Then a Model Was Handed Down as a
Priced Possession From One Gen.
Grafton to Another.
MARVELLOUS CHANGES
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
Two generations ago pattern was in
the nature of a prize, even an heirloom. 1t
was not to be lightly handled or lent, and
Its possession gave it's owner added dig
nifty. Now, 10 cents will carry a pattern to
any womans door. They are used once,
perhaps twice, then thrown away as out of
date The making Of them is no longer the
work of one cunning hand. Each pattern is
the work of many brains banded together
In one great organization for the proper
worship OF the great goddess Fashion. The
pattern industry gives employment to thou
sands of workers, and millions of patterns
are made every year at the various pattern
factories
But fifty years ago, when our grand
mothers were bellies, things were different
II there was one thing more than another
that grandmother treasured in the day Of
her young womanhood it was her paper
patterns. A new pattern was acquisition
greatly to be desired, in considera ton of the
fact that in Its passing from one woman
TO another 1t slgnified a favor, and had
sponsors whose very names carried respect,
1t became a regular bond of neighborly sym
pathy and expression Of esteem Women
exchanged patterns the same as they did
receipts and domestic ideas.
Fashions did not change in those days as
they do now, and a skirt pattern having
one gore in the front and two on each side
of 1t was the standard pattern. There were
no fancy yokes. circular ruffles flares about
the feet, habit backs, released tucks and
so on skirt was a skirt. 1t was sloped
off gradually at the lower edge, faced, q
neat braid bound around snugly, and then
sewed on to the band the last thing. Oh,
times! Oh, customs! And every woman
knew that the pattern went together with
a straight edge to stay bias edge. That
was the only mystery regarding grand
mothers pattern of a skirt.
In Grandma's Box
Grandmother had system connected with
her collection Of patterns. She kept them
in bag or box which was upholstered and
valanced about the sides and was kept ex-
clusively for patterns. Grandmother could
tell at a glance just what a pattern tied in
snug roll represented No one else on
earth knew except grandmother
To the observer the contents of the pat
tern receptacle was merely so much waste
paper But every time grandmother used
one of her patterns to cut a garment after
it's lines, when she rolled the pattern up,
she never failed to tie it with a strip of the
goods that she had been cutting. Thus, by
suggestion, the pattern was recognized at
any future time. She had patterns of I'M
derwear for all seasons and for graded sizes,
and they represented the wardrobe of the
fathers trousers. Grandmother may not
have been a cleverer woman than her femi-
nine descendant of today, but having larger
necessities, she had larger creative oppor-
tunities.
Madame Demorest first conceived the idea
of a business in tissue paper patterns. She
it was who proved the practcability of the
idea Forty years ago she started her pat
tern business working it out from first to
last on original lines, and entering it in the
pages of the magazine named for her, of
which she was the editor Madame Dem
crest died several years ago, and her maya
zine, after passing through various vicissi-
tudes in the hands of others who failed to
adapt it to present needs, also passed away.
But the pattern idea lived, and it is monu-
ment today to the originator of 1t.
Millions Now Sold.
1t is estimated that the various pattern
companies now engaged in the manufa cture
of tissue paper patterns issue upward of 15,-
60, 600 patterns yearly.
The system employed in the bringing out
of the new patterns is exceedingly intricate
and employs many classes of workers.