The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-11-15

Pupils Take First ssens in the Art Of
Shoppina.


This is my third year az teaeAins
little girls 10 make their dolls clothes.
said an elderly Woman. Who though not
an expert, az either dressmaking or
fine handsewing knows how 20 DO good
work. Il have classes only in the
spring and fail i've classes each sea
son. and each class PAYS me ss5-Ss.Se
pupil 50 you can easily calculate
how much l earn.
AS l have comfortable home with
my son my living expenses have never
worried me. did, however. dislike
asking for spending money. even
though my SON always gave IL gladly
enough whenever l could force myself
TO ask. So l began this work.
If there is any one else engaged
in the same work have never heard
of il. The idea came 60 me from hear
ing OF a young milliner whose home is
near ours and who was engaged by a
fashionable woman in New York 10
take charge OF a hat making contest
of the New York woman's friends who
were TO make the hats for charity and
she explained TO the milliner that all
she would have 10 do was TO keep
them from being too atrocious. Hear
ing OF the amount she was TO earn
made me wish somebody would engage
me 10 take charge of just such a class
to teach sewing.
Though l never boosted of being
an expert needlewoman or of knowing
much about the dressmaking business
/ had always made most OF my chill
dren's clothes and many OF my own.
So / felt that l was entirely capable
to teach sewing TO a class OF ladies
who had no intention of earning a
living. While / was thinking along
these lines my eldest grand daughter.
who was less then than Z, came TO me
TO make her doll a dress.
THE doll was given To her the pre-
vious Christmas. and she insisted that
IL must have new outfit for Easter.
While l was receiving her directions,
learning just how she wanted the
dolls dress made, her mother hap
pened TO overhear us, and she re-
marked that it would be much better
If 1 would teach the child how to
make the dress instead of doing the
work muself. Her fathers attention
being attracted, he said it would be
splendid lesson for the child if she
was made TO do the whole thing her
self select the goods, buy them and
make the costume.
AS the idea appealed to both the
child and me we began at once to
form our plans. AS the first step |
took the child to several dry goods
stores and assisted her in selecting
samples of the cloth she fancied.
Before that dolls Easter outfit was
half finished every little girl in the
neighborhool wanted to do the same
service for her own doll and Insisted
on doing it exactly the same way. OF
course their mothers hadn't the time
to take them sample hunting. then
home again for calculations and con-
sideration before buying.
The result was that the next week
took that woman's little daughter
and nine of her particular friends on
their first shopping expedition. We
we're accompanied by two maids, so
the care of the children was not
great but when it came to selecting
samples / thought they would get one
Of every piece Of dress goods i'm the
shops. ! had named one hour as the
length Of each lesson, but the first
shopping expedition of each one of
my classes far exceeded that limit.
~ ne next autumn. when the chill
dren return TO town. my first class
came to me to begin their sewing
again. They said they wanted to make
their dolls winterclothes.
My little grand daughter having
the same ambition, her father told her
t. get up a class of her playmates.
just as my first pupil had done From
then on pupils have been drifting i'm
until | now have five afternoons I'm
the week and Saturday mornings talk
en- up.-New York sun.