The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-29
CHANCES IN EMBROIDERY
IDIICE FROM 4 WOMAN WHO
WADE 4 FORTUNE AT ~.
bushes. Built - by = NIliiner's EFTand
-OpcalhKs for women IN the WAS
sf EmhroiderinE GAFmenis- Demand
Scr Home Nora of This kind Coed.

Ser Home NORA of This kind Coed.
NV home and comfortable income are
due % hand embroidery sad Massa-
. chuset,s woman when asked n tell about
her success in business I began when
wa Is and az Is retired With one ui tue
hanGsomeSt homes IN our town and
enough invested 20 Weld me a comfort
able income In the meantime ! have
been abroad more than twenty times
PARTLY Cor pleasure and partly Tor bust
ness
@Nts I was apprsriiced 20 the town
tnilliner. where learned 20 smbroider.
That was nv work when not running
errands. Even tho FIRST pieces OF nv
work sold at good prices and in a little
while tho milliner found another errand
girl 80 that mi ght devote NV attention
10 embroidery
1T didn't take me- long 10 aee the differ
enoe in the prioa she received for my work
and the monthly wages she was raging
me 20 do the work saw no reason why
I shouldnt sell direct 10 the customers
and N keep the profits.
with that ond in viev began TO take
small orders from persons | could reach
and execute them at home. Within three
months ! had worked up enough trade
20 pay me more than the wages was
Refting At the millmeF's. no gave up nv
place and hung out q Sim over my moth
err door Two years later went 70 Bos-
ton With some Of my work and sold Il
for much more than could have received
In nv native tuSn. That opened my ewes
and no nsNt year ! paid a visit 10 New
York. whsro did even better
In NeN York I learned that people
not only waited beautiful work but in
sisted on exclusive patterns. How 10 get
these patterns was the question Though
had never taken a drawing lesson after
leaving the public schools had managed
10 copy all the patterns Of the milhner.
drawing directly on the cloth. which saved
me the time and trouble Of stamping
besides the expense Of buying the pat
terms
Thinking over these exclusive pat
terms. ! began 70 draw. make additions
% and changes in the old patterns. and in
q little while found that these went %
better than any l had ever offered FOR
sale. Il was then that ! made my first
trio abroad | had very little money.
and Of course had TO go IN the cheapest
way, but | managed 20 visit many
museums and converts, whore I got
many ideas for new designs and learned
stitches different from those then used in
American embroidery
"On MY rutunl hogan to build up a
new side 90 nv business, knowing There
wAs a limit 10 my capacity Tor work
| advertised In the southern and Western
papers for women and girls 70 do hard
embroidery n their homes When had
answers that APPEARED promising I sem
them a small inexpensive piece 20 do that
] might judge n their work. Il was from
that sample that gave them further
orders or ~ them drop Within a few
months by this method had ten women
working regularly for me
The question then was how 10 sell
their work. and a. Il was now impossible
for me to leave home very long at tine
! enGAged two women to take the work
around and sell Il on commission. ~
ceiving a second commission FOR all
orders they secured This scheme was
great success. and thought | had struck
a bonanza until Que of my saleswomen
disappeared with such a large quantity
Of work that Il wiped out my profits Tor
almost an entire year
The largest order ever received was
- - al. n
had bought some Of my work for his own
house and ! had done other pieces from
designs he furnished and when he had I
this house ready for the furnishings he
called me in We went over the house
together When he got through hal an
order for more than s. 000 worth Of work |
There we're portieres. table covers pieces
for over the doors ami hits ~ tapestry
work 20 he worked into oJishiork
i never enjoyed anything more than |.
filing that order. There was plenty u
time Tor a trip abroad % look up designs. f.
and withNthe letters of introduction re- /
ceivst from that architect had no trouble /
in seeing all that / wanted TO- When ali
the work vas delivered weat down 20 |
help Dut Il in place, and in addition 20 my I
cheek received the thanks aud cougratu- .
latiOns u the architect.
Thou Oh received many similar or lers /
from other architects. none 81 them Wa I
a. large nor as satisfactory 90 me. Al
one time ! had thirty-fOur women EN- /
broidering for mo. They were scattered I
all over the country aud flint and last / .
am sure have had wOmea IA every State /
In the Union working on my pieces.
Unless the articles were % unusual /
weight or value ! always seut them by
open mail with my address stamped I
plainly ON the envelope. That was one
81 my economies When began to yoFk
for myself / knew the value Of keeping
down expenses n the lowest possible .
notch, and never got oyer that training
! lay much u my Success 90 that economy
begun AZ the very first ! have noticed I
that the women who saved az the start I
were the women who climbed 20 the too
Through all the years was working I /,
never threw away a string Or a piece ~ I
wrapping paper that was good enough 10
use again
AS my work incrsl Used was abb 10
Ret all materials az great reduction,
buying everything by wholesale Even
when had an order for a handsome
pair ~ hangings 10 an expensive cloth
and al unusual shade ! would buy the
whole piece a. knew I should h. allie
90 sell other hanNngs 0f the material
done IN other COiOrz and patterns. !
never duplicated work unless there WAS
a special order Tor u. Drawing all NV
patterns directly on the cloth. il WA
harder for me 10 make them alike than
different.
To prevent my patterns being copied
by my wOrkwUmen. I mean thuss 10
whom ! shipped pieces. / gave each
woman only a section % do. This had the
Added advantagr u getting the bsst