Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-06
HOME FROM HAND SEWING
Shirt Waist the Resource Of a Mother
and Daughter.
ONE WAY TO WIN IN THE WORLD
businsss Career BeEinninE In n Fae-
tory ma Now Continued IN a
Pnid-For House I'm the
mi

NEW YORK, March SIT Is twelve years
stree we came to New York in search OF
work and a little more than ten since we
decided to devote our time to hand sew
ing" a woman who bought and furnished
a home In a Long Island village from her
earnings with her needle confided to an
other woman wage Garner. We make a
specially % shirtwalsts. and for the last
five years have not made another garment.
The work IL not hard. and the materials
are always beautiful and the styles inter
csting. / know that most people deplore
the fact that hand sewing requires you TO
sit all the time. and l have had several
persons remark. viii apparent surprise,
that my back was quite straight. Now as
] knew the business sewing by hand in
pleasant surroundings is much TO be pre-
ferred to sewing by machine IN any sur
roundings and far ahead Of most work that
women do In shops or offices.
"Of course Il was hard to get in. We
had no friends to push US. or even give US
letters TO influential people. The only
person we knew when we came TO New
York was a friend who was taking a
course to become a lurse, 80 what we have
done has been accomplished entirely with
out Influence.
The day OF our arrival both my mother
and l applied for employment In a shop
and failed to get It. The next day we
started out Afresh and took In every store
en- Pwenty-third street. then down Sixth
pEvenue, At each place we we're turned
away for one cause or another, usually
because we had had no experience.
Finishing with a Broadway department
store we began with the factories. The
NhNpH me- .aIT,l - $500 49,
wear and we were taken on as finlshers.
We worked in that place, with foul air,
poor light and so near together that an
extra movement and YOU encroached on
another woman's space, for four months.
We had come from home with a scanty
supply OF clothes, but the conditions ap-
pesred TO us so bad that mother said we
must save every cent that was not needed
Tor food and lodgings. 1t was a very wise
decision, for at the end of the fourth
month we were dropped. without an hours
warning. When mother asked for an ex-
PLANTATION the forewoman told her II was
the slack time.
We set out at once looking for more
work. Because We had been sewing in a
factory we thought we would be able to
get into the dressmakinE department OF
one OF the large department stores. where
we heard conditions and wages were much
better. Much to our surprise when we
said that we had been finlshers in a fac.
tory we we're turned off. and very curtly.
Nobody would even give us a trial after
learning OF our factory training.
This went on not for one day, not vet
one week, but for two solid months. Every
day we would SC out and hunt for work
only to return at night unsuccessful.
hAN lA.aNk 49,
we try the laundries and restaurants. Wa
TOOK her advice and within three days 1
was waitress In a restaurant and mother
was msndlng for a flrst-class home laun-
dry.
Our work may not nave peen as eie-
waited socially as finishing in a factory for
ready-to-wear underwear, but Il had it's
advantages. The advantage in mother's
case was being able to bring her work
home and in mine 1t was tips. They were
never very large tips, no day did they
amount to more than 20 cents, but think
what 1t means to a factory hand to make
even 10 cents extra.
Our health and spirits improved so much
IN our new positions that we actually had
time and ambition to plan for the future.
Mother was sure we could get better quar-
ttrs In the country for less money, and
as her employer liked her work we'll enough
TO promise to keep her supplied for the
entire summer we moved TO Long Island.
ana became q commuter. Mother seldom
came IN, as l always delivered and called
Tor her work. She did, however, come In
one day and looked around the shons 10
such advantage that she got an idea that
she might make handmade garments as
beautiful as some Of those she saw bro-
Vided she had the material.
The next week she made another trim
INTO town and took with her samples OF
her hand ewing. She spent all that. dav
gong from shop TO shop trying TO get
work and the best she could do was N 90,
materials for one shirt waist. These ma.
terlals weren't given her. she was REQUIRED
pay for them, and in case the waist
Nidnt come up to the standard Of the shop
she wasn't to get her money back,
my hand sewing is better than
mothers l decided to make that waist.
The price Offered was fair and 1 was get
ting very tired Of the restaurant. l stayed
away one day and did the waist.
This next day mother came 20 the res
taurant jubilant. Tha waist had been ac-
eepAsd and on her giving the manager of
theN Aundry as reference they had given
her SIX more waists. They were TO be fin.
e"N uNiFNIed tue next week.
There was nothing to do but for me to
give up my place as waitress, and / did IL.
! can't tell you how happy was that
week to be able to stay at home and work
win the prospect OF earning what to us
appeared a large amount in one week. l
nave never worked in a shop or anywhere
except at home since and l never wish TO.
nave never spent a night in the city
P'hce ana l never Will II / can avoid II.
we lived IN rented rooms. doing our own
work OF course, for the next two years.
we had very few clothes. but the rooms
were comfortable and our food was the
best, yet we managed to save enough by
the beginning OF the third year to pay the
FIRST instsllment on this place.
The house was not new and at the time
we took It was much out OF repair. but