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Show Qi Xidawright I There is a suggestion, of fall in the air, and with the store windows win-dows full of fall clothes and fur coats, plus children's 'back to school' clothes, we know it for sure and it may be here before we are ready. The pattern departments are busy again with industrious seamstresses seam-stresses of all ages planning for the approaching season, and what a boon the paper pattern is! The credit for the idea of this belongs to a woman. In 1863, Ebenezer Butterick, a merchant tailor, living in a small Massachusetts town, was one day engaged in cutting out a pattern for a pair of short trousers for his small son. They were cut from very heavy manila paper, almost as heavy as cardboard, for this is the sort of pattern a man's tailor uses. His wife suggested that women would appreciate ready-cut-out patterns not only for their childrens' clothes but for their own. Being a wise man, he worked work-ed out the idea and made a fortune, for-tune, and gave his-name to an industry in-dustry which now is a household " word. He soon found that' cardboard patterns were never made to travel easily they didn't lend themselves to folding. A lightweight light-weight paper was tried at first, and a little later the tissue-paper pattern made its first appearance. And now you can buy a ready-cutout paper pattern for anything from a wedding gown to a pin cushion. Printed directions, sometimes some-times in three languages, on each pattern piece make it easy to follow, fol-low, and practically all that is necessary nec-essary is to be able to read. In no time at all you can turn out a new gown at a minimum cost, and have quite a bit of fun doing it. |