THE
CHEM AW A
AM ERICAN
19
son I shall only m ention a few of the m ore im portant steps.
T he first step is to th read m ark th e front and back. M ark and cut
out the linings. Join the back and forepart together w hen ready. C ut
th e canvass, h air cloth and w adding and tack them in th eir proper
places and press them sm ooth. P u t on th e collar, baste in th e sleeves,
tu rn in the front edges and bottom , shape the collar and press it and
th e coat is ready for the try -o n .
Be careful to m ake any necessary alteratio n s as soon as the coat has
been tried on. Remove th e collar and sleeves. Finish the collar and
lapels, p u t in the pockets and com plete the linings. F inish ready for
th e m achine. W ork the buttonholes and put in the sleeves. Sew on
th e buttons, leaving about an eighth of an inch neck. T he coat is
ready to press.
Press the shoulders first, then th e body of th e coat, the edges and
lining, leaving th e collar and lapels to the last. It should be pressed
and sponged th o ro u g h ly . Care should be taken in the m aking th a t all
seams and facings should be carefully pressed down sm ooth. Care in
th is p articu lar will add m aterially to th e appearance of the coat.
Before delivering th e coat to th e custom er carefully inspect it in
every particu lar; see th a t the sleeves han g properly, th a t the collar and
lapels have the proper shape; inspect the lin in g . See th a t it is of p ro p
er length and w idth. See th a t all w rinkles are pressed o u t, th a t th e
shoulders are sm ooth. Inspect the pockets. If ev ery th in g is in p ro p
er order th e g arm ent is finished.
A nother business th at is closely connected w ith the ta ilo r’s trade is
dry cleaning. A know ledge of w hich, especially in the sm aller cities,
is quite necessary and will add m aterially to his income. B usheling,
too, is a necessary ad ju n ct to the ta ilo r’s business. M any tailors are
engaged exclusively in doing th is w ork for fu rn ish in g houses.
I wish to say th a t the success of a tailor depends as m uch upon his
artistic skill as upon his ability to sew well. T h e beauty of the tailor-
made garm ent, its style and th a t som ething about it th a t m arks it from
the ready-m ade g arm en t, are invaluable assets of the tailor.
In conclusion will say th a t I do not intend to m ake tailo rin g my vo
cation, b u t shall use it as a means to help m yself th ro u g h high school,
w hich I expect to enter th is fall. T h a t I can do th is I have already
proven to my own satisfaction.
L ast sum m er I bought an electric iron at a cost of $14.50 and paid
for it by doing such w ork as rep airin g , cleaning, and pressing, in my
spare tim e, after the reg u lar hours of w ork. Beside th is I also had
pocket money to spend.
D uring my vacations and on S aturdays I have w orked in a tailor shop
in th e city of Salem, earn in g never less th an $2.25 per day.
So I feel perfectly safe in saying th a t I shall m ake the know ledge of
tailoring w hich I have acquired here win for me a h ig h er education
w ithin the next few vears.