Excerpt from A Series of Tables and Diagrams Illustrating Economy in Cutting: Being Economical Methods for Cutting Out Garments

To catch Dame Fortune's gentle smile, Not for to hide it in a hedge, Assiduous wait upon her, Or for a train attendant, And gather gear by every wile, But for the glorious privilege That's justified by honour. Of being independent. - Bums.

By economy in cutting I do not mean parsimony or niggardliness;-economy IN cutting.

I mean frugality and prudence, as opposed to wastefulness and extra vagance. In the management of any manufacturing business, such as tailoring, economy of material is of the greatest importance, and many bankruptcies might be traced back to that reckless waste of material which every workman who has worked in a number of shops must have observed, so extensively prevails in our trade. There are few bankrupt stocks which are not remarkable for the number of almost useless remnants and bad lengths on hand; and although it might not be right to say that the failure was owing to the large quantity of these, still they speak loudly of the want of management.

It does seem a strange thing that anyone who knows the value of the material he is using, should thoughtlessly cut it to waste but it is nevertheless a fact, that large numbers of men seem to care no more for their employers' material than if it cost nothing. What does it matter to a customer, whether 5 - 5 or 755 yards of material are used in the making of his suit? Although a very large proportion of the Lounge Jacket suits of the present day can be, and daily are, out out of lengths ranging from 5 - 5 to 6 yards, with as good a fit up as anyone could wish it is no uncommon thing in the trade for 7 - 15 yards and sometimes even more, to be out up for the same suits, and with no better result. The difference between the quantity used, and the actual quantity required when under proper management, is of course actual waste and does no good to anybody. It may be argued that the customer pays for all that is used, and so it is no loss to the tailor but I reply it is a loss, for the customer would pay just the same in either case; therefore the tailor loses the difference in profit, or else the customer is being overcharged to that amount. So that by such unnecessary waste, the tailor must be dishonest either to himself or his customer.

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