Clothing
Sewing Room, Tailor, Steam Laundry

"Vernon Parish Democrat," November 4, 1920

"Mrs. Ewell is now installed in her sewing room and is ready to do any kind of sewing. Dress-making is her specialty, yet she is making shirts and overalls as well."

"Llano Colonist," April 29, 1922

"A cotton gin we have added to our ranch equipment. It is stored away; but could be put into service at any time...

The spinning of cotton thread, with the hopes of weaving our own cloth soon, is now in operation.

A sewing department is making our clothing now to a large extent."

"In the fall of 1919 our women were doing the Colony laundry by hand. Since that time a steam laundry has been put into operation, having a wash machine, an extractor, an ironing machine, electric iron, and gas irons, with two buildings added as additional equipment."

"Llano Colonist," November 25, 1922

"Back we go to the sewing department, and there we find Mother Shutt, Mesdames Conlin, Merrill, Pickett, and Lee, making overalls and shirts; at another house Mesdames Jaques, Jones and Hartz are making dresses; and in still another house, we run across Mesdames Nash, Fread, and Cryer, making quilts and comforters. Sometimes they slip a cog and make a mattress, too. Mrs. Busick is now setting up a knitting machine -- and she may knit a house or some hose with it. I just can't tell which."

"Llano Colonist," December 10, 1927 (Gateway to Freedom)

"STEAM LAUNDRY -- This occupies a temporary building, and employs a number of women. It gives the Colony good service, and occasionally does work for the neighbors. It is equipped with a power washer, mangle and with electric irons."

"Llano Colonist," April 27, 1929

“Oh, what a happy arrangement to just put your wash in a bag outside your gate on Monday morning and get it back same place Friday all nice and clean and ironed. And how do you pay for it? By doing some other part of the big colony family’s work. Exchange of service, don’t you see?”

"Llano Colonist," June 7, 1930

"Just south of the store Joe Rosenberg spends his leisure time making clothes for all of our men folks when not helping at the farm or some rush in the industries."

"Llano Colonist," December 20, 1930

The bath house "building is two stories high and the upper story contains one big sewing room. Here is the department for the making of overalls, shirts and bed comforts. Here you will find Mesdames Stevens, Bradshaw, Dean, Long and Barrett, all busy at their power-driven machines, working in a most efficient manner."

"Llano Colonist," January 18, 1932

"Mrs. Shepard is doing some fine work on her sewing machine. She has put collars on many dress shirts and rebuilt some. She has made a number of work aprons from canvas for the garage men, machine shop, blacksmith shop and carpenters. Now she is making coveralls for the kiddies of the linings from used overcoats. Can you beat this for making everything count?"

"Jimmy Maxwell working on the laundry dryer so the clothes can be dried inside when rainy weather attacks us..."

"Llano Colonist," May 14, 1932

"Doc Rand and C. Baughman have the laundry dryer under close scrutiny to hasten its completion and thus assist in greater expedition at the plant where clothes are cleaned while you wait."

"Llano Colonist," May 21, 1932

"Machinist Rand is getting the new laundry drying machine assembled, so that it looks something what it is due to become before very long. It consists mainly of a big cylinder nearly five feet long, covered with wire netting, hung in an iron fram, with gear wheels to turn the apparatus. This cylinder will be enclosed in a box, and a blower - electrically driven - will shoot a swift current of air through the turning cylinder with the tumbling clothes enclosed. The laundry will surely appreciate this help, as the growth of the laundry business has been putting it a little behind schedule."

"Llano Colonist," February 18, 1933

"Comrade Walker... claims [the new dryer] will dry a thousand pounds of clothes in twenty-five minutes."

"Can We Co-operate?" by Bob Brown

Notice inside the shoe repair shop (1933-1934):

"If you want your shoes rebuilt, go to Ed Clark.
If you want your shirts mended, go to Ida Ann Bartlett.
If you want your socks washed, go to John Dougherty.
If you want work, go to Ralph Field, don't hang around here."

"Llano Colonist," January 5, 1935

"The laundry is one of our busiest places the early part of the week. On Monday mornings the clothes come in to be washed. They are looked over to see if they are all properly marked and Birdie DuProz and Minnie Hewett do the marking while Betty Bridge sorts. The lists must also be checked and O.K'd.

Mr. Tefteller does the washing and Roy McLean helps with the wringing while Thelma Perkins hangs the clothes out to dry. Thelma also has a hand in the wet wash.

The mangling is done by Minnie in the morning and Mrs. Hullinger in the afternoon. These two help with the ironing on the other half days, Mrs. Ribbing, Martha Dougherty, and Betty Bridge do most of the ironing with the help of the others when they have a few minutes to spare.

Birdie busies herself with folding and putting the clothes away after they have been ironed. She also does the sprinkling and helps with the ironing or anything else that is necessary to be done.

The clothes that need mending are taken to the mending room in the morning by Ernest Ogden who is the errand boy in the morning. They are given to Mrs. Geiger who has charge of the mending room and she has several helpers. There we find Mrs. George Stevens, Mrs. Gossett, Mrs. Ridgeway, Mrs. Kemp, Mrs. Campbell, Nona Crotts and Erma Hayes. William Brough is the errand boy in the afternoon.

John Dougherty, who is in charge is very much in evidence. He is first here and then there, hanging clothes, wringing, cleaning and pressing with Roy helping. Always plenty to keep the manager of the department busy.

"Llano Colonist," June 8, 1935

"Joe Rosenberg, our master tailor, has his shop open today and doing the work awaiting him. He is always at work, either as a tailor or in the garden."

"Llano Colonist," October 3, 1936

"In the sewing room, upstairs in Apartments de Llano, with Mrs. Perkins in charge, the weekly mending and patching is being done... The sewing room folks piece quilts and do any dressmaking and remodeling that comes their way.

Joe Rosenberg's tailor shop upstairs there is another highly appreciated service industry. The shop is well equipped for the heavier work of repairing and working over men's wear and women's coats and suits, and smiling Joe, tailor by instinct and long training, is cheerfully ready from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to put your apparel in good order."