Netta sat them down away from the rumpus of school children letting off steam along the corridor. She showed them her choice of material, a sketch of the simple outfit and the pattern block she had made for them to use. She brought out two already made up pieces and showed them where to place the darts and where to join the seams. Netta had checked with the matron that all the girls could tack up, hem and use a sewing machine. She suggested they each ran up five slips in one of the colours. They discussed how they might decorate the costumes with paper leaves or appliqué and told them she would return in two weeks to see how they were progressing.

Beryl asked about Maison Dorelle and if they could have a look at her workshop sometime as she was very interested in clothes. Pat and Vera nodded their heads but Polly said nothing. ‘I would have to ask Miss Venables if you could look round once the shop is closed,’ Netta told them.

‘My little sister wants to be a ballerina, miss. She’ll be a long time waiting for lessons,’ Polly piped up in a squeaky voice. ‘I think dancing’s silly!’

‘Why?’ answered Netta.

‘It’s stupid prancing about,’ she argued.

‘Take no notice of her, Miss. She’s a right Scrooge.’

‘I’m not! My gran said…’

‘Well, your gran’s not here, is she, or you wouldn’t be in here, would you? Or Lil or Jack?’ This seemed to silence Polly’s outburst and she folded her arms and said nothing more.

Netta was surprised when Polly turned up with the other girls after school in gaberdine macs and berets at the shop door. Netta tried to persuade Miss Venables to give them a tour but she looked down her nose and turned them away.

‘We don’t want riff-raff in here. Kindly refrain from making an exhibition of my premises without my permission in future.’

Netta asked them to wait outside and then took them all back home to show them some of the private sewing she was doing – a bridal dress and bridesmaid’s outfit – trying to make this tour interesting, showing them all the fabrics and the swatches of material, the half-made gowns. She demonstrated how the pattern block was turned into a cotton toile which was pinned on to the bride to form her own body shape. She showed them how the pattern was cut then on to the proper silk fabric, and fitted and refitted until it was perfect. They examined some of the pattern pictures in the sample books for customers to choose from, oohing and aahing over the drawings like love-sick brides.