Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-11-08
HOME TOPICS.
The Styles i'm Such Things as BE ]
Furniture and Table Linen.


NESTS FOR THE BABIES
Ever since King Solomon enumerated the
ability to work in wool and fax as among the
cardinal virtues OF womanhood, a well-nlled
linen closet has been Considered one of the es-
sentials OF well-ordered household. The house
wives OF to-day are, however far more fortunate
e nan mere tnoss OF former generations, inasmuch
necessary to this result Modern machinery
brings household linen within easy reach OF
modest Incomes even though its chiefest tri-
moreover, some pleasure in spending money in
this direction, since fashions change slowly and
Old tablelinen and bed furniture. ike old silver
being, when well kept, all the more highly priced
because OF their age, are valuable heirlOoms for
future generations.
Despite the threatened rise in dry goods and
the actual advance In wooden, cotton and fiaxen
yarns, there are q large quantity of goods on
ae aFet a at the old es 5Ra
brated Mission Mills make, the best in the
world, range In price from $3.50 to $3.50 for
dul 81 double blankets In these the sales
are chiefly In the lower grades; those at $3.50
and 81 finding most purchasers, and indeed for
ordinary use nothing better need be asked.
Those at 12.5o and at 81 are like woven down
and come with borders in the pattern known
either as the Greek Key or the Wall OF Troy.
These are bound with silk.
Other makes are still cheaper and a really good
blanket may be had as low as s2.7s per pair.
Crib and cradle blankets come in all styles and
at all prices, plain and embroidered, white and
eolored. The cheap gray blankets always in
steady demand for horse-blankets and for iron
ing blankets are now utilized as rugs. Bound
with red braid. and, If desired, ornamented with
req flannel figures In applique, they form excel
lent rugs Tor use In the bathroom, and for this
purpose they have long been In favor in Eng
land. They are equally serviceabe for bed room
rugs. For this the single blanket is cut in half
and edged with border of course red flannel
monogram of red flannel may be stitched in
the center or else the blanket may be embroid-
cred with coarse woods In sunt1OwerS and reeds
thicker by lining with old carpet, or with bur
laps, or by simply doubling the blanket
WARM COyERLETS.
blankets on account Of their exceeding warmth wa
and lightness. Until within the last few years
the elder quilts were the only down coverlets
known, and these were far too costly to be within
the means of any but rich people-a single
pound OF elder down costing, unmanufactured,
ten dollars or more. In 1872 the first quilts
made of goose down were imported into Phila-
delphia, and the trade has ever since been stead
lily increasing. A good quilt of the best goose
down, two yards square, made of good chintZ,
may be bought for ss.75, and will be found a
luxury on cold winter night. Indeed, to those
persons who are chilly and yet too delicate to
support the weight of much bed clothing these
down coverletS are veritable blessing. They
may be had much cheaper in lower grades for a
machine has been invented which converts the
commonest chicken feathers into so-called down,
stripping them from the stem, cutting them into
tiny particles and beating them into pluffy
mass. Still, art cannot make these equal to
quilts made of the genuine down. When first
bought they resemble it closely, but after wear
ing it some time the imitation loses its elasticity
ard packs into substance resembling felt
Therefore, in buying down quilts, as with pill
lows, 1t Is the WiSeSt to make the purchase at
some well known and reliable house, paying a
fair price for good article.
Down cradle quilts form the ideal coverlet for
baby, keeping it warm as a bird in the nest
In chintZ they cost two dollars and half, while
in silk of good quality they are $40. These last
excellent carriapp robes Infants and
ii it is desired to have them still more elegant
they may be covered with lace. Silk quilts Of
quality. imported from England are war
ranted to wash and wear indefinitely. Such a
one makes an admirable present for either an
invalid friend or young couple beginning
housekeeping.
The latest novelty in Marseilles quilts is en-
broidered In cOlors, either in fast EN- broidery
Gottons or In washing silks Others are printed
through the spread, and are warranted to
wash. American Marsetlles quilts copy the
French closely In design and texture at less than
half the price, but fail to stand the test of the
Wash-tub: turning yellow under repeated wash
ing. "They are improving, though, con-
stantly,"' said the buyer of one Of our leading
long think they will master the secret" The
best Marseilles quilts are woven with what are
called fast Dacks-that is, the threads are fas-
each other. The reverse of these are stocking
backs, the threads crossing plainly as Is done in
changing the cOlOrs In knitting the stripes of a
stocking. OF course the first process entails
much greater trouble and care, but the design
never wears fiat nor loses the raised appearance
on which its beauty depends.
Honeycomb quilts in their various grades sell
in immense quantities for common use. They
may be laundried as easily as Sheet-indeed
more easily, since they do not need to be ironed
The coored ones are much used for servants
rooms and for nurseries.
There Is little now to be said on the subject Of
sheeting. Very few persons are sufficiently ro-
bust to use linen during the winter, but those
who like it In summer are advised to replen1sh
their stock before a rise, since an advance of 20
per cent. in the price Of flax is reported from
Europe. In cotton sheeting the best brand is
The ordinary width for double beds is ten quar-
tiers; single beds call for SIX and three-quarter
DeadSteadS Tor eight quarters. Extra wide sheet
ing is eleven quarters In width. The wide hens
now in fashion, for the tops of sheets render
more material necessary, and five yards and a
half Is the usual measure for pair Of sheets in
stead OF the rule OF five yards to each pair.
Linen sheets are usually hemstttched on the
wide hem, while sheet ShamS-to be removed at
night-are used with cotton sheets Plain pillow
slips under handsome shams are the usual rule
unless two sets OF pillows are uSed-One for day,
another for night. New pillows are square and
very large.
TOWELS AND TABLE LINEN.
The demand for embroidered towels has
brought many fancy designs into the market.
Knotted frfngeS are seen on even loW-priced
towels, and initial towels with fancy borders
duu utep TlIlSeS SILL DIS low DIS live Genus
apiece The all-linen towels, which come at such
low prices, are woven from tow or the outer
husk Of the lax. This Is strong and Serviceable
but lacks that silky finish which constitutes the
Chief beauty OF pure flax, as may readily be
seen on comparing the two. American linens
are beginning to attract attention, but as yet
cannot compete with European goods Irish
linen, for beauty and whftenesS, eXcellS all
others, and next come the German goods.
Scotch linen also stands high In the market
In the red table-cloths, so much liked for
lunch, the German linens are preferable, keep
ing their color as long as the cloth holds to-
gether. The fine table damaSk Of to-day Is eX-
ceedingly beautiful, soft as silk and glossy as
satin. The Egyptian design is a new one in
this-a group of lotus flowers and leaves in the
center, with wide border of crouching SphinxeS,
framed In narrow bands formed of quaint HERO
glyphics. Palms, not the conventional gourd-
like palm leaf, but the plumy plant, and ferns
are favorite designs. An exquisite set of cloth
and napkins has the Wall Of Troy pattern, with
garlandS of oak leaves and acOrnS twined in and
out Of the bars. There is growing fancy for
the small figures so dear to our grandmothers.
The Queens Observation-Disclosures favorite-is
shown In recent importations. This is a geomet-
rical design, consisting of st. Georges crosses
1nterlaced in every possible combination. Suns
rieS in the Wall of Troy are liked.
are shown with Wide borders in blue and in red
and in gray with bands of color. Medallions
are the favOrite design for these borders and
the cloths are self-frfnged all around. Napkins
in two sizes come to match each cloth, the figure
hpinp reduced Sllit In stza The French Srvla