The Portland daily press., 1883-08-27
Embroidery for Bedrooms.

Ladies interested in needlework are giving
much attention now to coyerlets and bed
spreads. White coverings that can be kept
clean and fresh by laundrying are no longer
sufficient for people with luxurious tastes.
Some of the recently finished appointments
for bedrooms have regal significance. In
the first place the bed stands on dais and
commands the room, and in addition to its
own richness of carving and inlay Of pre-
cious woods, it is hung and covered with
the richest of stuffs. Some beautiful hang
ings, lately prepared for such bed, are OF
pink satin, w it'll canopy and old-fashioned
valance, in addition to the eight long cur
tains. These are bordered by gray plush,
and inside on the satin is vine-like orna-
ment, made of two gold cords couched in
curves and intersecting at intervals in a
small acknowledged figure. At the points
of intersection are branching leaves In gold
thread. Between these are flowers on al
terna.e sides embroidered in colored silks,
with gold centres. The curtains are lined
with thin yellow pink Japanese silk.
The Decorative Art Society has lately ex-
hibited some bed-spreads that are worth de
scription. One of these is of pale blue sat
in sheeting. The design is large open
scroll, evenly distributed over the surface,
and outlined in chain stitch. The beauty
and effectiveness of the chain stitch depend
on the way it is done. As seen in Oriental
embroidery the stitch is small, lies fat, and
/ offQQfn l1xyr he f~f T. 49,
coverlets the stitch is made to lie like a cord.
Filoselle is used, and in throwing the stitch
the silk is held so that the two lines of the
loop lie over one another. The stitch really
looks as if it were stem stitch most carefully
done. On pale blue coverlet wine-covered
floselle is used, and the spread has border
of wine-colored plush.
Another spread of creamy white satin
sheeting has bold design done in chain
stitch, button-hole stitch, and darned stitch.
The button-hole stitch is used in outlining
flowers, and is :hree-quarters Of an inch
deep. Sometimes the effect of the button
hole stitch is given by an over-and-over
stitch, or rather, to be more perspicue us, q
satin stitch, which is then outlined on the
outer edge with stem stitch. In this cover
let the leaves and inside of the flowers are
done in the chain stitch above described,
and the design is made more prominent by
darning the rest of the ground In garnet flo
selle, which is the tint used in the decora-
ton. Another coverlet wrought in the same
way is of ecru sateen in lighter garnet shades,
the tints running into pale pink. In this,
in the centres of the flowers, which are only
conventionally outlined, sort of herring
bone is introduced for variety, and the seed
vessels are initiated by fine acknowledged
couchings.
Still another coverlet Is of cream-white
sateen, with ornament in tints almost APP
preaching lavender shades, and with bor-
der of plush Of harmonizing tint. An cleo
| trio blue sateen coverlet is similarly deco
rated in varying blue tints, and is bordered
with blue plush.
Linen monte cloth and crash are also
used, and receive elaborate decoration. A
linen monte cloth has for its design large
leaf and flower pattern. The stems are done
in loose Kensington stitch in crewels, and
the leaves are not only outlined, but filed
with parallel lines an eighth of an inch
apart. These leaves, which are very large,
have irregular spots In long stitches of light
er greens worked in them to break their mo-
notony. The flowers are made of floselle,
and the outlines are solidly filled In layers
by making loops of the filoselIe an inch long
and fastening them down with a stitch of fl
oselle at the upper end, which Is in itself or
namental. This coverlet is finished with q
baud of olive plush. Another coverlet has a
garnet plush centre and band of linen
twelve inches deep all around, embroidered
| in silk and crewels with branches and cius-
| ters of the peach in bloom. This work is
| done in KensiBgton stitch; a Dand of garnet
| plush finishes the spread.
| One of the most luxurious spreads is Of
olive plush, covered with boldly conven-
| tional design in which the chief outlines
are traced in heavy foselle couchings of
different tints of olive. The flowers, which
nearly approach to yellow, have the petals
in the wide solid stitchings spoken of above,
and the outer edge in heavy couchings in
stead of outline or chain stitch.
pretty application of embroidery for
| bedroom use is the silk cover of down
quilt, worked with occasional sprays Of nat
ural looking flowers. Black satin duyets
with design of long stsked arum lilies
and leaves are effective; but those in pale
pink and blue silk, powdered with odd flow
erets, or garlanded with Vatican wreaths of
embroidered roses, are most admired. A full
| gathered fall of lace, with satin bows at the
| four corners, completes the fashioning Of
one of these duvets.-M. G. 81. in the Art
Amateur.