The Portland daily press., 1884-03-22
SPRING FABRICS.

There is to be enough to choose from this
season, the counters of all the dry goods stores
are piled with novelties of all kinds In the way
of dress goods. The newest of the new wool
stuffs revive the styles of our grandmotherss
both in their colors and in the quaint design,
woven upon them in old fashioned sample
stitches. The cross stitches of tapestries done
century ago by needle women, are now ad-
mirably copied by machinery in both silks and
crewels or rough finished bison cloths, smooth
albatross would and in many canvas-like fab
RIGS. The back grounds for these designs,
which are done in gay colors, are soft shades of
grey, brown. blue, old red, the various ecru
tints, which by the way are new called Suede,
Panama, like the tint of straw braid, and
mushroom" pale, pinkish brown. Other
new fabrics, which the French manufacturers
call grandmother dresses, copy to perfection
in the weaving the stitches of quilting in the
old fashioned quilted skirts. A small flower.
leaf, star or dot is printed all over this mate
rial, which is to be used as full round skirt
for any costume that has basque and quantity
arranged full draperies of plain color. Many
people do not care for figured goods, and for
such there are always the plain fine cashmeres,
which are always lsdy-like and suitable for
wool costumes. These come this spring in the
light shades of Suede, and blue, also in cream
white-these for summer dresses and for even
ing Among other fabrics is the mousseline
wool, which is none other than fine quality
of the old fashioned all wool naousseIsne de
toSne. The goats hair cloth that was SO fash
10 =.
name of tulle de cheae; this is good fabric
that wears we'll and does not wrinkle or
cookie. Crepe bison is crinkled wool of the
toughest surface, and is almost transparent it
is so thin. Ottoman effects are brought into
albatross cloths that are of the lightest quality
not being heavier than bunting or yelling, yet
woven with threads across that give the ribbed
effect. just in contrast to these are the fl-d-fl
woods, which have alternating threads of two
colors or of different thicknesses running
lengthwise of the fabric. The newest checked
woods have larger blocks of solid color woven
in them at intervals, and there are Jtil-a.M pat
terms that are given character by inch-wide
blocks of some dark hue raised above the sur
face. A great variety of striped woolens is
shown arranged for pleated skirts to show q
light tint folded under broad dark stripe on
top of the pleat. The blue greys seem to pre-
vail in these striped stuffs, and also in the
checks, blocks and plaids that are shown in
fine wool stuffs. Cheviots are still in favor, es-
pecially for dresses for common wear in early
spring. and they come in all the checked and
striped designs, and in the Venetian mixtures
that have no set pattern. Jersey albatross is a
sheer wool bunting woven in elastic webbing,
like the Jersey cloths. Pretty figured woods
having floral designs on a pale tinted ground,
are strongly suggestive of the challs de laiaes
that used to be worn; they are very pretty aud
delicate, and will be used for entire costumes.
THE HERB BED
1t is wonder to me that every housewife
who is mistress of home that has ever such
little bit of ground about it, does not take pos
session of one corner of it for an herb bed. 1t
is much better, when one can, to raise her own
herbs and have them fresh and choice every
year, than to buy the dry, dusty stuff that is
ground up stems and all, put into boxes and
sold. The herb ped is perpetual delight,
with its pungent, balmy odorS, and it needs
so little care. 1t is only in modern times that
the growing of herbs in the family garden has
been neglected, Who doesn't remember the
old fashioned garden, with its rows of sage, its
bed OF thyme, or savory, of sweet marjoram,
basil, dill, bay and rue; and beside these the