Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-03-21
Spring wooIlen Goods.

The new wool stufs for spring dresses
revive the styles of our grandmothers
both in their soft faded hues and in the
quaint designs wrought upon them, or
rather woven there, in old-fashioned
sampler stitches. The cross stitches of
tapestries and the beaded work done a
century ago by painstaking needle
women are now admirably copied by
machinery in both silks and crewels on
the rough-fnished bison-cloths, the
smooth albatross woods, and on many
canvas-like fabrics. Small detached
figures are most used for the sunken
cross stitches, while the raised boucle
figures are larger arabesques, birds and
branches of bowers. The backgrounds
for these designs, which are done in CAV
colors, are soft shades of gray, brown.
blue or old red, with the greater num-
Der in the new cru shades, which are
now called; Suede, like the colors so
popular for gloves, Panama like the
tints of straw braids, and chanpionons
the pinkish-browns OF mushrooms
Only part of the dress is made of these
Inquired stuffs, and the preference Is for
confning the figures to the lower skirt.
which is severely plain. and to the vest
which is the only trimming for the
basque; however, there are many yaria.
tons to this rule, and the use of rem.
nan's and short lengths for combination
dresses may still be resorted to. Other
fabrics for what the French manufact-
urerS latel grand mere dresses copy to
perfection IA their weaving the stitches
OF quilting in the quilted skirts that
formed the lower skirts of dresses in
olden times. A small flower or leaf. dots
or stars, may then be printed all through
the quilted design, and this antiquated-
looking fabric will form the full round
skirt OF costume that has basque and
most oddly punched up draperies of a
plain color.
For those who do not like figured
goods there are ottoman albatross woods
of the lightest quality, not heavier than
yelling or bunting, yet woven with
threads across that give repped effects:
just the reverse of these is the fl-G.m
woods with alternating threads of two
colOrs or of different thicknesses length
wise in the fabric. Both these male
rails, as well as the summer bison
cloths, are of light weight, and are al
most as transparent rs muslin. A great
many striped goods are shown both in
wide stripes of solid hue and in others
that have the .fl-a-m stripes in quantity
contrasted colors, or in two tones of a
single shade. The blue-grays seem to
prevail in these striped stuffs, and also
in the checks, blocks and plaids that are
shown in fine woods; otherwise the pref
erence is for the new ecru tints that al
ways find favor in the spring. Cheviots
come in all the striped and checked de-
signs, and in the illuminated and Vene-
tian mixtures of color that have no set
pattern. What is called Jersey albatross
is sheer wool bunting woven in elastic
webbing like Jersey cloths. New plaids
for children's dresses have their bars
crossing in squares that are woven in
Greek key patterns, and these show odd
contrasts of color, such as Suede with
shrimp pink, or gray with reseda, gray
with Suede, or porcelain blue with buff.
Cashmeres are more largely imported
than at any previous season, and in ex-
quisitely fine. soft and light qualities.
Three colOrs most seen in these are
Suede, sky blue, and cream white,
and the novel way of using them is to
put them under transparent embroider-
les on white net, representing lace, in
the way silks and satins have hitherto
been used. All garish luster is thus
done away in these refined toilettes,
which have the entire skirt covered
with ecru embroidered net, which is
itself made into a skirt of what is called
piece lace, CT else the front and side
breadths oHly are covered with this net
woven to represent many rows of lace.
The designs are similar to those OF
Oriental laces, and much of the pattern
is done in darker ecru threads than the
groundwork of the net. The tapestry
figures and raised velvet blocks noted
on silks and on bison cloths are among
the new fancies for cashmeres; these,
like the lace covered cashmeres, serve
for skirts, while the waist and draperies
are of plain cashmere.
Irish pop..ns, that have found favor
again with English women, are imported
in qualities of medium weight suitable
for demi-season dresses. They will be
used here 10y those who prefer corded
ottoman effects, and are to serve for
the entire dress. with trimmings of vel.
vet. The sober shades of gray and
ecru that prevail at present are very
handsome in those corded fabrics OF
mixed silk and wool; there are also
smoother poplins. resembling pongees.
of substantial thickness that show no
cords. -Harper'S Bdzar.