Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-11-26
CLEANING IAcES,

SIGfAtNb1N1 AASESs
A European Trade Understood by But
Few Americans.
A fashionable dress maker leaned over
workable which was covered and
piled up with yards upon yards of cream
| colored lace that had cost a deal of
| money.
'-Just look at it." she said. as she took
q length in her hand. ''It has been abb
solutely ruined by the cleaner, and it
was bought in Paris only year ago. 1t
| is another illustration of the fact that
many of the persons who have money to
expend lavishly are destitute of the
knowledge of taking care of the things
| they buy with it. This lace belongs on
one of those elegant house-robes called
matinee gowns, which are so popular
with dressy young matrons for demi-
toilets. The long, square train was
trimmed with full plaits of it, and it was
massed on every available inch all over
the gown. 1t was dress designed to
be worn only in the privacy of the home
circle. 1t belongs to very elegant
young matron, | can assure you, but
when this expensive lace became soiled
she knew no other way of having it
freshened than to intrust it to the pro-
fessional lace-cleaner. That is all very
well if you are sure that the cleaner
thoroughly understands the delicate
business of cleansing such fine fabrics
and is to be relied upon.
There are very few lace-cleaners in
the West, or in this country, in fact,
whom would trust to do such work.
The work can be better accomplished at
al Nd
repairing of lace was considered part of
the education of the young women of
highest rank in Europe. We are told
that the Princess of Wales and her sis
ter were skilled i'm and accustomed to
doing up their own laces and muslins.
The genuine lace-cleaner learns her
trade by long apprenticeship and the
closest application. 1t is profession
confined almost entirely to continental
Europe, and the few really learned in it
who locate in America guard the secrets
of their craft most jealousy. The best
lace cleaner and repairer / have ever
known in Chicago was French woman
who died three or four years ago. She
commanded a large patronage, and had
the business of all the great retail shops.
Her income from her business was three
or four hundred dollars a month. She
employed several girls, but was too
shrewd to teach any of them enough of
her trade to enable any of them to carry
it on alone. One of them, however, a
little Bohemian lass, was keener-witted
even than her mistress, and watched her
so closely that on her death she was able
to undertake the same work. Her youth
and inexperience in business alone pre-
vents her from securing as extensive
patronage, for she is quite as skillful as
the woman from whom she purloined
the most important portion of her knowl-
edge"
..How can fine lace be successfully
renovated without sending it to pro-
fessional cleaner" inquired the lis
tener.
Either wind it around bottles or sew
it on muslin and boil it in suds made of
soft water and white CASTLE soap, rims
ing wen in soft water when removed
from the suds. If suspicion of stiffen-
ing is desired, dip in a thin solution
made of gum-arabic and water. Press
out between pieces of fine flannel. By
employing this process it will be found
that the finest varieties of lace in use will
look better than they do when they come
from any hands but those of the most
skillful cleaners. Lace mending can
only be done by those who know how to
pin it on lace cushions and pick up the
broken stitches so that the sharpest eyes
can not discover where the rent existed.
Elegant silks, that with proper
treatment could be made to look almost
as well as new, often receive the last
touches of their destruction when sent
to the cleaner or dyer. The best way
to clean silk or satin gowns is to sep
arate the breadths: but if this seems too
much trouble rip out the sleeves and
take the skirt and draperies out of their
bands and fastenings. Take two earth
enware jars and put half Il gallon of
gasoline in each. You must be
sure that they stand long
way from the fire, and never
medfle with this cOmbustible material
after the sun has set. Soak each part of
the silk in one jar and lay it piece by
piece on the cleaning-board wrong side
up. Clean first one side and then the other
as fast as possible with a securing brush.
Put it again into the same jar. Let the
gasoline run off before rinsing in the
other jar. Lay the silk smoothly or a
Gotten cloth. Hang it up in a hot room
for ten or twelve hours to remove the
odor of the gasoline.
s.Silks or satins must never be brushed
across the width, as that causes them to
become frayed and spoils them for re-
making.
Most silks require little stiffening.
For black goods an excellent sizing is
made of old black kid gloves. Cut up
the gloves in small pieces, put them into
cold water and simmer for two hours in
porcelain-lined pot until the water is
reduced one-half. Strain the liquid
through muslin and use warm, but not
hot. Spread the silk on padded board,
being careful that there are no wrinkles
left, pin down on all sides. and then
sponge it evenly with the sizing. Rub
it twice with the sizing and lay near a
good fire
''Satin should always be roned on the
wrong side after removing from the
frame, to give it brightness. Chicago
NeUs.
A Model Farm.