Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-03-18
FASHIONS IN FURNISHINGS.
Some Novel UpholsterinE Materials and
Decorative Fancios.


some Novel Upholsterinx Materials aad
Decorative Fancies.
To furnish q house artistically re-
quires a vast amount of care and judg-
ment at the present day, for notwith-
standing there has never been as large
and varied an assortment of materials
shown, yet the very fact of the great
variety is bewildering and unless care
be taken the undertaking proves a fail
ure. In selecting upholstering goods
the possibilities of rugs or carpets,
paint and paper must be considered
and either cOlors that will contrast well
or else accord with these selected.
Heavy Oriental fabrics richly worked
with gold thread and brilliant colors
are effective for individual pieces of
furniture, but are too heavy-loOking
for an entire suite. With these can be
introduced chairs and low-dOwn
couches covered with solid-colored silk
plush. A pretty combination is shown
in a low, broad sofa with upholstered
back, but no sides, covered in wine
color and gold, rich, striped material,
front. Two very Odd-looking corner
chairs, with gilt frames, have their
seats covered with wine-colored plush;
another chair, with ebony frame, has a
covering of gold color, while another
is upholstered with rich raw silk ma
terial, having palm leaves of all colors
upon golden ground.
Raw silk fabrics, unless of very
superior quality, are not durable; the
colors easily fade and cause the whole
to look defaced after very little wear.
Silk plush makes handsome covering.
whether plain or brocaded: the latter
is the most serviceable, as the pile does
not become as easily flattened down.
Most gorgeous are the silk damasks,
brocaded with velvet in contrasting
colors. For real hard wear and serv-
ice nothing can be chosen to last as
well as wool plush. The pile does not
tlatten and when selected of dark
maroon or garnet shade will contrast
well with almost any surroundings.
House linen forms in this age of
changes very important item of fur
nishing. Sheets are finished with 4
deep hem, with open stitch, the mono
gram or initials being placed below the
hem in the center of the sheet. They
are edged with Torchon lace or en-
broidered trimming, the bolster and
night pillOw-cases being made and
trimmed to correspond. All house
linen should be embroidered with the
initials of both husband and wife. Col
orcd blankets, in pale blue, rose, cher
nv or scarlet, are used according to the
color of the room in which they are
placed. They have delicate flower
borders in white and are marked to
correspond with the linen with silks of
the same shades. The fashionable
manner of dressing a bed for daytime
is not to have any thing white seen.
The spread is either made of satin con-
trasting with the furnishing and ele-
gantly embroidered, or else of furni-
ture covering or cretonne. This en-
tirely covers over the bolster and pill
ows-a fashion not generally attract
i've, fer certainly nothing can be more
exquisitely beautiful than delicate white
lace and embroidered draperies.
ColOred embroidery is not now used
upon table linen, with the exception of
five o'clock tea clothes. which are still
decorated with colored embroidery,
lace and fancy stitches and drawn
work. For general wear the finest dam
ask is used, with the monogram of
the owners embroidered upon the
cloths and napkins. A revival of the
old custom is to have the dessert placed |
on the table after the white cloth has
been removed. The dessert table
cloth is now of embossed velvet or
plush. Each plate, however. is placed
on a little white doyly, like for after
noon tea. Unlike the introduction of
the Russian service at table, dessert |
used always to be laid on the table
after the white cloth was removed. |
Then came the fashion of decorating
the dinner-table with fruit and flowers |
and dessert was handed around with |
out removing the white damask. We |
are now returning to the old fashion of |
removing the cloth and substituting it |
by another Will this revival meet |
with general favor? That can not yet
be decided.-Philadelphia Times.