Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-08

sILK AS CHAIR BAcKs-rHE POPULAR sAcHETs
AND HOW To MAKE THEM.
n HE things that were rare Injuries
~ to our grandparents, maybe, are
ciassed almost as necessities now,
~ while those ancestors of ours with
their simple tastes would be amazed at the
| paraphernalia of everyday life in this year
| OF 1890. All our surroundings are evidences OF
the prevailing love of luxury. Good taste will
achieve with small means such admirable effects
as TO imply large outlay Of money. Good taste
ana money combined can accomplish every
| 'ninS that is necessary to make an interior
charming and attractive.
India silk is one of the inexhaustible resources
OF modern housefurnishing. The ways in which
10 use 1t and the different articles for whose
ornamentation it can be made available are all
but endless.
| PRETTY ROOM
has been concocted in one of the small WASH
ington houses which just suit the needs of
young married people in which India silk
plays prominent part The room in question
| Is bed room and the prevailing color n dull
| light blue. Around the four sides of the room
| the ceiling and side walls are connected by
quite deep cove. The ceiling and cove are
colored blue, and from the picture rail at the
lower edge of the cove a pattern in silver is
traced, which is mewhat pyramidal in form.
The long, slender points of the design
run beyond the cove up onto the
ceiling for little distance giving the frieze
an arched appearance. which is very graceful.
Just below the picture rail u small brass rod
| runs all around the ROOM and just above the
banboard is another. Shirred full onto the
| two rods is
INDIA SILK
OF plain blue, tone deeper than the frieze.
This gives a charming finish to the walls and
the color is an excellent background to the few
water colors in white frames which are hung
| upon it. The picture rail is painted the blue of
| the frieze. As am only suggesting new uses
| for India silk will not 60 into the other fur
nishings of the room.
SILK FOR CHAIR BACKS
Twice lately pretty arrangements Of silk as
chair backs have attracted my notice. The
| first chair was a high-backed oak rocking chair
with straight rods up and down. against which
| ones shoulder blades are apt TO feel uncom-
| fortably prominent To soften this effect
| cushion covered with silk had been provided.
This was thin oblong affair. which was hung
over the back like the useful double pillows.
| and WAS fastened to the chair with two large
| bows on each side rather lower down than they
are usually put 1t was only slightly different
| from other cushions of ease, but had little
was something like this in effect. only the pro-
portion of chair to pillow was reversed. This
was III Charming little guest room of
charming little house and looked
just intended for some dainty girl Wis
itor to make herself comfortable in This
chair a small rocking chair of oak Also and
the cushion was of pale green India silk with
pretty design all over il. The shape was long
and narrow and it was lightly wadded. This
sachet, as it looked, was put on the back. reach
| FRO, H.
over on to the back side of the chair, where it
was made fast to the wood work 1t was little
wider than the chair, SO when i. was brought
within bounds there were a few soft folds ND
! and down, which gave it look of more ease
and res.fulness than If it had been put plainly
over the chair.
sACHETS FOR BUREAU DRAWERS.
One of the small luxuries Of the day and one
for which the soft silks are much used are the
large sachets to be put in every drawer of the
bureau, chiffonier or dressing table. This is
such pretty fancy that it has become very
popular. and set of such sachets makes a
most welcome gift for any friend. India silk is
perhaps more used for these than any other
material. but other things can be used that are
also very good in effect. As there are more
people in this world to whom economy is an
object than 10 whom it is not will suggest
that fer constant use the batistes that come in
India silk designs will make as pretty sachets
and the identical patterns are to be found in
the two fabrics, while there is no comparison
as to price. The simplest way of making them
is the best A thin layer OF cotton batting
is well sprinkled with sachet powder, the lining
caught to this and the top brought over the
edges and hemmed to the lining. This is a
quick and easy manner of making them up.
Little bows of ribbon, or full little rosettes of
the heavy flax thread which is so silky in its
appearance, are lacked on at intervals. A set
at ei.asC haa Il.
batiste with white dogwood blossoms in the
natural size. They are as pretty and attractive
as can be, and the expense was a mere tribe, as
well as the labor expended upon them.
sURAH AND OTHER SOFT SILKS.
Surah is one of the silk materials that has
long been a favorite and still holds its own.
Small aprons of surah and other soft silks are
so enticing in their looks that stout figures at
once sigh for slim waists so as to array them
selves becomingly In such pretty accessory to
a simple toilet. One OF these little aprons can
be made OF black surah, with deep hem at the
bottom and narrower one at the sides. feather
stitched with terra Gotta silk. A fall of black
lace makes graceful finish az the bottom and
at the top the apron is shirred onto a narrow
pointed yoke, also feather-stitched. Another
of these housewifely accouterments is of bright
yellow India silk. plain in color. 1t is shirred
at the waist with watered ribbon of the same
color run through the shirriIg and is hem
this being its only ornamentation.
USEFUL PORTFOLIO.
Among the things that are pretty in them
selves and worth keeping are the illustrations
of papers and magazines nowadays. Especially
is this true Of the prints of celebrated pictures
and reproductions of old portraits and minia-
lures. which are especially interesting. The
trouble is that these pictures accumulate so fast
that they become troublesome after little
unless some suitable place to keep them is pro-
vided. Quite a capacious portfolio and one
that would be an ornament in a room might be
made from the music portfolios, to be bought
at music stores. The covering might be made
quite elaborate if one wishes and little hand
some material or good painting or embroidery
could not be better placed for display The
rounding back should be covered with plush
smoothly pasted Oh. For the front cover
hand of embroidery might be worked on the
silk canvas OF white or ecru. Either natural or
conventional flowers would look WELL and some
close work would give it an air of elaborateness
quite becoming. Plush is perhaps the best
material with which to cover the rest of the
space after the embroidered band is applied
This can be pasted or glued and the plush fast
ened on IN the same way. One of the tinsel
galoons would look well pasted over the Joined
edges of the plush and canvas. The band can
be applied perpendicularly or horizontally, as
one fancies. The outer edges should be brought
over on the inside of the cover and plain mate
rial-silk or arts atin-pasted on to another thin