The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-14
HOME MADEPRESENTS
New Ideas Furnished by the
Wives of Statesmen.
HOW TO MAKE sAcHET BAGS
A Christmas CoverIet OF Blue Jeans
Recipes by Mrs. Davis, Mrs.
sherman and others.

mas A score and more of the senators
have their families here, and there are
perhaps two thousand little ones whose
fathers are connected with the government,
who dream every night of Santa Claus. A
great many presents are given in Wash
ington among friends during the holidays,
and one of the leading subjects of discus
sion today is Christmas presents and how
to make them. Mrs. President Harrison
believes in the celebration of Christmas.
She gives great many presents
and she tells me that the most OF her
gifts were in the past homemade.
She gave away great many of her paint
ings as Christmas gifts, and she tells me
that she would like to paint today for
Christmas, but that her public duties COM
pel her to purchase such presents as she
gives away. She has large circle of PEN
sioners, to whom she always presents arti-
cles of food and wearing on Christmas, and
she saws that she takes great pleasure in
doing so. She does not believe in expen-
sive gifts among friends, and she thinks
that presents made with ones own hands
convey q greater compliment and form
better token of friendship than any other
kind.
MRS. SENATOR SHERMAN.
/ find that many of the noted ladies of
Washington deprecate the growing Gus
tom of promiscuous giving on Christmas.
| asked Mrs. Senator Sherman for her
opinion on the subject. She said:
81 think that Christmas presents should
be confined to relatives and personal
friends, with of course the privilege of ex-
tending the remembrance to others whom
we may choose to compliment. But as to
making indiscriminate gifts, it ought to be
discouraged. To friends at distance
little memento of the day, in the shape
of small card, is always acceptable, and
any little homemade article, either for
practical use or ornament, is much more
valued from the fact that the recip-
lent knows we have taken pains and
thought for him in making it. Certainly
there is no pleasure in the receipt of gift
{ which conveys an obligation, and thus
makes one feel that she has incurred a. debt
in getting it, / don't like indiscriminate
giving Almost any one can make some
thing of one kind or another that in the
motive induced by the effort will awaken a
responsive chord in the breast of the re-
cipient and ] seldom if ever make Christ
mas presents unless prompted by affection
or the desire to give proof of esteem. A
gift beyond ones MEANS" Mrs. Sherman
went on, should always be avoided, as it
is never appreciated, and places the re-
ceiver in a position of embarrassment.
There is no need of 1t. So many dainty
little gifts can be bought for tribe nova
days that the purse need not be very large
to meet the requirements of the season."
MRS. SENATOR DAVIS sAcHEr BAGS.
called upon Mrs. Senator Davis to learn
her views in regard to the making and
giving of Christmas gifts, and was rewarded
by sight of variety of dainty articles
prepared by her own hands. She was
busily engaged in the work of putting her
house in order for the winter, but she
showed me many pretty and original pieces
of fancy work, carefully folded away for
the adornment of her house. I spoke of
these as being fine specimens of Christmas
work, and Mrs. Davis said:
~ always make the larger number of
Christmas presents, as / know from per-
sonal experience how much more pleasure
gift conveys that has been made by a
friend, and" as she picked up sachet bag,
sin my opinion there can be nothing more
appropriate to send a friend than these
simple little bows of satin ribbon, which
conceal beneath its tie a fragrant sachet
of violet powder or other sweet scent.
These you can easily send through the
mail and they make pretty ornament for
the back of chair when pinned at be-
coming angle one side. Then, you know,
as am very fond of oil painting, and as 1
possess some degree of original talent I
often occupy my leisure hours in sketching
flowers or other designs upon boiling
cloth, which / form into sachet bags
for the handkerchief drawer. The sugges-
ton OF sweet odors at the holy feast of
Christmas transports one in imagination
back to the hrst Christmas morn, when the
wise men laid their tribute of frankincense
and myrrh at the feet of the Christ child.
One OF my favorite ways of remembering
the occasion is by Christmas letters. and if
you Will accompany me up stairs [ will
show you what mean" Upon this we
went to the second hoor. Reaching her
chamber we found the maid was engaged
III sheeting her bed in its sable coverings
of black China silk, and piilow-cases re-
lieved by richly-embroidered letters of
yellow floss in the center of each case.
over the sheets was thrown warm
comfort of silk, in the same somber hue.
tutted in yellow These, Mrs. Davis saws.
she prefers for use during the winter,
varied by white silk in summer, for each
season having gowns of corresponding
shades. ornamented with dainty bows of
bright ribbon. This fact, believe, has al
ready been gwen 10 the public and caused
quite fiutter of interest among the fair
sex generally. My hostess also explained
that she wore black silk underwear from
preference, and found that the absence of
flannel did not affect her health. Return
ing TO the subject of the Christmas letters.
they are simply extra large sized sheets of
letter paper IN the varied tints of grey and
stone blue On the upper left hand corner
of each Is raised clover leaf in white and
the writing is in white ink, which pro-
duces q striking effect. As Mrs. Davis
showed me them, she said
Il generally make I'M an aopronr;ata
blank verse or few lines expressing best
WISHES Tor the season, and one can treasure
them for years. Small homemade gifts
Ike these convey no feeling of obligation
and think the habit of promiscuous Civ
ing OF expensive articles has become almost
burden, and takes largely from the orig
maj significance of the gift
ONE OF MRS. ArroRNKY-GENERAL MILLER's
CHRISTMAS GIFTS
One of the daintiest pieces of home man.
ufacture have seen lately is a sofa cush-
ion made by Mrs. Miller. wife of the attor-
ney general. Ii is of blue jeans en-
hroidered with asteroids in white
linen floss. Around the edge is
sewn twisted cord of white
and gold formed of the floss. The great
beauty Of this simple but effective combin-
at pleasure, and II can be washed without
injury. Another piece Of Mrs. Miller's
Christmas handiwork is 3 coverlet or short
comfort Of this same blue leans which
though inexpensive, Is very artistic. Take
q square of the jeans somewhat larger
than the desired size TO lay across the
center of the coverlet. select the wrong or
lighter side of the material, and turn UP
broad border all around and fasten down
i ~ u In.