Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-25

The washing of lace is an art. Large
pieces, such as curtains and bed-spreads
must be shaken thoroughly free from
dust, wet in tepid water and rubbed with
mild white soap. Next, says the New
York Tribune, put them in clean wooden
or earthen vessel, cover with soft water
about lukewarm, aud set all day in the
sunshine. Take them out next day and
wash through clean suds. Do not rub or
wiring them, but lave up and down. Be
sure you have plenty of water, espec-
tally for rinsing. IT a trace of soap re-
mains it will rot the fabric. After rims
ing hang them smooth on the line to
drain. Wringing makes creases, besides
lnjuring the mesh. When three parts
dry fold Hat and rub into them with the
hand, thin starch reinforced with gum
water. Gum-arabic is best. Put aquart
of boiling water to the ounce stir till dis
solved, let stand till cold, and pour off
the clear fluid from the sediment. Mix
it with twice its own bulk of starch, in
which there Is neither sugar, wax nor
spermaoeti.
After rubbing in, roll up smooth for
three hours, then spread clean sheet on
the carpet and pin the lace upon it, TAX
ing care to stretch it exactly square, and
to put pin in the point of each scallop.
For ecru lace color the starch with hay
tea, made by sleeping three pounds of
best timothy in gallon of boiling water.
Use the tea instead of water to make the
starch.
Soap and sunshine will clean lace of
any sort without wear. If it is very
dirty it may need two days soaking.
Wash, rinse. and lay out smooth upon a
board covered with a clean sheet. When
about half dry, pull and clap between.
the hands until the mesh is clear, and
pin out on the board to dry. If you like
it yellow, dip it in clear, cold coffee be-
fore clapplng it. To starch or iron lace
for personal wear is textile proclamation.
Clean very fine lace with benzine. II
1t is old and crazy, pin II smooth on
fiannel-covered board, saturate it with
benzine and then press it out with soft
napkin. Put made-up laces-collars,
handkerchiefs, caps and so on-into glass
or earthenware, and pour benzine over
them with liberal hand. Whirl them
rapidly about in it, squeeze gently, drop
into a clean vessel, and pour on fresh
fluid. 1t will remove every particle of
dirt without in any way altering the yell
low antique hue or shrinking the mesh
as water will do, no matter how care
fully applied. Point lace is never washed
betwixr maker and wearer. If it gets
soiled in working, white lead in powder
is put on to whiten 1t. Gas, sea, air,
soap, or a dozen other things may make
the lead turn dark and ruin a costly bit
of cob web in which its owner takes a
delight. Benzine will remove it without
harm. After the lace comes out of it,
pin it as smoothly as possible upon a
linen-covered board, and put it in the
sunshine for six hours.
II you wish to whiten it let dew fall
on it and be dried away by the sun for a
week or SO. II pressed for time the
bleaching may be accomplished in a day i,
by wetting the cloth with weak soapsuds
every two hours and pinning the lace
over it. II you are careful to draw it
tight, it will hardly show that it has been
damaged, If you are not, the meshes
will contract perceptibly. 1t is some
thing to be handled dsintily from first to
last. In wearing never pull or drag it
roughly into place; sew it only with fine
thread and needles; above all pin it with
small, sharp pin, If pin it you must.
Crushed fowerstalks often leave ugly
stains, well-nigh indelible, wherefore,
beware how you rub them against your
lace. 1t is a royal fabric when well worn.
well used. It should not be abused even
in our ''fierce democracy.