Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-31
Glassware and How It Can Be Shown
to Advantage.
DINNER TABLE NOVELTIES.
Heavy Cut Glass Giving Place to That Of
Delicate Texture-The Fleur de Lis In Deco
rative Work Nut and Bonbon spoons
Dainty Embroidered Squares.
Written for The Evening Star.


able to get what one fancies and wishes for,
does not something still to long for give more
Of interest than safety can ever do? For
tunately, perhaps for most Of Us there are
still . number Of things left for us to desire,
and supposing those wishes attained. there
will yet be something equally new and pleasing
to take their place and attract the fancy. Any
woman with taste for and in household affairs
must be fond of pretty glass Cut glass is
most beautiful in all its varied designs, and
one can never have too much of it. 1t is
prettier a. display in the dining room to col
lect IL in one cabinet, or whatever place will be
most suitable, but have it all together. Even a
limited number of pieces are much more
effective in this way than if mixed with China
| or bric-a-brac. OF course the best plan Of all
| to show off the beauties of glass is on q
dinner table, under the lights that bring out
all its sparkling brilliancy. Now that the very
heavy thick cut glass has been popular so long
| a reaction in favor of the more fragile glass
is to be seen, thin and delicate, in exquisite
forms. some Of it being iridescent, with rar
| row gold band on the edge. Other glass has
| engraving like frost work over its surface, and
| q gold band is set little below the rim on the
various pieces. Some Of the wine glasses and
| finger bowls used separately make pretty
| receptacles for flowers as one could find.
BRILLIANT RUSSIAN GLASS.
Russian glass is brilliant with color, as the
American or English glass is with cutting be-
ing enameled in various shades, giving bar
barrie effect. Most Of it is in shapes to be used
more for ornament than on the table, and it is
expensive enough to insure its being sufficiently
uncommon to be interesting. Glasses for
serving Russian tea are somewhat in use in this
country and are thin and set in silver standards.
From France come dainty glasses in pale green
and other colors with feur de lis in gold
powdered over them. Never has the feur de
lis been more used decorative design than
at present. In jewelry, in table linen, in en-
broidery, in leather, in silver, on leather and
kid, everywhere, more or less, the emblem is
| seen, generally in the triple form which, as
symbol OF the Trinity, Clovis l of France bore
the twelfth century it became part of the
French coat Of arms and is a favorite always in
| Q decorative way. In some beautiful en-
broidery have lately seen, done in Turkey
after French designs, this appears on various
fabrics in most beautiful and intricate stitches
raised and made entirely of gold and silver
thread, giving q very rich and beautiful effect
This same symbol is used on ivory-backed
brushes in gold and silver, and a year or two
| ago card cases of delicate kid, with a corner
studded with silver Aeurs de lis, were what
everybody was bringing home from Paris.
| NUT AND BON BON SPOONS.
Another thing that was sure to be among
the souvenirs Of trip abroad last year was Q
nut spoon of German work. often with open
work bowl and also handle, sometimes the
latter being slender and sometimes with an
| almost top-heavy handle. This year finds
| these spoons in the shops here and also bon
bon spoons in the same style. There is little
to be found in Europe nowadays that cannot
be bought right in our own cities and it takes
Intelligent hunting in out-of-the-way places
abroad to find anything that is really unique.
There seems to be O growing tendency to
leave color out Of table decorations excepting
only the green Of ferns. In many instances
blocks of ice hold ferns or palms, and with the
quantity Of cut glass used, the lights being
crystal lamps or silver candelabra with white
tapers and shades, the effect is decidedly cool
and refreshing have heard Of fountain for
| q center piece, where scented water played,
and cut glass globes with tiny sprays of rose
water taking the place Of finger bowls. This all
sounds fairy-ike, but is quite mechanical and
each was wound up for the occasion. This
would make q suitable accompaniment to the
ice and crystal dinner table.
DINNER TABLE NOVELTIES
One Of the minor novelties this season for
dinners and luncheons is having bags of bro
caded silk filled with flowers and set about the
table. Here again an explanation is required
as to modus operandi. The real holders Of the
flowers are tin forms or vases, set inside the
bags, and blossoms are chosen which will droop
gracefully over the edge Of the bag, which Is
shirred with full rufled heading and drawn
up on cords after the usual manner of bags.
Among the most accommodating center
pieces for dinner tables are the squares of fine
white linen with border Of Turkish work, done
in silks or gold thread or both combined, and
with border Of silk in something like a GRO
cheted edge with tiny spangles caught in with
the threads. In all white, white and gold and
gold colored silk and gold, these are lovely and
80, the price asked for them, is not at all high.
The work is exquisite, threads being drawn and
fha Ika fnta 81
While lamp shades of gathered and futed
silk and lace are still used let us reye in them
for by the time every one is supplied with these
pretty affairs there will be reaction and sud-
denly they will be OF all things undesirable and
passe. There vas never a prettier fashion,
however, than to adorn lamps with these big,
dainty parasol affairs, which soften the light 80
attractively and make such luminous bits Of
color in room. For the powerful light Of a
Rochester burner, for instance, O frame is
needed that spreads from the lamp chimney at
tie top. so that plenty of air can circulate to
prevent the shade from scorching. The newest
thing in lamps is q silver one. urn shaped,
with three burners, which project from this
urn, and has each its own little chimney, while
one large shade covers all.
WALL pnAPERIEs.
We see It predicted that in another year wall
draperies will be nearly as cheap as wall
papers, Hangings of textile fabric are very
attractive in some rooms, either Of damask
finish or Of chintz, in small pretty designs.
These are among the inexpensive materials and
can be made most effective with proper treat
ment. When q whole wall hanging may not be
liked the curtain dado, which is 80 popular in
England, might be tried. Its name explains it,
the method Of attaching it to the wall being
| either with rings openly to the dado rod or
with small rings which are concealed by a rod
which has groove at the back, giving a space
for the small rings which are hung on tacks in
the wall. Such q curtain is generally arranged
| SO as to be easily detached in order to shake it
once in q while. for it is dust collector and
must not be left too long with such accumula-
tons in its graceful folds.
LOUIS XVI DESIGNS.
The decorative designs of the time of Louis
XVI are seen wherever any decoration exists
at all. OF course the dinner table must not be
left out in this popular ornamentation. A
pretty scheme for dinner would be to have in
the center Of the table a crystal lamp, with
| rose-colered shade, tall enough, Of course, not
to interfere with seeing across the table. Small
lamps or candles, with rose-colored shades,
| should supplement the center lamp in the
lighting. Bouquets Of pink roses made in fan