The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-03-30
Fine TABLE LINEN.
Something Which all House
keepers Take Pride
in Possessing.
GERMAN WOMEN AND THEIR EABa0D-R ".
How They Accomplish So Much
Practical Hints for Home
workers.
GERMAN WOMEN AND THEIR EMBROIDERY

(Sfecidlly ~acritten for the JERSEY City Ne,cs.)
In no department of the household does
the good housekeeper take more pride
than in the linen closet, Have you ever
had a German bride show you her outfit?
She will go through all the tinery, the
gowns, the bonnets, the shoes and stock
ings in the somewhat phlegmatic manner
attributed to haus fraus of her nation, but
when you come to the linen department.,
the blue eyes show unusual interest. She
Will explain that her friend Lizbeth
worked these pillow shams for her, that
Els embroidered those doilies aud that
'Tanta Mila." her godmother. had sent all
those splendid table covers from Germany.
The young bride felt that these gifts the
handiwork of dear friends. called forth,
whenever she saw them, remembrances
dear to both. They testified to the hours
OF work these friends had devoted to
~beautify her home. There could be no
feeling of Il wonder what this or that
cost?" with such gifts. Surely these
offerings mean much more than the dup
llcate silver articles with which most
brides find themselves sur
rounded, and which they are Informed
can be easily exchanged. OF course they
cam. but at the expense of sacrificing the
donors part in the gift IL merely letting
him or her pay for it. After a while it
seems to me 1t might be difficult to guess
which came from whom.
A PRECIOUS GIFT.
Linen IS seldom th0ugh OF by those
about to give wedding gifts, and yet it
makes a most welcome addition to the
household. There never can be too much
of it. and there is no danger of it ever
bainn ua1 r. koanu n,,t 1 p xuorlroI
by the giver would be too precious to
give away.
Why is 1t, one hears it said, that
do not include linen in their
list of wedding gifts? Why do not Ameri-
cans ambroider more? The answer might
be that the American girl is too progress
sive-that her time is too precious to
spend it on an art which steals so much
and shows so little in return.
American girls, as a rule, cannot do the
~things-talk and sew at the same
time. One must be sacrificed, so the sew
ing goes. You didn't suppose the talking
was to stop, surely?
/ remember how uncomfortable I was
made to feel several years ago at a gather
ing of ideal German wornen II regular
Kaffee Klatch. There were gathered to-
gether some ten or twelve chattering. we'll
they almost rivaled American women |
admit. But they worked! How their
fingers flew! Mine were empty, and felt
so large and awkward as the gaze of each
one in that room rested upon them. Had
l brought no work? How strangel So
you see it is no wonder that German
women accomplish SO much in the en-
broidery line. They take their work
everywhere, it has been said even to the
opera in Germany. | have seen a bologna
sausage brought out at the German opera
in New York, but as yet no embroidery.
or late, in spite of the fact thai German
and Jewish girls excel American ones in
embroidering. the latter have favored the
to some extent. Fashion has decreed
there be afternoon teas. Fancy
and tray clothes and centre clothes
were needed. and the American girl has
tened to SUI ply them. SO she went to work,
aud now, besides having her favorite
flower painted apon each piece of china,
has 1t worked on the tea cloth. Daft
fodils and daisies and forget, me-nots are
produced according to the embroiderer's
fancy.
PRETTY FANCIEs.
The modish bow knot, with its waving
ends crossing and recrossing each other
in the centre of the cloth. with wider rib
for a border, makes a neat pattern for
q handsome dinner cloth. The most de-
sirable Inner cloths have double bor-
tlers. One OF them lies upon the surface.
the other droops over the sides as in the
usual cloth. A cloth of this kind. OF
double satin damask. has single chrys-
anthemums scattered over the BODY of
The cloth, enclosed by IL border of the
cloth, enclosed by a border of the flowers
with buds and foliage. III the wide Dor
der that finishes the cloth, the chrysan-
themum sprays rise from the edge. as If
growing.
But the daintiest things in table linen
are the centre cloths edged about with
cut work half a yard deep, fine steer dow
lies wrought with spider webs and violets
aud clover blossoms in white SILK or wash
gold; rich damssk cloths. the patterns
in gold thread and cheese and
fruit napkins, all in shining white, with
delicate desi Jus of leaf and flower,