The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-02-28
Care of Bedding.

The young housewife who when buying
her first house furnishings can afford a lit.
tie additional outlay for slip coverings for
pillows, holsters and mattresses will save
herself much tiresome labor and eventual
~ considerable expense. These slips for
mattresses are the most satisfactory when
made of cheap grade of blue and white
ticking-that which retails for about 10
cents Being light and thin it washes cas-
lily and is still heavy enough to serve the
purpose of keeping the mattress clean.
When making pillows and holsters, 1t is
better to use muslin to contain the feath-
ers, or down, having a good quality of
feather ticking outside, which can easily
be removed and Numbered when soiled
without the necessity of emptyng the
feathers as our mothers and grandmothers
used to do.
remember once calling on young
housekeeper, whom l found on a side
porch gingerly dipping feathers with her
hands out of a pillow tick into a barrel
Her gray flannel dress and pretty bangs
were fluffy with down, and altogether it
seemed that if she had prepared for tn q &C.
casion she could hardly have made matters
worse.
We were old friends, so took the lber-
remaining unopened pillow, asked for
the case that had been on it and needle
and thread. After shaking the feathers
into the end of the tick opposite the end to
be opened ran basting thread all along
about two inches from the latter, ripped
the seam and basted the ripped edges all
around the open end of the pillowcase.
1hen drew out the first basting thread
shook the feathers out of the tick into the
pllloWcase, basted the latter across the
end and cut the stitches which united the
two when the tick was ready for the laun-
dry with scarcely any waste or mussine.
Where slip coverings are not used. this is
the easiest method of preparing pillow
ticks for the wash
When finishing bed comfortables, they
should always have half yard strip of
cheesecloth-the back breadths of worn
gingham dresses of a pretty light shade
would do nicely-basted across the ends to
keep them neat and fresh as long as posi-
BILE. 1t is question whether comfortables
are really cheaper bed covering than
blankets, though | believe that delusion
still exists with most house6eepers, The
latter make the ideal covering for cool
weather, because of lightness and loose
texture, which admits free passage of
of the ease and thoroughness with which
they can he frequently cleansed. OF late
years there has been a white, heavily
fleeced cotton flannel blanket put upon the
market which makes desirable substi-
tute for quilts in summer weather. These
retail at from 80 cents to 81 so pair
They are also to be had in soft shades of
gray, just the thing for schoolboys and
farm help, One defect is their meager di
mansions, In order to remedy this have
sometimes torn one blanket in two and
sewed the two halves on the ends of two
other blankets using the sewing machine
for the work and telling down the rough
edges. OF course the blankets thus pieced
were used crosswise the bed instead of
lengthwise, Hs before
Bedding in constant use should daily be
exposed for several hours to Il current of
fresh air and to the sunlight as often az
possible. Once n week hang on the clothes
line for the day Minneapolis HoGsekeeper.