The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-07
SOME NEEDLEWoRK NOVELTIES.


SOME NEEDLEWORK NOVELTIES.
Fancy Work With Which Industrious
Women Will Amuse Themselves.
The one great feature of all needlework
designs for the season is gold. It may be
applied IN the farm of spangles, it may be
bullion couched on, or used in fine thread,
says Clare Bunce in the Louisville Courier
Journal, but whatever the form, the fact
remains that some gold there must be. So
much I learned, and learned positively,
from the Society pf Decorative Art, than
which we have no higher authority or more
fully to be depended upon.
Absolutely new things are SO few as to
almost cease to exist. The best that the
embroiderer can hope for is fresh design
or a new application of a familiar Idea.
This season gold is predominant, and as
result much brilliant work will be seen.
The favorite designs are all either empire
or rocco. These two seem to divide the
honors, and to have no place for any third.
In everything their influence is apparent.
From the simplest linen doyly to the most
costly satin pillow every object shows the
effect of one or the other, SO that while it
is true that other designs exist, these two
have the honor to rank first.
One of the handsomest pieces that saw
is cushion of heavy cream white satin.
On it is rich design in rocco largely car
red out in gold thread, and with bits OF
the heavier bullion. 1t is really gorgeous.
No written word fully describes the effect,
and it can be taken as a fair example of
what fine work aims to be.
By it's side was simple linen tray cloth.
n~. h 1yol inv
ing shades of olive and green silks. It is
finished with an inch half fringe of the
linen, and the edge is couched with white
cord. Nothing simpler could be devised,
vet, in spite of it's close proximity to splen-
dor, it held it's own place and seemed beau
tiful in its daintiness.
The wreath is the essential characteristic
which makes it and others similar to it
new. The linen and embroidery are old
friends, but this empire design is fresh.
/ am told it is a great favorite, and will
surely last the season through. Certainly
it is in keeping with much of the furnish
ing of the day, at the same time that it is
charming in itself.
The rocco patterns lend themselves Pc
culiarly to the mania for gold, and many
of them are truly superb. These show the
brilliant spangles set in to make a superb
effect. Large pieces of this work are most
exacting, and not often undertaken. so
that one sees hosts of lovely little things
rather than any one or two big pieces.
Among these some charming card cases
and cases for scissors and needles stand
out conspicuously and suggest all sorts of
possibilities for little inexpensive gifts to
friends to travel. They are in book form,
about as big as generous case of leather,
and show satin exquisitely worked in
rocco designs in the inside, with trim
mings of cream white MORE. The card
cases have pockets within the covers, but
the needleworks show an assortment of
needles in small pockets on one cover and
handsomely carved small scissors attached
to the other. Both are wonderfully attrac-
tive and so truly elegant they at once sug-
gest themselves as appropriate gifts to be
offered at the shrine of some dainty woman
friend.
One real novelty, which after all is
varis ton of the rocco idea, is form Of
applied work and consists of flowers cut
from heavy brocade and arranged upon a
foundation of silk. Touches of gold are
seen, and altogether the effect is immense.
Seen in it's completed state it looks most
difficult but after all any woman who is
neat and deft and who has correct eye for
color can do it with success, at least it is
worth the trial, for it makes superb
cushion or scarf, and has the real merit of
being the Every latest net"
bined to make fascinating whole. A
small stand cover that / was shown bore
the mark of some fabulous price, but
while the materials are all expensive, it
might be done with comparatively little
cost. The foundation is silk, in this in
stance deep, rich red. Over it is plain gold
net, and upon the net again is applied
heavy ecru silk lace, the pattern of which
is outlined with gold spangles. The finish
round the edge is gold lace. Altogether
the cover is splendid, and If the gold is all
of the oriental sort it will not tarnish
under any ordinary usage.
Scrim is having revival. The perfectly
plain sort is being made into charming
scarfs and table-covers. Housekeepers
who value wearing quality will undoubt-
eddy be glad of this fact; but, as the new
scrim must show its bit of gold, care must
be taken, or the cover will lose its reputa-
ton for wear. A finished model shown me
is deliberately worked with a conventional
border of white silk. Here and there solid
squares of gold are introduced, and the
brilliant thread adds its richness to all the
design. The finish is linen lace elabor-
ately spangled, and the whole effect is far
more brilliant than one would suppose
scrim could be made to be.
Judging from the care exercised in other
things, it is safe to assert that all this gold
is of the best sort, and that it can so be
cleaned without harm. Real Turkish gold,
it is claimed, will stand laundering. and
the fine imported doylies go to prove the
fact. But it is extremely difficult to OBJ
tain, and unless it can be verified beyond
doubt, it is wiser to pay the price for clean
ing than to risk spelling handsome piece
of work.