The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-29
Favorite Styles for Dinners
and Luncheons.

If white is for brides, it is also the
most fashionable decoration for dining
tables. and all the lovers of fancy
work who not long since were covering
yards Of linen with colored floss and
flo silk, are now giving their energy
to the perfection of Swiss embroidery.
Plain white linen, embroidered only
in white, is the character of all the best
new tea cloths and centre pieces,
though white lace has not lost one whit
OF It's popularity. From the inexpen-
sive renaissance to the most exquisite
duchess and rose point, dinner tables
are resplendent and some of the point
lace centre pieces are splendid enough
to serve as the bridal handkerchiefs for
! royal princesses. They are rather
small. and the lace is set fiat on a
round or scalloped centre of finest
French batiste that is embroidered in
| a wreath of white flowers.
In consequence of this lavish use of
lace, nearly all the most formal din
ners of the past spring, and of the
present autumn, have been served on
bare boards. The lace centre piece.
accompanied by plate, decanter and
eandelabra doilies, is laid on the bril-
Hantly polished, naked mahogany, or
dull black oak, in order to achieve the
best effect and show Just how beauti-
Is followed where the board is orna-
mented with set of Mexican drawn
work, and though the rule is all for
white. some women gid refined gold
by embroidering. in colored floss. SPRAYS
ana bouquets, both on the renaissance
lace and on drawn work The conse-
quence is brilliant, certainly. but
scarceIy so refined in appearance as the
pure White.
Luncheons suppers and midday
breakfasts are now so generally served
on the boards, with doilies ONLY that
the handsomest damask table cloths
are looking for Jobs on bargain counters
ana the smarTest little breakfast cloth
one can use. informally and en- famiIle
- d large square OF hemstitched linen
mat Is demaslIed all over. but not in
hgures. and then richly wrought in
Whlte Swiss embroidery.
Treal attention is given to the de-
sisns done in this new needleWorlx
Would require too much space to
describe the Jacobean, Egyptian and
Iaenrl DeuX patterns that are slammed
% THESE squares for working, and that
ehi5il3te from able artists in London
and Paris. Quite as highly estean9 1e "a
as the beautiful Mexican drawn Tlnrlt
= lnat which comes from Russia. #
Is different from the Mexican heinz
zone on ke2Vy home woven linen i1
me natural or half-bleached tints of the
from Russia is brought over also tbe
T TIlnsose tQasotten art Of doing cut work
ne pdetefhS on the handspun linen
SQUARES are first embroidered and then
cut our until the finished piece resem-
pies sort of superb lace. With ali
these articles the owners initials are
worked IN one corner of the narrow
mem, says the Philadelphia INQUIRER
women who find pleasure in intro
uuClllg novelties in the arrangement of
snelr olllnef tables are using Candida
vases. -0i III VI
A tall or short, crystal or silver vase.
with rather wide lip and slender
stem, is SO arranged that when filed
Win flowers candle can be fixed in
the midst Of the blooms while a mosf
unique and more expensive decoration
Is an Illuminated ice castle Caterers
freeze these in any form desired and
some are most exquisite miniatures of
Ghantilly, Warwick, the Wartburg. or
6ohenschwangan in Bavaria. In clear
or pale tinted ice the castle is frozen
ana all its towers or1iamented with
small candles Not only is the castle
an ODD and pretty ornament, but it
keeps the room at a very pleasant
temperature. in spite of candle heat
ana the presence Of many guests.
Among the lesser items of interest at
the dinner tables this autumn are name
cards at every cover in the form of
tiny slips Of very thin glass. The
edges are beveled and the names are
j engraved on or laid on in gilt. Souve-
Mrs and menu cards are Just as much
ignored as ever, and it is no longer
considered in good taste to lay bou-
nueIs aud hnntnnninros 1879 =