Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-11

fg ure where mere mllllOndlreS can aspire
to have them.
Underwear Sales Now.
Then the narrowing linens are withdrawn
and muslin underwear comes upon the
scene. In some large shops which emulate
the tactics of the yellow journals these
sales are extensively advertised as great
white sales Aisle after ais,e and room
after room are lined with muslns and lin
ems at prices which make home sewing
seem waste of time. Many of these shops
profess to pay living wages for the making
of these garments. and a few of them
actually on the good book of the Consum-
ers League, an organization of philan-
thropic women who are doing much for la
boring women.
This year the Improvement in ready
made garments is especially noticeable. Not
only are they made to look well when one
first sees them, but they are constructed
of materials which will wear and trimmed
with embroidery of a fair quality, instead
of lace of a fiimsy texture. But, of course,
no garment bought ready to wear is as
durable as those made at home, and if
there is such woman now as with
leisure to Sew she will find that money
will be saved and much time and temper
also when she has to intrust her laundry
work to indifferent and destructible laun-
dresses
HandwOrk Rates Highest.
In France, where both the sewing ma
CiilIIt anu y Dt"iltei are COISIutItu 10
be lower on the polite scale than hand sew
ing and hand writing, no woman would
think of having dainty lingerie made on
the sewing machine, for she knows the
merciless needle of the sewing machine
makes thin materials liable to give away
wherever it has punctured them. Sewing
machines will never be perfect until
can chaLge the needle on them as one can
the thread, and not a huge, blunt in
strument on fine, sheer goods. And even if
you do sew UP long seams on the sewing
| machines always whip lace and embroidery
on by hand. 1t win pay in time, as the
wear and tear on the garment becomes APP
parent.
A woman's lingerie, to give it the dainty
French term, always is an expression of
her characteristics provided, of course,
she has allowance suitable to her sta
ton in life which she uses as she pleases.
If she is of a strongly practical bent heavy
cotton in summer and plain but warm
f1annels in winter will be her choice The
fannels are as likely as not to be red and
the cotton will be trimmed with the strong
est sort of Everlasting trimming. Usually
this trimming is made at home by its SEN
slbie and energetic wearer. If she is dainty
and perhaps eXtravagant, too she will
wear nainsook trimmed with Valenciennes
| in summer, and if she is allowed to will
not wear anything heavier in winter If
some kind relative or friend steps in in the
guise Of Providence to save her from pneu-
monla she may be persuaded to don the
whitest and lghtest weight of flannel.
Nothing Shrinks like white flannel, and the
prettier it is IN the beginning the sooner
it comes 20 grief.
Silk and NainsoOk.
For those who can afford it nothing makes
better underclothes than China silk. 1t is
very durable If one buys a good quality, 1t
is cool in summer and not chilly in winter
although it should then be supplemented
by something warmer). If one has a fad for
colored underciothes she should buy silk,
for 1t Is only silk in dainty shades that
keeps its color. Alluring dimity with fetch
ing patterns will grow pale under the ener-
getic hands of the laundresses.
But nothing could possibly be as becoming
as nainsook or dimity. The former is the
ideal and practicable material for wear
next to tho skin. 1t is SO soft. 1t is also
the material in which some of the most ex-
pensive and beautiful gowns and chemises
are made up. The French are devoted to a
linen lawn of fine texture which wears re-
| markedly well considering its fiimsiness
Then there is cambria, which Is cool and
much worn in southern climes, and the very
sensible long cloth, which may be fine or
coarse, according to the price one pays
for it.
More Simply Trimmed.
For a year or SO past everything has been
| trimmed with lace, but reaction has set in
| and on every hand one sees gowns and other
garments plainly made and trimmed with
| a little good and durable embroidery. The
effect is most pleasing. OF course one would
not trim nainsook with embroidery A lit
| tie real lace is far more suitable for the
| finer materials. But a fine long cloth with
a narrow edging of good embroidery means
garments which will wear for seasons
Gowns for wear al night can lie bought
at all prices, from 20 cents or Whereabouts
up to more dollars than the majority of wo-