St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-03-10
LINEN AND COTTON.
Sone Points for the Housewife he.
garding NapeFy and Chamber
Weat,

The impetus which fine needlework
has received in the last dozen years has
been a genuine help in household order.
Great as was the advantage of the COM
ing of the machine, for long time 1t
proved almost as much of hindrance
to refined living as it was help. 1t
took a score of years for women to learn
how to adapt machine work where it
was the best, and reject it where it was
a palpable makeshift, for the superior
hand method. The bed linen and table
linen, with it's black ridge of evident
dust along its hem, ridge that no
laundress could reach and no alkali OF
washing wipe out, was evidence that
hens could not be stitched, but must
be hemmed in the old hand way. Re-
Gently hemstitching machines, by
which handkerchiefs are finished, and
fine bed and table linen have done a
great deal to Danish the machine hem,
at least from the finer class of shop
made goods. This hem holds the edge
of the cloth down fiat and leaves no
place for ridge of dust suggestive of
germs of all kinds to settle on our
household linen. Neat housekeepers
hem their tablecloths and table nap
kins. and purchase all their household
towels. except those used in the kitch-
en-, with hemstitched borders. These
are no more costly than the old-fash-
ioned fringe border, which SO soon
frayed out and, when elaborately knot
ted, represented very little beauty. A
plain white towel, spotless, pure in
color, with plain hemmed or hem
stitched border, is preferred to-day to
any more deliberately finished towel
with colored band and knotted fringe.
More expensive towels are finer in tex
ture, but they are not more elaborately
woven. Woven ornamentation is not
used by refined housekeepers. Some
of the finest. most expensive towels are
perfectly plain huckaback or damask
pattern of the simplest design. The
same simplicity of design is shown in
table linens. Table damask is preferred
in the simplest patterns like a a-seeded
or snowdrop design, or where the dam
ask is very fine the greater part of the
piece is plain with the center in dam
asked pattern and border. Plain
linen monte cloth is not used for table
cloths and napkins, but generally for
teacloths or luncheon use. All table
linens should be hemmed with a tiny
rolled hem, or finished by wider hem
stitched hem. Hemstitched linen is
generally reserved for elaborate occa-
&ions. ~
Sheetings and pillow and bolster cases
are generally classed under bed linen,
whether consisting of cotton or linen.
As a matter of fact, very little linen
sheeting is used except among few ex-
.ceptionally wealthy families. Cotton
sheeting is considered more health
full than linen, and it is certainly more
comfortable except in the warmest
weather. The old-fashioned way of
finishing sheets with4a narrow rolled
hem at the bottom and a wider hem at
the top prevails. The upper hem
should be .wo inches wide and the bot
tom one as small as it can be conven-
iently rolled. This should be done by
the needle with thread of about the
size of the thread of the cloth. The
proper size of needle for hemming
sheetingisa No. 8, or, If the sheeting is
fine, a No. Q. For a coarse sheeting use
No. 60 cotton. for a fine one No. 90.
A great deal coarser needle and cotton
are sometimes used by sewers who have
never Systematically laid out their
work.
Pillow and bolster cases should be
finished at the side with an over and
over stitch. If the tubular muslin is not
used. Never use machine fell or seam
at this place. 1t is slovenly finish.
The closed end Of a pillowcase is
stitched together in seam which is
overcast on the inside. Do not fell it;
that hard seam harbors dust and is not
used on underwear or anywhere except
on mems shirts. Finish the open end of
pillow cases with two-inch hem. Boil
ster cases are open at both ends where
they are finished with twe-inch hem.
N. Y. Tribune.