Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-06-05
LAUNDERING sHIRT-WAIsTs.

The shirt waist, Instead OF becoming
passe, ts growing more popular every
year. Il IL found not only In light
fabric, such as lawns, linens, ginghams,
dimities, madras and percales, but Is
carried into the goods Of heavier material
suitable for winter wear.
As every woman and girl has In her
possession number Of these pretty crea-
tons Of fashion, and as she desires to
keep them In As perfect condition ~ pos
sible, she ID naturally interested In
knowing how they may be prevented
from losing their pristine beauty. 1t Ia
not every one who knows the correct
method Of laundering shlrt-waists; and
vet there 10 - correct method, and one
which will invariably restore all the
freshness and brightness OF color that
gave the garment its sttrsctiveness when
new. To obtain this the directions given
below should be followed strictly.
coLoRnD WAISTS.
When the waist has become soilsd the
first precsutiou, OF course, Ia 10 remove
the buttons and shields; then proceed to
wash II In cold water, using good lsun-
dry-soap. When IL Is clean, rinse IL In
cold water.
Do not use hot starch, bluing or borsx
In the rinsing water. Use any good
powdered starch that does not contain
borSx, making Il into . paste with
boiling water. Then thin the starch to
the consistency desired with fresh water
until II Is cold. Pass the waist through
the starch, and hang II In the sunshine
until dry. This, IL should be remem-
bered, Is the only wsv TO retain the
original colors Of q waist through the
process OF laundering.
WHITE WAISTS.
A somewhat different method Is nee
esssry for the white waist. IL should be
washed In hot water; the hotter the
water, the whittier the fabric will be. Rub
until all the soiled marks are removed !;
then wiring and place 10 a tub, where
boiling water may be poured over II or,
better still, boil for ten minutes. To the
scsld add little powdered boraI. The
rinsing water should be cold, with q
little bluing In II TO insure q snow white
| ness.
The waist should be starched In the
ordinary manner, using the same kind OF
starch described for colored waists. This
applies to the laundering Of all white
garments.
READY FOR IRONING.
After the waist Is thoroughly dry
sprinkle II with cold water until IL Ia
moderately damp. Have some cold
starch ready, using four tablespoonfuls
nf powdered starch TO one pint Of water.
Dip the collar or collsr-bsnd, cuffs and
waist-ironts into starch, one at time,
and be sure that every thread Of the linen
composing those parts IL saturated with
the starch. Then fold the garment
for few minutes, and II Is ready for
ironing.
Here the results depend much upon
the temperature Of the iron, aud nice dis
elimination is required TO avoid too much
or too little heat. When ironing colored
waist, either Of silk or cotton fabric, one
should not use too hot an iron, and yet
IL must be hot enough TO iron smoothly,
without blistering or sticking TO the
starch. An overhested iron Injuries
bright colors as much as do hot water
and poor soap.
| THE IRONING.
In ironing silk waist place a piece OF
cheesecloth over the garment, and Iron
rs any ordinary article. By doing 30 the
natural appearance of the silk Is pre-
served, which would be impossible II the
iron were brought In direct contact with
Il.
One can buy shirt-wsist ironing
board at almost any department store,
or can have one made at small cost. BY
using such a board the sleeves may be
ironed without leaving creases. Many
people, however, prefer having the
waist ironed on Q table, In which. case
the table should be covered with two
ply or more Of flannel, and over that q
clean white muslin cloth.
Begin the ironing OF the waist at the
left side, and iron around the entire left
portion TO the right front. By doing
this you keep the waist In position better
than by proceeding hAphazard. Then
give your attention to the collar-bsnd,
and follow with the sleeves.
Fold the sleeves 80 that there will be
but one crease down the centre, and Iron
from the lower part upward to the top,
being careful to give smoothness to the
gathers.
Lastly iron the cuffs. These should
be ironed first on the wrong side, then
turned and finished on the right side,
smoothing them until dry. The cuffs
should then be rolled into shape. As q
result of this process Of laundering the
waist should look as fresh ss when IL
was new.-Fsnnie Mslin In WOman's
Home Communion.