Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-24
TABLE COVERINGS
Newest and Prettiest in
Household Linen.
TASTEFUL CENTERPIECE
HOW TO LAUNDRY EMBRoIDER-
3, les AND LACES.
If Care is Taken All the Original
Beauty May Be Re-
stored.
TASTEFUL CENTERPIECE
Written for The Evening Star.


Ever since there was a woman to weave
| them the descendants of Eve have been
devoted to linens of all kinds. There seems
| to be set apart in every normal woman's
| heart a special corner for the worship of
| table and bed linens. Penelope and her
hand maidens while awaiting the return Of
| Ulysses spent the time at the frame weav-
| ing the most wonderfully fine and exquisite
| fabrics. 1t is to be hoped her liege lord
| appreciated these efforts and can imagine
| in his wanderings the beautiful gifts he
must have brought home to his lady fair.
! Since the whole story is a goodly piece Of
old Homer's weaving, thread more or less
hardly matters 1 suppose, and the his
torically, or, rather mytholigically, correct
will not object to the presents Ulysses
brought Penelope
To come down to our own times, the mod
ern girl now has a beautiful store of linens
laid up against the time when the twentieth
century Ulysses shall appear upon the
scene. In fact, the German custom of be-
ginning almost in the girls infancy to coll
lect these beautiful household treasures for
her Is fast becoming Americanized. AS the
opportunity arises the up-to-date mother
seizes with the eye of a connoisseur any
really worthy piece of linen which comes In
her way Beautiful presses. lavender scent
ed, are the receptacleS for the future young
ladys linen trousseau. But suppose the
knight Grant never arrives, you say. Well,
the fair owner has consolation prize in
her well-flled chest Later on her nieces
and nephews will probably rise up and call
her blessed, for auntfe, l reckon, will share
with them her store of beauties.
Individual Markings.
1t is quite the correct thing to have the
markings on linen individual as possible.
If the owner happens to possess a name
which takes kindly to decorative scheme,
such as Marguerite, the daisy carried in
graceful pattern throughout the sets, both
for wearing apparel and household use,
should be embroidered on each piece For
ordinary purposes the drop letters are best
liked. They are less stiff and easier to de-
cipher than the monogram. A woman
whose name begins with the letter B had
the Napoleonfc bee and a miniature hive
worked on all her belongings. These little
personal touches are very SWagger and chic
and what the clever woman is con-
stantly on the lookout for. All this elab-
Grafton means a great expenditure in both
time and dollars, but to the woman who
really loves linens and has the ability in
her finger ends to fashion them the time
consumed in their construction Is consid-
cred well spent.
Just now Is q harvest time for the pur-
| chaser Of table spreads and napkins. The
shops are putting out at moderate prices
for the quality of goods shown splendid
bargains In these sets. 1 don't mean the
kind women scramble for on the bargain
counters, but the dignified reserves kept for
the appreciative customer who asks for
them. The patterns par excellence this
year are the coronation designs. These
combine in an intricate though graceful
scheme the rose, thistle and shamrock and
sometimes the fieur-de-lis. Large, sprawl
Ing designs are much more popular than
the old snowdrop and the small vines and
flowers which meandered in a purposelesS
fashion over the cloth.
The Tulip Designs.
The figures now are aggressive and bold,
the tulip being high in favor. This design
comes in almost every grade except the
very cheapest. For the sporting household
and particularly appropriate for the hunt
breakfast Is q table spread with napkins Of
finest damask showing the hounds in full
cry, the start evidently having just been
made. A tablecloth which could not be
bought for less than $3.50, and then would
have to be made especially to order, may
be got up by a skillful needlewoman for q
third the sum or less. This spread is round
and Is large enough for fourteen covers.
The linen is of the finest and sheerest
French manufacture, for, unfortunately,
the French weave does not come wide like
the Scotch. Irish and German, ana it re-
quires three widths instead Of the usual
one for cloth of this size. When the
lengths are beautifully overcast, spread
the large, round piece Of linen. which will
be about ten yards in circumference, on a
small brads. Now the real business Of
fashioning the cloth begins.
Mark off in the center a circle sufficiently
large for the ordinary flower or candeabra
decoration. A handsome piece Of real
cluny insertion twelve inches deep is then
fitted round the space marked off. Nat
urally the straight lace will not fit smooth
ly on this oval, consequently it must be cut
to fit and the design so perfectly matched
that the finished whole has the appearance
of being made for this particular cloth. At
an interval Of, say, foot and a half an
n jaca NJ la 10 fptr in ha
same way. OF course, the linen under the
applications is cut out and the edges are
neatly whipped. After this has been done
set the table with glasses and bonbon
dishes; then draw in all over the cloth
sprays of roses artisticaliy arranged, with
here and there long stem with a single
rose and couple of leaves. The stems and
thorns should be managed with particular
care. The whole design is then padded
with coarse embroidery thread and worked
in white flo silk.
The Laundry Method.
When embroidered the cloth Is immersed
in water. clapped almost dry with the
hands and ironed on a. board over which
has been placed a heavy piece of flannel.
This treatement makes the flowers stand
out beautifully. Spread again the ta-
BILE, turn up edge of the linen round the
bottom on the right side and apply the
wide lace border with long and short
stitch done in two threads of white flo.
ThlS is really an exquisite cloth and one
made after the same design which took q
prize at the Paris exposition. Charming
cloths with this idea as a basis may be
made for almost anything the embroderer
pleases, the lace being the determining
item.
Napkins of the same linen to be used with
this spread made three-quarters of q
yard square and have an inch wide hem
stitched hem round three sides, the remain
ing edge being finished with piece of the
cuny lace fitted in with the monogram
worked on a round Of linen put in the CEN
ter of the lace.
Beautiful. too, is another square cloth.
having a border of real Irish crochet and .
design Of shamrock and ribbon knots in the
corners and on the outer edge all entirely
hand worked. DraWnwork is wonderfully
intricate and effective but there is always
a question in my mind whether the game
is worth the candle, the pulling OF
threads is very trying to the eye, and an
other reason is that the Indians and CHI
nese make such superb drawnwork, which
may be bought for a mere song
Irish point, Russian and fiet laces are all
good to use for borders and incrustations.
but beware of the oyerdone renaissance as
you would the plague. The shops and the
amateur experimenters have simply done 1t
~ hoo h