Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-02
SUMMER FANCY WORK.
A Great Variety Now to Choose
From.

| Written for The Star.
| This is to be the season of dazzling en-
| broideries, and there will be perfect riot
| of color on the hotel piazza when the fancy
| work brigade is in session. All the new en-
| broideries are brilliant in hue and daring In
design, the faring red flowers of the field
| poppy and the vivid crimson blooms of the
| American beauty rose being first favorites
| In the scheme Of decoration. True, mere
| and there one may see spray of wild roses
| or a tangled mass of Parma yiolets. or
even delicate wreath of sweet peas, but
these quieter effects are the exception
rather than the rule.
Centerpieces and sofa pillows seem to d.
vide the honors of the season equally be-
tween them, perhaps because no woman was
ever yet known to have enough of either.
The fower-embroidered centerpiece of to-
day is a thing of beauty and the making OF
it should fill the soul of the artistic needIe-
woman with joy. Its foundation consists
of circle of linen, grass cloth or scrim,
ecru being preferred to white. This is usu-
ally completed with a two-inch edging OF
torchon or Maltese lace.
In most of these floral embroideries there
is a vast amount of work. for the blossoms
are invariably large, and usually are
worked in solid embroidery, the natural
shading Of the flower being accurately cop
led The crewel stitch Is generally en-
ployed, but occasionally satin stitch Is used
EFFECTIVELY. The former work is done with
creweI needles using flo silk for the bios
SONS and Roman floss for the stems. a
striking feature of all the new embrold-
cries is the great variety OF stitches USED
in combination.
Things are not always what they seem.
| however. in fancy work. for some OF the
richest effects of solid embroidery are OBJ
tained with the aid of fancy braids. For
example, a very striking centerpiece In
white linen, showing handsome raised de-
sign of wheat ears, seems almost beyond
the capabilities of the ordinary ernbroid-
eress until the discovery is made that the
ears are cleverly simulated with rich braid
sewn on with little trouble Another SEEM
ingly intricate design is worked out in the
identical narrow Vandyke braid that was
used when we grown-ups were little folks
In making crocheted edging. NoaWdays IL
Is appliqued on linen and used as O. basls
for an endless variety of lace stitches
Fancy braids of silk generally picot-edged,
are often used in color embroiderles, ana
always in such way as to suggest a great
deal more work than is actually bestowed.
The new ribbon embroderies are charm
ing. They are wrought on scrim chiefly,
and are executed IN variety of ways. IN
one design of La France roses the flowers
are made of puffed pieces Of shaded SILK
| the foliage and stems being worked In baby
ribbon In another, showing spray of dog
roses, the flowers are formed OF RIBBON ro-
settles, the pistils being. simulated with
French knots of yellow hoss In sSlI an
other OF forget-rne-nots and maiden mar
fern the whole design is wrought in baby
ribbon with the exception Of the stems
which are etched in floss.
Among the handsomest centerpieces are
those having a wide border of renaissance
| lace around a small circle of scrim. with
| sprays of roses and foliage wrought In nat
| uraI colors In ribbon embroidery, trailing
| over both In sofa cushions of ribbon en-
broidery the empire designs are the most
popular. And there is perfect Juror for
shaded effects from the serim foundation
| to the triple ruffies of ribbon or scrim that
ser1e as a border.