Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-30
COLOR IN TABLE LINENS
Novel Luncheon Sets that Are Just
Over from Russia.
NEW NOTIONS IN EMBROIDERY
Bleached and Unhleached Linens
from AuAtria-Bed Linen More
Decorative - Fine Table
Linens of the Orient.

NEW YORK, Jan. 22-Housekeeping
linens, the finer grades especially. lure
many thousands of dollars out of the
pockets Of New York women and women
from other cities during the January sales,
which. 80 far rs certain linen shops are
concerned, can't be duplicated elsewhere
Mn this country The proprietors of these
shops pride themselves on setting the
fashions in linens by offering the latest
European novelties.
AS a result. they say, women who do
not keep house or expect to keep house,
who live in hotels and in boarding houses
and fit about the country a good deal,
buy linens as eagerly as housekeepers,
Visitors(from other cities surrender quickly
to Their charm. 1t IL to these visitors, in
fact, that retailers look for a big pro-
portion Of the profits of the January
sales.
A western woman told a salesman in a
Fifth avenue linen store the other day
that she was hopelessly smashing the
Tenth Commandment. besides spending far
more money than she ought to spend for
luncheon and tea table fancy linen, adding
as an excuse that nothing approaching
them could be had for love or money In
her home town. The salesman, grown old
in the business, answered that probably
none of the novelties she had been looking
at could be duplicated in this country out
side Of New York, and that in Europe one
would nave to travel over a good deal OF
ground to find all the varieties grouped
in this one store.
For example, said he, these sets are
new even in New York. coming to US direct
from Russia"
The sets referred to were intended fol-
the lunch table to take the place of a table
cloth, and consisted Of q circular center
piece about thirty-slx inches in diameter
one dozen place doylles about twelve inches
in diameter. and one dozen doylies seven
inches or so in diameter. There were NO
napkins. The material was linen. very
heavy and coarse. but very closely woven,
a cross between gray and ecru In tint, sug'
costing the ieast bleached Of linens.
Large scallops edged In turn with severa
small scallops. all worked with a quarter
inch deep %buttonhole stitch which borderet
centerpiece and doylies was the only deco.
ration. The sets came embroidered In foul
different colors, deep blue, grass green
golden brown, pure white, the last agains'
the gray liner making a decided contrast
, The western woman bought a green Dor
dered set because her table china wa
mostly green and gold.
Contrasted with elaborate lace luncheon
sets, these Russian sets seem severe IL
} their plainness. At the same time the!
are undeniably stylish and they are no
expensive. The napkins recommended t
go with these sets are OF perfectly plain
, fine, white linen edged with tiny s~eallops.
Lunch cloths, with napkins to match. o
Austrian manufacture are a novelty whicl
: illustrates the revival OF the use OF color
t even among finer grades Of fancy tabli
, linens. Bleached and unbieached linens ar
used in these sets. The table cloth Is iron
) two to two and a half yards square, tn.
2 napkins about eighteen inches square AM
with few exceptions the colors and design
are ornate.
/ AS TO designs, there Is a tie in popularity
| 1t is said, between those scattered over tn
cloth and those in which the colors ar
seen only in a twelve-inch border placed
4 few inches from the edge. In one OF tn
70 latter the unbleached linen, woven in
5 conventional rose pattern, is bordered Wit
a set design in vivid pink tulips, the bios
SONS placed in upright groups about sevei
inches apart. stems toward the edge OF tn
y cloth and dashes of pink appearing betweeI
E the groups. The napkins have the sam
9 border.
Equally vivid pink Is used in a naTroS
d band or ribbon design. which trims an
other cloth about ten inches from the edge
Y separating a section/of the linen woven i
narrow cross stripes from the center Of IN
+ cloth, woven in arabesque designs.
= Colored designs in delft blue are anon.
the best one pattern forming a nine-incI
& border, representing oval wreaths Of lon
leaves. the wreath being open at one en-
r and at the other end tied with narro'
n ribbon. There is a space Of several inche
between the wreaths and this Is decorate
: with single small leaves In color. A lea
o design is woven into the rest Of the cloth
which is OF bleached linen.
q The same shade OF blue is used In larg
y fIeur de lis. which ars scattered lover n
center Of a similar lunch cloth, leavfn