The San Francisco call., 1910-12-04
TRIMMING
THE NIGHT
GOWN YOKE

"IME was when, in winter especially,
a nightgown was horrible con-
- ira ptiOn of plain hnen-Cr, WOrSes
hanneIette-with a severe tuck down
the middle and few gathers over the
shoulders. Now all Of us wear lingerie
French in design as well as in name;
which means that. above all, it must be
prettly embroidered.
In these days 81 summer underwear
all the year round. practically al night
gowns are low neclSed and short
sleeved. or without any sleeves at all
The principal Office Of embroidery, then.
IS to ornament the yoke Of this low
necked nightgOwn, and for this purpose
dainty flower designs in eyelet or IN
French embroidery are In order.
q. Forget -me-nots are always favOrite;
lilies of-the-vaIey are odd, but on the
same order and therefore appropriate
the same may be said Of buttercups-
The character Of the flower will suggest
the style of embroidery; but nOLhlns SO
heavy as to look cumbersome shO0i9
be allowed Such blossoms as WlI0
roses, peoples, etc, are out OF ptdC5s
unless they are handled very deAcaLeIys
with an outline stitch. for instance, ana
the inside filed up with SEED sutch OF
French Knots. Dwarf wild carrot OK
spirea would look very well with tnlS
French-knOt treatment -.
OF course, flowers are not the only
choice. have seen an exqulsltS
nightgown embroidered with dainty
white silk butterflies scattered over
the yoke, with one or two fugitive ones eS
Chinese work, but it could be duplicated
easily by the clever American en-
brolderer. Reeds, grasses, tiny num-
ming-birds, maple leaves-any thing tnas
IS dainty and delicate in workmanship
would be appropriate. Conventional de-
signs too, OF course Nenetlan IduusE
work and French emDroloegy are s;11 sS7
pecially indicated here II you VIZ
remember that you are working Win
such fine materials as thin hnens
cross-bar dimity and nainsoOk, you WlIA
realize the importance OF the appro-
pirate pattern and method Of working
Many people like their initials or mon
ogram embroidered on their underWe ear
You must consider, then. the question OF
wreaths Little heart-shaped wreathS
are pretty; so are round Wreaths or llny
star-shaped daisies. The square inclos-
ure Of close-set dots, with a daisy be-
tween each two, Is another dainty idea
One pretty inclosure I have seen was IN
a butterCup design. The embroidered
edge was scanoped. The buttercups IN
one cluster came quite up TO the edge, 50
that their edges formed the scallop ac
this place. and the leaves OF this cluster
were twisted so that the stems formed
an oval within which the owners initials
were worked. A hundred other ideas
will, OF course, at once suggest them
selves. q
Naturally. embroidery IS not required
absolutely as trimming. There Is the lace
insertion, for instance, which IS both
pretty and practical Then there Is the
beading (oval eyelets will dO). which
runs, not IN straight line, but so that
the ribbon. when it IS inserted, runs
Or interlaced diamonds may be used
instead Ribbon work itself IL very
carefully and delicately done, is in its
proper place here.
II you do have embroidery. however
remember that It Is not necessary to run
It IN stih, straight line across tha
front or the ntShtSOWn- Allow yourself
a little freedom OF pattern, unless. in
deed, you are dealing with a cOnven-
tional design. Trailing tendrils- and fall
ing petals are often good variations.
MOST OF InlS work must be done in
white; daring French touch, however.
is given by the introduction OF the
merest touch Of light color-a CLINT OF
green on butterdy's wing. for instance.
or drop of pink in the cup Of a flower.
This, however. you must decide for YOUR
self-and for the other person. if you are
doing the work as a gift. 1t is a good
point 10 keep IN mind that what might
please you very possibly would not
please another, and this must always
be taken into consideration when doing
embroidery for some one besides your
self.
Inc eUSlnS OF the nignrgOWn yoke -
another vexed question. The usual seal
loP grows monotOnOus. though there are
all sorts Of variations IN the shape OF
points, squares, double and triple seal
lops, etc. Sometimes a plain soft fold
with ribbon run through II makes a well
come change. If you edge with lace or
embroidery, be very sure that its kind
and quality are in accordance with tbs
fabric and the embroidery or other trim
ming. Sometimes the flower edges
themselves, as I have suggested NAV
come quite up to the yoke edge, and
form its scallOp. Very frequently this
edging has to contain eyelets for the
ribbon drawsrings, however, and then
this flower design is not feasible.
II you will remember your three
tchwords-daintiness beauty and
freedom from Stiffness-yOu will have
no trouble with the nightgOwn yoke. A
nightgOwn thus embroidered makes a
charming Christmas present and a no
less charming gift to yourself when
worked during the long winter evenings
Try 1t. Madam Embroiderer and see
how you like making your own lingerie