Evening star., 1912-01-07

NV greens relegated 20 the fire
w place or dragged of at the
tall OF the ashcai TIE bous"
tidied, Christmas gifts fitted INTO their
new places and ousted house properties
put up in the garrett letters and cards
written by the thousands acknowledges
gifts and extending good wishes for tho
New Year and children back I'm school.
the housewives thoughts and energies,
if tradition be respected. turn "a the re-
enforcement of her linen cios-' Every
paper and magazine teens with adver-
tisements of white sales and linen
bargains while the shop windows them
selves run riot with dainty lingerie.
satiny linens for the bed and table. piles
of snowy blankets and attractive towels.
SO temptingly low seem the prices that
many woman Is hard put to IL to keep
within the amount set aside for the re-
plenishment Of her linen stores. Few.
indeed, are the housewives who nova
days make the underwear for themselves
or families. The great pow7r sewing
machines with operatives turning out
dozens of garments a day have put the
prices down so low that 1t really scarcely
pays busy woman TO attempt 10 make
such articles at home. BY the time she
has purchased her material at retail they
cost quite as much as the finished gar
ments, though the latter. il must be said.
seldom wear as well as the carefully fash
ioned homemade garments. But just
here a word of warning. Such garments.
many of which are fashioned or finished
in the most squalid and insanitary tene-
ments of crowded cities. should never be
worn without first being well washed.
Many of the finest garments are made un-
IA ka
menace to the wearer. An establishment
that makes the daintiest baby wear I'm
the great metropolis, much OF its output
going into the largest stores. where IL Is
often sold as the finest imported French
handmade layettes is really embroidered
in the crowded Italian quarters on the
East Side. Just few days aga work was
returned from such a home where the
Italian mother worked on the dainty gar
ments for an idolized darling in some
rich home, while her own baby lay dying
of whooping cough and tuberculosis. lit
does seem shame" said the superin-
tendent of Il e workrooms when she took
back the finished work, Ito think Of this
going into some home and carrying with
il contagion, but what can We do? The
woman does such beautiful work. and We
are already behind with our orders, and
then she needs the work, too, poor
thing
Pointers in Buying Linen.
In purchasing with an eye to wear.
there is nothing to excel the genuine
Irish linen, bleached without the aid OF
chemicals. in natures own laboratory OF
alternating showers and sunshine. Tie
continental linens, snowy white and deli
cate in weave, are beautiful TO look at
but are lighter in weight and lack the
durability of the Scotch and lr sh weaves.
While flower designs are always in good
n ct hpa
day wear, there is nothing to equal I'm
durability the check patterns either I'm
pla n or elaborate blocks, but with the
warp and woof running straight up and
down. These patterns are easier to weave
than the more elaborate patterns and are
therefore cheaper. Small designs tending
to knit the fabric closer together always
wear better than struggling pattern
that leaves large plain spaces.
Bed Linen.
In the matter of using linen for sheets
and pillow cases. each housewife must be
an authority unto herself. In the sum
mer linen is undeniably cool and refresh
ing, but there is a chill about il in the
winter that renders it most objectionable
to the majority of folk. lnvalids and IL
tie children, according to the latest inedi-
cal dictums should not use linen, in that
1t absorbs too readily the moisture and
heat of the body. rendering ii TOO devital-
izing for the extremely delicate. Linen
pillow slips, simply made and marked,
however are used for the babies pillows.
to be slipped under the head in CRIB or
The latest fancy for fastening these
an English importation, by the way-is
to fasten them on with ribbons run
through embroidered eyeletS in the ends,
and tied in bows to dias sonal corners.
In Buying Towels.
In buying towels the old bleach variety
are considered best. They cost little
more than the others, for the reason that
the damask, huck or crash has been
bleached out of doors, instead OF by
quicker chemicals used in factories. but /;
it will outwear everything else. 4 few
old-fashioned people still cling to the tine
damask toweling, but the majority OF
folk demand the buck Fringed towe.s
are almost as extinct as the do %. Alt
towels are hemmed or buttonholed with.
or without drawnwork borders. There il
q great demand FOR hand embroidef1eS.f y
even some OF the plainest huckaba Ks
showing a row of irregular embroidery
back of the hem. ~
The Bride-Elect's Linen Shower.
The linen shower rendered a bride-elect
Is no longer any novelty, but its popu-.
larity seems unabated. The shower Is CIV
en- by some friend of the bride. and to be
successful must be a complete surprise
to the guest of honor. Ins the notes of in-T
vitation sent out by the hostess the br de.
should be invited to come a half hour
later than the time specified for the other
guests. This gives time to arrange The
gifts attractively as they come. Sonie-
times they are simply arranged on { bic
draped in white. and again they are tie
to a large bell. made Of wire a.4a CO e d.
with white crepe paper or flowers, real L
or artificial. -
The gifts are not expensive ones, az
they are not intended to interfere with
the regular wedding gifts. Unless some
special class Of linen articles Is mentioned
In the invitation. such as a handkerc hief
shower. a bag shower or a bridal chest
shower. the linen may consist OF any onai
Of a number OF things, such as towelssi
busters, busting caps. holders, work.
aprons, toilet pieces, napkins. center-r
pieces, dishcloths and washcloths andii
60 ad lib. On each gift should be pinned,
the name of the donor and an appropriatei
quotation. oi
Save the Corners Of Sheets and
Tablecloths -ai
-
To save the corners of sheets and table