Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-10

-HE beautiful old trays that have
lately come into favor would
seem to prove that this usefui
accessory Is not a speciality OF
the modern housekeeper. From
the classcly simple colonial trays. hheo
with primly figured chintz. that held the
dignifed tea sets of our New England an
cestors. to the highly polished and eiaoo-
rately ornamented silver trays that once
hcld syllabus and mint juleps in old
southern houses. the regeneration OF an
cestral trays has shown that they had a
big place In old-time hospitality.
But they could not have been so popu-
lar. so useful, so altogether necessary, in
many sizes and styles, as they are to-
day. No house can have too many OF
them. Big ones for tea, lunch or informal
supper service, smaller ones for punch
and lemonade and ices. little ones for the
single glass of water, the smoking outnt
or the bonbon dish. and trays OF straw
and wicker in every form for anything
from flowers and sandwiches to mendins
and needlework.
n YOU understand the use of raffia and
as picturesque as they are useful. A
rafia tray that is so easy beginner can
make 1t successfully makes use only of
the law squaw stitch 1t is round
tray. about the size of a large dinner
plate. and is useful for holding sand
witches small cakes and biscuits.
To make It, select a long willow strand
about an eighth OF an inch In diameter
Soak ii until it is manageable ana tnei
r1Ni laZN
sauaw stitch, shaping ii like plate oy
winding il around and around itself, and
binding Ii with the raffia, threaded In q
fiat. blunt-ended needle.
II is difficult to describe the lazy squaW
stitch, although ii is the easiest stitch &c
follow if once you can see some one else
work with IL.
To begin with, to make the tray. make
as small circle as YOU can at one enc
of the damp strip of willow, and wind the
raffia around and around it until it Is al
covered Tie the willow circle with rama
il YOU can, so that ii will not slip. but
don't cut off the long willow end This Ii
used TO wind around and around the lit
tie circular center until the tray IS as dig
as a plate.
Now wrap the raffia once around the
long end of willow. where it leaves the
little circle Then wind the raffia again
around the outside of the willow end and
once through the center circle. Go once
around the circle in this way. Then
make another circle. and take every Sec
ond stitch around the loose end OF will
low and around the second circle.
When you make the fourth circle bind
Il to the third circle. and work on In this
way until the tray is big enough.
An awkward description, this, but per-
hans IL in clear Remember that the will
low must be kept moist to be easy to han
die without breaking. and remember that
you must have blunt-ended, fiat needle
Cor the rafiia.
The raffia tray is inexpensive and use
ful. In q larger size II Is useful gar
den tray for holding flowers or vege-
tables while you are gathering them But
useful and cheap as 1t Is. 1t Is not com
parable, for beauty. with the dignined
chintz backed tray.
These chintz-backed trays have quite
taken popularity by storm. A Few years
ago women were looking up old Gooey 8
Lady Books to cut therefrom quaint prints
TO paste In old chintz-backed trays. To-
day the same women are still! making
chintz-backed trays with enthusiasm
You can have a cabinet maker 1asnlon
the frame Of a tray. stain and varnish IT,
put on brass handles and mount the
chintz for comparatively small sum
But IL YOU would have less expensive
tray, try making one yourself from PIC
ture frame
Order the kind Of frame you hke-a
rather wide scooped-out sort Is the mos'