Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-13
Probability Is This
Material Will Become
More and More Ex-
pensive if the Present
European Conflict
Continues, and at
Same Time This Is
Pre-eminently a Sea-
son of Lace.
is q chance that lace y

@vHERE is chance that lace w1n
become more and moro CD
pensive II the present Euro
pean war continues for many
months. And at the same
time this Is pre- eminentIy q season Of
lace. Lace evening frocks. lace blouses
and lace trimmings Of every description
are in fashion. So the woman who
situation must HE her to the attic and
resurrect such odds and ends Of an
cestral lace as still nnger there.
Irish point, by the way is used again
this autumn. although no one can tell
as yet how well adapted It will show
itself to the seasons, styles. But ale
ready there are some very good collars.
wired to stand out in the required
shapes, that are edged with Irish.
Chantilly. OF course, Is at the height
of fashion, SO any one with an old
Chanttlly lace shawl Is in great good
luck And any good Lace can be used to
good advantage in a blouse or collar.
.4 ir -s
OF course. you can send your lace to q
professional cleaner. where II will be
properly attended to. But II you wish
to be economical you can clean It satis-
factorily yourself.
Lace that has been long kept away
from the air is quite likely to break and.
wear out very easily. II should be aired
frequently. But 1t should be protected
from dust and moisture Lace curtains
that are hung in windows frequently
opened, and therefore become 'motseened
from mists and fog. and soiled from the
dust, soon break and tear, 80. II you
pose It to the sun and air once IN 8
while to keep IL in good condition. '.'.
This by way Of disgressiou. Presume
ably you are unpackinG, rather. than
lace is in good enough condition to usA
1t is in good enough condition to under
go a thorough home cleaning - .,.'.
You can dry clean lace that IL. aoh-
badly soiled.
But before cleaning any lace. repair
any small holes or tears carefully. Try
to get thread to match that with which
the lace is made. Pin or basic the .lans .
in any necessary stitches, following ti1s
pattern Of the lace. I
800 ~
Now for the dry cleaning. Magnesdw
finely powdered can be sprinkled over
the soiled lace. well rubbed into It. The
lace should then be lightly wrapped In
a towel or a piece Of tissue paper and
left there for a couple of days Then
the magnesia should be thoroughly
shaken out. Another way, and often .
more convenient way. Is to use equal
parts Of salt and -four. well mixed, In
stead Of the magnesia-
To clean more badly soiled lace you
must wash it
To do this prepare q strong suds Of
white soap and water. Never rub the
soap directly on the lace and never
pn the ia ace ad end me nanas
lively about until 1t looks clean. letting
the soapy water run through 1t time
and again. Then rinse very thoroughly.
II the lace is not clean after rinsing.
rinse thoroughly again.
Dry lace by laying 1t, right side down.
on q clean blanket-covered ironing board.
Cover 1t with a piece of nainsook and
iron with a moderate iron until dry. Be-
fore being ironed the edges Of the lace
should be pulled out. but the nails must
not be used in doing this. They are
likely to tear the lace.
Another method of washing and dry
ing lace is to haste 1t over a. bottle
which has been wound with strip Of
cloth. The. bottle is then immersed in
the soapsuds and in the clear rinsing
water. and 1t is then stood up to dry
Still another. way Is to sew the lace to
a towel and then to proceed with the
cleaning process Tnen pin or tack the
edges of the5towel fiat on q hard surface
and the lace will dry smooth and
straight. irish lace and other heavy
laces should always be dried in this way,
as they must not be ironed.
II lace Is very much soiled. fasten ie
around bottle or on towel and satu-
rate 1t with sweet oil. Let 1t stand over
night and then wash 1t thoroughly In
soapy water and proceed as before
Usually lace ironed when wet is stir
enough. but If 1t is wanted sitter, stiffen
IT In the last rinsing water. Add to
that water a little gum arabic, or two
water.
Il you want to color the lace add the
coioring matter to the last water. Cot
Zee: and tea are time-honored coiorinx
agents for lace. and they are.. really
quite satisfactory. q
Permanganate Of potash can Be safely
used to color lace. Add a few crystals
or the potash and dip the lace in. II
VIII emerge a pinkish color. but contact
with the air turns 1t quickly to cream
or brown. according to the amount or
potash used. If II is too light. add more
to the water. and dip the lace again.