Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-12-10
ALL BUSY AS BEES
Pretty Social Functions Cluster
Round the Shining Needle.
CARD PLAYING IS PASSE.

Simple Dresses of the Tub Variety Set
OFF by Dainty lace Trimmed Muslin
Aprons Are Proper Attire to Wear
For These Sewing Bees.
Hand needlework of all sorts Is so
much admired nowadays that 1t is not
surprising that ome who go to the
country for the hot weather and their
less fortunate sisters who are com
PEELED to spend most Of the heated term
In the city always have handy some
bit Of fine sewing for the rainy days
and the hours spent on the great hotel
piazzas or the little stooplike porches
Of the city. And more than one hostess
bored with the usual round Of country
or city life, with its interminable card
playing, has made the needle an ex-
cuse for very pretty little social func-
lions.
OF all these functions the preference
Is for the porch bee, for 1t gives one an
opportunity to look at the good sky Mt
least in the city and, in the country,
also at the changing LEAKAGE and all
the rest Of the rare and radiant out
doors. Then, though 1t Is very pleas
ant to sew In a cool living room, and
even though you know something good
to eat Is coming after awhile, you
know very well that it Won't taste half
so good as If you had 1t out where the
air could blow on you.
Indeed, judging the whole thing by
experience, n porch sewing spree IL
about the next best thing to a picnic,
and where one is carried off we'll the
little function certainly helps to while
away the monOtonous moments that
are bound to come with u long stay
away from the things to which one Is
used.
First, there are the invitations. And
why not make them as PRETTY unique
as possible? One little card which
was used last summer read, ~ X in
vited to Il sewing bee" but the "bee"
was the buzzy things picture, drawn
from life, in yellow and brown. Then
came the information that II corner
of the hotel piazza would be used on u
certain afternoon and that there would
be a bite and n %"stinglng" good time.
All the lettering on the card, which
had been prepared by hand, was In
brown and yellow, the bee colors, with
the exception of II delicious little red
rocking chair drawn in one corne and
SO deity was the little affair done that
1t really had almost the effect of high
art.
The written or printed invitation,
though, is entirely a matter of prefer
ence, and, Of course, when the func-
ton occurs at a private house all the
arrangements can be made much more
attractive than at a hotel, where Ell
quette would not permit the workers to
appropriate more than a small corner
of the veranda.
The home bee should include every
device for prettiness and comfort. Sew
eral small tables should be placed
along the veranda, these holding big
crockery bowls or pitchers filed with
the country flowers of the season. The
chairs should be low sewing ones or
small armless rocking chairs, and there
should be several fiat cushions for
those who want them, and the ham
mock should be securely swung and
heaped with more cushions for the
l%ounging moment somebody is bound
to want.
Then every pair of scissors In the
house should be put into commission,
and there should be a work basket,
with all the other sewing utensils need
ed, for some fair worker Is bound to
come without her needle or thread or
bodkin. If by chance, too, some very
imprOvident guest appears without her
work let the hostess bring out the table
napkins or frilling Of her own that
need to be hemmed.
In fact, 1t is quite possible on occa-
sions for the hostess to provide all the
sewing, for this move constitutes the
real bee, and It Is no unusual thing
when opening up a country house to
Invite ones friends In to help get the
small furnishings ready.
In the old days bed comforters were
made this way In a single afternoon,
down even to the quilting, while patch
work quilts grew like magic. Some
sewing of a simple order a hostess
might now provide would be the tear
ing up and sewing together OF the cot
ton strips out OF which are made the
rag rugs which are so much in vogue
now. Better still would be the doing OF
some charity sewing.
The dresses worn by the hostess and
guests would be more in keeping If
they were Of a simple sort, say smart
little wash gowns, set Off by dainty
aprons of muslin or cambria trimmed
Mt the pockets with knots of ribbon.