Evening star., 1928-03-25
Color Schemes in Table Linen
BY BETSY CALLISTER.

| Gone is the paper napkin and passee
| is the oilcloth table runner from the
| tables of the fastidious. for all but
| the most mpromptu and informal of
meals. Simpliflcation of the house,
wifes duties and reduction in house.
hold expenses is as desirable and as
necessary as ever. but most particular
housewives have discovered that there
are other and better ways of cutting
down than in this matter of linen.
There are homes where the use of
paper napkins three times day is quite
eXcuSable, and where a perfectly clean
ollcloth table runner is not to be
Scorned-but / cannot indorSe the SyS-
tenn of the housewife who avoids the
use of table linen SO that she may have
time TO play bridge or go to the movies
three or four afternoons week instead
Of attending to little laundry work,
or OF the housewife who reduces her
expenses for table linen nearly to the
zero mark so that she will have the
wherewithal to buy fur coat or new
automobile.
A young bride-to-be was talking en-
Enthusiastically about her trousseau the
other day. She had given full de-
Scription Of a five-piece bridal set of
Aleneon lace. and another of the new
ciel blue trimmed with beige lace and
two of flesh color and one of green
she had spoken with enthusiasm about
the four-poster twin beds and the taf-
feta drapery for her dressing table
the overStuffed divan for the living
room. Then some one asked her about
her table linen.
I'm not bothering about table linen
at ALL" she said. We shall find out
as often as possible and paper napkins
will do for the rest of the time am
getting a plate-glass top for my break
fast nook and If ever do entertain
guests for meals 1t will be most in
formally shall get some oilcloth
doilieS and centerpiece for the dining
room table
But of course, there are plenty of
young women who are taking as keen
an interest In the accumulation of at
tractive table linen as ever their moth
ers or grandmothers did and girls who
will be perfectly willing. too. to wash
and iron their own dainty linens with
out considering the alternative of using
paper napkins and oilcloth runners.
Colored table covers and napkins are
much used for breakfast and informal
quently made of damask. showing white
with yellow. white with blue, white with
rose, the color usually being chosen to
narmoni5e with the color scheme OF the
room and the breakfast dishes. Some
times the napkins are fringed and If
these are carefully washed and ironed
they give as good service as the hem
med sort. There may be runners or
doilies, though the single-piece table
cover Is coming back into its own. and
many housewives have discovered that
1t really is no more trouble to wash
a single table cover than a number of
small pieces. Where an electric wash
ing machine is used there is decided
advantage in the larger piece.
For more formal luncheon white
doilies or runners showing more or less
elaborate embroidery or lace trimming
are often chosen. and for dinner these
may again be used, although of late
there has been a decided return to
favor OF the large. plain white damask
cloth. For everyday dinner the cloth
need not be so large nor of such fine
quality, and the table napkins need not
be so large nor need they be marked
with embroidered initials, For the
more formal dinner, however, the gen.
erously pr0portioned tabiecloth In usu-
ally chosen and with 1t one uses either
napkins to match or large squares Of
a fine. fairly heavy linen hemStitched
and marked with an initial
Embroidered letters are once more
considered an essential of the napkin |
for formal occasions. A single initial |
or two or three letters in a row
or monogram may be chosen. The
design for this device is chosen
with care and is then reproduced in
number Of different sizes so that
the same mark may be used on all the
table napkins. tablecloths. etc. Some
young women have their initials made
up into an original sort Of monogram
by an expert in this sort Of decoration
and adopt 1t as q sort OF permanent
linen mark
Smaller napkins of the sort chosen
for luncheon or breakfast are marked
at one corner so that the embroidery
shows when the napkins are folded
into quarters The newest way 10 mark
the large size dinner napkin Ia directly
In the center. Then when the napkin
Is ironed it is folded In threes with the
center monOgrammed section coming
uppermost In arranging the napkins
on the table they are sometimes laid
fiat. monogram uppermost, but usually
the large folded square Is arranged
with the sides turned under so that the
napkin takes the form OF an oblong
with a monogram in the center. II is
placed at the left OF the forks--the
length running parallel with the forks