Let us start out with our bag on our arm and go to a Lunch or
High-tea, and I think we can learn how to make a good many new
things in the way of fancy work.
The room of your hostess is simple, but shows her individual taste
in such a way as to be charming. In fact, one's house is a sort of
index to one's character.
If we go into a home whose parlor has a stuffy odor, and as soon as
you can see (owing to the darkened room), and running your head
against a card-board air castle (and I will here say that anything of the
nature of card-board is not only passe, but utterly odious), if you see
the bell shaped glass covering a bunch of wax flowers on a green moss
mat, whose verdancy fairly makes one shudder, I say you almost feel
like retreating before your hostess appears.
For lovely colors can be purchased in inexpensive materials, and all
homes can be made attractive, but just now we have gone to a high-
tea, which I suppose is really like the " come as early as you can, bring
your work and we'll have a nice chat, and I will show you anew stitch
that I am fascinated with." But the high-tea. After greeting your
hostess, you involuntarily stoop and sniff a double sachet, or perfume
bag, of light green flowered silk, tied with ribbons of same color, that
hangs on the corner of the chair nearest you, and before you say how
do you do to your dearest friend, you murmur, " sweet thing," which
refers to a bit of maize-colored drapery that is bunched up and held on
one corner of the table by a brass plate, on which is a low jar of yel-
low roses. Then you slip into a chair, only to see that your cherished
work-bag is dulled in its splendor by the other bags present. Well,
and what is everyone" doing? You will have exhausted, doubled up
and divided all of your adjectives before you come to the end of the
afternoon, for the present fashion allows us to say all of the charming
and ecstatic things we choose to, but I forget it is not manners but
fancy work we want. All kinds of bags are being invented, for a bag
is not a conventional thing but rather an emanation of the brain, the
prettier your fancies the more charming the bag. Bits of drapery are
FANCY WORK. 657
being etched, darned, etc., for table scarfs, to knot and throw over
chairs or lounge. A band for a portiere, doyleys and tray cloths are
being done in drawn work, etc., etc. We will see how some of these
useful and ornamental things are concocted. Shall we begin at our
favorite article, which is "a la mode," Bags — big bags, little bags, use-
ful bags, ornamental bags.
Laundry bag, to hang on the back of the door. This is made of,
two widths, three-fourths yard in length, of buff bouquetted chintz,
deep facing of light blue chintz, to fall on right side, one and a half
fingers in depth, double draw string of braid. Near this a long shoe bag
runs from base board to height of four feet, about one and a half feet
in width, three rows of pockets kept in shape by braid run between
and at the bottom of pockets and stitched. This only uses the waste
room between chimney and door.
Page 537
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Let us start out with our bag on our arm and go to a Lunch or High-tea, and I think we can learn how to make a good many new things in the way of fancy work.
The room of your hostess is simple, but shows her individual taste in such a way as to be charming. In fact, one's house is a sort of index to one's character.
If we go into a home whose parlor has a stuffy odor, and as soon as you can see (owing to the darkened room), and running your head against a card-board air castle (and I will here say that anything of the nature of card-board is not only passe, but utterly odious), if you see the bell shaped glass covering a bunch of wax flowers on a green moss mat, whose verdancy fairly makes one shudder, I say you almost feel like retreating before your hostess appears.
For lovely colors can be purchased in inexpensive materials, and all homes can be made attractive, but just now we have gone to a hightea, which I suppose is really like the " come as early as you can, bring your work and we'll have a nice chat, and I will show you anew stitch that I am fascinated with." But the high-tea. After greeting your hostess, you involuntarily stoop and sniff a double sachet, or perfume bag, of light green flowered silk, tied with ribbons of same color, that hangs on the corner of the chair nearest you, and before you say how do you do to your dearest friend, you murmur, " sweet thing," which refers to a bit of maize-colored drapery that is bunched up and held on one corner of the table by a brass plate, on which is a low jar of yellow roses. Then you slip into a chair, only to see that your cherished work-bag is dulled in its splendor by the other bags present. Well, and what is everyone" doing? You will have exhausted, doubled up and divided all of your adjectives before you come to the end of the afternoon, for the present fashion allows us to say all of the charming and ecstatic things we choose to, but I forget it is not manners but fancy work we want. All kinds of bags are being invented, for a bag is not a conventional thing but rather an emanation of the brain, the prettier your fancies the more charming the bag. Bits of drapery are
being etched, darned, etc., for table scarfs, to knot and throw over chairs or lounge. A band for a portiere, doyleys and tray cloths are being done in drawn work, etc., etc. We will see how some of these useful and ornamental things are concocted. Shall we begin at our favorite article, which is "a la mode," Bags — big bags, little bags, useful bags, ornamental bags.
Laundry bag, to hang on the back of the door. This is made of, two widths, three-fourths yard in length, of buff bouquetted chintz, deep facing of light blue chintz, to fall on right side, one and a half fingers in depth, double draw string of braid. Near this a long shoe bag runs from base board to height of four feet, about one and a half feet in width, three rows of pockets kept in shape by braid run between and at the bottom of pockets and stitched. This only uses the waste room between chimney and door.