Scraps of silk are capable of being made into very gay mantel cloths
by being cut into Vandykes and sewed together in alternate points, say
amber and black, scarlet and black, dark blue and crimson. The seams
should be followed with lines of feather-stitch in some pretty contrast-
ing color. Amber silk would look well with blue and crimson or scar-
let and black..
Embroidered towels are made of coarse white linen, embroidered on
both ends with a border in cross stitch, worked in colored cottons and
edged with coarse linen lace, or fringe the ends and knot. The sides
of the towel are turned down for a hem three-fourths of an inch wide,
and cross-stitched down with colored cotton on the right side.
Take bed-ticking (red striped) and embroider the white stripes with
fancy colored silks ; on the wide red stripes briar-stitch black velvet ; on
narrow red stripes sew narrow gilt braid. You can in this way make
lovely, serviceable table covers, sofa cushions, tobacco pouches, slipper-
cases and many other beautiful articles to ornament a room.
WORK BASKET NO TES. 83
To make pretty dessert doylies. Work with very fine scarlet mark-
ing cotton in one corner a group of fruit and leaves on a ground of gray
damask, or coarse plain white linen, such as you purchase for sheeting —
three and one-quarter yards of linen make twelve napkins and four
doylies. Fringe the edge and work a feather stitch around for a
border.
Old curtains that are not good enough to hang at the windows can
be utilized by transferring the flowers and vines to borders for lambre-
quins, dressing tables, work stands and baby baskets. Arrange the
sprays on bands of satin and work them a little with colored silk, or
transfer the heavy vines to plain Swiss muslin. Coarse musquito
net makes effective curtains with the flowers all over it in scrolling pat-
terns.
Cretonne stripes, with a band on each side of some plain, rich-colored
material, are thrown over the backs of chairs. They are cut pointed at
the end, with one tassel or three, or a row of fringe put on straight
across, to hang below the chair. Flowers of cretonne are appliqued on
black satin, pink or red roses, being one of the handsomest designs.
A lovely pair of curtains may be made of ordinary fine muslin,
on which may be tastefully grouped birds, flowers, Watteau shep-
herds and shepherdesses, or graceful ferns, peacocks, oriental foliage
and bright-hued butterflies cut from cretonne. Cretonne may be pur-
chased in great variety of styles, but too many subjects should not be
introduced into one piece of work. The flowers, etc., are appliqued on,
and worked in colored filoselles.
To make pretty napkins for spreading over dishes on the table, cut a
yard of " bird's-eye " linen into eight square pieces, fringe one-half an
inch deep, overcast with red marking cotton, coral stitch a border of
same or work a sheaf of wheat, a monogram or initial in the corner.
These brighten up a table wonderfully, wash well, and are within the
reach of all.
Pin cushions are made much prettier by making them very full,
making the corners long and pointed, and finishing each corner with a
bow of ribbon, in which lace is intermingled. Point cT esprit lace is
very pretty for fancy work, and looks very much like the breton, but is
much prettier.
Page 73
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
Scraps of silk are capable of being made into very gay mantel cloths by being cut into Vandykes and sewed together in alternate points, say amber and black, scarlet and black, dark blue and crimson. The seams should be followed with lines of feather-stitch in some pretty contrasting color. Amber silk would look well with blue and crimson or scarlet and black.
Embroidered towels are made of coarse white linen, embroidered on both ends with a border in cross stitch, worked in colored cottons and edged with coarse linen lace, or fringe the ends and knot. The sides of the towel are turned down for a hem three-fourths of an inch wide, and cross-stitched down with colored cotton on the right side.
Take bed-ticking (red striped) and embroider the white stripes with fancy colored silks ; on the wide red stripes briar-stitch black velvet ; on narrow red stripes sew narrow gilt braid. You can in this way make lovely, serviceable table covers, sofa cushions, tobacco pouches, slippercases and many other beautiful articles to ornament a room.
WORK BASKET NOTES.
To make pretty dessert doylies. Work with very fine scarlet marking cotton in one corner a group of fruit and leaves on a ground of gray damask, or coarse plain white linen, such as you purchase for sheeting — three and one-quarter yards of linen make twelve napkins and four doylies. Fringe the edge and work a feather stitch around for a border.
Old curtains that are not good enough to hang at the windows can be utilized by transferring the flowers and vines to borders for lambrequins, dressing tables, work stands and baby baskets. Arrange the sprays on bands of satin and work them a little with colored silk, or transfer the heavy vines to plain Swiss muslin. Coarse musquito net makes effective curtains with the flowers all over it in scrolling patterns.
Cretonne stripes, with a band on each side of some plain, rich-colored material, are thrown over the backs of chairs. They are cut pointed at the end, with one tassel or three, or a row of fringe put on straight across, to hang below the chair. Flowers of cretonne are appliqued on black satin, pink or red roses, being one of the handsomest designs.
A lovely pair of curtains may be made of ordinary fine muslin, on which may be tastefully grouped birds, flowers, Watteau shepherds and shepherdesses, or graceful ferns, peacocks, oriental foliage and bright-hued butterflies cut from cretonne. Cretonne may be purchased in great variety of styles, but too many subjects should not be introduced into one piece of work. The flowers, etc., are appliqued on, and worked in colored filoselles.
To make pretty napkins for spreading over dishes on the table, cut a yard of " bird's-eye " linen into eight square pieces, fringe one-half an inch deep, overcast with red marking cotton, coral stitch a border of same or work a sheaf of wheat, a monogram or initial in the corner. These brighten up a table wonderfully, wash well, and are within the reach of all.
Pin cushions are made much prettier by making them very full, making the corners long and pointed, and finishing each corner with a bow of ribbon, in which lace is intermingled. Point cT esprit lace is very pretty for fancy work, and looks very much like the breton, but is much prettier.