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THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING. MARCH 29. 1914
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NEEDLEWOMAN
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By Adelaide Byrd
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tbrihelNDUSTRlOUS
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Top Qf-3oof&?
Again the Child
IT HAS been frequently remarked
' by people of observation how very
simply the "old families' dress
their children. Millions of money they
may have, but their code of simplicity
for the little folks is almost Invari
able. Occasionally, when some "new"
. blood marries into the family touches
of overelaboratlon are sometimes ex
hibited. Studied lines these little
children may have, and the finest of
materials and -the smallest of stltehea
. Simplicity does not necessarily mean
a laok of expense. It means, most of
'all, a lack of display. But not only
with the wealthy and the "four hun-
- dred" does this custom of juvenile
-simplicity prevail, but with well-bred
- people in general. Childhood and
South are in themselves a sufficient
ecoratlon.
An exclusive and simple frock for
the little girl may be made from natural-colored
linen, with lay-down col
lar and cuffs embroidered In grolden
. brown mercerized thread. Have the
. dress falling In large box pleats back
and front from a yoke- and belted in
with an embroidered belt. A very
.: suitable design would be that of the
decorative and yet simple pattern of
the walls of Troy.
X BOOTEE, ff
IN OUR wealth of beautiful design
for the embroiderere we must not
forget the baby. And here Is a
tiny outat that will give the
maker joy and great satisfaction and
will make Ihe little one more at
tractive than ever, if that be possible.
The little drawing of the cap shows
how convenient this new shape is. It
can be opened out for laundering, as
the design shows; when ready for -wear
It is laced up through the eye
lets that are on the slanting edges. '
and a round, comfortable cap fits -over '
the baby's head in a new line. I have
had little embroidery put on the cap,
for simplicity is a good note to sound
In a baby's dress. It Is also very
easily worked:
The little bootee matches the cap,
and the set of these with the cap will
make a present that Is fit for a king.
Linen of a medium weight, pique or
duck will be suitable for these de
signs. White mercerized cotton of a
soft untwllled variety is excellent. It
you like the color note on the little
One's garments, use pink for the boy
and blue for the girl, if you are a.
follower of convention. The combina
tion of pastel shades in- the delicate
pink, blue, lavender and green will
make a varied effect, and on this sim
ple design it can be done with an ef
fect that will not be obtrusive.
As you look at the sketches before
you, you will see that the work Is very
simple. The flowers are to be done in
French knots, and the leaves can be
done in solid stitch with a very fir
needle or with a lazy-daisy stitch, that
Is, simply a loop of cotton, the end of
the loop held at the Up by a short
SIMPLE EMBROIDERY
HaVe you noticed the attractive
bedroom sets embroidered with
the simple lazy-daisy stitch? They
are lovely enough to attract the atten
tion of any woman who admires bright
color and flower designs. The back
ground usually chosen for these sets is
ecru or deep cream linen and the de
signs are baskets filled with daisies
or asters, old-fa.shloned bouquets of the
same flowers or garlands arranged in
festoons about the edge.
It is easier to take the dimensions of
your dretser and chiffonier to a needle
work shop and have the linen stamped
there in any ries pn you may prefer.
Select mercerised cotton of a not-too-heavy
quality, in rich tones of purple,
dark rone, yellow anrS green, to em
broider the flowers and foliage. A few
AND
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flowers may be embroidered with white
if you desire.
The petals of the asters or daisies are
filled in j with the lasy-dalsy stitch and
the yellow centers with French knots.
Buttonhole-stitch the edge in small
scallops,! using a heavier cotton to match
the linen. If an edging of cluny lace
is stitched to this the effect will be de
cidedly pleasing.
When making the pincushion, scallop
the lower section also and border it with
the lace, so that when the top and. bot
tom are i laced together the double edg
ing of lace will contribute a dainty fin-
tsh to the cushion.
- Tou will find the three pieces, constl
tutlnsr the set. completed in less than
no time. This is the advantage ox us
ing the lasy-dalsy stitch.
Other designs show flowers 0ucb as
etitoh. If the cotton be eesrie, ftra
can maks the petals ef the fie Wire -with
straight stltehea,
Work the circle U ytletii fte that
the edges can be laee4 together as
shown In the drawn hat, fad the scal
lops slightly and work to buttonhole
sUtofa. Ribbon In white or color can
gtv the finishing touches to ihe hat,
til bootee is worked in similar man
ner with French knots, and the top edge
is buttonholed. There la allowance made
for a Trench seam or a fell, so that no
raw edges are given a chance te rub
the little foot. The sole is given, and
here again there should be no raw
seams. A button and buttonhole can
be used at the top of the front to
fasten the edges together. If you wish,
you can make two buttonholes and tie
them with a bow of wide ribbon.
Now do not allow this design to go
to waste. Make the little sprays of
decorative use to you in a yoke on the
baby dress or in the decoration of a
baby kimono and coat. A panel of a
dress can be embroidered with a run
ning vine of this flower, which you can
get from the design end, by repeating
as many times as required, you can fill
any space. And then. Just to complete
a set for the little highness, make a
pillow for the head by placing the
sprays on it in a conventional line, or in
one corner. Oh, many things can be
done with these suggestions!
It is the clever mother, sister or
cousin or aunt who will make this one
page answer many calls of the baby's
wardrobe. Let me recommend a set
made after this design, and let me
promise you much satisfaction in the
completion of 1C
forget-me-nots, miniature roses and
other diminutive blossoms, packed into
baskets or to form bouquets. These are
fashioned entirely of French knots ar
ranged in groups numbering anywhere
from elx to . twelve. Sometimes the
flowers are so small that only three
knots are required to cover the outline.
Mercerized cotton of a medium weight
is used to form the knots, and the colors
combined depend upon the ' personal
taste.
The roses are loveliest when embroid
SOME
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&es Mechlin is Fxgvsffe-
Jmitetiori Drtrsse3
IT IS very often difficult for the
layman to distinguish between
the mechlin. and Valenciennes
laces, so much does each resem
ble the other. They are considered
the two principal Flemish laces of ..
their class. Mechlin, as with Valen
ciennes, is worked ground and flow
ers together, instead of the designs
being appllqued upon the ground
work, as is the case with many other
laces. This method of working neces
sitates the use of many bobbins at one
time, sometimes numbering as high as .
five hundred. We cannot but' marvel
at the almost abnormal patience re
quired to manipulate and keep sepa
rate these many little spools and to
regret that the poorly paid lace maker Is
not more bountifully remunerated, al
though mechlin lace brings much
higher prices than many other laces.
Sad to say, however, the largest profit
If
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ered iwith tones of rose shading from
a dark rich shade to a pale tine. Dark
green is chosen for the foliage, and the
baskets are outlined with brown. Pink
or Mue is the tone usually selected for
the bowknots which ornament the com
pact little bouquet a or hold the festoons
. in position.
Surely you could not find a more ef
fective set for your small daughter's
room than one ornamented with roses or
asters embroidered with the simple
stitches so pbpular at present.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT
Brussels TT?HoseDes?f7
does not go to the actual toiler, but to
the ''middleman."
The lace is made In Mechlin, St.
Trend and Turnhout. While mechlin
originated from an effort to make a
cheaper lace, it soon became so elab
orate that It ranked with the expen
sive brussela. and brought frequently
as high a price. One way of dlstln-
frulshing mechlin from- Valenciennes
ace is that the mechlin" is often far
more elaborate and has a great va
riety of stltehea Like Valenciennes,
however, it has been so cleverly Imi
tated by machine that the sale of the
reel lace has greatly fallen off. Machine-made
mechlin has far less dura
bility than the band-made lace. Real
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Touch of Handwork
IT ISN'T possible tor a business girt
to have as many pretty handmade
tilings as her yr-at-bome sisters,
of course, but she can have jnany pretty
things 'with a touch of handwork on
them that will lend to her garments that
same air of daintiness wtmah surrounds
her more fortunate sTitsra Miss Busi
ness oirl has to buy, frequently, most of
her clothing ready made, but there Is
nothing to prevent her putting a tiny
hit of handwork upon these ready-made
garments and changing) the character of
them entirely. In buying; undergar
ments it Is well to avoid those over
trimrned In cheap lace. Better a plain
scallop to which you oan whip a lace
edging of your own selection, or a se
verely plain garment on which you can
embroider a small spray or two or work
a monogram. Then there is the ques
tion of neckweax. Simple net can be
much enhanced, as oan also plain ba
tiste, by a vine or flower in handwork.
Some busy girls will not buy ready
made gowns because they complain of
the "store trimmlnr." Surely this Is a
simple problem. Remove the "store
trimming" and replace it with trim
ming of one's own selection. Partic
ularly net or lace yokes oan he re
placed in this way to advantage, some
times a gown of really good lines has a
gingerbread air about It that can be
quickly dissipated by a change of trim
ming. That Frayed Petticoat
f 4TT1 lHAr prett3r muffle Is hope
I lessly frayed about the edges,
in some places very deeply. I
simply can't turn It up again or tt will
be too short. H don't feel, either, that
it would be economy for me to buy a
new ruffle for the top, as rt lent quite
worth that much expense. Ton see. my
shoe buttons tear the ruffles so. too
ruefully finished the young girl who had
to practice economy.
"My dear," began the young girl's
mother In a comforting tone, "just you
run around to the trimming shop and
et some -blue sateen to match that silk,
and we'll see what we can do about It.
A half yard will be enough."
When the girl cam back, mother and
daughter got to work. They trimmed
and ' turned up the .frayed ruffle, until
the petticoat was quite too short lor
the' tall girl. Then the mother cut the
skirt in two, about halfway between
. hip and knee, and Inserted a broad
strip of the sateen, thus joining the
two sections of the petticoat together
aerain. The sateen strip was just suf
ficiently broad to take the place of the
frayed part of the ruffle which was
eliminated, thus making the petticoat
just the right length. The result was
that the petticoat, whloh would other
wise have been oonaigned to the rag
bag, wore for several months longer.
mechlin has been called, together
with Valenciennes, ''the high aris
tocracy" of pillow lace, sharing that
honor with some few others.
It has never been ascertained Just
when the manufacture-of brusaels lace
began. But that it had become famous
in 1741 is evident from some of Ches
terfield's writings. A Mrs. Calder
wood, who visited Brussels in 1756r
wrote the following account of the
process:
"The manufacture Is. very curious,"
she wrote. "One person works the
flowers. They are all sold separately,
and you will see a very pretty sprig
for which the worker only rets IS
soua The masters who have all theee
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WHY is It that we see so little col- ;
ored embroidery on night- :
robes? Beautiful white laces
and white embroidery, hand and mt- j
chine made, are used profusely on these
sleeping gowns, but rarely is thane aj
touch of even the palest of pastel
shades on the gown, with the exception '
of the ribbon. Is there any reason why ;
we shouldn't have colored embroidery i
on nlghtrobes? They are not worn
under a sheer waist, as are corset;
covers. We do not embroider our cor
set covers in colors because of the bad
taste of which we would be guilty, did"'
we allow colors to show through oar!
sheer blouses. Oa again, let us say
that there Isn't any reason why it
shouldn't appear on s nlghtrobe, - fled
there is more than one
should.
Colored silks in pest
dainty and artlstlo. Colored sSta t
this age of perfection la dyetnc raretr
fade if properly washed. Colored e
broidery on the white materials uasA
In robes would be Infinitely beeomtnsj
and a great relief to those of as who
never look well In aU-whita. Colored '
embroidery, while adding the desired -note
of color, is less trouble than the
tying of ribbon bows and the threading
of ribbons through eyelets or hoaHny,
Tou eee, a pretty fitted or round yoke
will need no drawing up with stbbons.
Crochet buttons oan be used to fasten
the yoke at the front, back or side. The
side is preferable, as It Is less notioe
able. Too muoh care and work cannot Too
spent upon a trousseau gown, and
let us plan one of fine and not too
heavy material. Simplicity shall be Its
keynote. There shall he a' plain curved
band about the low neck, a shaped
band. The rest of the gown shall
loosely fall from this. About the yoke,
both back and front, embroider wild
roses In satin stitch. The sleeves shall
be short and puffed, with a bias band
ahout them to hold in their fullness and
keep them rather close to the" arm.
The length of the sleeves) shall extend
to harfwy between the shoulder and
the elbow. The bias sleeveband is
about an inch or an Inch and a quarter -wide
and Is embroidered with roses.
About the trailing skirt of the gown,
just above the hem Itself, shall be a
border of the pale wild roses, all hav
ing", of course, their pale yellow cen
ters and pale green foliage. Yes. it
will take time, but a trousseau gown
Is worth much time. Do not have the
material very heavy. Rather, let It be
bo ft and somewhat silky, perhaps a
very fine quality of nainsook or batiste.
Embroidered Tunic
THE soft spring silks, with the ex
ception of taffeta, have tempted
many art needleworkers to em
broider the bottom of the popular tunic.
Usually it is the darker materials that
are embroidered In this fashion, thus in
troducing a note of contrasting color.
Blue crepe de chine or charmeuse em
broidered in different shades of blue, or
with a touch of red, green or old gold
in the design, is very lovely. Some few
tunics are scalloped and 'buttonhole
stitched. Particularly suitable for these
tunio borders are the conventional cub
ist designs. The same design can be
carried unJnto the waist. One must be
ware, however, or there will be an
overelsiboration, and even in beautiful
hand embroidery overelabo ration is not
permissible.
Cap Bows
ONE may possess only two bou
doir caps, but seemingly a great
many more by the addition of a
different colored bow of ribbon now and
then. Sometimes It may not toe more
than a knot of ribbon, a three or four
Inch piece left over from a longer piece
used for trimming. It is a wise plan to
save all scraps of ribbon three Inches
long and over. Not only do they make
boudoir cap bows and knots, but they
may be used to ornament undergar
menta There is one voDular girl who
trims her boudoir caps entirely with
bows made from candy-4ox ribbons. It
Is a pretty fashion to have a knot of f
ribbon upon the cap to match the k jj
mono or the ribbons of the nlghtrobo.
How to Transfer !
PLACE a sheet of impression ear '
bon paper between your fabrle 1
and the newspaper design, the
latter on top. With a sharp pencil or 1
a glass-pointed pen go over the out ' ;
Una The design will be transferred II ,
to the material and will last nntUVT
worked. :b .
LACES
people employed sjve tliem toe uiread t
to make them; this they do according '-
to a pattern, and give them out to be 'V
grounded, after which they give them
to a third hand, who 'hearts all the
flowers with the open work. That is
what makes the lace so much dearer f
than the mechlin, which is wrought " .
all at once."
There is a prominent cordonnet or ; -raised
thread In brussels lace, which
gives a relief to certafn details of the
design. Then, too, a modeling effect
is Imparted to flowers by means of a j:
small bone Instrument, giving con- .
cave shapes to leaves, petals and va
rlous other ornaments. The reason for
usually having several persona work
upon different parts of lace Is that Its
manufacture Is so difficult and com- i
plicated that a single worker usually
specialises in one part of the process
only. There are sometimes as nigh as v
seven processes, requiring seven dlf-,J
ferent people. .
One authority says: "The fineness of:
thread used in brucsels lace is almost f
a fable." It Is necessary to spin thei
very finest of this thread In dark, un-1
derground rooms, for contact with the?
dry air would cause the almost In-f
visible thread to break. Dark paper IS
used frr a background to throw out
this thread, and a single ray ef light?
is admitted to the room and focused!;,
upon the work.
A beautiful characteristic of brussels.
lace is that almost Invariably lis de--s
sign Is composed of objects naturalist
tlcally treated, usually birds, leaves;
and flowers. Sometimes the human;!
figure and animrls are incorporated In!
the design. In some patterns of brus$
sets lace the designs are connected y
brides, email irregular threads, and
others the groundwork or resseau Is a '
fine net. - j
Fortunately for the town of Brusj
eels, no other town has been able tof
compete with her In the manufacturer
of the lace which she has named for.
herself.' Antwerp, Ghent and other?
localities have tried In vain to equal
It. The difficulty in procuring thread? '
of the necessary fineness has pre'
vented other countries from com pet-
ing In the art A Scotchman who hope ,
lessly gave up a desire to manufaO
t-na lac fn hi "ain countris", i
aid. rerardlng the lace: -At Brus-i
sels, from one pound of flax alone, they-;
can manufacture laoe to the-value of'
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