WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 171, 28 October 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen"). FOR THE GIRL WITH CLEVER FINGERS. Even though her dress money is limited. the girl with clever fingers need never be at a loss for the hundred and one dainty triiles with which to trim her dresses. She can make out of a strip of net. odds ami ends of silk, and beads (bought for a few pence), garnitures that if she purchased would run into pounds. Xor need she trouble to get patterns, or copy designs that everyone else can procure just as easily. There are other models far quainter and prettier close at hand.

The queer old bell ropes worked by our great grandmothers in beads and silk have lovely designs quite in keeping with our present style of dress. One I have in my mind (says a writer in a Home paper) had a dull blue ground, over which a trailing pattern of wild roses was embroidered in the palest shades of pink in cross stitch. The leaves were worked in dull greens and browns. The whole blending of the colors was very soft and restful. This design could have been copied in satin stitch straight on to tin; material. Such a design as this would not be difficult to copy, or, indeed, for that matter, any other old conventional design. Lav a piece of tissue or tracing, paper over the embroidery, and with a soft dark pencil trace the outline. If the embroidery is to be done on net, cut strips of brown holland the required width and length, and after laying a piece of carbon paper upon the holland (taking carc the marking side is downwards) lay the tracing paper over the two. Take care to have it. in the right position. Cut snips in the paper to make it set exactly right, but be careful not to cut the outline. Pin all in place. Go over the outline with a hard, sharply-pointed pencil. On removing the carbon and tracing paper the design Will be seen transferred to the holland. If for a permanent pattern draw over the carbon marks with a fine pen and some good black ink, and the pattern is ready for use. Tack the strips of net over the holland, and the outline is plainly visible. In working take care not to take the stitches through to the holland. As to the embroidery used, the net may be darned or worked in satin stitch, but the mode of the moment must be studied. The girl with ideas will be able to vary or combine her patterns in numerous ways. She can garner hints from museums and exhibitions. Many Jacobean embroideries lend themselves to this work.

Some of the Red Indian bead work in the British Museum would suggest designs for conventional trimmings and embroideries for linen dresses in blue, red and white. Indeed, barbaric ornaments might be a fruitful source of inspiration in the production of garnitures, medallions, belts and buttons. For instance, the Egyptian scarab and other designs would make beautiful patterns. The one with huge outspread wings- lends itself most admirably to ornament. For these the tints should be dull, and resemble the originals as much as possible. But to return to our copying of patterns. When the material is not thin enough to see through the design requires to be drawn upon the stuff. Before the days of transfers (which, however usi'ful, have really destroyed the individuality of our work) our grandmothers drew their own designs frequently from the natural flower. The permanent pattern was drawn on linen, and traced off with tissue paper. This last was sewn on to the material and the design'worked through. It is a simple plan and useful, especially if the material is dark, but the picking away of the paper afterwards is very tedious and troublesome. To transfer the design to the material itself, if light, use carbon paper; if dark, puncture the pattern at frequent inter l vals with rather a large pin, going carefully around the outline, and filling each detail in exactly. Lay this on the material. Pin carefully in place, and sprinkle the surface thickly with powdered starch and rub through the pin-pricks. Raise the tracing-paper very carefully with a straight-up movement, and the outline of the pattern will be represented bj lines of tiny-dots. Go over these with a fine brush dipped into Chinese white. This fixes the outline, and the pattern is ready for working. This is the way my great-grand-mother did, and she has frequently told me how she and her three sisters managed. They were wealthy women, livin m a quiet West Country home. It wa' considered the correct thing for womei to embroider their own dresses then There were no imitations of lace anc embroideries to be bought. Invitations to balls were given with a view to this

fact a long time in advance. Each <nrl took it in turn to have a new ball dress so that all might devote their attention to the one. muslin cost ten shillings a yard. It was real hand-woven Indian work. Une of the two dresses was a series of deep flounces, and each was heavily embroidered with a design of clusters of leaves and berries, the berries being holes with a heavy edge of satin stitch on one side to represent shadow. The effect was very g°od. The leaves were simple satin stitch. The edge of the flounces were scalloped with buttonhole stitch all) around. The other, dress was straight and long, but the whole surface was eov- i ered with tinv sprays of flowers worked in pink silk to match the dress, which was made of silk crape. •Sad to say, with th'e irreverence o1 youth, r turned them both into ball dresses for myself. I always picture the three women, not as I knew them, old and grey-haired, but happy, laughing girls, bending over their tambour-frames, while the setting Slln shining through the great Elizebethan windows, tinted the black oak panels withhold, et I, with the vandalism of j T outn, cut up those dresses!

Crochet also lends itself to the preparation of numerous trilles —[rich crochet especially. Xot the delicate, lacey work given that name, but an adaption mad* with coarser cotton. A few days ago T saw a dress, the wearer of which had made a continuous pattern of fufhsia worked in rather coarse string-colored cotton. The whole of the leaves and flowers were done ill double ehochet, with 110 lacy lines to connect the work. The design was sewn carefully down on to the 'dress, a dark blue linen, and the ellect was wonderfully good. | Another girl had her blouse trimmed with crochet, insertion, in which t'n» oid [(Jreek key pattern played the principal part. Cotton to match the dress or a contract should be chosen, and in .-.ilk it makes exquisite trimmings. A Mouse composed throughout in Solomon's knots makes a beautiful over-blouse. To work, cut a pattern of a good blouse in any fairly stiff material. Commence by making "a sufficient quantity of Solomon's knots to go down the front. Work backwards and forwards in rather long j stitches, shaping the piece as much as j possible, until the whole surface is covered. Proceed till as many pieces as are required have been made. Cut out in silk the under-blouse, and carefully tack the crochet over. Join up all seams in the ordinary way. As the crochet is apt to bo bulky below the waist, it should end at the waist-line, or the blouse may be put into a band. Jf the maker wishes to keep the overblouse separate from the slip, use one of the kimona blouse patterns, to be procured at most stationers', and work the crochet in one piece. This can be finished at the neck and sleeves with a simple edging of ordinary chain-stitch and double-crochet, taking care to draw the neck into a good shape. , Solomon's knots are so quickly done that the blouse is soon finished. Mercerised cotton docs quite as well as silk, though in some colors it does not wear so well. Broad bands of Solomon's knots make a pretty trimming for dresses. They only require a backing of the same mateas the dress, or to be let in like ordinary lace insertion. In white, the washing, unless done at home, is apt to be a failure. But then the clever girl generally washes and cleans her dainty lace and silk blouses at home, and if the Solomon's knots are carefully pulled out when drying, they look quite equal to new*.