A LADY'S LETTER. (Home Paper).

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2233, 30 October 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

A LADY'S LETTER. (Home Paper).

Aprons, now so fashionable, maj bo divided into two classes — the useful and tho ornamental. The latter class just now engages a great deal of attention, for tasteful aprons are quite a feature of prevailing diess. They ceitainly are rather expen.sivo aoo.es ,ories to it, but, if becoming, few, if any, tend more to enolmnce the charm ot a home toilet. Aprons date from the greatest antiquity ; iudeed, they were the first garments over worn. They were co-pv.il with Eve and fallen Ad un in Paradise. In the fouiteenth century aprons were called l( vaime cloths" Later on, as in nv»ro recent timr«, the usa of the apron was contiuued only by good house-wives as a pi'oteetion to the dies*. }Jut in days of William 111. they were worn again as ornamental articles of attiie,and very elaborate they were, richly decorated with needlework, gold lace spangles, and so on. They were fist. ioned, iv short, of the oobtlie^t materials, and no lady considered her dre^s complete without such iin aproD. Of them the poet wrote : — These aprons white, of finest thread, &<> choicely tied, so dearly bought, So finely fringed, so nicely spread, So quaintly cut, so richly wrought, Wear they in work, to save their coats, They need not cost so many groats. In George ll's. reign aprons were worn long, and plain white mull- muslin was the favoured material. The famous Beau Nash, styled the " King of Bath, " who ruled fashion and society with a high hand, eutertaiued a great dislike to aprons, and it is recorded that when the Duchess of Queeusberry entered the Assembly rooms on one occasion dressed in an apron, the Beau tore it from her, and rudely declaied that " none but Abigails appeared in white aprons." From time to time the tat>te for ornamental aprons has been revived and again fallen into abeyance. Tho intervals have not been far apart, and never has this article of feminine wear been more tas-te fully constructed than, now. One can see dozens and dozens of aprons of the most charmiug desonption at this time iv the best shops, and their cost is iv proportion to their beauty. A friend of mine has just received an apron from a relative who resides in Switzerland. It is po lartje as to encompass the figure ; the embroidery is worked at the edge of the apron, and it is afterwards scolloped ; the pocket is cut after the manner of those our grandmothers wore under their gowns suspended by strings, one on either t>i<ie : the pockets are stitched flat on to the apron. For a lady to wear whilst attendto her hosuehold duties in the morning the apron I det>cribe is one of the bsct protections I have seen. The Norwegian women ra ike a great feature of their aprons, and when they go to church on Sundays, if the place of worship be far distant, and the worshippers have to be rowed across a lake or fiord, which is often the cisc, the best cap and apron are placed in a small wooden box of peculiar make, and so carried safely to the entrance of the church, where the business of the toilet is completed. I have just been told that brandy is an infallible cure for corns. When dressing leave the feet uucovered, and from time to time apply the lotion with tip of the finger; repeat the treatment for several successive mornings, also whilst undressing at night, and with a little perseverance, I hear, tho most inveterate and painful corns will be removed. I havo not tried the method/ but mention it thinking it may commend it3elf to some of my readers. "Pickles Sweet American." — Take seven pounds of damsons or wine sours, four ponnds of pounded loaf sugar, one ounce of stick cinnamon, one ounce of cloves, and a pint of vinegar. Ifty the fruit and the other dry ingredients in layers in a deep stone jar, and pour the vinegar over all. Put the jar into a pan of boiling water, and keep boiling until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved and the juice of the fruit extracted; then put the jar in a cool place. The next day drain off the syrup, hoil it, and pour it over the fruit. Repeat this piocess six or seven successive days, until the .skin looks hard and the plums clear. Let the preparation stand a week, then take the plums out one by one ! place them iv jars, boil the syrup and fill up the jars with it. When, cold put brandy papers over, and tie a bladder on the top to keep the air out, or the pickles will loose their colour. Pears, apples, peaches and cherries can all be pickled in this way, and will be found to be delicious. A little cochineal in a bag dropped in the jar will improve the colour greatly. If kept in a dry place they will keep six or seven years. Time, three weeke. Cost varies nearly every year.