The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
665 
The  Home  Dressmaker 
Delay™  Spring. — The  season  is  so 
late  and  cold  that  fur  coats  have  lingered 
and  real  Spring  suits  were  not  warm 
enough  for  the  middle  of  April.  Prices 
on  coats  and  suits  remained  high,  but  as 
soon  as  warm  weather  starts  we  look  for 
decided  price  reductions  that  will  benefit 
the  prudent  shopper. 
Two  Pretty  Juveniles. — In  the  first 
picture,  the  little  girl  at  the  left  shows 
a  pretty  but  practical  little  frock  of  blue 
and  white  tissue  gingham,  with  a  yoke  of 
white  rep.  the  little  puffed  sleeves  being 
gathered  into  bands  of  the  rep.  There 
was  a  band  of  stiff  little  pink  roses  with 
olive  green  foliage  embroidered  along  the 
lower  edge  of  the  yoke,  both  front  and 
back.  This  was  done  like  the  little  flow¬ 
ers  that  are  embroidered  on  handkerchiefs, 
but  of  heavier  cotton.  The  band  on  the 
sleeve  was  also  embroidered  with  separate 
flowers.  This  was  a  dainty  dress,  very 
easily  made.  We  saw  some  made  the 
same  way  of  white  swiss  with  a  colored 
dot,  the  yoke  of  white  organdie.  Some 
were  blue-dotted  swiss  with  pink  flowers 
on  the  yoke,  others  pink-dotted  with  blue 
flowers. 
The  dress  worn  by  the  larger  girl  was 
of  lemon  yellow  linen,  with  set-in  raglan 
sleeves  of  leaf-green  linen.  A  little  motif 
of  conventional  embroidery  in  black  and 
green  trimmed  the  front,  and  there  was  a 
little  epaulette  of  the  same  embroidery  on 
each  sleeve.  The -color  contrast,  and  the 
bit  of  embroidery,  made  this  a  smart  little 
frock,  but  it  is  practical  and  easily  laun¬ 
dered,  being  fastened  invisibly  all  down 
the  back.  This  model  would  be  very 
pretty  made  of  gingham  or  chambray  in 
a  solid  color,,  with  sleeves  of  harmonizing 
cretonne  or  chintz.  Dress  cretonnes  come 
in  attractive  patterns  and  fast  colors  and 
are  very  pretty  for  children.  This  com¬ 
bination  would  be  quite  attractive  in 
sateen  and  cretonne,  too;  black  sateen 
with  gay  cretonne  sleeves  would  be  very 
pretty.  Such  a  dress  would  have  bloom¬ 
ers  of  the  solid  color. _ 
A  Silk  1'oplin  Suit. — In  the  second 
picture  the  figure  at  the  left  shows  a  very 
■useful  jacket  suit  of  silk  poplin,  the  coat 
golden  brown,  the  skirt  fawn.  The  skirt 
was  a  plain  wrap-around,  with  three  ar¬ 
rowheads  embroidered  in  darker  silk  at 
the  seam  where  it  folded  over.  The  coat 
was  a  modified  jacquette,  the  front  being 
crossed  over  and  tied  at  the  side.  The 
sleeves  were  set  in  with  something  of  a 
raglan  effect,  the  jacket  being  stitched  to 
the  sleeve  just  below  the  shoulder.  The 
jacket  was  bound  and  tied  with  the  fawn 
color.  A  silk  suit  of  this  kind  is  very 
d<  sirable  for  church,  street  or  travel  in 
warm  weather,  as  the  skirt  may  be  at¬ 
tached  merely  to  a  lining  or  camisole  top 
or  a  Georgette  waist.  Such  a  suit,  in 
dark-  colored  silk  of  light  weight,  is  a 
comfort  to  a  woman  of  plump  figure,  or 
to  an  elderly  matron  who  feels  warm 
weather,  and  yet  does  not  like  to  go  out 
without  a  coat. 
Crepe  dm  Ciiine  and  Wooden  Beads. 
— The  dress  in  the  center  was  a  simple 
girlish  model  of  sand-colored  crepe  de 
chine.  The  double  circular  cape  collar 
was  becoming  and  novel,  and  the  short 
kimono  sleeves  were  lengthened  by  a  little 
puff.  The  skirt  hadt  a  flying  panel  at 
each  side,  hanging  a  little  lower  than  the 
hem.  These  panels,  the  girdle,  sleeves  and 
double  collar  were  edged  with  green 
wooden,  beads  about  the  size  of  a  pea, 
sewn  directly  on  the  edge  about  on  inch 
apart.  A  great  many  of  the  Spring  dresses 
have  very  short  sleeves,  the  little  puff 
being  one  of  the  new  developments.  The 
hat  shown  has  a  wide,  drooping  brim  of 
fine  straw,  faced  with  sand-colored  crepe 
de  chine,  while  the  crown  is  covered  with 
flat  flowers  in  pastel  shades. 
Sleeveless  Coat. — The  figure  at  the 
right  shows  a  rather  dressy  sport  model. 
The  dress  is  of  accordion-pleated  white 
crepe  de  chine,  falling  straight  from  a 
yoke,  while  the  short  sleeves  are  length¬ 
ened  by  a  puff  of  the  accordion  pleating 
coming  to  the  elbow.  Over  this  was  a 
sleeveless  jacket  of  brilliant  printed  silk, 
bound  with  a  fold  of  black  silk.  The 
pockets  curved  from  the  front,  and  were 
hound  into  the  jacket  at  the  bottom.  We 
see  similar  dresses  made  of  voile  with 
sleeveless  jackets  of  chintz  or  India  print, 
and  they  are  very  pretty  and  girlish. 
Accordion-pleated  voile  comes  ready 
pleated  at  $1.50  a  yard;  this  is  iff)  in. 
wide,  so  it  would  make  the  skirt,  but 
would  need  seaming  at  the  waist  for  the 
vestee  shown  in  the  picture. 
Notes  and  Novelties. — Some  new  cot¬ 
ton  blouses  are  very  different  from  our 
old-style  “wash  waists,”  being  the 
jacquette  shape  of  overblouse  in  Rodier 
cloth,  rather  like  corduroy.  Others  are 
of  linen,  applique  and  embroidered.  These 
blouses  are  used  with  pleated  costume 
skirts  of  fine  woolen  or  soft  silk. 
We  noted  j/uile  pleatings  .”>!)  in.  wide 
offered  at.  $1.50  a  yard  for  making  skirts. 
They  had  three  1-in.  tucks  at  the  bottom 
which  would  give  sufficient  weight  to  hold 
the  skirt  straight.  Such  a  skirt  should 
be  jointed  to  a  camisole  top  of  similar 
material,  or  silk  mull  iu  the  same  color, 
and  a  slip-on  blouse  would  complete  a 
very  attractive  dress  with  very  little  mak¬ 
ing.  These  pleatings  come  in  Copen¬ 
hagen  blue,  rose,  Nile  green,  gray,  tan, 
navy  and  white. 
Red  is  very  much  in  fashion  this 
Spring,  and  it  appears  in  all  sorts  of  sur¬ 
prising  ways.  Red  kid  sandals,  cut  out 
so  as  to  show  the  stocking  beneath,  are 
either  all  red,  or  strapped  with  patent 
leather,  and  are  sufficiently  startling  to 
people  of  very  conservative  tastes.  For 
wear  with  these  slippers  either  red  or 
contrasting  silk  stockings  are  offered; 
there  are  white  with  red  clocks,  and  black 
with  red  clocks.  There  are  also  sandals 
in  a  bright  shade  of  green.  Red  leather 
handbags  and  purses,  red  silk  umbrellas 
with  red  leather  strap  and  cap  on  handle, 
and  all  sorts  of  red  jewelry  are  much  in 
evidence. 
We  saw  some  pretty  bordered  veils  in  a 
variety  of  colors  for  $1.95,  and  these 
make  a  very  stylish  trimming  for  a  small 
hat  of  the  cloche  or  hell  shape.  The  veil 
is  caught  around  the  crown  with  fancy 
pins,  with  the  embroidered  edge  drooping 
over  the  brim;  sometimes,  with  falling 
ends  at  the  side  or  back.  Sometimes 
flowers  are  added,  but  often  the  veil  is 
the  only  trimming,  except  the  pins  used 
to  fasten  it.  Sometimes  the  lace  veil  is 
pinned  so  that  it  comes  down  over  the 
eyes. 
Fashion  experts  are  talking  about  the 
return  of  the  bustle,  hut  that  monstrosity 
is  only  suggested  so  far  in  some  dresses 
that  are  draped  up  at  the  back,  with  a 
large  bow  or  several  little  frills.  Some 
of  the  small  hats  seem  to  be  trying  a 
bustle  effect,  with  billows  of  ribbon  piled 
up  at  the  back. 
The  standard  dress  this  Spring  is  an 
overblouse  of  printed  or  embroidered  silk 
worn  with  a  pleated  bodice-top  skirt.  It 
is  pretty  and  convenient,  and  gives  op- 
.1  Suit,  a  Dress  and  a  Sports  Jacket 
porfunity  for  change  and  adaptation.  The 
buck -in  blouse  of  elaborate  style  has  lost 
vogue. 
Embroidered  mummy  gauze  is  one  of 
the  materials  combined  with  silk  or  satin 
in  the  new  dresses. 
Ostrich  collars  have  returned  to  favor. 
We  are  fold  that  Lady  Elizabeth  Bowes- 
Lyon  will  wear  an  ostrich  collar  with 
her  going-away  suit  when  she  is  married 
to  the  Duke  of  York.  These  scarfs  are 
made  of  willow  ostrich,  in  all  the  prevail¬ 
ing  colors. 
Thoughts  from  a  Farm  Home 
Being  a  farmer’s  wife  and  a  reader  of 
The  It.  X.-1T.  for  a  number  of  years,  I 
want  to  thank  you  for  the  help  and  in¬ 
spirations  it  has  given  me  in  reading  the 
many  fine  articles  you  have  published. 
I  think  the  farmer’s  wife  is  doing  a 
lot  towards  the  betterment  of  the  farm 
life.  Her  influence  is  being  felt  not  only 
in  her  home  and  the  community  in  which 
she  lives,  but  also  through  her  sons  and 
daughters.  I  have  often  thought  when 
reading  of  the  success  in  life  of  some  great 
man,  how  much  of  his  success  he  at¬ 
tributes  to  the  heli>  and  influence  of  his 
mother  and  later  on  his  wife. 
Times  have  changed ;  today  the  farm¬ 
er’s  wife,  although  with  her  many  duties 
and  cares,  is  just  as  up  to  date  and  pro¬ 
gressive  as  her  city  cousin,  and  some¬ 
times  I  think  more  so.  Out  in  the  coun¬ 
try,  away  from  the  noise,  hustle  and 
hustle  of  the  city,  the  country  woman  is 
in  close  touch  with  nature.  I  think  there 
is  no  greater  study  to  develop  and  broaden  j 
the  mind  than  nature. 
Leave  your  troubles  for  a  little  while, 
put  up  a  lunch  and  go  with  the  children 
for  a  day  in  the  woods,  and  it  is  amazing 
how  small  some  of  tbe  difficulties  will 
appear  when  you  return,  lilts,  H,  K,  B. 
GREAT-  GREAT  -  GRANDMOTHERS 
KITCHEN  • 
A  ROMANCE  OF  COLONIAL  DAYS 
When  that  sturdy  band  of  Pilgrims 
set  out  for  the  new  land,  they  had 
courage  in  their  hearts  and  in  their 
minds  a  determination  to  overcome  all 
obstacles. 
Soon  after  landing  at  Plymouth, 
rude  huts  were  built,  and  iu  each  hut 
was  a  fireplace. 
These  hearths  were  the  centers  of 
the  colony.  Before  the  hearth  John 
Aldeu  sat  with  Priscilla  Mullens  and 
heard  her  shy  hint  that  has  come  down 
to  us  in  poetry.  Before  the  hearths 
the  children  learned  their  letters  and 
their  psalms.  In  the  flames,  the  colon¬ 
ists  saw  fantastic  pictures  and  in  the 
firelight  glow  they  dreamed  dreams  of 
the  new  world. 
But  the  fireplace  had  another  and 
more  practical  use.  It  was  the  primi¬ 
tive  range  of  these  sturdy  adventurers. 
There  were  no  stoves;  there  was  no 
coal  along  the  bleak  New  England 
coast. 
The  colonists  built  fireplaces  of  gen¬ 
erous  proportions.  So  large  were  they 
that  they  could  accommodate  a  huge 
back  log,  which  had  to  be  dragged  in 
from  tlie  forest  by  a  horse.  This  back 
log  rested  at  the  back  of  the  fireplace 
iu  the  ashes.  A  pair  of  andirons  sup¬ 
ported  the  smaller  piece  of  wood. 
In  the  wall  beside  the  fireplace  there 
was  a  small  brick  or  stoue  compart¬ 
ment.  It  was  a  crude  makeshift  for 
an  oven,  but  the  colonial  housewife 
was  accustomed  to  kindle  an  extra 
wood  fire  on  baking  days  and  when  the 
oven  was  thoroughly  heated  turned 
out  surprisingly  good  foods,  consider¬ 
ing  her  primitive  equipment. 
Then  think  of  her  daughter  of  to¬ 
day,  with  a  spotless  kitchen,  free  from 
smoke  and  soot  —  with  a  Sterling 
Range  that  boils,  roasts,  bakes  and 
broils  with  absolute  accuracy,  with  the 
utmost  economy  and  surprising  ease. 
Baking  day  must  have  been  a  bug¬ 
aboo  to  the  woman  of  the  colonies. 
Today  it  is  something  quite  different. 
The  Sterling  Range  does  most  of  the 
work.  There  is  no  need  to  worry  about 
the  fuel,  for  the  Sterling  coai  range 
has  proved  that  it  can  bake  a  barrel 
of  flour  with  a  single  hod  of  coal. 
It  maintains  an  even  temperature, 
because  it  lias  been  built  scientifically 
and  there  are  no  “cool  spots.”  It  is 
compact,  satisfying  to  look  at,  always 
dependable. 
Why  don’t  you  speak  for  yourself 
and  have  a  truly  moddrn  kitchen? 
Call  upon  the  Sterling  Dealer  today 
and  say— I  want  to  save  fuel,  steps, 
food  and  time,  so  I  want  you  to  send  a 
Sterling  up  to  my  house  and  have  it  con¬ 
nected  ready  for  me  to  use  tomorrow. 
Please  tell  me  about  your  convenient 
terms  of  payment  because  I  expect  the 
range  to  practically  pay  for  itself  by 
the  savings  it  effects.  (Write  us  if 
you  do  not  know  the  Sterling  Dealer.) 
Priscilla  Mullens  said,  “Why  don’t  you 
speak  for  yourself,  John?”  We  sug¬ 
gest  that  today  you  speak  for  your¬ 
self. 
Copyrighted,  1923,  by  Sill  Stove 
Works,  Rochester,  New  York,  makers 
of  Sterling  Ranges  and  Sterling  Warm 
Air  Furnaces. 
Strong  iron  cranes  suspended  pots 
and  kettles  over  the  fire  iu  the  fire¬ 
place,  when  she  wanted  to  boil  food;  a 
gridiron  placed  over  the  flames  was 
her  roaster,  and  an  ingenious  tin 
kitchen  set  before  the  fire  was  used  to 
bake  her  pies. 
Those  housewives  of  early  America ! 
What  inconveniences  they  suffered. 
Think  of  the  labor  that  was  involved 
in  the  process  of 
baking  —  the  bulky 
fire  logs  to  handle 
and  keep  burning, 
the  awkward  oven  in 
the  side  wall,  whose 
temperature  must 
have  been  extremely 
variable,  the  heavy 
pots  and  kettles  that 
swung  over  the 
smoky  fire. 
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Sterling 
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Plumbing  and  Heating 
Supplies  at  Wholesale 
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