31G 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET 
ness ami attractiveness quite irresistible. Outline and 
darned work combined and outline alone are very 
much used, and promise to remain popular for some 
time to come. At Shepherd's decorative art store, 
on Broadway, we were shown a beautiful cover for 
dressing-case with mats to correspond, all made of 
white transparent canvas, very like Swiss muslin in ap* 
pearance, decorated with a design of Wild Roses ar¬ 
ranged in a conventional pattern, leaving very little 
groundwork; each portion of the design was outlined 
with embroidery silk and then tilled up with long darn¬ 
ing stitches, the leaves dark-green and the blossoms 
rose-color. Wide lace bordered each piece. A tidy of 
this same canvas had a similar design of Hollyhocks, 
but in this the pattern was outlined with the silks; and 
the groundwork, which necessarily was more open be~ 
cause of the largeness of the blossom, was tilled up 
with darning in dark-green silks, just in reverse from 
the manner of working the dressing-case cover. 
Either way is quickly done, and very effective. The 
outer edge of the tidy was simply finished with a wide 
hem. 
A.buffet cover of white crash was another pretty ar¬ 
ticle. the design of deep-red Cherries worked with crew¬ 
els in solid embroidery. A branch was arranged across 
each end. double stems of Cherries with a leaf at¬ 
tached were scattered over the centre, looking as life¬ 
like as though accidentally dropped there: the ends 
of the cover were finished by fringing the crash to 
the depth of four inches, and slightly netting it at the 
top. 
A unique design for a cradle quill consisted of a group 
of cherub faces worked in outline with pale-blue crewels, 
upon a yard square of white flannel : running diagon¬ 
ally across the square underneath this lovely group, 
were the words “ May angels guard thee,” worked with 
the blue crewels. A three-inch band of blue flannel 
bordered the white square, and this was edged with 
torchon lace. 
At the Decorative Art Society's rooms, the beautiful 
things in fancy-work are quite bewildering: each piece 
is so nicely executed, you realize at a glance that needle¬ 
work is really an art, and the successful needle-woman 
an artist. Of the many articles exhibited, one very 
handsome piece was an olive-satin banner on which was 
worked a spray of Golden-rod. The tiny yellow blos¬ 
soms made with embroidery silk in star-stitch, repre¬ 
sented the natural flower perfectly. 
An amber-colored sateen scarf had worked upon it 
with silks corresponding to the natural colors, branches 
of a Pine-tree, showing cones and needles; one could al¬ 
most fancy the refreshing odor of the Pines was eman¬ 
ating from them, they seemed so real. The scarf was 
finished with a two-inch border of plain gold plush 
across tho ends, and fringe. 
A large cushion of fawn-colored silk was embroidered 
in style of Louis XVI., with very narrow ribbons which 
were drawn in to form tiny leaves and petals. The en¬ 
tire pattern, consisting of very lino work, was executed 
iu this way, embroidery-silks being used only for sta¬ 
mens and chain-stitched stems. 
Plain linen, just tinted with cream color to bo used for 
an afternoon tea-cover, had a border about five inches 
wide of a conventional pattern, executed iu what is 
called old German embroidery, every figure or leaf com¬ 
posing the design being outlined with two shades of 
blue floss and filled in with white linen (loss in button¬ 
hole. and simple lace stitches, giving the border a very 
delicate, yet rich appearance. The cover was edged 
with torchon lace three inches wide, all the solid parts 
in the lace worked in feather-stitch with the blue floss. 
A linen-cambric tidy intended for a cushion-cover or 
whatever required a lace-like appearance, had a centre- 
square of fine drawn work, the threads caught together 
with a lace-stitch; this was surrounded with a half-inch 
hem ornamented with linen-floss in feather-stitch; 
another strip of drawn work simulating insertion, and 
outside this an inch-wide hem edged with fine torchon 
lace. 
A set of twelve doilies with Venetian design was 
valued at $32; a centre-square iu each was filled in star-^ 
like patterns worked with gold silk, the design being 
different in each one, though all were bordered with fine 
drawn work and fringe. 
Chamois-skin made a novel cover for a round stand of 
bamboo : it was neatly fitted to the top and decorated 
with a vine in gold and silver leaf ; the edge finished 
with fringe of the chamois, made by clipping it in quar¬ 
ter-inch strips ; it was fastened to the stand with fancy 
gold nails, and made a very dainty piece of furniture 
for a lady’s boudoir. 
A mantel lambrequin of unbleached linen momie-cloth, 
with Poppy design, was prettily worked in outline; 
blossoms done in red, and the leaves and seed capsules in 
dark-green. 
Very dainty scented baskets, shaped like the crown 
of a gentleman’s hat, and resembling Palmetto, were 
ornamented in blue and shades of green crewels in point 
russe, long effective stitches; the cover, which was the 
same shape as the basket proper, only not so deep, was 
trimmed with broad blue satin ribbon, tied in a flat bow. 
The basket inside was first thinly covered with cotton, 
to which was added some delicate perfume, and then 
lined with pale-pink satin. It had no handle, and was 
probably intended as a case, either for handkerchiefs or 
laces. Cynthia. 
DRESSY AND PLAIN COSTUMES. 
Some very handsome suits are being shown at the fall 
openings, and the combinations used in their construc¬ 
tion are decidedly novel; for instance, amarine-blue vel¬ 
vet reception-dress, made by Worth, is trimmed with 
fur and lace, and a walking-dress of rich brown brocade 
velvet is combined with plain brown and cardinal, and 
trimmed with passementerie, into which very fine beads 
are introduced. Another suit has a front of cardina 
satin, with the entire drapery of chenille and jet; the 
court-train of rich brocade-velvet of black and cardinal, 
and the bodice of plain black velvet, with chenille yoke 
lined with cardinal. An evening-dress from Worth has 
for its front cream velvet, brocaded with richly-colored 
bouquets of Roses, and is elaborately trimmed with a del- 
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