RERAMIC STUDIO 
119 
Miss Romiott Stevens has with her higli school jjiipils at 
Pratt Institute heen inventing looms and making baskets, using 
Industrial History as a basis and testing all the allusions to 
simple home manufactures. 
At the June meeting Miss Dopp of Chicago University spoke 
informally on the value of primitive research as an educational 
basis, and tlie keen interest with which little children foUow 
the same evolution through experiments by which the race de- 
velopment to civilization has Ijeen achieved. The care and use 
of our native products she recognized as a field too sadly ignored 
by our modern arts and crafts workers. 
In November, 1903, Dr. Grout of the Botanical Department 
of the Brooklyn In.stitute of Arts and Sciences gave a most 
interesting talk on " Our native grasses, rushes and sedges, 
how to classify them." The character of leaf, flower, stem and 
fruit were clearly pointed out and the members eagerly inquired 
for help in dr3nng and keeping the color for grasses and sought 
all the practical help possible. Dr. Grout's interest in mosses 
led to his speaking further of researches in that direction and 
at the next meeting he named and classified the grasses al- 
ready gathered. 
At the Museum of Natiu-al History in New York Cit^^ Dr. 
Wissler lectured before the club on weaving. The art was 
traced from thread making to the production of the finest 
modern fabrics. He explained the development of the spindle 
whorl and the loom with heddles and shuttle. The lecture was 
very f ulty illustrated by specimens from the cases of the museum 
including also cords, braiding, matting, bark cloth and Siberian 
fur garments in which animal sinews A\'ere used in sewing instead 
of thread. 
The exliibit held on the 13th and 14th of May 1904, in- 
cluded many loaned articles. There were grasses, sedges, 
rushes, and twigs, vines, etc., gathered by members and ex- 
emplifying materials which had been used in basketry or weav- 
ing, from schools or private indi\'iduals, complete exhibits of the 
commercial fibres, cotton, flax, hemp, jute and wool were pre- 
sented in different stages from plant to loom. 
There were fine specimens of intricate plaiting in palm and 
fibres from the Pacific Islands and South America. Baskets 
from almost every quarter of the globe, like the old Nantucket 
sign which read, "blue quart bowls, all colors and sizes, 9 
pence apiece, and various prices." Peasant pottery from 
Europe and America, and claj' modeling with metal work from 
students of the Pratt Institute High School and a bronze 
sconce bj^ Miss Kimball. There were a few specimens of old 
colonial wea^dng, while embroiderj^ showed the skilled work 
of long ago beside the modern Swedish cut linen and the 
homespuns from Berea College. Several interesting experi- 
ments were shown in different looms for weaving and batticks 
from the New York Guild of Arts combined most exquisite 
colors. Childrens' work from several schools showed as much 
skill often as their teachers'. A table for members' experi- 
ments included symbolism in design as weU as new materials : 
leather, wood, bric-a-brac, roots, bittersweet, grape-vines, ground 
pine, stems and flowers of the immorteUe, sensitive fern, black- 
berry shoots, Japanese iris leaves, lemon lily, sea-weeds, and 
mosses proved the enthusiasm of venturesome workers. Sev- 
eral beautiful fibers from the far East had been attractively 
dyed and deftly woven. Soft colors in the dyed raffia sug- 
gested to Miss Mary White a design for pink and brown moths 
on a very fine twined basket. To another worker the silverj' 
wisteria fiber and dull brown and deep green raffia led to 
a combination named a "pine barren basket from New 
Jersey." 
It has proved indeed well worth lingering in these primitive 
stages of the Industrial art world to appreciate how much has 
been done by careful training among the so-called backward 
nations, as well as to discover how clums}^ man3'^ a skilled 
worker may be in seeking to express thought or feeling in the 
very simplest language. For the sinnmer the club has scattered 
seeking new adventures, ti-usting in the fall to welcome a larger 
number of those, who are in this broad land seeking the same 
ends. Enquiries may be addressed to Miss E. M. Griswold, 
221, Washington avenue, or to Miss Eppendorff, 193 Adelphi 
street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
^ rf 
SHOP NOTE 
We have received a fine new edition of Mrs. C. C. Filkins' 
catalogue which she is now mailing to her customers. 
•f ^ 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Tliis column is only for subscribers whose names appear upon our list. Please 
do not send stawped envelopes for reply. The editors can answer questions only 
in this column. 
All questions to be answered in the Magazine must be received before the 10th 
(lay of the month preceding issue. 
G. K. — Ramikins are small round dishes used for cooking entrees or side 
dishes — such as lobster a la Newburgh, chicken patties, etc., etc. — tiie best 
style of decoration would be a simple border of gold or gold and color. 
Mrs. G. A. S. — ^A good medium for powdei- colors is made of oil of doves 
one part to six parts of oil of copaiba. 
A. L. — To etch a design on china the design is first carefully drawn in 
India ink, then the plate is heated and melted wax is poured over the surface, 
letting the surplus run off, leaving a thin coat, through which the design can be 
seen, when the plate is cold the design is gone over with a steel tracer where 
the glaze is to be eaten away. When the wax is thus removed from the parts 
to be etched the pure hydrofluoric acid is poured over the design and allowed 
to remain until it has eaten into the glaze sufficiently, as well as can be judged; 
hold imder running water until thoroughly cleansed, then remove the wax — 
if some parts are found to be insufficiently etched, the process must be re- 
peated. Avoid breathing the fumes and do not allow the acid to touch the 
skin as the effect is very injurious. 
A. McG. — It does not seem as if either of the vases you illustrate would 
be very appropriately decorated with the figures. The three-handled one 
should have some design running vertically and treated with a dark effect, say 
a black lustre groimd with a design in scarlet and green with black outlines, 
ruby over orange lustre for the scarlet, with light and dark green lustre — say 
a conventional poppy design with the blossoms coming on the two full curves. 
The other, rather gourd shaped vase might have the upper part a deep grey 
blue fading into white clouds at the base with a flight of white birds circling 
the larger circiunferenee, this would give somewhat the effect of Royal 
Copenhagen. 
Mrs. A. W. — We do not know the green to which you refer, but would 
rather think the Royal Green in powder would lie the nearest to it, it could be 
darkened by adding Banding Blue or yellowed liy adding Albert Yellow or 
Yellow Brown, according to the desired tone. If your rose is bricky red, it has 
been underfired, even when heavily put on it will not remain that color if 
sufliciently fii-ed, though it might blister. Carnations always fade more or 
less in firing — the iron colors are quite inclined to grey especially if touching 
flues, or paint a little more heavily than you wish the color to be. Overglaze 
colors are all makes of colors painted on over the glaze — such for instance as 
you are at present using. In painting naturalistic flowers, etc., it is always 
best to have a prominent mass and the balance of the painting subordinate 
and shado%\'y . If you fire your oil kiln right the chimney never needs cleaning, 
no more oil should be used than will be consumed in the burner — if smoke 
comes from your chimney you are using too much oil. 
China can not be overfired in an amateur kiln — the colors however fade 
if fired too hard. China can be readily repaired in an ordinary kiln; it should 
first be cemented with a cement specially prepared for this purpose, then tied 
with asbestos cord to prevent it slipping apart in, the firing. We will soon give 
a colored supplement of grapes with treatment for the various Icinds by Mrs. 
Saffoi'd. For nasturtiums use Albert Yellow, Yellow Brown, Yellow Red, 
Pompadour or any of the red or yellow colors. The Keramic Studio has two 
studies of these flowers with treatments. 
Mrs. C. A. B. — Give your morning glories a wash of Banding Blue over 
the ruby to make a purple tone. There is no way of which we know to 
lighten greens when fired too dark, except mixing a little white enamel witli 
green to retouch — this must be done carefully, , 
