n 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
I 
1 
1 
\ 
THE LINEN PAGE. 
JETTA EHLERS ------ Page Editor 
18 East Kinney Street, Newark, N. J. 
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE COMING SEASON 
MOST of us are perfectly willing to relax during the sum- 
mer months, and consequently there is little doing in 
the studios. It makes it somewhat difficult to give anything 
fresh for the linen page this month because of this condition, 
With the passing of summer and the near advent of the fall 
season one begins to look ahead and make plans, and so per- 
haps it will be well for us to do a little planning. One sug- 
gestion made is that our readers plan at this time one definite 
piece of work for the coming season. 
For instance, plan a luncheon service, carrying through 
in all detail the china, linen, glass, arrangement of flowers, 
candles, etc. Much thought will be needed in the selection 
of an appropriate design for the china, and the color scheme. 
Then the careful study of its background, the linen. 
It will take considerable experimenting to decide on 
just the proper texture of the linen, the embellishment of it, 
and the shape and number of pieces required. Here too 
enters the question of the table and chairs. In the breakfast- 
room of a charming country home, is a set which is full of 
suggestion. The table is of the drop-leaf variety and the 
chairs a good simple shape, the seats of wood. 
The set is painted a deep cream color. Quaint baskets 
of flowers, the baskets old blue, form the decoration. These 
are placed in an interesting way on the table just above the 
plate doilies, the table being arranged for four. The design 
on the chairs is placed on the broad piece which forms the top 
of the back. A sideboard has the same basket painted on 
the drawers. The whole thing is a fine illustration of what 
can be done in creating beauty with simple means. Then 
the table accessories, the candles, if used, or the flowers or 
fruit, small side dishes etc, must be considered. The most 
perfect table could be spoiled if these things were not har- 
monious, so this end of the problem must be well thought out. 
With such a set planned, one has work for a large part of the 
season laid out. 
The beauty of working out a set of this kind is that one 
is moving along a definite line. The variety of interest which 
enters into the problem is another factor. With the accom- 
plishment of the task the worker will have a really big thing 
to show. Contrast this with the same amount of energy 
expended on a lot of little things, and one can quickly see the 
value of the other plan. Sets may be built up in various 
ways. You may have a specially nice piece of linen which 
you want to use, and make that your starting point. Or it 
may be some quaint piece of glass, or a fine old comport or 
flower basket. It really does not matter where you begin, 
so long as you keep always before you the thing as a whole, 
the relation of each part to the rest of the scheme. 
An interesting problem would be to plan a child's set. 
This could include small table and cunning chair, or a high 
chair with tray. All sorts of fascinating linen things might 
be planned to go with it. 
A child's apron, on original lines, various sorts of bibs, 
tray cloth napkins, even a wee table cloth and napkins. The 
dishes might be made up largely of the yellow kitchen ware. 
Surely nothing could be nicer for a bowl of bread and milk 
than a nice yellow bowl, with a jolly little duckling, of course 
a very conventional duckling adorning it. 
Sets for afternoon tea and for evening spreads, such as 
a Welsh Rarebit set, offer opportunities for the decorator. 
The point is, that if you concentrate upon some special service, 
you really are accomplishing far more than in working along 
in an aimless sort of fashion. Then too, it is a wise thing for 
the professional, with possible exhibitions ahead, to make 
out some special problem. 
It is equally to the advantage of the worker who has 
only her home to consider. There are always social ob- 
ligations to be met, and a beautifully planned table goes a 
long way towards the success of the dinners, luncheons, and 
suppers, with which the average housekeeper pays many of 
her social debts. This may seem far removed from the linen 
page, but we have transgressed so many times we no longer 
apologize. All these things are so bound up in each other that 
it is impossible to keep strictly to linen. Our linen chat this 
month has to do with the illustration, which shows a cloth 
spoken of specially in the August magazine. It is made of 
peach colored linen with wide appliqued border of ivory 
linen. The particular feature of it is the tassels which 
ornament the corners. The printer jumbled things a bit 
when he printed it as "round silvered brilliant molds." 
They are round wooden button molds, an inch across, which 
form the foundation. These were silvered and then worked 
over with peace embroidery silk. This made it possible to 
sew one part of the snap fastener to the back. The rest of 
the tassel was strung on embroidery silk, a tiny round button 
mold forming the end. Next is an oblong coral bead, then 
two small round button molds, a large oval coral bead and one 
small round button mold completes the tassel. This is fas- 
tened to the large round button, the whole being about three 
inches in length. These can be removed by means of the 
snap fasteners when the cloth is laundered. I am sorry that 
the illustration is not large enough to show the detail of it. 
There is a great fancy for all sorts of artistic tassels at present. 
This is influenced by the fad for the "Chinese" which is play- 
ing a leading role in interior decoration just now. 
One sees perfectly gorgeous tassels on Chinese bird cages, 
hanging baskets, on window draperies and for countless other 
purposes. The button molds may be painted with enamelite 
in brilliant colors, and combined with gilt and silvered ones, 
