H2 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
THE LINEN PAGE. 
JETTA EHLERS - - - - - - Page Editor 
i 8 East Kinney Street, Newark, N. J. 
MENTION has been made at various times on this page 
of the lovely foreign linens, especially the Italian. Think- 
ing that many who have been reading these "linen chats" 
might be interested, a particularly fine example is shown in 
this month's illustration. Considered as a design problem, 
observe the beautiful spacing, the variety in the width of the 
bands and their relation to each other, in which the finest 
sense of proportion has been used. The pattern of the wide 
border is so rich and well balanced. Note also how fine the 
narrow border is in dark and light. The runner or towel, 
which it really is, is forty-three inches in length and seventeen 
inches wade. The wide border is three inches in width, and 
the narrow one is a half-inch. The open work border at the 
top of the hem is also one-half inch wide. The sides have a 
very narrow hem, and all the hems are finished by a row of 
Italian hemstitch. The design is outlined with a fine stitch, 
and the entire background is filled with the finest cross-stitch, 
leaving the design unworked save for the outline. The thread 
used for this was a fine soft linen one of a lovely blue. It is 
doubtful if anything of the sort can be had in this country. 
A split floss might come the nearest, using one thread. 
Whether this would wash well I can't say, nor would it have 
the quality of the linen thread. Still it is worth trying. When 
one has seen this wonderful Italian cross-stitch, it becomes 
difficult to accept much one sees of the other sort. So beauti- 
fully done is it, the stitches so small and exact, the back of 
the work so even that it is almost as interesting as the right 
side. All of it far removed from the commonplace kind we 
are all familiar with. A piece such as this is full of suggestion 
and inspiration to any needle-worker, and that is one of the 
reasons it is shown. Can't you see a lovely set of cloth and 
napkins developed from it? Napkins with the narrow border 
and the hemstitch, and the cloth finished in the same manner. 
Perhaps introducing a group of the birds in some interesting- 
way. Of course work of this character takes longer to exe- 
cute than most of the things shown on this page. 
One has the satisfaction however, of doing a decidedly 
"worth-while" thing. The question is often asked "are these 
things bad?" "These things" being the regulations so called 
"art store" linens, the eyelet embroidered, scalloped edged, 
padded flower be-decked variety every one so well knows. 
Of course anything that is very well done has some merit, 
but when you consider that work of the kind just mentioned 
has absolutely no individuality, and is commonplace to the 
last degree, the above question is answered for the artist who 
above all else aims for self-expression. So you see if we want 
to have really fine and distinctively individual things, we must 
work away from the stereotyped things of the shops. There 
is so much beauty to be found in simple materials, simply 
used, that one should consider well before attempting the 
more elaborate, and be very sure the labor involved is to be 
well repaid for in the finished result. 
During the last month a most interesting piece of old 
linen came to my attention. A little group of congenial souls 
took a motor trip into the "Pennsylvania Dutch" country in 
the late summer. It would take a large volume to hold all 
the tale of this venturing forth, or to half tell of the treasures 
discovered and acquired. One of them was the linen piece 
referred to. This is a guest room towel. Not the tiny thing 
we all know by that name, usually so over-elaborate the aver- 
age guest quails at using it, but a long narrow affair which 
was hung on the door in the guest chamber. It was the 
greatest breach of etiquette to use this, its chief mission being 
apparently to blazon forth the house-wife's ability as a needle- 
worker. This one had the alphabet done in cross-stitch 
across the upper part, the colors being red and a very dark 
blue. Below this was the name of the worker and the date, 
presumably when the piece was finished. Then came quaint 
figures of a man and woman and several geometrical ornaments. 
Across the bottom were the numerals, all the work being done 
in cross-stitch. It was suspended by little tape loops at the 
upper corners and measured fully a yard and a quarter in 
length and was about sixteen inches wide. Really a sort of 
magnified sampler yet called a towel. These old needle- 
workers had the right feeling for they did truly express them- 
selves in these quaint things. 
Each piece was individual and in many collections one 
would rarely find two pieces alike. Perhaps some reader 
has a bed room furnished in colonial style and what would 
make it more complete than one of these "guest-room towels" 
hung upon the door. It would be great fun working up a 
design, with much studying of old samplers and the like. 
Almost anyone can unearth a bit of home-spun linen for 
the purpose. Perhaps one of grandmother's linen sheets might 
be sacrificed for the cause. A worn place or perchance a hole 
