MODERN GUEST TOWELS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1937, Page 16

MODERN GUEST TOWELS.

SIMPLE EMBROIDERY DESIGNS.

J All the newest guest towels have J coloured borders to harmonise with the I colour scheme of the rooms in which they : are to.be placed, and the most advanced I samples are those having woven borders j in colour stamped with elaborate designs : and accompanied by hanks of coloured j cotton for working. The home-loving woman who desires to ! have everything as smart and dainty as I possible, yet whose stock of towels is j adequate for her present needs, can use those she has and embroider them herself with some simple design, and so be quite up to date. Furthermore, by utilising the ideas that come to her for this purpose, she will end by having really original guest towels. A simple darning stitch is the most I adaptable form of stitch for huckaback j towelling; it is very quickly Worked, and ( a good effect can be obtained with very little trouble. It is one of the easiest stitches, regularity and evenness being all that is required. Quite a conventional design is a (border of. squares, filled alternately with diagonal lines, a form of simple straightforward decoration that might be suitable for the guest towels intended for male visitors. Many of the new towels show diagonal darning in two colours, and the groat advantage is that no troublesome transj fers are needed, and they can be executed with ease by the veriest amateur. Satin stitch is a pretty decoration and not difficult. Like most things worth doing, it requires practice before it can be worked well, and it is one of the stitches which must be well done or the whole effect of embroidery is spoilt. A personal touch can be given by working j the owner's initials inside a wreath of flowers. I Applique designs 011 towels are suitable for toddlers. Linen applique showing animals, flowers, and other natural j objects merely need laying on a foundaj tion and securing round the edges with j stitches of silks, which should match and j blend with the woven ornaments. When embroidery is finished the work , should be pressed well on the wrong I side. . I It is interesting to discover that the j fa | and hand towels used at Buckingj liam Palace are entirely plain. They are | made of hand-woven linen diaper, and I arc finished with a plain hem at each l end. In one corner is a tiny crown and 1 monogram, embroidered in' white, and quite unobtrusive. This practice of complete simplicity in Royal towels lias been followed since the days of Queen Victoria. A London firm which has supplied the linen to Buckingham Palace for generations keeps among its treasures an old- half-worn hand towel bearing Queen Victoria's monogram and a towel with I Queen Alexandra's crossed A'a.