WOMEN AND THE HOME

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18900, 26 October 1929, Page 20 (Supplement)

WOMEN AND THE HOME

LEAVES FROM A FRENCH WOMAN’S DIARY.

(By COLLINE ROUFF.) I heard a woman say the other day, “ I shall never wear printed materials of any kind. They cloud my personality.” This is a very quaint theory, which will not find much favour with dress designers this season, for, far from being tired of printed fabrics, they are using them almost as much as ever. Printed crepe de chine still has its place in the smart wardrobe, though it is developed in darker and richer designs. Printed velvets, however, are the most important materials in Paris for day . wear, while lovely printed chene taffetas, flowered moires and marvellous chiffons with raised velvet and supple metal designs on them lead the way for evening toilettes. The taffetas and moires are reserved for “ young ” frocks, fancy chiffons being considered more suitable for not-quite-so-young people. A Group of New Gowns. A charming gown for a girl was displayed at one of the shows. It had a hint of the old world about it because of the material, but the art of the very modern designer was apparent in every fold. The material was deep cream chene taffetas showing a design of blurred roses in petunia tones. The decolletage was of modest V shape in front, but lower at the back, and was outlined with a tiny flat ruche of fine cream silk net. This is a very useful finish for a youthful neck line, by the way, and one to be remembered! The bodice was very long, and fitted to the figure. The skirt was attached below the hip line, and was merely a series of shaped scalloped gores, each just a ' little longer than the other graduating from front to back. It looked just like a lovely sea-shell, because all the gores < were lined with faint mauvy-pink chif- £ fon! A silver bow, lined with petunia i taffetas, was placed flat at the back,

where the skirt joined the bodice, and —the very young and very,chic mannequin who showed it had used petunia lip-stick, and a dusting of rouge to match! Next, I noticed one of the chiffon models. Damask rose was the colour of the background, and it was patterned with small silver lines and a gold design of flowers and leaves in grey and lighter rose. The simple bodice, with oval decolletage back and front, was moulded to the figure to the hips, where the material was softly swathed, and then allowed to fall into a simple fluted skirt which just cleared the foundation hem in front and was long enough to touch the shoe tops at the back. The shoes were of silver and rose velvet, and the foundation garment was silver tissue.

Mixing Printed and Plain Fabrics. I saw also a very attractive idea for an afternoon frock. The model in black crepe satin was made with a

fluted skirt attached to the bodice to graduated empiecements below the waist. Over one side was an inset of lovely printed satin in shades of blue, which took the form of a large bow, the loops and ends of which spread over the bodice back and front. As the satin was closely patterned, the effect was that of beautiful embroidery. Another version of the idea was carried out on a frock of reddish brown crdpe de chine. This had a little round collar and high gauntlet cuffs of satin patterned with small orange and red flowers. A patterned belt of black and white let into *a frock of black crepe satin was a further most effective novelty.

For Sunny Lands. While we in Paris can only look with favour on the things that will serve us for days that grow steadily colder, it is still interesting to see what the more fortunate women in sunny lands are buying. How I longed to order a quite new two-piece, comprising a tailored frock in thick natural Shantung silk, a three-quarter straight coat of deep yellow soft taffetas lined with Shantung and collared with foxaline dyed to match, and a hat of quilted yellow taffetas !

_ METAL LACQUERS THAT SAVE WORK. (By A Practical Housewife.) Copper is a favourite ware in my home, but I never polish the pieces. I merely give the metal an “ antique ” effect as soon as it is bought, and, as very little of its bright surface is sacrificed, it is well worth while, for the saving of work is considerable. Wash the article in hot soda water to remove all traces of lacquer, using plenty of soap; rinse in clear water and polish with a soft duster. Obtain threepennyworth of ammonium sulphide from a chemist and add to it a pint of hot water; place the article in the solution and allow it to remain a few minutes. On removal, wipe dry with a soft, fluffless cloth, and the copper will be found to have taken on an attractive “ antique ” finish that may be kept in order by an occasional rub with a cloth moistened with olive oil. A simple way of making coloured lacquers in small quantities is to get twopennyworth of aniline dye in the desired colour, dissolve it in a small quantity of methylated spirit, and add as much spirit varnish as will colour. About a gill of the lacquer can be made from this quantity of dye, and a gill goes quite a long way. In preparing rose lacquers, put about half a.pint of alcohol in a flask, add one ounce of gum fhellac, a quarter of an ounce of finely powdered best lake and the same quantity of red sanders. Blue lacquer may be made by putting half a pint of alcohol in a flask and adding one ounce of gum shellac, half an ounce of Prussian blue and a quarter of an ounce of red sanders. When mixing, put the flask in a warm place and shake'frequently over a period of about twelve hours; then strain off the lacquer, rinse the bottle, return the lacquer, cork tightly and ] store in a cool place. When lacquering the articles, first polish in the usual way, warm them well before a fire until quite hot, and apply one or more coats of the lacquer according to the tint required. But—and this is important—allow the first coat to dry and harden before apply- 1 ing the next. i

HOME LAUNDRY HINTS. To get just the right degree of stiff ness in voile, use rice water for wash ing the material. Besides giving the necessary stiffness, it strengthens the threads, whereas starch water merely weakens them. If you wish to impart a slight crispness to silk and materials of a crepe de chine texture, try a weak solution of gum arabic. Treated thus, the fabrics do not hold the dust and dirt, but keep clean much longer than if washed in the ordinary way. Cretonnes and figured cottons will “get up” with a . nice degree of stiffness if you use fairly strong rice water. Besides giving a crinkly newness to these materials, it helps to check fading. A little borax dissolved in boiling water is better than starch for stiffening laces. Let the lace get quite dry before ironing in the usual way on a thickly-folded cloth. Crochet lace treated thus will look like new. Fresh skim mflk is another excellent substitute for starch, especially with fine linen. Put a quart or less, according to the number ol articles to be washed, into a bowl, and make, it pale blue with wasliing-blue. Wring the article as dry as possible before putting it into the milk, wring out instantly, and dry in the sun.

iiiinnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiu CHINA, THE FASHIONABLE WARE. BEAKERS-AND FLOWER-BOWLS MATCH DINNER SERVICES. For quite a long time the modern housekeeper has chosen crystal in preference to silver when buying decorative articles for the table. Now, however, pretty china is taking the place of both. Dealers are continually asked for plates and dishes to fit in with the colour-scheme of a giveji room; china beakers to match the service are taking the place of glass tumblers, and even the flower bowls follow suit, and complete a very satisfactory table scheme. Rockingham, Crown Derby, and similar famous types are chosen by those who can afford the expense, but the average women goes in for something quite modern in colour and design, which is just sufficiently costly to be out of the ordinary. Poole pottery is very popular now, its delicate grey, mauve and lavender tints toning well with most colour schemes. There is also a deep blue china for which there is a great demand, and the ex-Service men who make quaint pieces of pottery in their own factories are finding a ready sale for their work.

BIRTHPLACE OF SACRED BULLS, CAIRO.

Discoveries of vestiges of ancient buildings, one of which dates from 1500 8.C., have been made at Armant, the ancient Hermonthis, t*y the Egypt Exploration Society. Armant is nn thfe left bank of the Nile, and was the centre in the early days of the worship of the Sacred Bull, Buchis. The results of the excavations show that the worship of the Sacred Bull continued for many centuries at Hermonthis, and that Alexander the Great and two Roman Emperors were among the worshippers. The excavations have been carried out on the site of the place of interment of the sacred cows that gave birth to the sacred bulls. In earlier excavations a granite sarcophagus was found as well as a Roman brick structure. The recent excavations have shown that the sarcophagus was empty. The necropolis of the sacred bulls of Hermonthis was hewn out of the solid rock. The rock is, however, of a very friable nature in this part, and even in Roman times many of the caves and passages had already fallen in. The expedition had great difficultv in clearing away the masses of fallen material, but it has already laid bare the remains of four Roman graves and eight earlier graves, and is practically certain of three more. All the graves had been plundered, and even the stone of some of the sarcophagi had been quarried away. (Cosmopolitan.)

i NEW EFFECTS IN ; decoration. ’ DOORS AND WALLS MUST MATCH (By M. HAMILTON.) Some time ago the edict went forth that walls and woodwork must match in colour. At once there was a rush to match up papers with paint, and one enterprising firm went so far as to put out distempers and paints expressly compounded to be in perfect harmony with each other. Now things have gone a step further. So anxious has the decorator become that there shall be no division between door, walls and skirting, that he deprives the woodwork of all mouldings and panellings and leaves a perfectly flat, plain surface everywhere The effect produced is that of a room built in one piece! Then arirves the decorator who refuses to give up his patterned walls and is obliged, therefore, to call in an artist to continue the design upon the woodwork. I have recently seen a room papered in a futurist pattern, large geometrical forms appearing in a variety of colours upon a honey-coloured ground. The artist has exactly reproduced these on the doors and wainscot and the effect is remarkably good.' Sometimes it happens that the door is a fine bit of panelled wood with which its owner is loth to part. So she has the walls panelled to match. The panelling is only simulated, the effect being brought about by mouldings tacked on in a similar design, but the result is usually a happy one. It is doubtful whether it is aesthetically right to treat plaster and wood on the same lines, but the idea makes for variey, and, as such, will be welcomed in many circles.

THE USE OF REFRIGERATORS. “A certain amount of knowledge and care in the use of an ice-cooled refrigerator is required if it is to prove the very desirable and useful possession that it should. In the first place, the ice compartment should be kept wellfilled, and replenished not less than two or three times a week when the cabinet is in use. On no account should a refrigerating cabinet be used either

when the ice supply is low, or when the ice compartment is even temporarily empty, for the storage of perishable foods, such as milk, meat, fish, etc. Secondly, the interior of the refrigerator should be kept scrupulously clean, any spilt liquids being wiped up at once. Once a week or so it should be washed out with a cloth wrung out of tepid water. Hot water should not be used, as it will tend to warm the interior of the cabinet, and thus lead to wastage of ice. Thirdly, the door should not be opened for longer than is absolutely necessary when taking foods in and out, for carelessness in this respect also leads to unnecessary melting, and therefore waste of ice. The installation of a mechanically-cooled refrigerator must undoubtedly be regarded as the ideal solution of the problem of food storage during the warmest months of the year. Where a reliable cabinet has been . installed, the problem, indeed, no [ longer exists, for in the majority of cases the temperature is automatically maintained within a few degrees of 40 degrees Fahr., a temperature at which organisms causing food changes have little chance of development. The possession of a refrigerator should not, I however, be made an excuse for serving , unnecessarily stale food. The luxury - of possessing a mechanically-cooled refrigerator is one which need by no ' means be confined to the house with ' electric power, for it is possible to in- : stal models of the type requiring, in- ' stead of a motor, the application «f l heat in some form; these may be either gas or oil-cooled. There are now, 1 also, refrigerators provided with a 1 i ‘portable’ cooling unit.”—From “Home : Refrigeration,’* by P. L. Garbutt, 1 A.1.C., in the July issue of “New Health.” c YOUTHFUL* DRIVERS jj RACE TINY CARS. £ r Two hundred French children lined * their miniature cars in starting forma- t tion forvthe annual children’s toy motor *= race hela recently in Paris. The tiny cars, driven by small petrol * engines, were moulded after several j different types of racing designs. A number were chain-driven, and others were exact duplicates of large racers. When the starter’s gun set the cars in motion, the staccato sputter of one and two-cylinder engines filled the air as the youthful drivers “fought” for positions. The winning- car attained a speed of twenty-five miles per hour, but. f' was hard pressed by others. | a (A.A.N.S.) j'