colored silk. The arabesque pattern can easily be copied from the illustration. The fringe is of dark-red zephyr.

Very pretty small covers are also made of a square of plush, either plain, or ornamented with a spray of painted or embroidered flowers, and finished with a border of satin of some contrasting color finished with antique lace.

RUGS.

Somebody's clever thought has resulted in the manufacture of very pretty rugs for use in bathrooms and chambers, from one of the cheap gray blankets hitherto sold for horse-blankets and ironing-blankets. For this purpose it is cut in half, bound with red braid or coarse red flannel, and trimmed with appliqué figures or a monogram of red flannel. If a more decorative effect is desired, the blanket can be embroidered with coarse wools in sunflowers and reeds, or daisies and

FIG. 4.-EMBROIDERY DESIGN.

side breadth, and forty for the two back breadths. Knit and seam two stitches alternately for six rows, and then transpose the pattern. The lower border is knitted separately and crocheted to the skirt. A crochet lace edges the bottom.

SATIN SACHET.

A very pretty sachet of novel design is composed of two square pieces of card-board, seven inches and a quarter in diameter, joined by a bias strip of rose-colored satin five inches and threequarters wide and fifty-six inches long, gathered on one side and set between the upper and under layers of the satin intended for the covering of the bottom. On the upper edge the strip is folded on the wrong side for a hem a quarter of an inch wide, through which rose-colored silk cord is run. Cover the card-board lid with a square piece of rose-colored satin cut bias and shirred at intervals of half an inch. Finish it with a band of pale-blue or white pinked flannel,

FIG. 3.-EMBROIDERY DESIGN.

grasses. If not sufficiently heavy, the rugs may be made thicker by lining with old carpet or burlaps, or by merely doubling the blanket.

KNITTED PETTICOAT FOR LITTLE GIRLS.

Fig. 5 shows the pattern for a comfortable garment, which many mothers will doubtless be glad

FIG. 5.-KNITTED PETTICOAT FOR LITTLE GIRLS. embroidered in some pretty design or merely feather-stitched with a contrasting color, and under the outer edge set a box-plaited ruffle of

rose-colored satin ribbon seven-eighths of an inch wide. The lid should be covered with an interlining of perfumed wadding before the shirred. satin, embroidery, and plaiting are added. Fasten the back of the lid to the rim.

silk bag with a drawing-string, to hold the wet article, the second is intended for a brush. These

two should extend entirely across the width of the linen. Next above these add two short pockets, one at each end: one to hold soap, the other to contain hair-pins, safetypins, and black and white dress-pins. Between these, narrow loops of bound linen may be fastened for tooth and nail-brushes; and still above, another pocket, extending across the whole width of linen, should be added for a broom, combs, etc. After the pockets have all been made, bind the upper end of the piece that has no pockets, and lay it against the back of the piece with pockets. Bind these two

sight in the desire to make ornamental ones, and few things more useful to travelers could

be found than a strong, stout case to hold toilet articles compactly together. This is formed of two pieces of linen crash, each three-quarters of a yard long and three-eighths of a yard wide. Across one, place two large pockets of linen bound with braid. The lower one is for a sponge and contains an oil

parts together, leaving the upper end open, thus securing one large bag the entire size of the crash, where soiled handkerchiefs, collars, cuffs, stockings, etc., can be placed. Sew braids to the upper

corners of the case, to tie it firmly when rolled together.

GOLD EMBROIDERY FOR SLIPPERS.

Gold embroidery is very rich and beautiful in effect, but difficult to execute by those unskilled in fine needle-work. With the help of the accompanying illustrations, however, any one tolerably versed in ordinary embroidery can readily work the elegant design for slippers given in Fig. 6.

The pattern is first drawn on the material, then the various figures are cut out of card-board. As the figures in this design are intended to be very

FIG. 7.-INSTRUMENT FOR HOLDING THE GOLD THREAD.

much raised, six layers of card-board are required for each. These layers are carefully pasted on the material without covering the traced outlines of the pattern, as they must be kept perfectly clear. The gold thread is taken double, a small fork-like instrument, illustrated in Fig. 7, being used for holding it. The needle, threaded with a waxed gold-colored silk, is tightly drawn between the gold threads that closely cover the pasteboard figures, and passed from the upper to the under side of the work, firmly fastening the gold threads to the material. Some gold spiral cord, cut in small pieces and sewed over the velvet, as shown by the illustration, produces a very rich and glittering effect.

TOBACCO-POUCHES.

Slippers seem naturally to suggest their usual accompaniment, tobacco, and many pretty styles of pouches are made as receptacles for the fragrant weed. The materials are various, kid, silk, satin, velvet, and even chamois-skin being employed with very charming effect. Embroidery and even painting are not seldom called into requisition for their decoration.

A pretty style is composed of five pieces about an eighth of a yard long and two and a half inches wide, pointed at the bottom and cut straight across the top. Each of these pieces-which are of kid-may be embroidered or painted, then sewed firmly together. The satin lining is cut in gores to fit and slipped inside the pouch, after which a satin top is joined on. This has a running near the upper part, through which the drawing-cord is inserted to form a frill and close the pouch. Three tassels are fastened to the point of the pouch by way of finish.

Another more elaborate design has the five parts made of ticking, with gold braid sewed down each blue stripe and an embroidery in fancy stitches with colored silks between. The gores are bound with narrow silk ribbon the color of the top before being sewed together, and the bag is lined with oil-silk to keep the tobacco moist.

Still another variety is composed of chamoisskin. Cut a square bag the size desired, then round off the two lower corners. Embroider on one side an initial or monogram, and on the other a butterfly, flower, or any other design that fancy may suggest. Face in the top to the depth of an inch and a half, or two inches, and make two runnings to hold the drawing-cord, which should be finished with two tiny tassels. This style is much liked by gentlemen, who wish to carry their tobacco in their pockets; the other is generally used for bags to be hung in the room.

HANGING BASKET.

A new way of using the wooden platters in which grocers send out butter has recently been invented. They are cut in two and placed with the curved sides downward. Holes are then bored opposite each other through the centre of the curving bottom, and at each end of the straight top. Through these holes ribbons are passed and tied in a bow, and from the bows at the sides of the top a band of ribbon is passed by which to

suspend the basket. A spray of flowers or some other pretty ornamental design is painted on the side of the basket.

FIG. 8.-SOFA PILLOW.

SOFA-PILLOW.

The design for a sofa pillow, illustrated in Fig. 8, is recommended as excellent for a detachable cover, since it can be frequently washed and again basted on, looking "as good as new," an invaluable quality in articles destined for rooms in constant use. The foundation is ecru linen, embroidered with dark-red crewel-wool. If preferred, however, it can be made of cloth or satin, embroidered with filoselle silk. In that case the choice of colors must be left to individual taste. The color of the lining, cord, and tassels must correspond with that of the embroidery.

HAND-BAGS.

The fancy for carrying bags in the hand. has led to the invention of a great many designs for these useful and pretty articles.

One, whose effect is very quaint, is made from an oblong piece of greenish-gray straw doubled in half and lined with dark-red or olive-green silk, which forms a puff at each side and is gathered together with silk strings. The straw is then embroidered with crewels, or painted to suit the owner's taste.

Another favorite pattern is made of a strip of Macramé lace, lined with silk or satin of any shade that pleases the maker, and drawn up at the

top with strings in a bag, which should be about one-third the depth of the lace.

A handsome bag is also made of satin in two colors, dull-red and pale-blue being a pretty combination. A square bag is first made of dull-red, the ends and top being pale-blue; shirr the square piece at each end, and the top to form a ruffle, then run another shirring through the middle to drape it gracefully. The pale-blue satin ends are slightly gathered and sewed on in an ordinary seam, while the top after being sewed to the gathered top of the square bag has a drawing-string inserted to close the top, leaving a standing frill. A ribbon passes over the shirring through the middle of the square red bag, passing on to the top of the pale-blue bag, where it finishes in a bow. If preferred, the square bag can be made of brocaded material, and the top and sides of plain silk or satin.

WORK BASKET WITH COLORED EMBROIDERY.

The beautiful work-basket illustrated in Fig. 9 is made of fine white wicker-work, and is four and a half inches high, twelve and a quarter inches long, and eleven inches broad. It is lined with wine-colored velvet. The sides and bottom are slightly interlined with wadding, and show the filoselle silk embroidered border. A strip of yellow congress canvas ornamented with red

F. 9.-WORK-BASKET WITH COLORED EMBROIDERY.

stitches and small figures of trees in olive-colored crewel edges the border on both sides at the bottom. Plaited lace of yellow or gray tint two

and a half inches wide and a border two inches deep form the outer trimming. The handle has

FIG. 10.--BORDER PATTERN FOR FIG. 9.

two bows of satin ribbon. The pattern of the border is given in Fig. 10.

Another pretty wicker-work basket of square shape rises to a point on each of its four sides. The lining is dull-red satin, with a spray of flowers embroidered or painted on each of the four points. Border the lining with a ruche of satin ribbon, and sew a dainty little bow at the top of each point. Fasten double loops of satin ribbon to the lining to hold the thimble, scissors, and other sewing utensils. Trim the upper part of the basket on the outside with dull-red " moss trimming," the shade of the lining; and if the basket has handles, ornament them with tassels.

JAPANESE PARASOL SCRAP-BAG.

The bright-hued paper Japanese parasols can be converted into scrap-bags sufficiently strong to hold bits of paper and light material by twisting a bit of fine wire into a ring, catching it to the partly-opened parasol with thread, and fastening a gay ribbon to the handle. The patch of bright color on a dull wall has a very attractive effect.

ROUND PILLOW FOR CHAIR OR COUCH.

A round pillow, suspended by a cord and tassels to the back of a large arm-chair, may be made a very ornamental as well as comfortable article; and an extremely pretty design is composed of four embroidered strips, two of light-blue Java canvas, and two of maroon cloth. The canvas stripes are each three inches and a quarter wide and twenty-four inches long, and are embroidered in cross-stitch in the Greek key pattern in navy

blue silk. The cloth stripes are two inches wide and twenty-four inches long, and should be embroidered in a running pattern of leaves and flowers, the leaves green, the flowers tiny pink and white rose-buds. When the embroidery is finished, join the strips, letting the ends project for a distance equal to their width, thus forming points, which, when the cover is closed, are fitted into each other and joined. Having finished the cover, fasten it on a round cushion stuffed with curled hair, and add a cord the length required to suspend it at the height desired. Sew this cord at the ends in two or three loops, fastened flatly to the cover to conceal the joining, and finish with tassels.