“We may with advantage say a word to our carriage lace-makers, who seem to have made but scant use of the various Schools of Design for the improvement of their taste in producing new and suitable patterns in the manufacture of their goods. For a long period we had nothing but the old scroll or flower pattern, which was handed down from father to son as if by a fixed law. At length, when it was felt that some change was required, the absence of all taste in design was shown in the production of entirely plain worked laces, which deprived carriage linings of their chief element of lightness and beauty. Thanks, however, to the taste and discernment of Messrs. Whittingham & Walker, who, perhaps, have devoted more attention to this branch of industry than any other house in London, the trade was relieved from the necessity of either adhering to the old pattern or of adopting the opposite scheme. They introduced small neat designs in laces eminently adapted to the purpose, and in 1857 they registered a pattern, now extensively known as the double diamond pattern, which has not only become general in England, but is largely patronised throughout Europe and America. This, and kindred patterns, exactly fulfil modern requirements, and give us the necessary relief without extreme. “But with materials well and tastefully selected the trimmer has still his work to do. The lining of a carriage is divided into many different parts, all of which have to be designed. Canvas or paper patterns have to be cut to these, and properly fitted before the material is touched with which the carriage is to be lined. Wherever superiority of workmanship is to be shown in this department, the French method of trimming is adopted as being more elegant than the English. We shall therefore confine our observations to this method. “In adopting the French method silk is mostly used in the place of morocco, and its peculiarities consist in the manner of quilting. The different squabs are made up in horizontal pipes or flutes, which are tufted in different ways. To proceed, cut a pattern in strong paper the size and shape of the space to be trimmed, and draw on it with a pencil the pipes, also mark the position of the tufts. On large pieces only mark one-half, the other half being the same. The pipes of the back are usually 12 inches high and from 3 to 5 inches wide. “The position of the tufts is considerably varied. Next stretch a piece of strong muslin in the stretching frame, lay the paper pattern on it, and mark the position of the tufts with an awl. Mark the lines of the pipes on the muslin with red chalk or pencil. In the same manner the pattern must be transferred upon the inside of the material used for covering, making of course due allowance for the depth of the pipes; about 3 inches is a fair average for fulness at the top, 1 inch for the height of the pipes, and 1½ inches for the width. For the last pipe an extra allowance is made in a narrow strip sewed on to it.