Fashion -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Women's periodicals, American
If, however, the wreath is to be made in the "composite" style, light
flower-seeds or small glass beads may be introduced into the centre of
the flowers, and the stems may be wound, and the wreaths put together
with floss silk, and then they are to be attached to the handle and
circular wire with fine chenil. The following combinations are pretty
and effective: beads or seeds of pink, or yellow, or coral, or blue,
and the stems of the flowers and buds wound with silk to match, the
stems of the leaves wound with green, and the wreaths attached in their
places with green chenil. There should not be more than two colors,
the green and one other, used at a time, and these should be delicate
shades; for the shells have so pure and light an appearance, that
anything in the least degree showy or gaudy spoils the effect of the
whole.
Pendent from below each end of the handle, should be a grape-like bunch
of shells, not set on so closely together as in the wheat-ear, or so
far apart as in a leaf, and reaching about half way down the basket.
When completed, the article should be placed under a glass case to
preserve it from dust and injury, and a few wax or artificial flowers
may be tastefully arranged in it with advantage.
A square basket, or a long, straight-sided one, or one in almost any
given shape, may be made in this lattice-work, by manufacturing each
piece separately, and in the required shape, and then lacing them
together with silver wire, chenil, or twist. There is, however, no
trimming more graceful, or better adapted for them, than the wreath.
If thought fit, the wreath, however, need only be put round the top of
the basket, and the handle made of a succession of squares of the kind
we have described.
Light wreaths, either of "simple" or "composite" rice shell-work, may,
with very pretty effect, be entwined around alabaster vases or baskets.
For wedding-cakes, rice-shell wreaths and bouquets, with silver bullion
in the flowers, are both tasteful and appropriate.
Intermingled with groups of the wax, or artificial, or feather, or
paper flowers, the shell-leaves and double and daisy flowers look very
pretty.
As the shells never wear out, when any ornament is crushed, or soiled,
or tarnished, it can be cut up, the wires picked out, and the shells,
when washed and dried, will be ready to be used again and again.
But we are sure that we have suggested quite enough to our readers to
enable them to devise for themselves many other pretty and fanciful
uses for this work, and we feel convinced that, when once they have
overcome the first difficulties of learning it, they will find pleasure
in seeing the graceful articles that will, as it were, develop
themselves under their busy fingers.
And so we now take our leave of this subject for the present,
commending it to the favorable attention of those who may have taken
the trouble to peruse what we have written.
ROMAN WOMEN IN THE DAYS OF THE CÆSARS.
BY H. P. HAYNES.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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