Fashion -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Women's periodicals, American
The shells must be prepared, and wired in the ordinary way, and half a
dozen reels of floss-silk, and a knot of chenil of the desired hue, and
four strings of small coral-colored beads, and two of beads about the
average size of peas, got. These beads must each be threaded separately
like the shells, but on rather shorter lengths of wire, and the wire
folded and twisted to make it hold its beads firmly. One of the larger
beads should be put in the centre of every double flower, and three of
the small ones in the centre of every single flower. The flowers may
be made simply with the five shells and five loops of chenil, omitting
the leaflets. If the leaves are to be made of shells, the stems must be
bound with this colored silk; but velvet, or satin, or tinsel leaves of
the same hue may be substituted for or intermixed with the shell leaves
with good effect.
Ornaments for blue, pink, green, or maize _toilettes_ may in like
manner be formed _en suite_ by substituting beads, silk, and chenil, of
the chosen shade, for the color we have given. Mourning-wreaths, &c.,
may likewise be made by using black silk, chenil, and beads; or gray
silk and chenil with pearl beads, and gray or white satin leaves.
When once our readers have begun to carry our directions into practice,
they will perceive how possible it is to create an infinite variety of
tasteful articles, all differing in style, form, and hue. Coronets,
wreaths, and headdresses of every conceivable pattern may be made;
sprays for the dress of any size, length, or shape; bouquets for the
waist or bosom; trimmings for the _corsage_; tiny wreaths to put
between quilled ribbon or _blonde_ for the purpose of ornamenting
gloves, or sleeves, or the top of the dress; flowers for caps; studs or
buttons for the front of a dress; in short, more things than we have
time or space to name. And all these may be made very economically, for
less than one-third of the ordinary cost of such decorations.
We have given, at the commencement of this article, a cut of a spray,
or rather of a portion of one, for want of space compelled us to
shorten it; it has green velvet leaves; the flowers are surrounded by
chenil loops, and have in their centres flower-seeds; it is wound with
silk.
[Illustration: BOUQUET IN RICE SHELL-WORK.]
This cut represents a small bouquet to be worn brooch-fashion in the
bosom of the dress; it is composed of shells and turquoise beads, and
wound with light blue silk. The leaves are of shells, and gradually
increase in size towards the end of it.
The advantage of using silk instead of the fine silver wire for binding
the stems, &c., is, that not only are all points and inequalities
thus smoothed over, but, with ordinary care, the articles wear much
longer--for even if the small portions of silver wire left exposed do
tarnish, they cannot mar the beauty of the whole, forming then so very
trifling a portion of it, instead of the leading feature, as they do in
"simple rice shell-work."
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