Uses for Chinese Silken Embroideries - How to Adapt Embroidered Sleeve Linings - A Use for Chinese Silk Mats - Colour Harmonies - Framed Pictures in Silk

Chinese embroideries in the form of sleeve linings, and so on, which are to be bought at many shops, can be applied most successfully as dress trimmings.

They look particularly well on a natural tussore costume, provided that a colouring is chosen which harmonises well, and does not form too hard a contrast. On the coat of such a costume a pair of sleeve linings used as a vest have a very good effect, with a collar of black satin. In another case a band of this charac-teristic embroidery edged the single deep rever that crossed over to one side of the coat. Quite small scraps of the embroidery can be used in the fashioning of a collar, and an illustration shows one evolved from one of the small round mats that are so often seen. The shape is first cut in tailors' canvas. The mat is cut up and one "piece pinned in place at the back and another piece at each end, some black satin being then laid over the intervening space, and the edge of the satin folded over the embroi-dery. The mats when bought are generally bound round with black satin, but as it is of a very common quality it is necessary to cover it with a new piece cut in a curved shape, which should, at the outer edge, be turned in over the canvas.

With the back piece of embroidery, however, this satin border must be turned in under the edge of the mat itself. All the edges should then be machine-stitched with black silk, and where the black satin overlaps the embroidery at the corners a couple of black satin buttons may be placed.

A black satin coat collar decorated with scraps of Chinese embroidery, cut from a small round mat

As a small yoke to a blue serge gown some of this embroidery has also been seen, other little touches appearing at the cuffs and waist, but it should on no account be overdone. It is sometimes possible to secure shaped rounded collars, and these make up delightfully on evening wraps.

Yet another good idea is a bag made up from a pair of sleeve linings. The stiffened band, into which the fulness of the bag is gathered, is made of millinery buckram just over 5 inches long, by rather more than an inch wide.

This is first covered with lining, and then with the embroidery.

For the bag itself three of the strips of embroidery must be joined, so that the embroidery has the appearance of being all in one piece. After the three plain strips are joined for the back, the back and front should be seamed together with the exception of about two inches at the top. The lining is joined up separately and then put into the bag, and the edges of the two - inch openings are slipstitched together.

The top edges are gathered with one thread and sewn on to the stiffened bands, which are edged with a row of gold rat's-tail cord.

Two pieces of the same cord are knotted at the ends, and sewn on to each of the stiffened bands.

In choosing these embroideries it is always worth while to buy the rather more expensive ones, as some of the cheaper examples give very little wear. People not infrequently frame them for their walls, thus forming a picture in wondrously fine stitchery.