one or two cloths with their napkins each succeeding year.
Three cloths of the right length for everyday use, and one long
"family-gathering" cloth, with a dozen napkins to match each, will be a
good start. If the special-occasion cloth seems to be too costly, two
short cloths of duplicate pattern can be substituted for it, the
centerpiece and a clever arrangement of decorations hiding the joining.
If table linen is to be stored away and not used for some time after its
purchase, the dressing which it contains must be thoroughly washed out,
else the chemicals are liable to rot the fabric. It is advisable, too,
to put not-to-be-used damask away rough-dry, otherwise it may crack, in
the folds. The use of colored table linens is in the worst possible
taste, except on the servants' table. Those flaming ferocities known as
"turkey-red" cloths, which seem to fairly fly at one, are not only
inartistic but altogether too suggestive of economy in laundering to be
appetizing table companions.

PLAIN, HEMSTITCHED, OR DRAWN

Cloths bought by the yard must be evened at the ends by drawing a thread,
and hemmed by hand, never stitched on the machine. The inch hem of a few
years ago has been superseded by the very narrow one which is always in
good taste, regardless of style. Napkins come by the piece and must be
divided and hemmed on two sides, rubbing well between the hands first to
remove the stiffness.

There is nothing handsomer or more elegant than the fine, hemmed table
linen, but if a hemstitched cloth is desired, or one containing some
drawn-work design, it is better to buy the material and do the work
oneself; otherwise; the expense goes into the work, not the linen, and
the cost is usually about double that of the same cloth plainly finished.
Hemstitching and fancy work are appropriate only on cloths for the
luncheon table, which may be of either plain or figured damask, or of
heavy linen, which is often effectively combined with Battenberg and
linen laces. Neither drawn work nor hemstitching wears well, drawing the
threads seeming to weaken the fabric. Very pretty luncheon cloths can be
purchased in different sizes for $1.50, $1.75, $2.00, $2.75, etc.,
according to size, material, and elaboration, with accompanying napkins,
18 by 18 inches, for $2.50 or more a dozen. A cloth just the size of the
table top is a convenient luncheon size. These cloths save much wear on
the large cloths, and laundry work as wel