ep the whole
perfectly clean.

In conclusion we may remark that the cleaning of lace should only be
undertaken when you are fairly sure of not being interrupted, as more
especially the pinning requires to be finished off as quickly as
possible.

TO WASH COLOURED COTTONS AND WORK DONE WITH THE SAME.--In order to
test the fastness of the dyes, untie the skeins and pour boiling water
upon them, leave them to soak for about a quarter of an hour, soap and
rub them lightly with the hand from end to end and rinse them out
thoroughly in as many changes of cold water as may be found necessary,
until the water remain perfectly colourless.

Squeeze out all the water you can and let them dry quickly without
exposing them to the sun.

Coloured cottons are often washed in vinegar, because it is supposed to
affect the colour less than water does. We have come to the conclusion
after several trials that this is a delusion, for the good dyes keep
their colour without the aid of vinegar and the bad ones wash out in
spite of it.

The fast colours lose none of their beauty in the process nor does it
affect the quality of the cotton; any excess of colouring matter which
the fibres of the cotton may have absorbed in the process of dyeing is
got rid of by this means.

If a piece of work has been done with unwashed cottons and the colours
run in the first washing, you have only to rinse it out in several
changes of tepid water to restore it to its original freshness and if
you want to give it a yellowish tinge, it should be dipped it in weak
tea or coffee.

MATERIALS.--It was stated in the preface that our readers would find
the choice of colours and material rendered comparatively easy to them
by the notes affixed to the illustrations, but these notes, in spite of
all the care bestowed upon them must still have remained very incomplete
had it not been for the following tables which we were fortunately
enabled to append to our work and which will help every one to choose
their own materials without having them actually before them. The
strokes that are affixed to each number indicate the exact size of the
thread, so that to find out the number you want to buy you have but to
lay your pattern thread, stretching it slightly, on the strokes, in
succession, till you come to the one that matches it in size.

With regard to the colours, the names and shades of which have been
classed in the second table with the greatest care, and of whic