, we should have
a weaving which is not only in itself an artistic manufacture, but
which easily absorbs any additional application of art.

In my own mind I call the thing which might and does not exist, The
Missing Textile. To make it entirely appropriate to our esthetic and
practical needs, the missing textile must be strong enough for
every-day wear and use; it must be capable of soft, round folds in
hanging; and have the quality of elasticity which will prevent
creasing; and above all, it must have beautiful and lasting colour. If
it can add to these qualities an adaptability to various household
uses, it will achieve success and deserve it. These different
qualities, and especially the one of a natural affinity for such
art-processes as colour and embroidery, exist in none of our domestic
weavings, excepting only linsey woolsey. After much study of this
virtuous product of the mountain regions of our Southern States I find
it capable of great development. It has two qualities which are not
often co-existent, and these are strength and flexibility; and this is
owing not only to its being hand-woven, but also to its being a
wool-filled textile--that is, it is woven upon a cotton warp, with a
single twisted wool-filling. This peculiarity of texture makes it very
suitable for embroidery, since it offers little resistance to the
needle, and yet is firm enough to prevent stitches sinking into its
substance--a frequent fault with soft or loosely woven textiles. The
warp is generally made of what the weavers call mill yarns, cotton
yarns spun and often dyed in cotton mills; and when the cloth is woven
for women's wear it is apt to carry a striped warp of red and blue,
with a mixed filling made from spinning the wool of black sheep with a
small proportion of white.

In searching for art textiles, one would not find much encouragement
in this particular variety of linsey woolsey, but the unbleached,
uncoloured material which is woven for all kinds of household use, or
piece-dyed for men's wear, is quite a different thing. In its undyed
state it is of a warm ivory tint, which makes a beautiful ground for
printing, and in my first acquaintance with it, which was made through
the women commissioners from Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia during
the Columbian Exposition, I made some most interesting experiments in
block printing upon this natural background.

One can hardly expect that linsey woolsey will come into frequent or