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Show Revival of the Lace Box Fad KEEPING a "lace box" is a fad of the Colonial dane which her great-great-granddaugbtcr, the modern American girl, is beginning to appreciate the wisdom of reviving. The Colonial tlanv treasured every bcrap of lace because be-cause machines for making it had not been invented, and the modern American girl treasures laco either hand or machine mudc because almost every day uhe finds it uecessary to use a small piece to repair the trimming on n piece of lingerie to trim a hat, a sunshade, a fan spread, a toilet table cushion or lo help In the fashioning of a favor. And it Is eaaier and cheaper to gel tho desired scrap from the "lace box" than lo purchase it at a shop. No tlulest scrap of lace ever went into the lace box of the Colonial Dame until it had been thoroughly refurbished, and the same rule governs her thrifty great-greut-grnnddaughter, the modern American Ameri-can girl. Because tho latter person is constantly con-stantly accumulating pieces of Irish or crochet laces ripped from gowns and blousoj and hats she Una learned that the best way (o cleanse it Is to let It steep for a time in a bowl of cold water in which a small piece of tine white soap has been dissolved, then rinse in sevcrnl clear waters and. wliilo still wet, pin right side down to a flannel covered board. Whcu alinot dried the lace should bo covered with a piece of thin muslin and pressed with a warm iron. The popular Irish laces as well as Point de Vcnlse and Bruges nro of so substantial a weave that thoy are easily cleaned, but the finer mcahes must bo very carefully handled and never rubbed in even the gentlest manner. The safest method is to soak a piece of fine lace iu a solution of borax one toaspoonfuf t6 a pint of hot water and when the water has cooled lake tile l.icv IJnimandrfoak in a castlle soapedbath, squeezing the moisture from tho fabric with the fingers aud changing it from ono soap bath to another nntil thf IH water ceased to be discolored. After that iH the lace may be rinsed In blued water anil IH slightly stiffened by placing it for a mo- H ment in water in which rice has been H boiled. If after this treatment the laco H continues lo look grimy, it nhould be put M iu a jar of cold water and soap jelly ami H the jar placed in u pan of boiling water H and boiled slowly for several bourn. H Slightly soiled white lace should H be dry cleaned by sprinkling it with mag- B nesia, laying shews of white paper on both H sides and keeping it between the leaves of H a book for a few days. This is infinitely H safer than washing, which should only be IH resorted to when absolutely necessary, be- H cause damp lace Ls easily torn and watery H helps to decay the thread. H Until black lace hns been thoroughly H brushed it is folly to try to cleanse It. but H after the dust has been eliminated from it H stnins or upols may usually be re- H moved by washing it in tea. If this H method fails, try' dipping tho lace in a H mixture of milk and water one-third of H the first and two-thirds of the other ' H wring with the fingers, roll in a clean cloth H for a few moments, then place smoothly ' H between tissue sheets nnd iron dry. H Silk embroidered or colored or silver H laces should be baslcd to a strip of cotton H and gone over with spirits of wine applied with a boft brush and then pressed uuder H tissue paper, and any verdigris may boire- IH moved from gold lace by boiling it in H hydrochloric acid diluted with water. B A properly equipped "lace box" is di- HBb vided into three compartments. The one Bb intended for black und fuuey colored lacea IHb is white liucu lined and holds renlt and HHJ cards about which the various widths and. HBa varieties of mesh .are wound. The oiber M two compartments nrc for the line and HHl heavy meshes respectively , and cnchtionc;, ( Jfl is lined with dark blue linen, the bcttcrl HBb to keep their content from turnlug ycllow.l HBa l |