The Queen's liking for fine quilting is well known, and some exquisite specimens of this art by British working women are finding their way into the Royal palaces. The Queen's bedroom at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is to be entirely refurnished with quilted fabrics in delicate shades, chosen by herself, of peachblossom pink and ivory.
Members of Women's Rural Institutes all over Scotland have been working on them for more than a year and hope to complete them in time for her visit in August. The set includes bedspread, footstool covers, dressing-stool and couch covers in sixteenth century designs, and a pile of miniature cushions to decorate the bed and to be used as extra pillows for early morning tea.
Miners' wives in Durham and South Wales are making four single-bed quilts for Buckingham Palace, and a copy of a quilt ordered for Windsor Castle is included in the Exhibition of British and Overseas Needlework now beng held. A feature of this Exhibition which has aroused much interest is the section, grouped separately, of needlework by men, many of them distinguished in military and other fields.
Suffragettes Foregather with Old Adversaries Clothes which have not yet come round again in the fashion cycle—or perhaps their wearers cared little for chic—lend a slightly stuffy, slight faded air to old photographs brought out again for this week's anniversary—that of Votes for Women, now 21 years old.
'A dinner was organized in celebration at which veteran suffragettes like Mrs. Pethick-Lawrence joined former adversaries such as ex-Police-
Inspector Jarv'
Some of the former militants are inclined to deplore the small use made of the vote—only thirteen women Members sit in the House of Commons—and consider that pre-
"Safest Hands in the World"
These belong to Mrs, Louisa Allen, who for 20 years has cared for the treasures of Mr. Rochelle - Thomas, famous London antique dealer. A million rore pieces have passed through her hands without a single breakage. ly wide and short (about 17 inches from the ground. Small waists are to be very fashionable, and larger busts. Skilful cuttings and darting and invisible elastic, flatter the waist, and bodices are made full. Even so it looks as if some form of tight-lacing looms ahead if the hour-glass or wasp-waist ideal is to be attained.
"Little girl" effects are aimed at for daytime wear, with very short, very full skirts and hair falling to the neck to give more than a look of a sophisticated Alice in Wonderland. One glorified "gym" dress had ex" quisite lace round its armholes and along the top of the pinafore front. Jackets are boned to fit tightly to the figure and are sometimes longer and sometimes very short, as in the "bellhop" style which reaches to the waistline. Pleats in the skirts of suits are left Unpressed.
The evening silhouette is deter-ruinedly wide and the greater number of crinolines are in lace, though they are to be found in satin, taffeta, organiza, tulle and so on. Some famous dressmakers ignored. the crinoline altogether and produced instead several styles of tight-fitting bodices allied to long, graceful figure-moulding skirts, Then there are the "blouse and skirt" evening frocks in which long-sleeved blouses in softest chiffon are partnered by wide, fully gathered skirts of floral crepe de Chine or vividly striped plaid silk.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.