Foods and home making

1. Linen is a much more beautiful textile than cotton. 2. It launders well, keeps a good color, and is easier to iron than cotton because the heat of the iron dries it readily. 3. It leaves no lint on clothes. This quality makes linen especially de- sirable for table napkins. The kind of linen commonly used for tablecloths is called damask. Damask linen is usually figured; it suggests satin. Damask linen is of different weight. A heavy linen is desirable because it lies flat on the table. In some damask linens, the threads are very close together. Such linen is called double damask. Other damasks are more loosely woven. These are known as single damasks. The closely woven is the better. Heavy, closely-woven damask costs, of course, more than light, loosely-woven damask. It pays to buy good linen. There is another kind of linen sometimes used for lunch cloths, runners, and doilies. This linen has a plain weave. It is called art linen. The thread used in making some art linen is loosely spun. In other kinds of art linen, the threads are tightly twisted. Both types of linen are used for the table. Because linen is more expensive than cotton, cotton is some- times woven with it to make a cheaper fabric. Cloth made of both linen and cotton is known as union. 21 6 Modern Housewifery What should be considered in buying table linen ? In buying table linen there are several things to consider : 1 . Whether the cloth is pure linen. It is often difficult for the inexperienced to distinguish between cotton and linen or between union and linen. The only tests that are reliable are micro- scopic tests and chemical tests. These, of course, cannot be made in the store or in most homes. About the only thing an inexperienced person can do is to rely upon the clerk’s statement. A salesman in a reputable store should be able to give accurate information. If you cannot afford a linen cloth, buy union or cotton. But be sure that you know what the textile is you are buying. Do not buy cotton and pay for linen. 2. Whether the linen is of good quality. As has been stated, good linen is heavy and smooth. Sometimes, linen that appears to be smooth and heavy in the store is found to be light in weight after laundering. Such linen has been treated with starch or a similar material. This fills up the spaces between threads and makes the linen seem heavy. When the linen is washed, the starch or dressing is removed. Whether or not table linen has much dressing in it can be determined before laundering by rubbing a comer of the linen between the fingers. Rubbing usually loosens the dressing. Holding the linen up to the light will sometimes show whether there are bits of dressing between the threads. 3. Whether the cloth is of proper width. Table linens vary in width. A good way to tell how wide you want linen is to measure your table. A tablecloth should hang over each edge from 6 to 9 inches. For a round table, a square cloth needs to be only from 4 to 6 inches wider than the diameter of the table since the comers hang over more. 4. Whether the cloth is of proper length. The length of the cloth depends upon the length of the table. The cloth should hang over the ends about the same distance as over the sides. The Dining Room and Its Furnishings 217 If the table is large enough to seat only four persons, a cloth