MATERIAL REVIEW.
Masses. HEAL AND SON, of Tottenham -Court Road, have sent us a number of samples of their new Spring furnishing fabrics for review. These all seem to have one quality in common— they are unfadable. Samples of many sorts of material have been submitted. There is a particularly pretty striped design, 50 ins. wide, at Os. 9d. a yard, which is a very strong
cotton material suitable for loose covers for chairs or sofas. The present writer has had personal experience of this sort of stuff, and, though dearer, it is distinctly more durable than cretonne. The difficulty hitherto, however, has been that as the colour was apt to fade the extra wearing qualities were not really so very valuable. The new material in really fadeless dyes is, I should say, considerably better value than cretonne. I liked -particularly one in grey, black, Egyptian blue and mauve (No. U7918). Several of the others introduce orange stripes, but here the colour does not seem to me quite so successful, the orange not being clear in tone. However, one in grey with narrow stripes of orange, mauve, green and black is quite pleasant, as is one on a ground chiefly 'black, on which red, green of two shades, and blue are patterned. Nos. U7900 and U7899 are a good deal cheaper, 50 ins. wide for 2s. lld. ; the material, however, has a good deal less substance in it. For sheer value I should say that Nos. U7906, &c., at 2s. 11d., are extraordinarily good. I think the colours of 117906 are too hot ; the ground is chiefly black, with -a great deal of the -orange before complained of.
There are two pretty, insignificant patterns of cretonne suitable for bedrooms (U7821, U7820, 81 ins. wide, at 2s. 7d.
a yard), a white ground covered with small, formal flowers. These do not seem particularly cheap, as the quality is not very heavy. The Sphinx Casement Cloth seems to me pleasant, but rather expensive. I particularly liked a bluish green one (No. U1477, -50 ins. wide, at Os. 6d.s. yard).
No. U1656, 50 ins. wide, at 6s. 9d., is a cotton taffeta of a lovely warm apricot colour, with orange lights in it. It would make a beautiful dress material. Nos. U1654 and U1653 are the same kind of material and are respectively purple and plum colour. I particularly liked a green material, of which patterns are submitted (I.110,49.). It is a blue-green cotton stuff, very heavy in texture, through which run occa- sional strands of gold vegetable silk. The effect is rather like that of streaks of rain seen against a dark cloud in the summer, and is most attractive. This stuff is also to be _had in a brown and a dark blue. Some of the check materials, the larger
of which would be suitable for cottage and nursery curtains, and the smaller for children's clothes, are-very charming and, if they will withstand both washing and sun, are not expensive, as their texture is close and good.
There are all _kinds of curtain nets, and these also are marked Fadeless. In the lighter texture of the nets the orange,
though still not what it might be for colour, looks much better.
No. 111646, 50 ins. wide at as. 9d., is a .blue..curtain net of a particularly beautiful matt sky-blue, while 111659 is a
mixture of pink and blue, which blend into a harmonious mauve. Only patterns of •fine net have been sent. I, person- ally, think that a wider mesh net is to be preferred, especially in London, as, except perhaps at street level, it prevents people looking in and obscures the light as little as possible.- The metal window nets are -most beautiful. 131634, 60 ins. wide, at 9s. 6d., is an iridescent bronze-pink ; there.are besides
a pale green-gold and a silver, which are marked Fadeless, but not untarnishable. I should imagine that it would be impossible to get any metal net which would stand the London climate, but even so, metal nets do aotseem -to me as extrava- gant as white lace curtains, -which require in London constant washing and fairly constant renewal. How do Messrs. Heals' fabrics this year compare with those they had last year ? Unfortunately, I was not able to visit the shop, and many of the patterns sent were small, but I should say that, on the whole, the colours of these materials are less brilliant than those with which we have been accustomed to associate this shop; yet there is no doubt that, though less brilliant now, these colours will be very much more brilliant after a week or two's exposure to strong sun than anything produced before. Messrs. Heals' are certainly a great advance on the colours -which manufacturers usually guarantee. M. W.-E.
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