The Modern Home
British Cotton Fabrics
BY MRS. E. V. LUCAS. , •
Tim British Cotton Textile Exhibition which closed on February 28th could scarcely have been more attractive dither in the simple fabrics it displayed or in the distinguished background which gave them their -charming setting.. There Was a most satisfying- use of panels of alternating yellow and white cotton material which were stretched up the high walls of the two great rooms and sloped to a sheath of soft blue veiling the sky lights. The long electric pendants could not have been more admirably designed or proportioned ; in short, the whole effect was admirably light and gay : the exhibition neither wearied the eyes nor the head, in spite of the variety of the exhibits. The first hall contained a panoramic demonstration in miniature of the whole process of cotton manufacture from the fields to the finished product. In the second were the 'stalls 'of the various exhibitors and it was satisfactory to realize how much has been learnt in the very necessary art of display since the recent Paris Exhibition, where British textiles were thrown together with little more regard for style and effect than is shown in the arrangement of clothes drying on a line—a lack of art which was especially noticeable owing to its proximity to the well-thought-out and exquisitely manipulated French exhibits. In the White City this year there was little that was not shown to the best advantage.
Lord Derby in his Preface to the catalogue stated that we were being shown the best work of our greatest industry, on which much of our national well-being depended. This industry, another writer noted, is so prolific that the output of a month would suffice in length to tie the earth to the moon. Yet for ten years it has suffered depression.
If heaven would provide warm summers, surely the change in fashion of the present day should give renewed life to cotton. It is easy to understand the change in the fortunes of the lace trade which was so vividly brought before those of us who saw the procession of lace-makers which passed through the streets of London last year. Here fashion has changed, and to a certain extent rightly. The elaborate and expensive Nottingham lace curtains which adorned the windows of the well-to-do have been replaced by filmy and comparatively cheap nets. The little laces once so much used for trimming underwear and Which were fretted and torn long before the garment itself was harmed by the laundress have been replaced by more solid embroidery or open-work, and a love for plainness forbids the furbishing of blouses and dresses with rows of such trimming. This love of plain things has hurt more than one industry. Cheap lace is as little in use as hairpins.
But the case of the cotton industry is different. Here we have materials provided for us which are useful and which everyone may use : which are charming and which can be put to charming uses. It provides, - among many other things, material for clothing men, women, and children : it provides also for the bed and the bathroom.
During the Civil War in America a number of ladies laid aside the lint which they had been industriously scraping for the use of the soldiers in the Northern army and planned a " cotton " ball in New England. The result, in charm and beauty, was a revelation of the effects which could be gained by the skilful and artistic use of cotton materials. Yet in those days the selection could not compare with what is now offered us. If such a ball could be organized again by some compelling social leader, the reign of cotton materials should be assured as far as dress is concerned. The plain and figured gossamer voiles, the zephyrs and the scores of delicate and supple (and in some cages uncrushable) -materials now put out by the various firms provide for every taste— good or bad. They are admirably suited to present-day fashions with their tiered skirts, their flounces - and their fullness. Skimpiness and shortness were no friends to cotton goods. Of the charm of these materials there is little need to speak. The shops will soon be making full display which will prove their beauty better than any words. They have lightness, gaiety, clear, clean colour. They are simple and they are essentially English.. They are what they -set out to be. Artificial silk has made great progress, but at best it-is an imitation and there are still many people who do not like imitations. And above all, these cotton fabrics are cheap, ranging in price from about eightpence to two or three shillings a yard, The " little " dressmaker can easily cope with them and the home-dressmaker, _ however new to her task, may be reassured by the fact that a mistake in cutting will not be disastrous, and that the whole dress when finished will have cost her little more than the price of a yard or two of silk. Taken altogether, these fabrics are most suitable for day wear, but certain of them, especially those which contain a little artificial silk, or which have a '4.suadc.:1-finish..are wOrthy fit evening werir. In the home, at any rate, they should be popular. And, chief of their many virtues, they wash and wash easily. With regard to this last point,- care should be taken to buy only such goods as are guaranteed fast. Many firms give a. grmiantee against fading by sun and washing which promises• the return not only of money spent on the actual stun, but also on making it up. One company has even tested its goods by boiling them for ten hours—a process equivalent to two hundred ordinary washings—and no colour was lost. These firms should in every case be given the preference by the purchaser.
We have always had a more restricted range of delicate shades than the fastidious French woman has demanded, a fact of which anyone who shopped both in London and Paris was aware. Among the lingerie materials with their charming sheen and delightful suppleness there is now a range of colours which must satisfy the most sensitive eye. In every way improvement has been made. Among the goods which are to be most specially recom- mended are the lovely English cotton-velvets. They cannot, of course, rival the superb material made of silk, but they have a more everyday purpose. They can be bought in a great variety of lovely colouring, plain or patterned, and they have a peculiarly beautiful lustre. They can be washed, and careful directions are given for so doing. They are supple and they drape well. They can also be used for curtains. I would not, however, recommend them for covering furniture, though the makers do.
The Exhibition showed a somewhat limited number of upholstering fabrics. But it by no means exhausted the supply of what may be obtained in England. Much of what was to be seen was charming and the progress made in new designing as well as in copying from the old is marked. One firm employs six designers, and a yearly visit ...to Canada, America, and the Continent is made by one of its partners so that he may gain a wider knowledge of the artistic tendencies of the world. That is essential if we are to have the best. The world contains so much that' is beautiful in design that it would be against all our interests not to borrow the best wherever it is to be found. That, surely, is part of true patriotism. The public is in great part responsible for the bewildering output which includes so much that is ugly, and the public is not altogether easy to teach. Yet the manu- facturers are doing their best. Among the materials which most surely should be discouraged are those covered with naturalistic and highly coloured designs of flowers. No flower can stand transplantation in this way. It is instantly vulgar- ized by colours and texture that are crude and coarse .com- pared with Nature's.
To return to dress materials : the exhibition may be con- gratulated on the beauty of the mannequin displays. To watch even for a few minutes the constant succession of airy, gay, quiet, or useful dresses which passed before the crowded audiences was to realize how great are the- possibilities of cotton fabrics. It is to be hoped that some of the great shop, will repeat on a miniature scale this admirable effort made 133 the promoters of the Exhibition.
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