t of this kind would be as good as a trip away from home for the
woman who is bored and wearied. No matter how drab and commonplace her
house might be, she could devise a gay quilt of one of the enchanting
new stuffs and wrap herself in it for a holiday hour. One of the most
amusing ones was of turquoise blue silk, with stiff flowers of violet
and sulphur yellow scattered over it. The flowers were quite large and
far apart, so that there was a square expanse of the turquoise blue with
a stiff flower at each corner. The lining was of sulphur yellow silk,
and the binding was a puffing of violet ribbons. The color fairly made
me gasp, at first, but then it became fascinating, and finally
irresistible. I sighed as I thought of the dreary patchwork quilts of
our great-grandmothers. How they would have marveled at our audacious
use of color, our frank joy in it!

Of course the most important thing in the dressing-room is the
dressing-table. I place my dressing-tables _against_ a group of windows,
not near them, whenever it is possible. I have used plate glass tops on
many of them, and mirrors for tops on others, for you can't have too
many mirrors or too strong a light for dressing. We must see ourselves
as others will see us.

My own dressing-table contains many drawers, one of which is fitted
with an ink-well, a tray for pens and pencils, and a sliding shelf on
which I write. This obviates going into another room to answer hurried
notes when one is dressing. Beside the dressing-table stands the tall
hat-stand for the hat I may be wearing that day.

When the maid prepares the dress that is to be worn, she puts the hat
that goes with the toilette on the tall single stand. Another idea is
the little hollow table on casters that can easily be slipped under the
dressing-table, where it is out of the way. All the little ugly things
that make one lovely can be kept in this table, which can have a lid if
desired, and even a lock and key. I frequently make them with a glass
bottom, as they do not get stained or soiled, and can be washed.

There are lots of little dodges that spell comfort for the dressing-room
of the woman who wants comfort and can have luxury. There is the
hot-water towel-rack, which is connected with the hot-water system of
the house and which heats the towels, and incidentally the
dressing-room. This a boon if you like a hot bath sheet after a cold
plunge on a winter's morning. Another modern luxury is a wall