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// projectID55ef2951e4c33
// 20150906093702beard
// KD Weeks, Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
// first edit: 12/13/2017
.dt What a Girl Can Make and Do, by Lina and Adelia B. Beard
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Transcriber’s Note:
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This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical
effects. Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_.
The many illustrations are indicated as [Illustration: ].
Where the illustration appears in mid-paragraph, this will appear
within the paragraph, at its approximate position. Occasionally,
numbered full page illustrations appeared out of order in the
original.
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It was not possible to always reproduce the flow of text around
the many figures and illustrations. These will appear in
approximately the same arrangement. Occasionally, numbered full
page illustrations appeared out of order in the
original.
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322, and resists any attempt to reproduce the individual components.
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in the image itself.
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The numbered figures 520, 521 and 522 appear in the text out of sequence,
though all references to them are correct. The sequence has been retained
here.
The single footnote has been moved to follow the paragraph in which
it is referenced.
Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please
see the transcriber’s #note:endnote# at the end of this text
for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered
during its preparation.
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Any corrections are indicated as hyperlinks, which will navigate the
reader to the corresponding entry in the corrections table in the
note at the end of the text.
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.bn 001.png
.sp 4
.h1
WHAT A GIRL CAN | MAKE AND DO
.sp 4
.bn 002.png
.bn 003.png
.il fn=i_title.jpg w=344px ew=60%
.pm start_poem
New Ideas
for
Work
and
Play
What
A Girl Can Make And Do
BY
Lina Beard
and
Adelia B. Beard
Charles Scribner’s
Sons
1902
.pm end_poem
.bn 004.png
.sp 8
.nf c
Copyright, 1902, by
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
.nf-
.hr 5%
.ce
Published, October, 1902
.sp 8
.fs 75%
.nf c
TROW DIRECTORY
PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY
NEW YORK
.nf-
.bn 005.png
.pn v
.fs 105%
.sp 4
.h2
PREFACE
.sp 2
This new century, bringing with it the strong, healthy,
independent, athletic American girl, makes a demand for
new opportunities for the exercise of both mind and body.
Resourcefulness and a wish to do things for one’s self are
American traits strongly developed in the girls as well as
in the boys; and, keeping step with their brothers, our
girls are walking steadily onward, with new hopes and
new ambitions in work and play, and are reaping new
rewards.
This book is the result of the authors’ earnest desire to
be of some assistance to their young friends by encouraging
them in their wish to do things for themselves, and by
pointing out some directions in which they may gratify this
ambition. Within its covers are suggestions for a wide
variety of things, useful, instructive, and entertaining, which
a girl may make and do, with wholesome and genuine pleasure.
The ideas that are worked out are essentially those of
the authors, and are not, as is often the case, derived from
other books. The drawings, too, are all original, as in
“The American Girl’s Handy Book,” to which this is a
companion volume.
In conclusion the authors wish to express their sincere
.bn 006.png
.pn +1
thanks to the Delineator and the Woman’s Home
Companion, whose prompt and generous courtesy, in returning
such original drawings and material as were used
in their respective magazines, has greatly facilitated the
preparation of this work and added to its interest.
Flushing, June 16, 1902.
.bn 007.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h2
CONTENTS
.hr 15%
.h3
WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE
.hr 10%
.ta l:2 h:60 r:6 w=95%
CHAPTER I. | | PAGE
What a Girl Can Make with Hammer and Saw| | #3#
| The Workshop, #4#; Tools, #5#; The Carpenter’s Bench, #9#; A Dressing-table,\
11; A Wash-stand, #14#; A Portable Corner Clothes-press, #15#;\
A Five O’clock Tea Table, #16#; A Piazza Flower-stand, #17#; A Hooded\
Chair Made of a Packing-box, #21#. |
CHAPTER II. ||
Possibilities of an Easter Egg| | #26#
|A Frog that Will Swim, #26#; Spinning Egg, #30#; The Kaleidoscope, #31#;\
Easter Hare, #32#; Hares made of Eggs, #33#; The Brownie, #34#; Fruits,\
Vegetables, Opera Glasses, and Dishes, #36#; The Radish, #37#; Watermelon,\
Plum, Acorn, #38#; A Dainty Vase, A Unique Little Teapot, #39#;\
The Sugar-bowl, Egg Dippers, #41#. |
CHAPTER III. ||
A Paper Easter | | #45#
|An Ostrich, Rabbit, Penguin, and Rooster, #45#; Changing an Egg into a\
Rooster, #46#; The Butterfly That Will Fly, #51#; The Easter Lily, #52#. |
CHAPTER IV.||
Vacation Work with Nature’s Material | | #57#
|Cone Hanging-basket, #58#; Sweet-grass Mats, #59#; Corn-husk Basket,\
60; Lavender Sticks, #62#; Braiding Palm-grasses and Corn-husks, #64#. |
.bn 008.png
.pn +1
CHAPTER V. ||
Collections || #69#
| Mounting the Pictures, #70#; Splitting the Paper, #72#; Hanging the Picture,\
73; A Portfolio, #74#; Sunshine Diary, #75#; A Guest Book, #78#;\
Calendars, #80#; Illustrating Books, #82#; Colored Pictures and Photographs,\
83; A Photograph Book, #84#.|
CHAPTER VI. ||
Original Valentines | | #89#
| Appropriate Valentines, #90#; Four-leaved Clover, #90#; Easel Holding a\
Picture, #91#; Heart-shaped Valentines, #93#; The Fire-cracker, #94#; Pot\
of Growing Flowers, #95#; Valentine for Little Friend, #98#. |
CHAPTER VII. ||
Vegetable Animals and Fruit Lanterns | | #101#
| Potato Turkey, #102#; A Shoat, #103#; To Make a Turtle, Pumpkin Lanterns,\
105. |
CHAPTER VIII. ||
Pasteboard Models for a Home Drawing Class | | #107#
| The Pyramid, #107#; Pasteboard Model of a Church, #108#; To Make a\
House, #111#. |
CHAPTER IX. ||
Quick Ink Pictures || #118#
| Ink Landscapes and Marines, #119#; An Ink Butterfly, An Odd Design,\
The Fantastic Horses, #122#; A Pair of Birds, Ink Plant Sketches, #123#.|
CHAPTER X. ||
Moving Toys | | #125#
| The Merry-go-round, #125#; The Flag Dance, #130#; Button-mould Tops,\
132. |
CHAPTER XI. ||
Home-made Pyrotechnics | | #135#
| Three-story Red, White and Blue Pin-wheel, #135#; Fence Pin-wheel, #137#;\
The Sparkling Calumet, #140#; Roman Candle, #142#; Snap-fire, #142#;\
Rushing Comet, #143#; The Pistol, #144#; Sky-rockets, #145#. |
.bn 009.png
.pn +1
CHAPTER XII. ||
Monotypes | | #148#
| Materials, #148#; How to Paint, #149#; To Paint Heads, #149#; The Printing,\
150; Monotone Monotypes, #151#; Suitable Papers, #151#. |
CHAPTER XIII. ||
Priscilla Rugs | | #153#
| Color Schemes for Rugs, #154#; The Fire Rug, #155#; The Weight, #156#;\
How to Cut and Sew the Rags, #157#; Cotton and Wool Rugs, #158#;\
All-cotton Rugs, #158#; Warps and Fringe, #159#; Dyeing the Cloth,\
160; Wool Dyes, #160#; Cotton Dyes, #162#. |
CHAPTER XIV. ||
A Peanut Noah’s Ark | | #163#
| How to Make a Pair of Wings, #165#; To Make a Spider, #166#; To Make\
Rabbits and Camels, #167#; To Make a Chick, an Elephant, #168#; an\
Owl, #169#; Storks, Lobsters, #170#; Noah, #171#; To Make the Ark, #172#. |
CHAPTER XV. ||
A Flower Feast | | #175#
| To Make the Pineapple, #175#; A Fish, #176#; Apples and Fruit Salad, #177#;\
The Cups and Saucers, #178#; Snapping Bonbons, #179#; Baskets of\
Green Burs, #180#; Dandelion Amusements, #181#. |
CHAPTER XVI. ||
Basket-weaving | | #185#
| Materials for Weaving, #185#; To Prepare the Reeds, #186#; Weaving the\
Basket, #186#; Covers and Fastenings, #191#; To Make a Hinge, #192#.|
CHAPTER XVII. ||
An “Abe” Lincoln Log-cabin | | #194#
| Material, #196#; The Door, #200#; The Chimney, #201#; To Make a Pond,\
204; The Walk, #205#; A Well, #206#; Acorn Bucket, #207#; The Trees,\
208; The Grass, #209#; The Fence, #210#; A Little Turnstile, #212#;\
Birch-bark Canoe, #212#; Wood-pile, #213#; A Sawbuck, #213#.|
.bn 010.png
.pn +1
CHAPTER XVIII. ||
Queer Things on Paper and Blackboard and How to Put Them There | | #215#
| A Funny Little Pig, #215#; A Hen, #217#; A Rose, #218#; A Head, #220#;\
The Three Blind Mice, A Fish, #221#; Turtles, #222#; To make a Duck,\
223; The Tulip, #224#; Common Daisy, #225#. |
CHAPTER XIX. ||
Home-made Musical Instruments | | #227#
| How to Make a Harp, #228#; A Dulcimer, #229#; Music from Finger-bowls,\
230; A Willow Bugle-horn, #231#; Bones, #232#; Crystal Flute, #232#;\
Music from a Comb, #233#; Grass-blade, Sea-shells, Musical Fountain,\
234. |
CHAPTER XX. ||
What to Make of Empty Spools | | #236#
| To Build the Parthenon, #236#; To Make a Set of Furniture, #238#; The\
Lamp, #239#; A Wagon, #239#; A Memorial Arch, #240#; To Blow Bubbles\
with a Spool, #241#; Cannon, #243#.|
CHAPTER XXI. ||
Christmas Decorations | | #244#
| Effective Portière, #246#; Star and Shepherd’s Crook, #246#; A Sconce, #248#;\
Tin-foil Christmas-tree Festoon, #248#; Tin-foil for Fringe Ruching, #249#;\
Fancy Boxes, #252#; Cornucopias, Christmas Stockings, Bobbinet Bags,\
253; Holly-leaved Festoons, #254#; Pop-corn Balls, #255#; Strings of Red\
Cranberries, Peanuts, #256#; Jewelry for the Tree, #257#; Gilded English\
Walnut, #258#.|
CHAPTER XXII. ||
Christmas Devices | | #260#
| An All-day Christmas Pie, #260#; The Magic Fireplace, #263#; Christmas\
Tray, #265#; A Santa Claus House, #266#; Serving Toast, #267#; Pièce de\
Résistance, #268#; Jelly, Apples, #269#.|
CHAPTER XXIII. ||
Picture Writing and Sign Language | | #271#
| Symbols, Flower Writing, #273#; Indian Powwow, #274#; A Letter of\
Colors, #276#. |
.bn 011.png
.pn +1
CHAPTER XXIV. ||
Statuary Tableaux | | #281#
| The Stage, #281#; Lights, Pedestals, and Costumes, #282#; Make-up, #284#;\
The Armless Bust, #285#; Portrait Medallion, #286#; An Egyptian Statue,\
287; Pygmalion and Galatea, #288#.|
CHAPTER XXV. ||
Witchery | | #292#
| Feather Tests, #293#; Touchstone Charm, #294#; Naming the Bedposts, #295#;\
Witch Writing, #295#; Home or Travel, #297#; Dreams, #298#; Ghost\
Ideas, #299#; Fortune’s Wheel, #300#. |
CHAPTER XXVI. ||
Living Alphabet | | #303#
| Directions for Drill, #308#; The Shields, #308#; The Letters, #309#.|
CHAPTER XXVII. ||
Odd Gardens | | #310#
| A Country Garden in the City, #310#; The Boxes, #313#; The Flowers, #313#;\
A Water Garden, #314#; The Soil, #315#; Water Plants, #316#; Simpler\
Water Gardens, #317#; Plants Grown Artificially in Water, #317#; The\
Green Sponge, #318#; Vegetables, #319#; Friendship Garden, #320#;\
Memory Garden, #321# |
CHAPTER XXVIII. ||
Active Games | | #322#
| Weavers and Weft, #322#; Hoop Dance, #324#; The Figures, #326#; Hoop\
Tag, #327#; The Circus-hoop Game, #328#; Hoop-race Game, #329#;\
Jumping Rope Conquer Game, #330#; Going to Market, #332#; Passing\
By, #332#; Red, White, and Blue, #333#.|
.bn 012.png
.pn +1
CHAPTER XXIX. ||
Expensive Games with Little or No Expense | | #334#
| Ping Pong, #334#; The Rules, #337#; Scoring, #338#; Terms Used in Ping\
Pong, #339#; A Make-believe Sewing-machine, #340#; A Parlor Croquet\
Set, #341#; Rules for Croquet, #343#. |
CHAPTER XXX. ||
Basket Ball | | #346#
| Cost of an Outfit, #346#; Baskets, #348#; The Ball, #348#; Set of Players,\
349; Referee, #350#; Umpire, Scorer, #351#; Time-keeper, Linesmen,\
352; Centres, Forwards, #354#; Guard, #355#; Rules, #360#; General\
Fouls, #362#; Disqualifying Fouls, #363#; Playing Suit, #364#. |
CHAPTER XXXI. ||
Some of Our Out-door Neighbors and Where to Look for Them | | #365#
| Observation Book, #366#; The Squirrel, #367#; The Red Squirrel, The\
Chipmunk, #368#; The Weasel, #369#; Salamander, #370#; The Cicadas,\
371; Insect Music, #373#; The Indian Pipe, The Moccasin Flower, #374#;\
Engraver Beetle, The ’Coon, #375#; The Flying Squirrel, Luna Moth,\
377; Woodchuck, #380#; The Sea-shore, #381#; The Jelly-fish, Sea-anemones,\
382; Sea-urchins, #383#; Starfish, #384#. |
.ta-
.bn 013.png
.h2
PART I | WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE
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.ca Fig. 9.—The Girl at the Bench.
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.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER I | WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE WITH HAMMER | AND SAW
.sp 2
.di i_003-drcapch1.jpg 200 252 1.1
This is an age when girls go to college
and engage in athletic sports;
when they have their manual training,
as boys do and are learning to
use their hands, as never before, in
all sorts of skilful work. The deftness
of their fingers is utilized not alone
in embroidery, or what was once
considered girl’s work, but in the
manufacture of many useful, artistic,
and beautiful objects once thought
beyond their reach. Our girls no
longer resort to the scissors to sharpen a lead-pencil or to
their brother’s chisel to pull out tacks; they are beginning
to know and appreciate the value of tools and are becoming
proficient in their use.
If you are one of these modern girls, girls of the twentieth
century, who like to use both brains and hands, a
little workshop stocked with a few good tools and material
for carpentry work will give you many hours of pure
enjoyment. The tool-chest, denied to girls of the past
generation, is yours for the asking; the manual training in
the public schools has given to many of you the advantage
of learning the use of saw, plane, and hammer, and your
.bn 016.png
.pn +1
physical culture has produced the strength and energy for
this active work.
.pm section 'The Workshop'
Just a room, any room, that will afford sufficient light
for your work, that is all you need for a beginning. Having
the room you have a place for your first tool, if it is
necessary to collect them one at a time, and it is much
better to do that than to buy a cheap tool-chest. When
you have one tool make a place for it and keep it in its
place. A hammer, a saw, a hatchet, a sharp knife, a
screw-driver, a gimlet, and a rule are the first tools you will
need. The writer once made a very good mantel-board,
cleated at the ends with rounded corners, which has stood
the heating and drying process of many winters over an
open fire, without warping, and her tools were simply a
hatchet, a meat-saw, and a pocket knife. Of course, the
work would have been much easier and more enjoyable
had she possessed the proper tools, but this example serves
to show how few tools are absolutely necessary. A plane,
a chisel, and an auger-bit and brace will be needed later;
after that a gouge, a try-square, and a file. These you may
collect by degrees as your work grows more ambitious and
you feel the need of them. Hooks, nails, tacks, and screws
can be bought as required.
Have a hook for your saw and hang it up, lay your
plane on its side, make a rack for your small tools something
like Fig. 1, and have a box for your shavings. A shelf on
which to keep your boxes of tacks and other small articles
is indispensable; each of these boxes should be labelled and
kept in its place; in fact, to get the full enjoyment from
your workshop you must keep it in order and the tools just
where you may always expect to find them.
.bn 017.png
.pn +1
.pm section 'What the Tools are for and How to Use Them'
The Hammer.—A carpenter’s hammer is what you want,
not a tack hammer, and it should be of medium weight.
You are to use it in driving nails, in hammering things into
place and in various ways not injurious to the hammer.
The manner in which you hold this tool will make all the
difference in the way you drive a nail. The hammer
should be taken by the end of the handle and the head
brought down squarely on the nail-head, otherwise the nail
will slant to one side or perhaps bend.
.il fn=i_005-fig1.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 1.
.bn 018.png
.pn +1
The Saw.—The panel-saw is best suited to ordinary work,
one having about ten teeth to the inch. Finer saws make a
smoother cut, and you will probably find use for several, but
one is enough to begin with. The saw is used for cutting
large pieces of wood and for cutting across grain, and special
saws serve for special purposes, such as sawing of
curves and cutting out keyholes. With pencil and rule
draw the line you wish your saw to follow. Stand above
your work so that you may see the pencil line; hold the
saw firmly in the right hand and with the left grasp the
board, allowing your thumb to rest on the saw, above
the teeth. This is to help guide the saw and to prevent
cutting your hand. Take light, short strokes at first, then
longer ones, using a little more force, and keep your saw
at right angles with the board. If your material is large
and heavy place it across two wooden horses, if light or
small it is best to use a mitre-box.
The Hatchet.—You will find a good medium-sized hatchet
with a sharp edge very useful, for cutting away or trimming,
but it must be used with care, for to chop too vigorously
will frequently split the wood. See that your hatchet does
not follow the grain of the wood unless the grain runs in
the direction you wish your cut to take.
The Knife.—Not a dainty pearl-handled pocket-knife but a
strong, well-made, sharp-bladed jack-knife, large enough
for all kinds of whittling. The knife is for fine cutting
that cannot be done with the hatchet, and when one learns
to whittle out various small articles much has been accomplished.
The Screw-driver.—It has been said that the feminine mind
cannot grasp the difference between a screw-driver, a cork-screw,
and a gimlet, and it remains with you to prove the
contrary. A poor screw-driver is one of the most exasperating
.bn 019.png
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of poor tools, and a trial to one’s patience and
temper; besides, it is of little use attempting to “make it
do,” for it seldom will do. The edge is usually
shaped like Fig. 2, and it slides and slips out of
the groove of the screw until it has turned and
worn down its edges and made the screw useless.
Fig. 3 shows the proper shape for a
screw-driver. The use of the tool is, of course,
to put in and take out screws, and it is well to
have two sizes, one for large, the other for
small screws. Remember that in putting in a screw you
turn it to the right, and to the left in taking it out.
.il fn=i_007-fig2-3.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=r
.ca Fig. 2\ \ \ \ \ \ Fig. 3.
The Gimlet.—A medium-sized gimlet will answer your
purpose. Use it for boring small holes and for starting
holes for screws and large nails.
The Rule.—A rule is indispensable for measuring and laying
out your work. A two-foot steel rule is the most
useful, as it can be used both for measuring and ruling
straight lines. A light folding rule is easier to handle in
taking measurements, but you can make the other answer
both purposes.
In taking measurements be as accurate as possible, and
go over them several times to make sure they are correct.
In ruling a line use the bevelled edge of the rule, hold it
firmly in place with your left hand, and with a soft pencil
in your right draw a line close to the edge of the rule.
The wide, rather flat carpenter’s pencils are the best to use,
but any soft lead-pencil will answer.
The Plane.—There are several kinds of planes, but the
smoothing-plane will probably be all you will need, as you
will not be likely to attempt to handle unplaned wood and
will need the smoothing-plane only for finishing and
smoothing off.
.bn 020.png
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In using the plane hold it back of the iron (or blade)
with your right hand, place your left on the stock (or
wood) at the other end to help guide it, and push it forward
as far as you can conveniently reach, bring it back, tipping
it away from you in so doing, and take another stroke.
The farther the edge of the iron projects through the
stock the deeper will be the cut and the thicker the shaving.
To regulate this, tap on the stock at the forward end
and loosen the iron, then adjust it to suit your work and fix
it in place by driving down the wedge, which holds it, with
a few light taps.
The Chisel.—This tool has a bevelled edge and is used for
paring off the wood.
Unless you are quite careful there is danger of cutting
your left hand in using the chisel, and it is best not to try
to hold the work, but to fasten it in the vice; your left hand
placed on the tool will steady and control it.
.il fn=i_008-fig4-5.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=l
.ca Fig. 4\ \ \ \ \ \ Fig. 5.
Auger-bit and Brace.—For drilling large holes the auger-bit
and brace are necessary. The bit resembles a gimlet in
its spiral edge, but is not wedge-shaped, and the hole it
makes is of unvarying size. You may have several bits for
large or smaller holes. The brace is a handle which fits
on the top of the bit, and makes it quite easy to manage.
The Gouge.—There are several kinds of gouges,
the difference being in the shape of the blade;
their curves vary from the shallow curve, Fig.
4, to the deeper one, Fig. 5. One with a moderate
curve will prove the most useful. As the
name suggests, the gouge is for gouging out
the wood where it is necessary to make a
groove, but be careful not to press too hard
on the tool at first, as one is apt to make too deep a cut,
and do not put your left hand in front of the blade.
.bn 021.png
.pn +1
.il fn=i_009-fig6.jpg w=300px ew=60% align=r
.ca Fig. 6.
The Try-square.—The square is a metal strip which forms an
exact right angle and is used to test one’s work and keep it
“square”; it is also used
for ruling square corners.
Fig. 6 shows its
use in squaring off the
end of a board. Figs. 7
and 8 show how the
try-square will fit on an
edge that is perfectly square and will not fit an imperfect one.
.dv class='column-container colw80'
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_009-fig7.jpg w=165px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 7.
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.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_009-fig8.jpg w=165px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 8.
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The File.—This tool is not indispensable, but is useful for
smoothing off rounding edges and rough corners. Files for
metal and those for wood differ, and should not be used
indiscriminately. Rub the file back and forth over the surface
to be smoothed, but do not press on it too heavily. If
you are to use metal in your work a metal file is necessary.
For wood a slightly curved surface is best.
.pm section 'The Carpenter’s Bench'
When you can attain to a regular carpenter’s bench you
will indeed be happy, but until then use a strong kitchen
.bn 022.png
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table that sits firmly on the floor or, better still, is fastened
so that it cannot move. Have a carpenter add sides
(a, Fig. 9), and a vice (b, Fig. 9). See page 2. You can hardly
get along without a vice, for it is impossible to hold some
of the work firmly enough without it.
.pm section 'The Horses'
.il fn=i_010-fig10.jpg w=250px ew=50% align=l
.ca Fig. 10.
These wooden horses are convenient for holding boards
when they are to be sawed, and for lifting work from the
floor. You should have
two of them, like Fig. 10,
made by the carpenter.
.pm section 'The Mitre-box'
This very useful contrivance
is simply three
pieces of narrow boards
put together in the form
of a box, having two
sides and a bottom, but
no ends or top. Eighteen inches is a suitable length, and
its height should be no greater than the width of your saw.
The mitre-box is used for holding the wood and guiding
the saw at any angle. In the sides of the box are slits running
from top to bottom, some passing diagonally, some at
right angles through the boards. Any carpenter can make
you a mitre-box; do not attempt one yourself, for to be of
use it must be accurately made in every particular.
.pm section 'Choosing the Wood'
It is well to know a little about what kind of wood to
select when you are buying your material, for if you wish
to make a durable article, one that will last long enough to
.bn 023.png
.pn +1
pay for the making, you should not use wood that will warp
and in a little while spoil your piece of work.
The heart-wood is always the best: this consists of boards
cut from the heart, or centre, of the tree; they are harder,
dryer than others, and less likely to warp or twist. The sap-wood,
which is the part nearer the surface, contains so much
sap it is difficult to season and will generally warp.
Select the boards yourself if possible, and see that they
are planed equally on both sides and have square edges. Do
not take a cracked board, a board with knot-holes or loose
knots, or one that seems damp or musty, and be sure, if you
can, that all your wood is well-seasoned.
Soft woods are best for your purpose at first, and while
pine is very good, white-wood is better, and is easily
worked.
.pm section 'What to Make'
.il fn=i_012.jpg w=250px ew=45% align=l
.ca The Dressing-Table.
And now that all is ready and the workshop well stocked,
what shall we make? What shall we not make, rather?
Suppose we begin with a few simple pieces of furniture
suitable for a summer cottage, a log-camp, or a play-house.
We will use boxes, clothes-horses, or anything of the kind
that will make a good foundation for the article and save
extra work. When you feel that you can construct a piece
of furniture without such helps, do so by all means, but at
first do not scorn the humble box and barrel, they are excellent
things to practise on.
We will start with
.pm section 'A Dressing-Table'
Since the writer made one herself for her room in a log-house
in the mountains of Pennsylvania, she is quite sure it
can be done with very little practice in carpentry or cabinet-making.
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.pn +1
//
.dv class='column-container-right colw35'
.ce
Fig. 11.
.il fn=i_013-fig11-12.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 12.
.dv-
The dressing-table is made of two pine shelves,
two cigar-boxes, two small brackets, and an ordinary mirror.
For the large shelf choose a board about twelve inches
wide or wider, if you
have one, measure the
space your dressing-table
is to occupy,
mark the size on the
board with a pencil,
using your try-square
to make your line at
right angles with the
edge of your board,
and saw off the board
at the ruled line. If
the room is neither
plastered nor ceiled
and the uprights are
left uncovered, let
the large shelf reach
across from one upright
to the next, and
make the smaller
shelf just long and
wide enough to fit in
between. Saw out
your supporting
braces after the pattern
given in Fig. 11,
with the grain of the
wood running up and down, making six in all; two for the
large shelf, two for the small shelf, and two for the little
side-brackets. Draw a line at each end of your shelf where
.bn 025.png
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the brace is to be fastened, and on this line bore two holes
entirely through the board. With screws long enough to
reach through the shelf and into
the braces fasten the shelf and
braces together, Fig. 12. Bore
a hole near the bottom edge of
each brace, as in Fig. 13, and
directly over each brace screw
into the top of the shelf, as near
the edge as possible, a screw-eye,
Fig. 14. Cover both shelves with
pretty cretonne, putting a ruffle
on the large shelf and drawing the material neatly over the
edges of the smaller one.
.il fn=i_013-fig13.jpg w=50px align=l
.ca Fig. 13.
On each end of the large shelf tack a cigar-box,
which you have previously painted white.
These boxes are for holding brushes and combs.
Screw strong hooks into the uprights at the proper
distance from the floor, then hook your large shelf
on by the screw-eyes at the top, and screw the
braces to the uprights through the holes at their
lower corners. The upper shelf, not being so
heavy, needs only the hooks and screw-eyes to
support it, and screws at the bottom of the braces are
unnecessary. Hang this only a little way above the other
shelf. Make the small brackets
of thinner wood and let them be
square, of a size to fit the uprights.
One brace for each bracket is all
that is necessary, and the braces
must, of course, be smaller than
those used for the shelves. Paint the brackets white like
the side boxes; enamel paint is the best to use, as it gives a
.bn 026.png
.pn +1
hard, smooth surface. Only the hooks and screw-eyes are
required to hold the brackets. Hang the mirror with its
bottom edge resting on the
top shelf, as shown in the
illustration.
.il fn=i_014.jpg w=250px align=l
.ca The Washstand.
.pm section_ni 'A Wash-stand'
to go with the toilet table is
constructed on the same principle;
the shelf used for this,
however, must be wider in
order to hold the wash-basin.
If cutting a round hole in the
shelf, like Fig. 15, is too difficult,
do not attempt it, but
leave the surface plain and
place your bowl on top.
Make your braces quite
strong and screw them to the
wall. Make side-brackets, as
for the dressing-table, and
cover them and the shelf with
white enamel cloth. Cut the
edge of this in points, turn it
over and tack to the edge of
the shelf with white-headed
tacks. The illustration will give you an idea of the appearance
of this wash-stand. For
.pm section_ni 'The Towel-rack'
use two broom-sticks, cut one shorter than the other, and
paint them white. Fasten them together with strong cord,
leaving a six-inch space between, and hang them over the
.bn 027.png
.pn +1
wash-stand as shown in the illustration. Though the top
stick is shorter than the other, both must be long enough
to reach across and rest against
the two uprights of the wall. This
allows space at the back and gives
plenty of room for the towels.
.il fn=i_015.jpg w=225px ew=45% align=r
.ca Portable Corner Clothes-Press
.pm section 'A Portable Corner Clothes-press'
Use two folds of an ordinary,
large-sized clothes-horse for the
frame of your clothes-press. Make two three-cornered
shelves with back edges at perfect right angles and measuring
half the length of the
cross-pieces of the frame.
These shelves are to rest on
the cross-pieces, therefore
you must saw off the corners
at the back in order to make
it fit, Fig. 16. Across the
outer edge of the top shelf
nail securely a strip of wood
three inches wide, having its
top edge on a level with the
top of the shelf, Fig. 17. Into
this strip, as well as into the
top cross-pieces, screw
clothes-hooks, placing them
about eight inches apart.
With short wire-nails, or
screws if you wish your
press to be very strong, fasten the top shelf on the upper
cross-pieces and the other shelf on the middle cross-pieces
.bn 028.png
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of the frame. Paint the shelves and the inside of the frame
white, and over the outside tack flowered cretonne or
chintz, remembering to have the right side of the material
turned inward. Fasten a brass or galvanized iron rod to
the top of the two front uprights and from this hang a
curtain of the same material. To fit the holders, or fastenings,
for the curtain rod it will be necessary to cut notches
in the inner corners of the uprights, Fig. 18, otherwise they
will not be at the proper angle to hold the rod. To prevent
dust from settling upon the clothing, tack a three-cornered
piece of cretonne over the top of the frame. The
shoe-box shown in the illustration is not a part of the
clothes press, but is a convenient addition.
.dv class='column-container w100'
.dv class='column colw50'
.il fn=i_016-fig16.jpg w=225px ew=95%
.ca Fig. 16.
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.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_016-fig17.jpg w=150px ew=95%
.ca Fig. 17
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.dv class='column colw20'
.il fn=i_016-fig18.jpg w=80px ew=95%
.ca Fig. 18.
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.dv-
.pm section 'A Five O’clock Tea-Table'
.il fn=i_017.jpg w=225px ew=45% align=r
.ca A Five O’clock Tea-Table.
Make this of an oblong box with square ends and of a
convenient height when set on end.
Cover the box neatly with matting or burlap, then make
four shelves long enough to reach across the sides of the
box and about nine inches wide. Round off the corners
of the shelves as in Fig. 19 and make one brace for each
shelf. To each side of the box at varying heights fasten
with screws two narrow strips of wood or cleats, two inches
apart, Fig. 20. Screw the braces to the shelves and paint
all to match the color of the covering used on the box;
.bn 029.png
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then rest the back edge of the
shelf on the cleats prepared
for it and screw the brace to
the box and the shelf to the
cleats, Fig. 21. Thus securely
fastened the shelf becomes
immovable and there is not
the slightest danger of its slipping
or tipping. The illustration
shows how the shelves
are placed. This little tea-table
is especially suited to
the piazza, which, from your
workshop, you may fit up for
a place to entertain your
friends most delightfully.
.dv class='column-container-left colw60'
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_017-fig19.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 19.
.il fn=i_017-fig21.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 21.
.dv-
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_017-fig20.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 20.
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.pm section_ni 'A Piazza Flower-stand'
will make a charming feature
of your summer parlor, for
flowers are always
needed to give the
finishing touch in
beautifying the inside
or the outside
of a home.
.il fn=i_018.jpg w=275px ew=55% align=l
.ca Piazza Flower-Stand.
For the frame of
the flower-stand use
one fold of the ever-useful
clothes-horse.
Make twelve three-cornered
braces, cutting
.bn 030.png
.pn +1
them out like Fig. 22, four measuring seven inches on
their edges, four nine inches, and four twelve inches or as
long as the width of the board will allow. Saw out four
shelves which will reach
exactly across the frame,
two of them nine inches
and two eleven inches
wide. Screw the smaller
braces to the narrow
shelves, the larger ones
to the widest, making
sure the back edges of
shelf and brace are on an
exact line; fitting them
in your try-square will
assure you of that. To
give additional strength
to the frame, measure
the distance from the
bottom edge of the lower
cross-piece, where it joins
the upright, diagonally
across to the other upright
within one inch of
the floor (Fig. 23), then
take two narrow boards,
say three inches wide
and one inch thick, and
saw them the required
length. Lay your frame down flat, place first one diagonal
in position, then the other, and make a pencil line across
the upper and lower corners showing where they must be
taken off in order to fit inside the frame. A mitre-box is
.bn 031.png
.pn +1
very useful here, for by its aid you can saw your boards
at the required angle without difficulty. Lacking that, be
careful to have your edges straight. Place
the diagonals in position in the frame and
mark the width of each on the surface of
the other where they cross. Between these
two lines, on the edges of the boards, draw
a line which will divide the edge exactly in
half. Saw along the oblique lines down to
the line on the edge, then with a chisel pare
down to the edge lines, thus “halving” your boards, Fig. 24.
.il fn=i_019-fig23.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=l
.ca Fig. 23.
Cross your diagonals at the halving
and with long wire nails, driven from
the outside of the frame, nail them in
place, Fig. 25. Now fit the largest
braces on the front and back of each
upright with edges resting on the floor
as in Fig. 26, and screw them on with
screws near the top as shown by C and
D, Fig. 26. Have the outside edges of
the braces on a line with the outside
edges of the uprights; this will leave a
space of about an inch on the inside of
the uprights. The braces will hold the frame in an upright
position, but in order to support
any weight it must be further
strengthened by adding a platform
to which the braces may be screwed.
Make the platform of a size to fit inside
the uprights and reach across
from end to end of the braces. Two
or more boards will be required to give sufficient width,
and it will be necessary to stay them by putting on three
.bn 032.png
.pn +1
cleats across the under side, as in Fig. 27. These cleats
must be of equal width and thickness and, as in all cleats,
the grain of the wood must run lengthwise.
Cut notches at each end, as shown
in the diagram, to fit the projecting uprights,
then fit the platform into the
frame, and screw the braces on to its
edges, Fig. 28. You have now a firm
foundation and may add your shelves.
The widest shelves are to go across the
frame on either side on a line with the
top of the lower cross-piece,
the narrower
shelves on a line with the top of the
middle cross-piece. Fasten these in
place with screws at the lower end of
each brace, and with hooks in the uprights,
and screw-eyes at the top of the
shelves, as in the shelves for the dressing-stand,
Fig. 14.
Instead of four you now have two
very broad shelves, running directly
through the frame. Take measurements
of these shelves and
make a shallow box, about seven
inches deep, to fit each shelf.
To prevent the boxes springing
at the seams from dampness, get
a strip of tin three inches wide,
bend it through the middle
lengthwise, and tack it over the
seams, as in Fig. 29. Paint the entire frame and the outside
and edges of the boxes dark green, and then varnish
.bn 033.png
.pn +1
them. Of course the paint must be quite dry before the
varnish is applied.
.il fn=i_021-fig28.jpg w=225px ew=40% align=l
.ca Fig. 28.
Put a layer of charcoal in each box, then a layer of sand,
and over all a thicker layer of good soil. Fill your boxes
with flowering plants and
hanging vines, and use the
lower platform for potted
plants. From the top cross-piece
a small hanging basket may be hung, adding its
beauty and sweetness to the rest.
.il fn=i_021-fig29.jpg w=225px ew=25% align=r
.ca Fig. 29.
The illustration will give an idea of the appearance of
the flower-stand, though much of the beautiful, luxuriant
growth of plant and vine had to be omitted in the drawing
so that the construction of the stand might be distinctly
shown.
.if h
.dv class='epubonly'
.il fn=i_022.jpg w=500px
.ca Hooded Chair Made of Packing-Box.
.dv-
.dv class='htmlonly'
.li
Hooded Chair Made of Packing-Box.
.li-
.dv-
.if-
.if t
.il fn=images/i_022.jpg w=500px
.ca Hooded Chair Made of Packing-Box.
.if-
.pm section 'A Hooded Chair Made of a Packing-box'
You must select with care the box for this rather unique
piece of furniture, for you will want it to be durable. If you
prefer you may make it altogether of new material after
the same pattern, but a box for the foundation will simplify
the work. When standing on end your box should measure
about five feet six inches in height, eighteen inches in
depth, and twenty inches in width. Nail two cleats, each
thirteen inches long, in an upright position on each side
.bn 034.png
.pn +1
and at the back of the box, as shown by the letters E, F,
G, H in Fig. 30, placing the front ones, E, one inch back
from the edge as in diagram.
Fig. 30 gives one
side and the back of the
box. Across and resting
on the top of these upright
cleats nail the cleats
I and J. Lay the box on
its side and draw a curve
like Fig. 31, starting the
line four inches from the
top and ending it two
feet from the bottom.
The curve at its greatest
fulness should take in
half the width of the
side. Draw a curve exactly
like the first on the other side of the box; saw carefully
along the lines, following them as closely as possible,
and then take off the remaining rough edges with a chisel.
.bn 035.png
.pn +1
Nail a strip of wood four inches wide across the front at
the top to finish the hood, Fig. 32. Box in the lower front
up to the top of the cleats and
there make a seat to fit in the
chair and rest on the cleats,
Fig. 32. You will notice that
in the seat, near the forward
corners, are two holes; these
are for the adjustment of the
rest, which gives additional
comfort to the chair, and upon
which one may stretch one’s self
out luxuriantly. Two boards,
three feet four inches long,
will be required for
the rest, which should
be just wide enough
to fit easily inside the
chair, resting on the
seat. Cleat the rest at
each end and in the
middle, as in Fig. 33,
putting the end cleats
on the edges of the
boards and the middle
one underneath.
Round the corners and
smooth them off with
knife or chisel.
.dv class='column-container-left colw60'
.dv class='column colw40'
.il fn=i_023-fig31.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 31.
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.il fn=i_023-fig32.jpg w=145px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 32.
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.il fn=i_024-fig33.jpg w=75px ew=20% align=r
.ca Fig. 33.
Measure the distance
from the top of
.bn 036.png
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the seat to the floor and make the end-piece (Fig. 34) for
the foot of the rest exactly that height, for the foot must
be on a level with the other end when adjusted.
Screw the end-piece to the rest
with screws passing through the top of the
boards into the top edge of the end-piece,
and put braces at the corners to keep it
secure, Fig. 35. Bore holes three-quarters
of an inch in diameter at the upper corners
of the rest, making them one inch from the
cleat and two inches from the side edges of
the boards, Fig. 33. Place this end of the
rest on the seat of the chair,
allowing it to lap about four
inches, and through the holes
just made mark corresponding
places for the holes in the seat. Make
or buy wooden pegs like Fig. 36, and slip
them through the holes in rest and seat
when you wish to
adjust the rest. The
ordinary wooden
easel peg is about
what you want for
this purpose.
.il fn=i_024-fig36-35.jpg w=300px ew=60% align=l
.ca Fig. 36.\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ Fig. 35.
Pad the sides
and back of the
chair with cotton
batting, using only
enough tacks to
hold it in place, then cover the chair inside and out, except
the seat, with pretty cretonne, making a box-plaited ruffle
.bn 037.png
.pn +1
for the front, as shown in the illustration. Pad the top of
the rest up nearly to the holes in the end, and cover it with
the cretonne. Use an old feather pillow for the seat cushion,
and another (smaller) for an extra one at the back, and
cover them also with cretonne.
.bn 038.png
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.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER II | POSSIBILITIES OF AN EASTER EGG
.sp 2
.di i_026-drcapch2.jpg 200 237 1.1
Throughout the entire United
States Easter eggs are very popular,
and the practice of coloring them is
increasing rather than diminishing.
The stores are full of all sorts of
novelties in real or simulated eggs;
some valued at very large sums have
been manufactured in London, but
Uncle Sam does not raise such costly
varieties. The real fun is in coloring
one’s own eggs, and if the eggs can
be transformed into something else, the sport will be
doubled. To turn an egg into
.pm section_ni 'A Frog That Will Swim'
in the water is a new idea, and one which will furnish no end
of diversion. Cut stiff paper in the shape of Fig. 37. Make a
small hole on one side of an egg (Fig. 38, B) and a tiny hole
at one end (A), remove the contents by shaking the egg and
blowing in at the end A. Then fit the shell on a stand made
of a paper box with a hole cut in it just large enough to hold
the egg firmly, and pour some melted wax in at the hole B,
using great care to keep the egg steady, that the weight
may fall exactly in the centre and make a perfect balance.
//.il fn=i_027-fig37.jpg w=200px ew=45% align=r
//.ca Fig. 37.
Paste paper over each hole and fit the frog (Fig. 37) on
the egg, keeping the side of the egg with the covered opening
.bn 039.png
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B for the top, forming the back of the frog. Remove
the paper frog and cover the slashes cut in the back with
melted sealing-wax, while hot
adjust it on the egg, pressing
the slashes against the shell
before the wax hardens and
holding them in place until
they adhere. When perfectly
dry paint the frog mottled
green on the back and a yellowish
white underneath in
oil colors (Fig. 39). Try to
recall the coloring of a real
frog and make this one as lifelike
as possible. Pour water in a large basin and stir it
around to produce a current. The paint having dried,
place the frog on the top of the water
and watch it swim. If you would like
to race these queer Easter eggs, make
two or three frogs and start them all
swimming at the same time.
Should oil paints not be at hand, use
stiff brown paper, preferably glazed,
for Fig. 37. Make a hole at each end
of the egg-shell and remove the contents. Drop some shot
in the shell and glue paper over each opening; then fasten
the paper frog, with the hole
in its back (Fig. 37), securely
on the egg. Wait until it is
perfectly dry before placing
the little animal on the water,
where it will look very comical
and lifelike, even though
it is not green in color.
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At break of day on Easter morn the sun dances for joy,
says the old legend, and if you would prove it, arise early
and watch the reflection of the sun as it plays hide-and-seek
on the surface of the clear water which you have
placed in a tin basin where it can catch the first rays from
the “King of Day.” A breath of air will cause the water
to move, and with the motion comes the dance, as the sun
sparkles and glides here and there, glittering and laughing
in its joyous play. The legend is a pretty one and its
meaning deeper than appears on the surface.
.if h
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colw50 colbot'
.il fn=i_028-fig40.jpg w=225px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 40.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw50'
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column coltop'
.il fn=i_028-fig41.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 41.
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.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_028-fig42.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 42.
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.il fn=i_028-fig43.jpg w=225px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 43.
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.if-
.if t
[Illustrations: Figs. 40-43.]
.if-
Beside enabling one to see the sun dance, being up early
gives time, before breakfast, to help decorate the table as
a pleasant surprise to the family. One of the most attractive
ornaments is the white dove
with its snowy wings spread wide,
while it floats and sways in mid-air
as if it were really flying slowly
and softly through the room. It is easily made. Take a
pure white egg, and empty the contents; then cut from
writing paper the wing (Fig. 40), head (Fig. 41), and tail
(Fig. 42). Pin each in turn on a fresh, smooth piece of
cotton wadding and cut the raw cotton out along the lines
of the pattern. Make two wings of the cotton wadding,
.bn 041.png
.pn +1
and cut two wing-bones (Fig. 43) from stiff paper; open
each cotton wing along the upper edge about a quarter of
an inch in depth, according to dotted line O O (Fig. 40),
insert a paper bone in each opening and gum it sparingly
here and there. Smooth up the edges of the cotton wings,
covering the bones entirely; then gum the wings to the
sides of the egg according to the dotted line on one end.
Fasten the tail in place and, last of all, the head; open the
neck a little and paste each side of the open edge on the
egg. Bend the wings out, as if the bird were flying.
.il fn=i_029-fig44.jpg w=400px ew=75%
.ca Fig. 44.
To float the dove in the air, make a knot in a piece of
fine thread and with a needle run the thread through a
small square of white court-plaster; pull the knot up tight
to the plaster, unthread the needle, and with the court-plaster
.bn 042.png
.pn +1
over the knot, dampen it and gum the thread down
tight on the back of the dove, something as a leather sucker
is stuck on a brick; it will soon dry. In the morning suspend
the dove over the centre of the table (Fig. 44) by
tying the end of the thread on the chandelier. Let it be
about ten inches above the dishes. If you can handle pen
and ink very lightly, the bird’s eyes and mouth may be
carefully marked, although this is not absolutely necessary,
as the effect is almost the same without the features being
emphasized.
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colbot'
.il fn=i_030-fig45.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 45.
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.il fn=i_030-fig46.jpg w=250px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 46.
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One of the minor sports
now gladly participated in
by the girls, is top-spinning,
and the amount of fun they
derive from the whirling playthings is only equalled by
their skill in the game. All kinds of tops are welcomed and
experimented with but the queerest is the
.pm section 'Spinning Egg'
Easter top (Fig. 45) made of a hard-boiled egg colored
red, with a disk of stiff red paper (Fig. 46) fitted and
glued on with sealing-wax. When twirled by the fingers
the toy will whiz around almost equal to a peg top. Try it,
and try also
.bn 043.png
.pn +1
.il fn=i_031-fig47.jpg w=75px ew=15% align=l
.ca Fig. 47.
.pm section_ni 'The Kaleidoscope,'
for an egg-shell containing a kaleidoscope is a still greater
novelty. In preparing this it is better to blow the egg
first, then, by puncturing holes, as in Fig. 47, each end of
the shell can be removed evenly. Care must
be taken to thoroughly rinse and dry the
shell, as any moisture from the egg will dim
and blur the glasses, which should be kept
perfectly clear. Fasten with mucilage three
strips of glass, two inches long and one-half
inch wide, to a piece of black paper, as in
Fig. 48. The dark paper left between the
light strips will allow the two end-pieces of
glass to be brought together,
thus forming a triangle,
which is held in place
by pasting the paper extending
beyond the edge of the
last strip of glass over on
the edge of the first piece
of glass. Fasten triangular
pieces of glass, like Fig. 49,
to the ends, in the following
manner:
.dv class='column-container-right colw50'
.dv class='column coltop'
.il fn=i_031-fig48.jpg w=175px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 48.
.il fn=i_031-fig49.jpg w=50px ew=30%
.ca Fig. 49.
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.il fn=i_031-fig50.jpg w=100px ew=70%
.ca Fig. 50.
.il fn=i_031-fig51.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 51.
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Cut from paper, not too stiff, a circle
one inch in diameter, out of the centre of
which cut a triangle of even proportion,
just a trifle smaller than the glass, see Fig.
50. Paste the triangular glass, Fig. 49,
over the triangular hole in the paper circle, Fig. 50, then fit
this paper-framed glass to one end of the cylindrical triangle,
and, folding the paper down smoothly, fasten with mucilage,
.bn 044.png
.pn +1
to hold it firmly in place. Put several
small pieces of differently colored glass
into the kaleidoscope and close the
other end in the same way as the first.
When this part of the work is finished,
slide it carefully into the shell, and
over each end paste a piece of bright-colored
paper with a triangular hole in
the centre, as shown in Fig. 51. A half-yard
of colored ribbon of the same
shade as the paper, tied around the egg,
forms a loop to hang it up by, and also
enhances its appearance (Fig. 52). In
connection with the egg another emblem
frequently found in the shops is the
.pm section 'Easter Hare'
Why this little animal is associated with Easter eggs no
one seems to be able to tell. There are several legends
which explain the connection, each one different from the
others. This is the prettiest:
"Scarcely had the Winter King left on his way to Northland
when the young Prince, Spring, passed along, bringing
with him delicate flowers and wild birds. The flowers
charmed his senses with their exquisite perfume, and the
birds entertained and delighted him with their sweet songs;
but Spring was lonely and sighed for the children of the
earth, for whom he had brought these fair gifts. Thinking,
perchance, they did not know of his coming, he concluded
to send them tidings, when suddenly a little hare appeared,
and immediately the Prince decided that the swift-footed
animal should be his messenger. The little hare, however,
.bn 045.png
.pn +1
begged hard to be spared, as he stood in terror of the dreadful
shot-gun, which had killed so many of his brothers. But
Spring, smiling said: ‘You shall be the bearer of gifts to the
people, then they will not harm you,’ and the hare, calmed
but hardly convinced, consented to do the will of the Prince.
"Then Spring wove a dainty willow-basket and filled it
with pretty colored eggs, which the birds gave him, and this
he handed to the hare to give to the people, with many sweet
messages from Spring.
“Taking the basket in his mouth, the hare trotted off
rapidly toward the nearest village. When he reached
there, however, fearing the grown people, he delivered
the messages to the children and gave them all the pretty
eggs.”
A delightful little legend, isn’t it? And Spring must
have been well pleased with the hare for choosing to deliver
his messages to the children, for on this day it is the young
people who first know of the coming of Spring.
.pm section 'Hares Made of Eggs'
The Easter hares shown in Fig. 53 are made of eggs.
Goose eggs are the best to use—they are so much larger
than hen’s eggs.
Blow the egg if you desire to keep the little hare; if
you wish later to eat it, boil the egg hard.
Take two little tufts of cotton, roll and pinch them in
shape for the ears, then two more tufts for the forefeet;
fasten ears and feet to the shell with gum arabic, in the
position shown in Fig. 53. Remember, the small end of the
egg is the hare’s head; on this end, below the ears, draw
with pen and ink the eyes, nose and mouth, using Fig. 53 as
a guide.
.bn 046.png
.pn +1
.il fn=i_034-fig53.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 53.
If you make two hares, place them together on a fresh,
green leaf of lettuce, and they will look very natural.
Did Palmer Cox have in mind an egg when he drew the
picture of one of his famous Brownies? This queer little
character certainly suggested one so forcibly that it was
impossible to resist trying the experiment of making his
likeness from an egg,
and
.il fn=i_034-fig54.jpg w=300px ew=60% align=r
.ca Fig. 54.
.pm section_ni 'The Brownie'
shows the result, see
illustration.
Prepare the shell
of a goose egg as for
the Easter hare, and
follow the directions
given for blowing the
egg. Fig. 54 is the Brownie’s face. Trace this on tracing-paper,
turn the other side and rub a soft lead-pencil all over
the back until that side of the paper is covered with lead,
taking care not to tear it in doing so. Place the face on the
shell, the printed side out, and holding it steady, go over
.bn 047.png
.pn +1
the lines with a pencil. This will reproduce the face on
the shell, then with pen and black ink strengthen the drawing.
The small end of the shell is the head and the
face must be drawn well up on it.
.il fn=i_035.jpg w=175px ew=30% align=r
.ca The Brownie.
Make the Brownie’s costume, cap
and all, of brown material. An old
brown stocking will be just the thing
to use. Fig. 55 is the pattern of the
cap; the dotted lines on the edges
show where the seam is to be taken,
and the dotted line running from side
to side shows where the cap is to be
turned up. Fig. 56 is the back and
Fig. 57 half of the front of the jacket.
Fig. 58 is the pattern of half of the
trousers, which are made in two
pieces cut exactly alike.
.dv class='column-container-left colw40'
.il fn=i_035-fig55.jpg w=175px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 55.
.il fn=i_035-fig56.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 56.
.dv-
Make two little rolls of unbleached
cotton, two inches long, for the arms. Fig. 59 shows how
the muslin is turned up on one edge and then rolled. Fig.
60 gives the roll stitched and complete.
When the jacket is made,
slip the arms into sleeves and
fasten at top of sleeve. Make
the legs just as you did the
arms, but use black cloth for them
instead of white. Finish the trousers
and sew in the legs at
the dotted lines.
When the costume is complete
cut a disk of soft muslin
like Fig. 61, and slip through
it, at the centre, a needle threaded with strong linen thread.
A long darning needle will be the best. Pass the needle
.bn 048.png
.pn +1
through the hole in the large end of the shell and up
through the hole at the top. Draw the disk of muslin down
to the large knot in the end of the thread,
then bring it up close to the egg as in Fig.
62 and paste the muslin on the shell.
.dv class='column-container w100'
.dv class='column colw25 coltop'
.il fn=i_036-fig57.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 57.
.il fn=i_036-fig58.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 58.
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.dv class='column colw25 coltop'
.il fn=i_036-fig59.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 59.
.il fn=i_036-fig60.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 60.
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.dv class='column colw15 colmid'
.il fn=i_036-fig61.jpg w=40px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 61.
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.dv class='column colw35 coltop'
.il fn=i_036-fig62.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 62.
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Dress the Brownie in his clothes; first
his trousers, then his jacket; fasten them
here and there with glue; run the needle
which you have passed through the shell up through the
little cap and out at its point on top. Slide the cap down
on his head and glue in place.
Let the thread be long enough to hold while you dance
the Brownie on the floor.
Eggs can also be turned into
.pm section 'Fruits, Vegetables, Opera Glasses, and Dishes'
How would you like great, luscious purple plums, watermelons
and fine radishes for breakfast? We can manage to
have them, and at the same time may be served mammoth
acorns—not the kind gathered for cups and saucers, but quite
different. These are as large as eggs and either all brown
or green in color. They taste something like hard-boiled
.bn 049.png
.pn +1
eggs, and, what is more strange, the plums, watermelons
and radishes all have a similar flavor. To prepare them,
color some eggs, make the eggs all of solid hues,—a few rich
purple, several red, others brown or light green, one or two
dark green. When the eggs are boiled hard and of the
desired shade change them into the vegetables and fruits.
Begin by making
.dv class='column-container w100'
.dv class='column colw50 coltop'
.il fn=i_037-fig63.jpg w=250px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 63.
.il fn=i_037-fig64.jpg w=250px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 64.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw20 coltop'
.il fn=i_037-fig65.jpg w=75px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 65.
.dv-
.dv class='column coltop colw30'
.il fn=i_037-fig66.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 66.
.dv-
.dv-
.pm section 'The Radish'
Gum a number of crisp tissue-paper leaves cut from
Fig. 63 on the big end of the red eggs. Fold each leaf
lengthwise through the centre, according
to the dotted line (Fig. 63); then slip a
hatpin or the back of the blade of a table-knife
tight up in the fold and, holding the
leaf in place with the right hand, gradually
push it up together on the blade with
the left hand; this gives the leaf a natural
crimped appearance (Fig. 64). Take a
small piece of raw cotton and dip it in the dye, or, better
still, color it with a little crushed red crayon; then pull the
.bn 050.png
.pn +1
cotton into the form of Fig. 65. Fasten this red point on the
small end of the egg and the egg will be a radish (Fig. 66).
Use a dark green egg to make
the baby
.il fn=i_038-fig67.jpg w=200px ew=25% align=l
.ca Fig. 67.
.pm section ''
Mark uneven, lengthwise bands
around it with a soft lead-pencil
and fasten in the stem with sealing-wax.
Bore a hole in the large
end of the melon, making the opening
big enough to admit the end of a small
curved twig which must form the stem;
put on enough sealing-wax to secure
firmness (Fig. 67). Convert the purple
egg into
.il fn=i_038-fig68.jpg w=200px ew=25% align=r
.ca Fig. 68.
.pm section_ni 'A Plum'
by fastening it on a natural twig in the
same way you stuck the melon on its
stem. Gum two green tissue-paper
leaves to the branch
for foliage (Fig. 68).
The funny big
.pm section_ni 'Acorn'
must likewise be attached
to a stem, and on its small end
you should fasten with sealing-wax a
leaf bud from a lilac bush; if that cannot
be obtained, make the little point of
cotton. Let a band of colored raw cotton or crumpled
tissue-paper be glued on to form the edge of the acorn cup
.bn 051.png
.pn +1
(Fig. 69). When the fruit is ready for the table, serve each
piece on a separate small plate in which has first been laid
a white doily or a home-made mat cut from white paper.
Fresh flowers always give an added charm to the breakfast
table, and in
.pm section_ni 'A Dainty Vase'
their value is doubled. Select three large-sized eggs, bore
holes in the small ends of each, and carefully make the
openings large enough to admit the
points of a pair of small, sharp scissors.
With these cut the holes to a diameter
of nearly one inch, remove the contents
of each and place the shells close together,
as in Fig. 70. Notice where the
sides touch and drop hot sealing-wax
there to fasten the three shells together.
Flower vases are collected by people
whose aim is to obtain as odd and as
many vases as possible. Other collectors delight in teapots,
and you will find on their shelves
all sorts of queer and antique
affairs. If you happen to have a
friend with such a hobby, give
her
.il fn=i_039-fig71.jpg w=175px ew=35% align=l
.ca Fig. 71.
.pm section_ni 'A Unique Little Teapot'
to add to her collection—one from
which the tea can actually be
poured out of the saucy, wee
spout (Fig. 71). Remember, however,
the fragile little affair cannot be placed on the hot
stove. Blow the contents from an egg and, if desired, color
.bn 052.png
.pn +1
it. Have the sealing-wax of a broken color, if it is obtainable,
such as soft gray, delicate brown or quiet gray-green.
The work will appear better than when more positive colors
are used. With sharp scissors carefully cut a round
hole in each end of the shell and another
small one in the side, a short distance from
the top, as an opening for the spout. Soaking
the shell in
warm water for
nearly half an
hour will render
it less brittle. Make the bottom of the teapot of a
round piece of stiff paper; cover the upper side of the
paper all over with melted sealing-wax, and before
the wax hardens set the shell down on it. For greater
security drop melted sealing-wax entirely around the bottom
where it joins the shell. Let the wax splash up on
the egg; it gives a decorative effect. The spout (Fig.
72) should be cut from stiff paper, also the handle (Fig.
73); fasten both on the egg-shell with sealing-wax in their
respective positions, following the dotted lines. When
finished test the teapot to make sure it is water-proof;
then fill it more than half full with water and have the fun of
pouring the water in a tiny
stream out of the spout. If
the teapot leaks the least bit,
fill the crack with sealing-wax.
Be sure that the little
gift is in perfect order before
it leaves your hands.
Having completed the
teapot, it will be easy work
to make
.bn 053.png
.pn +1
.pm section 'The Sugar Bowl'
Use two strips of paper for the handles; fasten them on
with sealing-wax, and set the round bottom of the half
egg-shell in the soft sealing-wax which you have dropped
on a circular bit of paper. The paper being flat will give
the sugar bowl a level stand, enabling it to remain erect
and firm (Fig. 74).
In old-fashioned Southern country-houses there is usually
a pail of clear, cold spring water conveniently near, with a
gourd dipper from which to drink in place of a common
glass. The gourds are interesting, odd-looking drinking
vessels, but cannot compare in quaintness with the little
.il fn=i_041-fig75.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 75.
.pm section_ni 'Egg Dippers'
fashioned from egg-shells. A large half of an egg-shell
forms the bowl and a slender stick the handle (Fig. 75).
Bore a hole in one side of the dipper and slide
the end of any kind of a slender stick
through. Fasten this securely in
place with hot sealing-wax both
outside and inside at the juncture
of the bowl
and handle, and
in less time than it
takes to tell it the dipper
will be made. Place all the
Easter gifts you have manufactured
on a table where you may enjoy
them, and in order that you shall get
the full benefit of their beauty, look
at them through a pair of opera-glasses;
but first you must make the
.bn 054.png
.pn +1
glasses. Cut Fig. 76 from card-board; then bore holes in
each end of two eggs, remove the contents and cut the
openings large enough to see through (Fig. 77). The egg
after the holes are made is shown in Fig. 78. Attach the
large ends of the shells to Fig. 76 by means of melted sealing-wax;
glue them on tightly, and the opera-glasses will be
ready for use (Fig. 79).
.dv class='column-container w100'
.dv class='column colw40'
.il fn=i_042-fig76.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 76.
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.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_042-fig77.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 77.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_042-fig78.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 78.
.dv-
.dv-
.il fn=i_042-fig79.jpg w=350px ew=70%
.ca Fig. 79.
.bn 055.png
.il fn=i_044fp.jpg w=438px ew=70%
.ca Paper Butterflies that Fly, and Egg Frogs that Swim.
.bn 056.png
.bn 057.png
.pn +3
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER III | A PAPER EASTER
.sp 2
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Even play eggs manufactured of paper have
many possibilities. Of course, all girls
would rather make these for themselves
than to buy them, be the trifles ever so
beautiful; for, after all, the purchased
eggs can only be looked at and then put
away. You cannot have any real sport
with them; cannot take them apart and
put them together again any more than “all the king’s
horses and all the king’s men” could restore “Humpty
Dumpty” after his fall; nor can you change these designs
from one thing to another, each complete in itself. Only
the home-made Easter egg admits of such manipulation. It
is an Enchanted Egg and from it can be made
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.il fn=i_046-fig80.jpg w=167px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 80.
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.il fn=i_046-fig81.jpg w=167px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 81.
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.il fn=i_046-fig82.jpg w=167px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 82.
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.pm section 'An Ostrich, Rabbit, Penguin, and Rooster'
To make the egg, cut from medium-weight water-color
paper two egg-shaped designs, Fig. 80; in one of these
cut two slits exactly like Fig. 81; lay this over the second
paper egg, being very careful to have the two perfectly
fitted, and with a pin-prick mark the ends of the slits of the
top egg into the under one; stick the pin entirely through,
first at one end and then at the other of each slit; remove
the top egg and draw a straight line from pin-point to pin-point
of the upper and then of the lower slit; these lines
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are guides and render it easy to cut the slits to correspond
with those in the first egg. The two eggs must be exactly
alike, as they are in reality the two sides of one egg. Trace
the markings of Fig. 82 on one egg and spread strong paste
sparingly over the darkened portion, not allowing it to
extend in the least across the boundary lines, for the white
spaces must be left free, that they may form openings or
pockets. Again fit the two sides together (the paste will
cause them to adhere), and place the egg under a few books,
or some other weight, to dry, and in a little while it will be
ready for transformation.
.pm section 'Changing an Egg Into a Rooster'
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.il fn=i_046-fig83.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 83.
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.ca Fig. 85.
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.ca Fig. 86.
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.ca Fig. 84.
Trace the rooster’s head (Fig. 83), his tail (Fig. 84), his
wings (Fig. 85), and his foot (Fig. 86), on the water-color
paper. Make two feet and two wings; either
paint the natural markings
or indicate them
with ink on the different
parts, then slide the
head in the large end of
the egg at D, Fig. 82,
fitting it in between the
two sides according to
the line drawn above
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the letter D on
neck of rooster.
In the same way
place the tail in
the egg at the
small end, A, Fig. 82; fit
the wings in, one on each
side, at the slit E; notice
that each wing is cut on
both sides of the extension
E, to bring the top edges of
the wings up higher, when they are
in position, than their central top
portions. Slide the feet in the slit
F, one on each side, slightly bending them out from each
other; the rooster (Fig. 87) will then stand alone when it is
placed on a level surface.
.pm section 'A Rabbit from the Egg'
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.ca Fig. 92.
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.il fn=i_047-fig88.jpg w=100px ew=50% align=r
.ca Fig. 88.
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.ca Fig. 89.\ \ \ \ \ \ Fig. 90.\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ Fig. 91
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After the rooster has served its day
remove the different parts and leave
the egg as it was at first.
We are now ready to construct
a rabbit. Make the
head (Fig. 88), the tail (Fig.
89), one fore foot (Fig. 90),
and two hind
legs (Fig. 91),
of the same water-color paper. Carefully
slip the head in the small end
of the egg, Fig. 82, A, and place the tail down low in the large
end of D; the piece which represents the fore feet—it should
be painted to look like two, one slightly back of the other—is
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placed at the opening B, and the hind legs are fastened on
each side of the egg in the upper slits E. Bend the hind
legs out a trifle and stand the little rabbit on its feet (Fig.
92). If you wish you can copy the markings on this one
and make your rabbit look as natural as possible. All the
animals that you make should be white, except the penguin,
as the white egg forms the body of each one.
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.ca Fig. 98.
.pm section 'The Egg Develops Into an Ostrich'
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.il fn=i_048-fig93.jpg w=80px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 93.
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.ca Fig. 94.
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.il fn=i_048-fig96.jpg w=80px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 96.
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.ca Fig. 97.
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.ca Fig. 95.
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In order to hatch the ostrich change the rabbit back
again to an egg. Cut from light-weight card-board the head
(Fig. 93), and the
two legs (Figs. 94
and 95); these must
be stiff and strong:
you will notice that
the legs are not bent
alike. Use water-color
paper for the
two wings (Fig. 96)
and a tail (Fig. 97).
The wings and tail
should look as much
like ostrich-plumes
as you are able to
make them. Slide
the extension of the
neck, Fig. 93, D, into
the upper part of
the large end of the
egg, D, Fig. 82, and the extension of the tail into the small
end, A, fitting it in according to the line on the tail drawn
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around A; slip a wing into each side of the egg at the slits
E, and finally fasten the legs, one on each side, in the slits F.
Slightly bend the legs outward and adjust them so they
will balance the body perfectly; the ostrich is now able to
stand alone and will even appear to be walking (Fig. 98).
.pm section 'To Hatch a Penguin from the Egg'
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.ca Fig. 103.
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.il fn=i_049-fig100.jpg w=80px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 100.
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.il fn=i_049-fig99.jpg w=125px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 99.
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.ca Fig. 101.
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.ca Fig. 102.
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Make the head like Fig. 99. A is the portion which
must be placed in the small end of the egg, A, Fig. 82, allowing
the lower curve of the head, K, to extend down
over the egg. Cut from
very stiff writing-paper a
like curve, and paste it in
position on the other side of
the head, where it should
hang free: only the top
edge of the piece being
fastened on the head in
order that the curve may
easily slip down over the
other side of the egg. This will make both sides of the
bird appear alike. Fold a piece of writing-paper, and from
it cut Fig. 100; the straight fold extends from O to U.
Carefully fasten together the open edges of the back from
T to O and from U to P; gluing them on the extreme
edges, that the pocket thus formed may be as large as
possible. Take stiff paper for Figs. 101 and 102, which
are the feet and tail of the bird, the extension X of Fig. 102
forming the tail. Leave the eyes and mouth white, and
paint the remainder of the head black; also blacken the
wings and back, Fig. 100, and the feet and tail. Place the
head in the small end of the egg, A, with the curves K
down over the white egg on each side; then put on the
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little fellow’s overcoat, or back, Fig. 100, fitting it over the
sides, F, Fig. 81, of the egg; push the egg or body of the
penguin in the pocket formed in the back of the overcoat,
and shove the feet into the large end of the egg, D, Fig. 82.
Hold the lower edges of the egg firmly together while you
bend out the feet sufficiently to enable the penguin to stand
alone, Fig. 103.
These little creatures should be made so carefully that
either side will be presentable. It is always distressing to
know that “the other side” does not look real, and it is a
great satisfaction to be able to show both sides of our work
to our friends and know there is no “wrong side” in what
we do. If you can manage to paint the designs in water-colors
they will look best, but even when marked with
black ink the little animals are charming; no adequate idea
can be gained of this fascinating Easter egg until all the
different parts have been made and the egg changed from
one to another of the various life-like little creatures.
The egg has been so planned that the wings come down
and cover the tops of the legs of both rooster and ostrich;
the penguin and rabbit need no such cover, as the rabbit’s
legs fit in naturally, and those of the penguin merely
slide up in the egg. A little practice will enable you to
perform the work skilfully.
Butterflies are also emblems used for Easter. The beautiful
fairy-like creature changing in its close, gloomy chrysalis
from an insignificant little worm to the radiant winged
creature of the air, fitly typifies the Resurrection. Did you
ever find a chrysalis and after examining it lay it carefully
aside, to await the development of the life within, and some
bright morning discover the shell broken and empty, while
in the room fluttered a brightly colored butterfly? If so,
you will enjoy all the more
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.pm section_ni 'The Butterfly That Will Fly'
and which we will manufacture of tissue-paper.
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.ca Fig. 104.
Take four pieces of tissue-paper—yellow, red, blue, and
white—and cut each according to Fig. 104. The shape is
not exactly that of a real butterfly,
but when made of paper it proves
more satisfactory, because such butterflies
fly far better when cut in
this way. Fasten a fine black thread
through the back of each butterfly
(Fig. 105); bend the wings up a little
and tie, or fasten with bits of court-plaster,
the loose ends of the threads on a round stick, placing
them at a distance of about four inches apart. Let the
threads vary in length from six to thirteen inches; this will
bring the butterflies at different distances from the stick.
When all is
ready stand
about forty-five
inches from
and in direct
line with a register
built in the
side wall next
to the floor;
hold the stick, with the butterflies attached, up and out horizontally
fifty or more inches from the floor. The gentle
heat will cause the brilliant little things to flutter up and
down, this way and that, in a most natural manner; the fine
black threads being practically invisible, the butterflies
appear as if floating in the air without aid from any
source.
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You might try the experiment of taking them out-of-doors;
if the breeze is not too strong, the butterflies will
behave in the most approved manner, which you know all
about, having so often watched the graceful movements of
the beautiful live insects during the long summer days.
Perhaps the most charming of all Easter offerings is
.pm section 'The Easter Lily'
Everyone strives to have a lily on Easter day. If you
are unable to obtain one of the beautiful, fresh flowers, do
the next best thing; make a lily—a stately,
graceful white blossom on a long,
dark-green stalk.
The flower is
lovely even when manufactured of tissue-paper, and can be made
to look so natural that one almost
expects to find the sweet, delicate
perfume of the real blossom. The
paper plant has one advantage at
least over the natural one: it lasts much
longer and needs no care to keep it fresh.
From a new, smooth sheet of white tissue-paper
cut six petals (Fig. 106); fold
each lengthwise through its centre and
bend or curl the top into a slight curve
to take away the stiffness (Fig. 107); then
cut Fig. 108 of unruled white writing-paper.
Paint both sides of the stigma
or top a greenish yellow and the style or
stem-like portion a pale Nile-green. Bend
the style up flat against the scalloped stigma according to
the dotted line in Fig. 108. Allow an eighth of an inch and
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bend the style back again, which will make a little tuck in
the style, bringing it exactly in the centre of the scalloped
stigma when it is straightened out (Fig. 109).
Fold each of the three scallops of the stigma
through its centre and bend them down (Fig.
109); this finishes the pistil.
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.ca Fig. 106.
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.ca Fig. 107.
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.il fn=i_053-fig108.jpg cw=150% w=50px ew=67%
.ca Fig. 108.
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.ca Fig. 110.
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.ca Fig. 112.
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.ca Fig. 109.
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.ca Fig. 111.
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Make six stamens according to the pattern
(Fig. 110); paint the anthers or tops
orange color on both sides, and the
supports or stems a very light green—as
you remember those in the
natural flower. Bend the supports
in the same way as you did the style of the pistil,
and slightly curve the orange-colored anthers.
These should seemingly balance directly on the
tip-top of the supports (Fig. 111). With strong
paste fasten the pistils and stamens
on the end of a stick which
has previously been covered
with dark olive-green tissue-paper
(Fig. 112); then paste on
three of the white petals (Fig. 113).
Use paste sparingly, and be careful to
arrange the petals evenly before adding the remaining
three (Fig. 114), which should be placed
one over each space between the first three petals.
Fig. 115 will make the idea plainer. The
petals numbered 1, 2, 3 represent the first three;
the other three alternate with these, coming back
of and between them as in the corolla (Fig. 115). Should the
last petals incline to droop, attach them to the inner ones
about midway up with a very little paste.
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.il fn=i_054-fig113.jpg w=225px ew=70%
.ca Fig. 113.
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.ca Fig. 114.
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Take a strip of olive-green paper and cut it according to
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the dotted lines in Fig. 116; slightly curve each leaf in the
hollow of your hand by rolling the round head of a hat-pin
down its centre; when finished wind the strips of foliage
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around the lily stalk (Fig. 114). Have the stalk quite long,
a short one does not look well. If you desire buds as well
as blossoms, cut squares of
white tissue-paper (Fig.
117); roll each paper (Fig.
118), fold down the top
ends a trifle and pinch up
both ends; then pull the
bud into proper shape (Fig.
119). Paste the pinched
tops together and fasten
the lower end of the bud on a green-covered
wire (Fig. 120).
You can make smaller buds for the top and
have the larger, which represent buds ready
to open and blossom, bent as in Fig. 120. To
make a stalk bearing buds and several blossoms,
instead of building the flowers on the
end of a stick, fasten each blossom and each
bud on a separate wire which has first been
covered with
green tissue-paper;
then
bind the small
buds on the
top of the long green stalk
with thread or fine wire.
Next fasten on the larger
buds, afterwards the blossoms,
and when all are arranged
satisfactorily wind
the green foliage around the
stalk (Fig. 114), and it will
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all look very beautiful and natural. The lilies may be
placed in a tall glass vase or the end of the stalk pushed
into the earth in a real flower-pot, and at a short distance
it will have the appearance of a growing plant.
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.ca Fig. 118.
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.ca Fig. 119.
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.ca Fig. 120.
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.h3
CHAPTER IV | VACATION WORK WITH NATURE’S | MATERIAL
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Here is a piece of advice for you, girls; possibly
it may not be appreciated, but it is good advice,
nevertheless: While you are away for
your summer holidays, keep out of sight the
fancy work you do at home.
When we drop the work or study that
has employed us during the long winter and
spring months and go off in the summer to
be refreshed and invigorated, do we not say
we go for recreation? If you will stop to
think about it you will see that recreation means literally
re-creating, being created anew; it means the laying
aside of our ordinary habits and thoughts and adopting
entire new ones, for the time being at least. It is this
refreshing change of thought and occupation as well as
change of air that proves so beneficial; therefore, don’t
keep the one little portion of your brain which you devote
to fancy work busy all summer long in the old routine, but
let it have recreation as well as the rest of your mind and
body.
By this I do not mean that the faculty ordinarily exercised
in the interest of fancy work should not be used in
any way, or that the hands which take so kindly to
needle and thread should be always idle. Not at all; but
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there are other forms of work for quiet hours, distinctively
summer work, which with their entire or comparative
novelty refresh the mind and give added deftness to the
hands.
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.ca Cone Hanging-basket.
The rainy day comes occasionally and you cannot be
out of doors; then is the time to look over the store of
treasures which you have gathered in your walks through
wood and field and try to devise some
means of preserving them or making them
of use. To begin with, there are your pine
cones, and no doubt you have gathered a
great number of them; everyone does.
Sort the cones and select several of the
largest, most open ones to use as hanging-baskets
in your window next winter, and
if you have an open fire devote the remaining
cones to creating a cheery blaze,
to help disperse the gloom that a northeast
storm in summer is apt to throw over one.
If you are impatient to try the experiment
of making a
.pm section_ni 'Cone Hanging-basket,'
you need not wait until winter, for, being
in the country, your materials are all close
at hand, and there is no reason why you
should not start one immediately. Having
selected your cone, shake out the seeds, if any remain in
it, and tie a cord around at about the middle, leaving a
loop on the top by which to hang it, as in the illustration.
Fill the interstices with lightly sifted earth, scatter a handful
of wheat or oats over it, and thoroughly dampen the
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whole. Hang the cone in your window, keep it damp, and
shortly the grain will sprout and the cone will become a
mass of vivid green.
Of course the beauty of the cone hanging-basket does
not last a great while, but a new one can be so quickly and
easily prepared that, with a store of half a dozen cones, you
may have one fresh and green in your window all winter.
Almost any kind of small cereal will sprout if treated in
this way, and each time you can plant different
seeds.
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.ca Fig. 121.
If you happen to have sweet grass in
your collection, make it into
.pm section_ni 'Sweet-grass Mats'
to put in the linen closet or bureau-drawers.
These mats, placed between sheets or clothing,
impart such a sweet, country perfume
you will be surprised and delighted with the
result. Take seven or eight stalks of the
sweet grass, cut off the flower-heads, bunch
the stalks together, and with a long,
strong blade of the grass, wrap tightly
into a rope, as in Fig. 121. Make
several of these ropes before beginning
your mat. Then coil one in an
oblong, and sew it together, as shown
in the diagram, Fig. 122.
When the first rope is nearly
used up, wrap the free end
securely to the end of another
rope and continue to coil as
before. When finished, the longest diameter of the mat
should measure about seven inches. You will notice in
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Fig. 123, which shows the
sweet-grass mat completed,
that the last end is tucked in
neatly under the coil next to
it, where it is fastened tightly
with needle and thread.
With all the other treasures,
I hardly think it has occurred
to you to collect corn-husks,
and yet many pretty things can be made of them. For
instance, there is the
.pm section_ni 'Corn-husk Basket,'
strong, durable, and useful. For making one of these
baskets select the fine, inner husks, and wrap them in a
damp cloth, let them remain two hours, and then
cut into strips about one inch wide. Take six of
these strips and tie them together at one end with
a strong thread; separate the strips
into three strands, two strips to a
strand, and braid as in Fig. 124.
In the beginning do not choose
strips all of the same length,
as they will have to be pieced
out to make the braid the required
length, and the piecing
should not be all done at
the same place. When you
have nearly reached the end
of your shortest strip, open it out flat, lay the end of a new
strip over it as in Fig. 125, and fold together as in Fig. 126.
In this way the piecing goes on as the braid grows in
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length. When you have about a yard of the braid, dampen
and begin to coil it as in Fig. 127, fastening the edges together
with needle and strong, waxed thread. It will require
the whole yard of braid for the bottom of the basket,
which should measure about five inches in diameter. Before
you have coiled quite all of it, piece the strips again
and make a yard or so more of braid. Dampen the new
part and begin to coil once more, this time turning the
braid up on its edge, and running it around horizontally to
form the sides of the basket, widening the sides a little with
each row. Four inches is a good depth for a basket of this
kind. Finish the top of the basket by sewing another row
of braid around the outer edge. For the handle make a
braid twelve inches long, then divide the strands and at
the end of the large braid make two small ones six inches
long. Fasten the ends of the small braids and cut off neatly
close to the wrapping. Remove the thread which holds
the other end of the large braid together and separate the
strips far enough up to make two small braids at that end
the length of those you have just finished. Sew the handle
on the outside of the basket in the position shown in the
illustration, tucking the ends between the bottom and next
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to the bottom row of braids, and fastening them neatly on
the inside.
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.dv class='column colw30'
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.ca Fig. 126.
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.ca Fig. 127.
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.ca Corn-husk Basket.
Like the sweet-grass mats the
.pm section_ni 'Lavender Sticks'
are for perfuming clothing and household linen. They are
pretty little trifles, and make most acceptable birthday and
Christmas gifts.
.il fn=i_063.jpg w=400px ew=80%
.ca The Lavender Stick.
Gather your lavender stalks (each one having a blossomed
top) while they are fresh and green, and use them as
soon as possible after cutting, as they grow brittle when dry.
It will take about twenty-five stalks for a large lavender
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stick, less for a small one, but in both cases there must
be an uneven number. You will need, also, some narrow
lavender ribbon. It is best
to buy the ribbon by the piece,
or roll, as it is not easy to
calculate the exact amount required
for the sticks. Bunch
your lavender stalks together,
with the heads at the top, and
tie securely just below the
blossoms (Fig. 128) with linen
thread. Bend the stems over
carefully, bringing them
down over the blossoms
(Fig. 129). A little raw
cotton may be used to
fill out the bulb or, if
you have them, extra lavender blossoms. Pin one
end of your ribbon at the top
of the bulb, where the stalks
are tied together, pushing the
pin through the ribbon down into
the bulb, then begin to weave
it under and over the stalks as in Fig. 129. Weave about
two inches, widening all the time, then draw the ribbon a
little tighter, bring the stalks closer together, and narrow
the bulb gradually. When the stalks are bunched again,
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stop weaving and begin to wrap,
lapping the edges of the ribbon
as in the illustration. Have the
wrapping tight and firm and,
when about an inch or two from
the ends of the stalks, fasten
with needle and thread, then
tie the ribbon in a bow of
many loops. Finish the top
with a bow also, making it
quite full.
.il fn=i_064-fig128.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=l
.ca Fig. 128.
.il fn=i_064-fig129.jpg w=125px ew=20% align=r
.ca Fig. 129.
.pm section 'Braiding Palm-grasses and Corn-husks'
Away down in Florida, where
the palms and palmettos are
as common as are the most ordinary
trees and shrubs in the
North, most of the children
wear hats made of the strong
and durable leaves of these
beautiful trees; and all the
children know how to braid
the palm in a number of ways.
Indeed, it was a little girl not more than eight
years old who taught me just what I am going to try to
teach you. She was “keeping house” with a number of
other children on one of the fine, shady streets of Daytona,
Fla., and, stopping to watch them at their play, we were
made welcome in their “house,” and one little hostess gave
me the lesson I asked for then and there.
You all know how a palm-leaf grows, tall and straight,
and closed tightly like a fan until it is time for it to open,
.bn 077.png
.pn +1
when it slowly separates and spreads its fingers
wide. It was the unopened leaf of the cabbage-palm
which was chosen for the braid, and very
pretty the tender leaf is; white, soft, and pliable,
and edged with light green. It is beautifully
adapted to braiding, and the fingers of my
little teacher flew deftly, as the braid lengthened
in her hands, and my mind sped along
almost as swiftly, as I tried to adapt the process
to materials to be found in the North, so
that Northern, as well as Southern, girls might share with
me this little piece of handicraft.
I am sure wide, flat grasses can be braided in this way,
and corn-husks and—well, a number of other things which
you will find if you keep your
eyes open; but I must return to
the palm and tell you just how
I was taught to braid that.
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_065-fig131.jpg w=175px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 131.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_065-fig132.jpg w=175px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 132.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_065-fig133.jpg w=175px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 133.
.dv-
.dv-
First I tore the leaf into strips about one-quarter of
an inch wide, then taking two strips, I folded one
end of each as in Fig. 130, and lapped the folded ends
as in Fig. 131. Bending the right-hand strip (A),
I pushed it through the loop formed by the other (B)
as in Fig. 132, and pulled B down tightly (Fig. 133).
Bending B, I pushed that through the loop A had formed,
.bn 078.png
.pn +1
and drawing A tightly, left a loop of B at the top (Fig.
134). Each time a loop was formed I pushed another loop
through it and drew the first down snugly,
and so braided a strip like Fig. 135.
.dv class='column-container-right colw30'
.il fn=i_066-fig134.jpg w=175px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 134.
.il fn=i_066-fig135.jpg w=175px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 135.
.il fn=i_066-fig136.jpg w=175px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 136.
.dv-
My little teacher forgot to show me
how to piece the strips,
and I was obliged to
work out the problem
for myself and for you.
When one of the strips
had dwindled down and
grown too narrow, I cut it off, leaving
a little
over an inch
below the
loop. I then
inserted another strip over B,
pushing it under A, as in Fig.
136, bringing it over the B loop
and again under A on the other
side, pulling it down until the two short ends were even.
After that I continued to braid as before, the first two B
loops being double, of course.
It is not well to have the piecing of both strips come
together, therefore one should be longer than the other at
the start, and the strips should be always of the same width
in order to make the braid uniform and even.
This is regular hat braid you have learned to make, and
perhaps having done so much you will feel inspired to continue
the work and make a hat, if not a large one, at least
one for your own or your younger sister’s doll. Or you
can make it into a basket by sewing the braid together, lapping
one edge over the other.
.bn 079.png
.pn +1
The braid should be back-stitched for both hats and
baskets.
Most materials require damping before they are braided,
for even when soft and pliable they are apt to separate
when dry, unless they have first been soaked for a while in
water.
.bn 080.png
.il fn=i_068-fig144fp.jpg w=465px ew=80%
.ca Fig. 144.—A Girl’s Collection of Pictures.
.bn 081.png
.pn +2
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER V | COLLECTIONS
.sp 2
.di i_069-drcapch5.jpg 200 133 1.1
Every girl can have her own
gallery of famous artists’ pictures,
and the searching for and finding
of treasures to form a home art
collection are a constant source
of interest. When once the supply
is started it grows rapidly, for the fascination increases
as the work progresses, and the nucleus of a fine assortment
is soon gathered. Daily papers furnish valuable material
in this line through their reproductions of paintings, and
the market is flooded with beautifully illustrated magazines
giving the art of our own land and that of foreign countries;
then there are unmounted photographs of masterpieces
which may be purchased for a very small sum; many can
be bought at a penny each.
If new magazines are not to be had, old ones can be
found at bookstalls for low prices, which contain reproductions
of paintings and excellent accounts of them. Carefully
take the magazines apart, removing the wire fastenings
by straightening and drawing them out before attempting
to separate the leaves; then cut out the chosen pictures,
allowing as wide a white margin as possible. Only those
prints which represent the work of eminent artists should
be selected.
.bn 082.png
.pn +1
Decide upon some definite line of art, for the field is
a large and varied one. Better results can be obtained if
you devote your efforts to the paintings of only one nation,
such as American, English, French, or Flemish art. Again,
the collection might embrace the works of but one artist or
school of painting, or be restricted to famous caricaturists
or mural decorators. Having made your choice and collected
two or three designs, buy low-priced medium-weight
card-board for
.pm section 'Mounting the Pictures'
.il fn=i_070-fig137.jpg w=75px ew=20% align=l
.ca Fig. 137.
Select a kind not brittle or liable to tear; get either a soft
gray tone or white, the former often harmonizing best with
black and white pictures. Your material being ready, turn
the pictures on the wrong side and mark the
centres. The easiest way of doing this is by
laying a ruler diagonally across the back of
picture, Fig. 137, and drawing a line on the
paper along the edge of the ruler. Be sure to
have the ruler precisely at the corners; if
placed either to one side or the other, the centre
will not be found. Fig. 138 shows the first line
drawn; cross this line by another running from
the remaining two corners which will give Fig.
139; the point where the lines intersect is the
exact centre of the picture. Cut the
mounting board in portions large enough to
allow a surrounding margin of four or five inches
on each picture; then mark the centres on the
right, not wrong, side of the mounting board.
It will be unnecessary to extend the line from
corner to corner of the mounting board; lay the ruler across
and mark it merely at the centre, Fig. 140. Take the print
.bn 083.png
.pn +1
you intend to mount first and carefully place it upon the
blank piece of paper so that the centre of the picture will
be exactly over the centre of the blank
paper; lightly mark a line in lead-pencil
around two corners of the picture, remove
the print and the blank paper resembles
Fig. 141. The last markings
are a guide in pasting the picture on
the sheet of paper. First dampen the
wrong side of the print with a wet
sponge. Have ready some strong paste
and spread it lightly on the wrong side.
Be careful not to get too much paste
lest it smear the mounting-paper. Lay
the mounting-sheet upon a perfectly
clean, level surface and place the print
on it according to the guiding marks.
Have the picture absolutely smooth,
without a suspicion of a wrinkle or
blister, and with a clean cloth again
smooth it gently, pressing it down here
and there as seems necessary to make it
adhere firmly (Fig. 142). Then place
a weight upon the mounted picture
and leave it to dry. After having
been successful with one picture no
difficulty will be found in mounting
the others.
It often happens that it is impossible
to separate a picture from the
article treating of it, for the reason
that one side of the page gives the print and the other
side the description. This difficulty is remedied by
.bn 084.png
.pn +1
.pm section_ni 'Splitting the Paper,'
which will give two layers of uniform thickness, and if
there are pictures on each side of the paper they may both
be preserved. Cut two pieces of perfectly smooth muslin
a little larger all around than the sheet of paper to be split.
Dampen one of the pieces of muslin and lay it out smooth
on an even, flat surface; cover one side of the paper to be
split with a thin layer of very strong paste or glue and
carefully place the paper, paste-side down, on the muslin;
lay it out flat and be sure it does not wrinkle; then cover
the other side of the paper with paste and place the
second dampened piece of muslin over it. Be certain that
the muslin adheres over the entire surface of both sides
of the paper. Should it fail in places, the spots of paper
not clinging to the muslin will tear out during the splitting.
See that the paste extends to the outermost edges of
the paper, and do not forget that muslin, paper, and paste
must all be smooth. Use a rolling-pin to secure uniform
adhesion. When the pasting is done, let it dry, and after
it has dried perfectly, separate the two pieces of muslin at
one corner, and the paper will begin to split if the work
has been properly done. Continue opening the edges until
all four sides are partially separated, and the fission of the
paper just beginning; then a firm pull will entirely separate
the two pieces of muslin and, at the same time, split
the paper. If you experiment on a small piece of paper
before attempting the picture you will better understand
the process. To remove the muslin from the paper, soak it
in hot water; place the water in a basin large enough to
admit of the muslin lying out flat. Let the paper side be
underneath, so that the muslin may be easily removed
when it detaches itself from the paper. Should any bits of
.bn 085.png
.pn +1
paste remain on the paper, soak them off; move the paper
gently in the water back and forward, until the paste is
washed away; then lift the paper from the water by placing
a thin stick of wood under one edge and carefully
drawing the wet picture out; it will hang like a curtain
from the stick. Let the water drip off; then lay the
paper down flat and smooth on a piece of blotting-paper,
picture-side up. When nearly dry, place the picture
between two sheets of pasteboard, and leave it under
a weight until quite dry. Mount split pictures on white
card-board; gray will show through the thin paper.
On the back of each mounting-board fasten two small
brass rings by which
.il fn=i_073-fig143.jpg w=175px ew=35% align=r
.ca Fig. 143.
.pm section 'To Hang the Picture'
Slide a ring on a short piece of tape and glue the ends
of the tape at one side on the back and near the top of the
picture to form a hook (Fig. 143, H).
Do the same with a second ring and
tape. When both tapes are securely
fastened on the mounting-board, paste
over each a strip of tough paper or
muslin (Fig. 143, P). If a wire be
fastened on the rings, the pictures
may hang from the picture-moulding
around the room, or the collection
can depend upon nails for support.
If desirable, the rings may fit over
tacks driven in the wall.
Fig. 144 at the beginning of the chapter gives a girl’s
collection of reproductions from famous paintings. The
pictures can be kept in
.bn 086.png
.pn +1
.pm section_ni 'A Portfolio'
made expressly for the purpose, should there be no wall-space
on which to hang them. Make the portfolio of two
strong, stiff pieces of pasteboard, cut large enough to extend
one inch beyond each of the four sides of the mounted designs
so as to preclude all possibility of damage to the edges
of the work. Sew a length of brown tape at each corner of
the two sides of the portfolio, making in all eight pieces of
tape, four on each pasteboard; then lay each cover down
on a piece of denim and mark four spots on the cloth, corresponding
to the places where the tapes are fastened on
the pasteboard.
Remove the denim and punch holes through the cloth at
the four places designated on each piece; button-hole
stitch the openings, and run the tapes through, drawing
the cloth down tight and flat upon the pasteboard; smooth
the brown covering out evenly and turn the four sides
neatly over the edges where they can be securely fastened
by long stitches of strong thread taken from edge to edge
of the cloth. Cover the wrong side of each piece with
heavy, rough, brown paper; paste it on carefully and put
them under weights to dry; the paper forms the inside and
the cloth the outside of the portfolio. In such covers any
number of mounted pictures can be kept secure from harm.
It is only necessary to pile them up evenly on one cover,
lay the other cover on top, and tie the two together over the
pictures by means of the tapes at the four corners. The
portfolio is not intended to stand on edge; it must be laid flat.
Another and different collection is very precious, though
the best part is not visible. It is a collection that is sure to be
always a comfort, and one with which the more familiar you
grow the better you will feel. Such a collection is called the
.bn 087.png
.pn +1
.il fn=i_075-fig145.jpg w=175px ew=35% align=r
.ca Fig. 145.
.pm section 'Sunshine Diary'
The book may be one of the usual styles of diaries sold
in the stores, or an ordinary blank-book; better still, a
home-made book. The latter requires forty-six sheets of
writing-paper (Fig. 145), and for a
cover stiff brown paper or card-board—the
kind used for making
passe-partouts and which comes in
all colors—will be excellent. Cut
the cover a trifle longer and broader
than the writing-paper, so that it
may extend beyond the leaves of the
book on the sides, protecting the
edges (Fig. 146). Fasten all together
by means of a strong brown or yellow
cord laced through holes made
in the cover and book (Fig. 147).
Should you be unable to cut the holes as neatly as you desire,
send the book to
a shoe store or a harness-maker’s
to have
the holes made.
Decorate the cover
in gilt. Make a circle
for the sun and use a
ruler in marking the
rays. Draw the top
and bottom rays first.
Begin at the top of
the centre ray and run
the lead-pencil down along the edge of the ruler as far
as you wish the ray to extend; then raise the pencil, but
.bn 088.png
.pn +1
not the ruler. Hold that down
firmly with the left hand, while
you again place the pencil
down below the circle and
draw the lower ray. Make
the two horizontal rays in the
same way (Fig. 148). After
this it will be easy to draw
the remaining rays by laying
the ruler diagonally between
the top and bottom and the
side rays. Beneath the sun
mark the title in plain lettering
(Fig. 149). If you cannot
make the letters even and
straight, do the best you can,
and they will look very well—better, in a way, than if another
had made them for you, because that will be your own
work. When the design is
finished in pencil go over it
with liquid gilt, painting the
sun a solid gold disk, the rays
mere lines of gold, and the lettering
slightly heavier. On the
first page of the diary write in
ink your age and full name and
under this the year and day of
the month. Then turn over the
leaf and on the right-hand page
rule a line exactly across the
centre with red ink. At the
top of the page write in red
ink the day of the week and
.bn 089.png
.pn +1
month and under the red line write the next day of the
week and month (Fig. 150). Put down all dates and divisions
in red ink. The book is
now ready for the record of
January 1.
.il fn=i_077-fig149.jpg w=200px ew=35% align=r
.ca Fig. 149.
Before making any entry
try to think of the kindest and
pleasantest things said to you
and done for you during New
Year’s Day, and with black ink
write these, and these alone,
for each day must reflect only
beautiful thoughts and acts—nothing
else is allowed in the
“Sunshine Diary.” On the
second day of the month make
a similar record on the lower
half of the page; the third day
turn over the leaf and carefully rule the next two pages as
you did the first, which will make four equal divisions for
four more days. Date each
half of the page correctly
and proceed with the journal.
Continue in the same
way until the end of the
year and you will have a
treasure well worth keeping
all the days of your life.
The very act of carrying
out the “sunshine” idea
will tend to strengthen all kindly feelings and cause you
to be on the watch for happy items to jot down in your
book.
.bn 090.png
.pn +1
.pm section 'A Guest Book'
.il fn=i_078-fig151.jpg w=75px ew=15% align=l
.ca Fig. 151.
Another work is the “Guest Book”—one in which
each friend who calls to see you can write his name, with
the date and a few remarks. One boy might
draw a simple little pencil sketch under his
name; another could write a joke in reference
to some mutual experience. From one
of the girls might come an apt quotation;
from another an original rhyme—in fact,
anything that would be interesting. Let the
grown people also have the privilege of leaving
their autographs with a few remarks in
the “Guest Book,” for they, too, are your friends. The
book itself should be at least seven inches long and five
broad; larger would be better. The common blank-book
of good paper will answer the purpose; it can be covered
with stiff linen,
which is sold for
dress lining and
may be found in
the shops. Cut
the cover to extend
beyond the
book two or three
inches (Fig. 151).
The dotted line
indicates the
book. Adjust the
cover evenly and
crease it slightly along the edges of the book in order to
know exactly how it will fit. Still holding the book in the
left hand, carefully cut two flaps, in the extension at the top
.bn 091.png
.pn +1
and bottom of the back. Remove and unfold (Fig. 152, A
and B); turn down the flaps as in Fig. 152, and again place
the linen on the book. Fold over the linen at the top and
bottom of one side of the book binding (Fig. 155); do the
same with the other side, then turn in the outer edge (Fig.
154). Again remove the cover and, after creasing the folds,
.bn 092.png
.pn +1
cut the four corners
out, as in Fig. 155, C,
D, E, F. Keep the
flaps (Fig. 152, A and
B) folded in, and place
the cover on the book
(Fig. 156). Paste the
corners G and H firmly
to the underlying
piece of linen, do the
same with the other
side and the cover will
be finished.
.il fn=i_079-fig153.jpg w=300px align=r
.ca Fig. 153.
.il fn=i_079-fig154.jpg w=400px align=l
.ca Fig. 154.
.il fn=i_080-fig155.jpg w=300px align=l
.ca Fig. 155.
.il fn=i_080-fig156.jpg w=280px align=l
.ca Fig. 156.
Letter the outside in
deep, rich red, using
paint and brush. If you
cannot print the letters,
write the title “Guest
Book” in a bold hand
with the brush.
.il fn=i_080-fig157.jpg w=175px ew=35% align=r
.ca Fig. 157.
.pm section 'Calendars'
Calendars are always welcome
and appropriate on New Year.
Make yours of twelve pieces of
heavy unruled, tinted writing-paper.
Decide upon twelve persons whom
you would like to think of often and
cut twelve slips of white writing-paper
of exactly the same size.
Send one to each chosen individual
and ask that the friend’s name and
some sentiment be written on the
.bn 093.png
.pn +1
paper and that it be returned to you. Having received all
the slips, paste one near the top of each sheet of writing-paper
(Fig. 157); below
paste one leaf of a printed
calendar representing one
month (Fig. 158). Use a
Christmas card for an outside
cover and through the
two top corners of the calendar
make round holes
large enough to allow a
silken cord, matching in
color the tint of the paper,
to pass through. Then
fasten all the pieces of the calendar together in order,
January being the first and December the last (Fig. 159).
.bn 094.png
.pn +1
As each month passes by slide that leaf back on the cords,
bringing after January, for instance, February to view.
Hold the two loops of cord together at the top and hang
the calendar where it may be readily seen.
You can also
.pm section 'Begin Illustrating Books'
Do not be surprised! No knowledge of drawing and painting
is necessary in order to illustrate in the new, easy
fashion. Decide upon some short story you wish to
embellish; then look among your scraps for appropriate
pictures. Should you not find exactly what you want,
make the pictures over to suit.
If the story introduces a jolly little maiden full of fun,
and describes her as feeding her pet dog and laughing at
his antics, and there is no such maiden in your collections,
look for one with the style of face you think the girl in the
story ought to have. When this is found and the body
is not satisfactory, cut off the head and hunt up an appropriate
body to fit it; that obtained, paste the pretty head
on the new body and cut out the entire figure. Find
a dog, in the correct position, in some old magazine or
newspaper, cut out the animal, and before pasting the
group in place try the effect of both on a blank piece
of white paper. Slide the figures together and apart
until you have them where they look best; then paste
the girl and dog neatly in position on the white paper,
and the full-page illustration is ready for insertion in the
book.
.il fn=i_083-fig160.jpg w=225px ew=40% align=r
.ca Fig. 160.
Always leave a wide white margin on all illustrations;
never crowd the picture up to the very edge of the page if
you desire it to look well, and be sure to dampen the wrong
side of each picture before attempting to paste it in your
.bn 095.png
.pn +1
book, that it may be smooth and not wrinkle. The new
leaf for the picture should be cut wide enough to allow a
quarter-inch projection or more over on the opposite page,
as in Fig. 160, OO, where
it can be pasted down on
the inner margin of the
other leaf. The dotted
line indicates the centre
of the book.
Bound books will not
admit of many extra
leaves being inserted, so
you can select only a few
of the incidents in the
narrative for illustration.
Use care that the picture
shall express your idea of the event or place you desire to
represent. Sometimes it may happen, by lack of suitable
material, that you cannot finish certain pictures for days or
weeks after they are begun. In such a case bide your time
until the wished-for designs appear, and in the meantime
go on with the other illustrations.
If the book is paper-covered, you can take it all apart,
insert as many pictures as you desire and fasten it together
again. When obtainable use
.pm section_ni 'Colored Pictures and Photographs'
as illustrations. You may chance to find appropriate
colored reproductions from water-color sketches, that will
serve the purpose without alteration. Such would give a
fine appearance to your book. Unmounted photographs
can also be employed, but, if possible, avoid different styles
of pictures in the same work. Keep the colored designs
.bn 096.png
.pn +1
for one book, the prints for another, and the photographs
for a third. Bear in mind that, whatever the nature of the
illustrations, you are to use only such as appeal to you and
express your ideas; the scheme will lose individuality—that
is, it will not represent your choice—if you select what
others may deem best in preference to that which you
would have chosen if left unmolested. It is the individuality
which gives value to the work.
Never attempt to illustrate a valuable book in this new
way, though it would not injure the volume if you found a
good unmounted picture of the author and pasted it on one
of the fly-leaves in the front of the book. The portrait
would add to the value and interest of the volume, as
would also items of information on the subject of which
the book treats, if pasted on an extra loose leaf and left in
the back of the book.
When you have a collection of snap-shots that you wish
to preserve, make
.il fn=i_084-fig161.jpg w=350px ew=70% align=l
.ca Fig. 161.
.pm section_ni 'A Photograph Book'
in which to keep them. Cut two pieces of stiff pasteboard,
each 6¼ inches wide and 5¾ inches high. Use strong
paste to fasten
these on one
side of a strip
of heavy linen
of a soft green
color, 14¼
inches long by
6¾ inches wide.
Leave a space
of uncovered linen three-fourths of an inch wide in the
centre, Fig. 161. This will give the foundation for the
.bn 097.png
.pn +1
cover of your book. Draw the linen tightly over the edge of
the card-board at the top and bottom, paste it down smooth
and even; then paste the two end-pieces over, thus binding
the four edges of the book. Cut sixteen leaves from heavy
dull-surfaced
paper, matching
the green
linen in color,
make each
leaf 6¾ inches
wide and 5½
inches high.
Two of the
leaves serve as lining for the cover, leaving fourteen leaves
or twenty-eight pages for the unmounted photographs.
Paste the first leaf on the left-hand side of the cover, let it
fit over the turned-in border of linen and extend across the
centre onto the edge of the other card-board, LL to KK,
Fig. 162; the dotted
lines indicate the
turned-over linen underneath
the paper
leaf which is used as a
lining. Take a second
leaf and turn down the
left hand edge to a
depth of ¾ of an inch, leaving the leaf 6 inches wide. Cover
the ¾ of an inch extension with paste, then lap it over on
the left-hand side of the centre and paste securely. The
place where the side of the leaf should be fastened down to
the lining of the cover is represented by MM in Fig. 162.
Fig. 163 shows the space MM covered by the side of the
leaf, the diagram giving two leaves properly glued together,
.bn 098.png
.pn +1
the dotted line indicates the centre of the book. As each
leaf is fastened in, turn it over and paste the next one on it
as in Fig. 163. Continue adding leaves,
always allowing the right-hand leaf to
overlap the left three-quarters of an
inch. When the last leaf is fastened
in place, paste it down tight on the
right-hand side of the inside of the
cover, where it will form a lining concealing
the raw edges of the linen and
the blank pasteboard as the first leaf
covered the left-hand side of the inside
of the cover. This system of fastening
the leaves together will cause
them to fold in the back where there will be no raw edges.
Fig. 164 gives four leaves, showing the back where they are
folded over after each is joined to the preceding leaf. When
the book is finished the back hinge part of the cover is free
from the leaves, leaving an opening from top to bottom
large enough to run a slender pencil through when the
book is opened. If desired the cover can be decorated
with the title “Snap-Shots.”
.bn 099.png
.bn 100.png
.il fn=i_088fp.jpg w=377px ew=70%
.ca Making Valentines.
.bn 101.png
.pn +3
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER VI | ORIGINAL VALENTINES
.sp 2
.di i_089-drcapch6.jpg 200 244 1.1
Always alert, chubby little Cupid works
hard on St. Valentine’s Day; his duties
are many, and his pretty bow sends the
arrows flying in all directions. He is a
merry little fellow, full of queer pranks
and a great favorite. The venerable
St. Valentine seems to have merely
loaned his name to the fourteenth of
February, leaving all the duties to Cupid, who appears to
be well pleased with the arrangement. For hundreds of
years past the young people have been as anxious to send
and receive valentines as at the present time
.pm section_ni 'In Former Days,'
before valentines were dropped in the mail-box, girls and
boys had a great deal of fun sending them to each other.
Generally the young folks waited until twilight; then each
would sally forth in his neighborhood, lightly step up to
the front door of the house where the valentine was to be
left, and without the least noise slip the paper under the
door, ring the bell and scamper away as fast as possible, to
avoid being seen. Valentines to-day bring the same thrill
of pleasure, and when the whistle of the postman announces
the arrival of the mail on the eventful day, eager fingers
are impatient to open the envelope and discover the treasure
.bn 102.png
.pn +1
within. Then the question follows, “Who could have
sent such a lovely valentine to me?”
Before making original valentines try to think of some
particular study or pursuit in which each friend is interested
to whom you desire to send a token on February 14. One
may have a talent for painting, another for music; a third
may delight in flowers, and so on throughout a long list of
subjects which will furnish you with many suggestions for
.pm section_ni 'The Most Appropriate Valentine'
to be sent to each. As a little practice before using
ideas entirely your own, try making the valentines here
described. The mystic four-leaved clover (Fig. 165) would
be just the thing for a companion who delights in hunting
that symbol of good luck. This valentine is very simple
and can be made in
a short time.
.il fn=i_090-fig165.jpg w=200px ew=40% align=l
.ca Fig. 165.
.il fn=i_090-fig166.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=r
.ca Fig. 166.
Cut a sheet of
unruled heavy writing-paper
in halves
and on one piece
trace
.pm section_ni 'The Four-leaved Clover'
(Fig. 166). Paint it green;
an even flat tint will look
well if you cannot manage
shadows, but be careful
to do the work to the
best of your ability. In
plain lettering mark the words,
.ce
“Good Luck to You, my Valentine;”
.bn 103.png
.pn +1
.ti 0
then slide the missive into an envelope large enough to
contain an unfolded half-sheet of paper. In case you happen
to have a natural four-leaved
clover which has been pressed, use
it instead of the painted one, and
take a whole sheet of paper so that
the brittle leaf may not be exposed,
but can be secured inside the sheet
on the third page by means of a
little paste. With the pressed clover
the lettering should be made on the
outside of the sheet of paper before
the leaf is placed within.
Another easy valentine to make is
.pm section 'The Easel Holding a Picture'
Cut this from stiff paper or light-weight card-board
(Fig. 167). First trace the design on the card-board; then
.bn 104.png
.pn +1
cut it out and paint the easel golden-brown on both sides,
except the part which forms the canvas for the picture and
the cross-piece for the lettering. Leave these white; draw
a line at the bottom of the canvas and letter the strip,
.ce
“To my Valentine.”
.il fn=i_092-fig169.jpg w=400px ew=75%
.ca Fig. 169.
Paste any pretty colored floral design you may possess on
the blank space or canvas left for the purpose. Bend down
the supporting strip (A) projecting from the top (Fig. 167),
and the miniature picture and easel will stand alone and be
ready to send to some friend who is studying drawing or is
interested in art (Fig. 168).
.il fn=i_093-fig170.jpg w=400px ew=75%
.ca Fig. 170.
To an attractive friend who has no special fancy for any
.bn 105.png
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particular avocation, send the valentine shown at Fig. 169.
Make it of
.pm section_ni 'Two Heart-shaped Pieces'
of stiff white paper and a small piece of broken mirror.
Cut the heart according to the size of the glass (Fig. 170);
then with strong paste fasten the mirror on the heart (Fig.
170). Cut another heart exactly like the first, and and in its
centre make a heart-shaped opening as large as possible,
while leaving it small enough to cover well the edges of the
glass. If you do not know how to make a heart-shaped
design trace Fig. 169. Decorate the top part with a painted
pink ribbon, and on one side write,
.bn 106.png
.pn +1
.pm start_poem
“Look into this Mirror Clear,”
.pm end_poem
.ti 0
and on the other,
.pm start_poem
“And My True Love will Appear.”
.pm end_poem
At the bottom point of the valentine paste a Cupid; then
using strong paste fasten the heart-shaped frame over
the glass and lay the valentine under several books until the
paste is dry, taking the precaution to put a clean piece of
paper underneath, and another over the top of the valentine
to keep it perfectly fresh and clean. Any other style of
decoration may take the place of the ribbon and Cupid.
Small colored embossed paper forget-me-nots could be
used.
.il fn=i_094-fig171.jpg w=400px ew=80%
.ca Fig. 171.
Should one of your friends delight in fireworks displays
give her
.pm section_ni 'The Firecracker'
shown at Fig. 171. Roll together a piece of stiff paper two
inches wide and three inches long (Fig. 172); let the two
sides overlap each other slightly and join them securely
with strong paste, forming a hollow tube. Have the paper
the peculiar red of genuine firecrackers, if you can obtain
such. For the inside take a piece of white paper four
inches long and a trifle less than three inches wide and
write on it these words:
.pm start_poem
“Your eyes are so bright
That if they were mine,
I would soon have a light
For this queer valentine.”
.pm end_poem
.bn 107.png
.pn +1
In the turned-over edge at the bottom of the paper paste
a waxed string, as in Fig. 173. Then roll the paper and
insert it in the red tube (Fig. 171).
.il fn=i_095-fig173.jpg w=250px ew=60% align=l
.ca Fig. 173.
One of the prettiest customs
of St. Valentine’s Day was instituted
by the daughter of Henry
IV. of France, Madam Royal,
who built a palace and named it
the Valentine. She then gave a
grand party in honor of St. Valentine
where each lady received
a beautiful bouquet
of flowers
from one who
was chosen as
her valentine. The same gallantry was repeated ever after
on like occasions. The idea of the valentine flowers is very
pleasing, and we will use it in a modified form, but instead
of cut blossoms in a bouquet we will have
.il fn=i_096-fig174.jpg w=300px ew=55%
.ca Fig. 174.
.pm section_ni 'A Pot of Growing Flowers'
(Fig. 174). Trace on reddish-brown card-board (Fig. 175), and
cut it out, also cut the point B and the slits C and E. Bring
the two sides together, sliding the end D over, not under,
through the slit C, at the same time pushing the point B
into the small slit E; and bend back the extension D on
the wrong side to hold the sides together and keep the
flower-pot upright. Cut out the bottom (Fig. 176) and let
it drop down through the top of the flower-pot until it
lodges. Straighten and fit it in evenly; then cut out the top
(Fig. 177) of dark card-board, as it represents the earth. Of
course, one cannot dig holes in paper earth to plant paper
flowers, so slits must be made according to Fig. 177. On
.bn 108.png
.pn +1
white card-board trace Figs. 178, 179, and 180; paint them to
resemble as nearly as possible natural pinks, and plant them
.bn 109.png
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in the paper earth in this way: slip the rounded extension
of Fig. 178 through the slit F (Fig. 177). Bend back the
angular part K and slide its
extension L through the small
slit T. Turn the paper earth
over on the wrong side, holding
the flowers in position the
while, and bend up the roots
of the two projecting pieces against the
under side of the disk or earth; paste
them in place. Next plant Fig. 179 in the same manner,
sliding its rounded extension through slit G, and its smaller
one through slit O. Plant the last flower (Fig. 180) through
slit H; adjust the earth or
top disk, and the finished
work will be a little round
flower-pot filled with growing
pinks standing up separately
from each other and
looking very bright and
natural (Fig. 174). On a
dainty piece of
paper write this
message:
.il fn=i_097-fig179.jpg w=125px ew=25% align=r
.ca Fig. 179.
.pm start_poem
“Go, Little Flowers,
Salute My Valentine,
Who Can, Who May,
Who Must Be Mine.”
.pm end_poem
.il fn=i_098-fig180.jpg w=175px ew=25% align=l
.il fn=i_098-fig181.jpg w=75px ew=15% align=r
.ca Fig. 181.
Place the note inside the flower-pot. Pretty colored
printed flowers or embossed ones for scrap-books, which
may be bought in almost any toy-store, can be substituted
for the pinks. Fasten them in position by making three
.bn 110.png
.pn +1
tracings of Fig. 181 and pasting a
group of flowers and foliage on
each one; these extra pieces will
furnish the flowers
with proper paper
roots, which can be
planted and fitted in
the paper earth in
the same manner as
the pinks.
.il fn=i_098-fig182.jpg w=275px ew=55% align=l
.ca Fig. 182.
.pm section_ni 'A Gentle Little Friend'
should receive the valentine which is shown at Fig. 182.
Cut from white card-board the circular disk (Fig. 183);
around its edge write:
.pm start_poem
“Lift the Loop and You Shall See
That Which Makes Me Think of Thee.”
.pm end_poem
.ti 0
From fancy gold
paper cut a circular
band (Fig. 184)
smaller in circumference
than the
card-board; fold it
through the centre
(Fig. 185), bring the
folded ends together
and again fold (Fig.
186). Once more
fold (Fig. 187) and
from this cut the
outline seen in Fig. 188, being careful not to cut the folded
ends P and Q. Unfold the paper and you will have Fig.
.bn 111.png
.pn +1
189. Place this ornamental
golden band
on the white cardboard.
It should fit
just inside the writing.
Stick it down slightly
here and there with a
very little paste; then
make Fig. 190 of fancy
white paper. Insert
the scissors at the beginning
(S) and cut the spiral around
and around in one unbroken
strip until the centre is
reached. In the centre make
a short slit and push the two
ends of a narrow white ribbon
through the slit; then turn the spiral over and paste
each end of the ribbon flat
against the paper, as in Fig.
191. Have ready a white paper dove and fasten it in the
centre of Fig. 183, which has previously been decorated
.bn 112.png
.pn +1
with the gold-paper design. Slide the end S of the spiral
under the edge of the gold band, placing the spiral so that it
will lie flat and even inside the golden paper and
will cover the centre of the valentine. Lift the cover by
the loop and you will have a glimpse of the white dove,
which means peace and gentleness.
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_100-fig189.jpg w=225px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 189.
.dv-
.dv class='column'
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_100-fig187.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 187.
.dv-
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_100-fig188.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 188.
.dv-
.dv-
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_100-fig191.jpg w=60px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 191.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw70'
.il fn=i_100-fig190.jpg w=140px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 190.
.dv-
.dv-
.dv-
.dv-
.bn 113.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER VII | VEGETABLE ANIMALS AND FRUIT LANTERNS
.sp 2
.di i_101-drcapch7.jpg 200 224 1.1
Do you know that with the aid
of a little enchantment equal to
magic employed by the fairy
folks of old, you can make a tiny
fowl, one small enough to stand
on the palm of your hand? A
certain process which you shall
learn will cause a common raw
potato to change into a wee
turkey of which anyone might
well be proud.
The wands you will use for the work differ in nature
and appearance and are far superior to the fairy wands; the
latter are merely stiff sticks said to be endowed with magical
powers, while yours are of most wonderful workmanship
and adapted to any use to which you care to put them.
More than that, you have complete control over the wands;
at your command they do your bidding, making all kinds of
useful and beautiful things, from the most delicate and
fragile articles to the largest and heaviest creations. One
of your wands is known as the right, the other as the left
hand. Look at these pliable and exquisitely fashioned
wands, think of all they have accomplished and may do for
you, then set them both to work on your
.bn 114.png
.pn +1
.if h
.dv class='htmlonly'
.dv class='column-container-left colw30'
.il fn=i_102-fig192.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 192.
.il fn=i_102-fig194.jpg w=75px ew=50%
.ca Fig. 194.
.il fn=i_102-fig196.jpg w=50px ew=30%
.ca Fig. 196.
.il fn=i_102-fig198.jpg w=75px ew=50%
.ca Fig. 198.
.dv-
.dv class='column-container-right colw30'
.il fn=i_102-fig193.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 193.
.il fn=i_102-fig195.jpg w=75px ew=50%
.ca Fig. 195.
.il fn=i_102-fig197.jpg w=75px ew=50%
.ca Fig. 197.
.dv-
.dv-
.dv class='epubonly'
.dv class='column-container colw80'
.dv class='column colw50'
.il fn=i_102-fig192.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 192.
.il fn=i_102-fig194.jpg w=75px ew=50%
.ca Fig. 194.
.il fn=i_102-fig196.jpg w=50px ew=30%
.ca Fig. 196.
.il fn=i_102-fig198.jpg w=75px ew=50%
.ca Fig. 198.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw50'
.il fn=i_102-fig193.jpg w=150px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 193.
.il fn=i_102-fig195.jpg w=75px ew=50%
.ca Fig. 195.
.il fn=i_102-fig197.jpg w=75px ew=50%
.ca Fig. 197.
.dv-
.dv-
.dv-
.if-
.pm section 'Potato Turkey'
Select a small potato (Fig. 192), break off the ends of
three burnt matches and force the longer portions into the
potato, two to serve
as legs, and one as a
support (Fig. 193 ).
Trace Fig. 194 on
stiff brown pasteboard,
an old box-lid
will be the best thing to use, its surface
being dull and almost the same in color
as the potato. Cut out the tracing and mark eyes, mouth,
and tuft on it with ink (Fig. 195 ). If you wish to have your
turkey look extra fine, make wattles
of red paper or cloth (Fig. 196 ); fold
as in Fig. 197 , and paste the band-like
upper portion over each side of the
turkey’s neck, allowing the lower
flaps to hang free (Fig. 198 ). Cut a
slit in the potato (Fig. 192, A-A) and
insert the head, pushing in the extension
as far as the dotted line, or until
it fits (Fig. 199). Make a small opening
on each side of the turkey (Fig. 199, C) and
stick in two curved feathers for wings. If
you have only stiff feathers,
choose two small ones, and
with your forefinger and thumb
bend the ribs (Fig. 200) until
they are rounded enough to
cling to the sides of the turkey. Use stiff
feathers for the tail, first making holes in
.bn 115.png
.pn +1
the turkey in which to insert them (Fig. 199). Push the
feathers in securely, and should they stand up unevenly at
varying heights, trim them carefully with scissors and the
turkey will be finished (Fig. 201).
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colw40'
.il fn=i_103-fig199.jpg w=90% ew=100%
.ca Fig. 199.
.il fn=i_103-fig200.jpg w=65% ew=100%
.ca Fig. 200.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw60'
.il fn=i_103-fig201.jpg w=90% ew=100%
.ca Fig. 201.
.dv-
.dv-
In the South a young pig, called
.pm section_ni 'A Shoat,'
is considered as desirable as a turkey and is eaten with much
relish. Of course, each person is served with only a portion
and cannot have a whole one, as
is your privilege; for your shoat,
like the turkey, will be very
small, no larger than a lemon,
and of the same color-in fact,
it is a lemon to begin with (Fig.
202). Four sticks furnish the
legs (Fig. 203). The ears are
.bn 116.png
.pn +1
formed by cutting the skin in
the shape of a V on each side of
the pointed end of the lemon
(Fig. 204, B) and bending up the
points (Fig. 205). A slender
stick bent at short intervals
(Fig. 206) until it simulates a
twist or curl is used for a tail
(Fig. 207).
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_104-fig204.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 204.
.dv-
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_104-fig205.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 205.
.dv-
.dv-
In cutting the ears be cautious
not to pierce entirely through the skin; allow the
point of the knife to enter only deep enough into the rind
to cut a piece of sufficient thickness to turn up without
breaking, and have the slender sticks used for legs and
tail sharpened at one end
so they may readily be
pushed into the
lemon. Ordinary
wooden
toothpicks will
answer the purpose,
but they must first be
broken into shorter lengths
for the legs. The eyes are
two black-headed pins.
.bn 117.png
.pn +1
.il fn=i_105-fig208.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=l
.ca Fig. 208.
.il fn=i_105-fig209.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=r
.ca Fig. 209.
.pm section_ni 'Turtle Soup'
is thought a great delicacy
by some families, who deem
a holiday dinner incomplete
without the dish. While we
do not care for the soup, we
would like a small turtle, one that will not
snap at us but be content to remain quiet and look natural.
.il fn=i_105-fig210.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=l
.ca Fig. 210.
.il fn=i_105-fig211.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=r
.ca Fig. 211.
Ask for a large raisin (Fig. 208) and six cloves, five without
and one with the
round seed; work in
the four cloves with
claw-like ends to
serve as feet (Fig.
209). Use the reverse end of a clove for the tail (Fig. 210)
and the round seed clove for a
head (Fig. 211). Bend the head
and tail up and the feet down
(Fig. 212). Beautiful golden
pumpkins hold a prominent place
in the minds of Americans. Beside the delicious pies made
of the yellow fruit, there are the
.il fn=i_105-fig212.jpg w=110px ew=20%
.ca Fig. 212.
.pm section_ni 'Funny Lanterns'
fashioned by cutting a semblance of a face in the pumpkin,
shaking out the inside fibre and seeds, and, in the
evening, placing a lighted candle in the queer head,
causing the light to shine through eyes, nose, and mouth
in a manner startling to those unaccustomed to the
sight.
.bn 118.png
.pn +1
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_106-fig213.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 213.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_106-fig214.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 214.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_106-fig215.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 215.
.dv-
.dv-
The real pumpkin is large and heavy to handle, but you
can have
.pm section_ni 'A Substitute'
in the form of an apple. Choose one that is deep red in
color, in order to have the greatest possible contrast between
the features and the head proper. It will not be
necessary nor desirable to light up the face, the apple head
is comical enough with the face merely cut in its surface
and the work is very easy. Cut out
from the apple
(Fig. 213) two triangles
near the
top for eyes (Fig.
214); directly below
the eyes but
in the central part
cut the triangular
nose (Fig. 215);
under the nose
make the mouth in the shape of a slender crescent (Fig. 216),
and tie a ribbon on the stem as an ornamental headdress
(Fig. 217). There! you have fairly made the apple laugh.
Only see how it is stretching its mouth in a broad grin!
.bn 119.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER VIII | PASTEBOARD MODELS FOR A HOME DRAWING | CLASS
.sp 2
.di i_107-drcapch8.jpg 175 185 1.1
Study drawing at home and make your
own models; form a class of several
girls and work together; criticise one
another’s drawings, and get a criticism
from an artist whenever you can. Much
may be accomplished in this way if you
have the enthusiasm, perseverance, and
will to carry it through. Starting with
one object, complete in itself, a variety of forms may be
evolved, and combinations can be made until an entirely
new model is produced. Such, for instance, is the church
shown in the illustration. First there is the house, then the
house with a chimney, the house with chimney and one
wing, the house with chimney and two wings; then the
church, which is made by adding turret and steeple, the
church without wings, and the church with wings. A
number of times this model may be used, changing the
position and adding to or taking from it, and a different
picture will be the result of each drawing.
Simpler models like
.pm section_ni 'The Pyramid'
can also be made, and it is well to try your hand on this
before attempting the more complicated forms.
.bn 120.png
.pn +1
.il fn=i_108.jpg w=400px ew=75%
.ca Pasteboard Model of Church.
Lay a sheet of heavy card-board flat on your work-table
and draw carefully four triangles like Fig. 218. These are for
the four sides of the pyramid. Use a rule
to keep your lines straight, and make
each side according to the dimensions
given on the diagram. You will see that the
measurement from apex to base is ten
inches, and the width at the bottom is six
and one-half inches. With a sharp knife,
or large shears, cut out each part, taking
pains to keep your edges true to the
lines. Besides the card-board you will
need a roll of passe-partout paper. This
comes in one-inch widths, ready gummed,
for making passe-partout frames.
It is strong, easily handled, and altogether
more convenient for joining the
parts of the models than ordinary strips of paper. Should
the passe-partout paper be out of reach use new cotton cloth
.bn 121.png
.pn +1
cut in even one-inch strips. Of course the cloth or paper
must be white. Cut off a strip of your gummed paper a
little longer than
the long edge of
the triangle. With
a pin at each end,
pin it to the table,
the gummed side
up, and draw a
line lengthwise
through the middle,
dividing it
exactly in half.
Have ready a
glass of clear
water and a paint
brush, dip the brush in the water, and with it moisten
one half of the paper. Over the wet half lay one of the
triangles so that its
long edge almost
touches the central
line, then gently press
it until the paper holds
fast to the card-board
(Fig. 219). Remove
the pins and turn the
triangle over to make
sure the paper is quite
smooth on the right
side; then lay it down
again, moisten the
other half of the
gummed surface and
.bn 122.png
.pn +1
press another triangle over that part, keeping the edges of
the two triangles perfectly parallel, but not touching. The
space between the edges must be left to give room for the
bending of the corners (Fig. 220). Pin a second strip of
paper to the table, moisten one
half, and press still another triangle
in place; continue doing
this until all four sides of the
pyramid are joined as in Fig. 221;
then bring the last two edges
together, while holding it in your
hand, and press the moistened
paper down, smoothing out any
wrinkles that may appear. Lastly,
trim off the ends of the paper
at the bottom, and stand your
pyramid up, holding it so that its
base will form a perfect square (Fig. 222). Do not allow
it to flatten and form a diamond. The top edges of the
.bn 123.png
.pn +1
paper should be trimmed off as the sides are put together.
There are six parts to
.il fn=i_111-fig223.jpg w=250px ew=45% align=r
.ca Fig. 223.
.pm section_ni 'The House,'
two sides, two ends, and two halves of the roof. Draw
these on your heavy card-board, like Fig. 223, the roof; Fig.
224, the side, and
Fig. 225, the end,
making them according
to the dimensions
given on
each diagram. Put
the house together,
as you did the
pyramid, with the
passe-partout paper.
When you have joined the sides and ends of the house
and have fastened the two halves of
the roof together, paste strips of the
passe-partout paper along the upper
edges of the sides of the house, as in
Fig. 226. These strips must be on the
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_111-fig224.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 224.
.dv-
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_111-fig225.jpg w=250px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 225.
.dv-
.dv-
.bn 124.png
.pn +1
inside, and half of the
paper must extend
above the edges of
the sides. Moisten
this part and, fitting
the roof to the house,
put your hand inside
and press the paper
up against the roof;
this will hold it securely
in place. In
fitting the roof on, be
sure it extends exactly
the same distance
over each end of the
house (Fig. 227).
.dv class='column-container-right colw50'
.dv class='column colw33'
.il fn=i_113-fig228.jpg w=70px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 228.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw33'
.il fn=i_113-fig229.jpg w=70px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 229.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw25'
.il fn=i_113-fig230.jpg w=60px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 230.
.dv-
.dv-
.pm section_ni 'The Chimney'
is adjustable and
is not fastened to
the house. Make
four sides; two
like Fig. 228, two
like Fig. 229. The
dimensions of
each side are
given on the diagrams.
In putting
the chimney
together, paste
your strips of
paper only as far
.bn 125.png
.pn +1
up as the dotted line at the top,
the part beyond this line is to
be turned over as in Fig. 230,
which shows the completed
chimney. Make
.pm section_ni 'The Wings'
with slanting roofs like the ones
shown in the illustration of the
church. Fig. 231 is
the highest side, which
goes next the house
when the wing is added;
Fig. 232 is the
lower side; Fig. 233
is for the two ends,
which are exactly
alike, and Fig. 234 is
the roof. The dimensions are given on the diagrams.
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_114-fig233.jpg w=100px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 233.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw70'
.il fn=i_114-fig234.jpg w=400px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 234.
.dv-
.dv-
.dv class='column-container-left colw40'
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_114-fig235.jpg w=75px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 235.
.dv-
.dv class='column'
.il fn=i_114-fig236.jpg w=75px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 236.
.dv-
.dv-
.il fn=i_114-fig237.jpg w=75px ew=20% align=r
.ca Fig. 237.
.pm section_ni 'The Tower and Steeple'
which transform the house into a church are shown in the
illustration. Cut two sides for the tower like Fig. 235, and
two like Fig. 236,
and put them together
like Fig. 237.
The notches in the
lower part of the
tower and of the
chimney allow them
to sit astride the
roof, which position holds them in place without making
.bn 126.png
.pn +1
them permanent. Fig. 238 and Fig. 239 are for the cornice
of the tower, which is something like a box with a square
opening at the bottom and a round hole at the top. Cut
Fig. 238 according to the dimensions given and bend at the
dotted lines, first the
lengthwise lines,
then the cross ones.
Allow the laps with
the trimmed corners
to come on top of
the others. Put the
two end edges together
with the
gummed paper to
form a square, then with a drop of glue or paste at each
corner fasten the laps in position, as shown in Fig. 240.
In the centre of a perfect square, made according to the
dimensions on the diagram, Fig. 239, cut a circular hole;
.bn 127.png
.bn 128.png
.pn +2
paste strips of paper along the four edges of the square,
Fig. 241, bend down the free edges of the paper and paste
the square on top of the cornice. Fig. 240 is the cornice
with top down to show its construction. Cut the steeple
from rather heavy drawing-paper, like Fig. 242, keeping to
the dimensions on the diagram. Turn in the lower laps and
paste the side lap over the corresponding edge to form a
cone (Fig. 243). Drop a little glue on each of the lower
laps, place the cone directly over the circular hole in the
.bn 129.png
.pn +1
top of the cornice, and, slipping your fingers through the
hole, press the laps down until they are firmly fixed. Fit
the cornice on the tower, but do not attempt to glue it, for
it will hold its place quite well without.
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_116-fig239.jpg w=160px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 239.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_116-fig240.jpg w=160px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 240.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_116-fig241.jpg w=160px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 241.
.dv-
.dv-
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column colw70'
.il fn=i_116-fig242.jpg w=300px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 242.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_116-fig243.jpg w=120px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 243.
.dv-
.dv-
Your own ingenuity will suggest other models to be
made in this way; any angular object is easily constructed,
and curved ones are not impossible.
.il fn=i_115.jpg w=384px ew=60%
.ca The Tower and Steeple which Transform the House into a Church.
.bn 130.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER IX | QUICK INK PICTURES
.sp 2
.di i_118-drcapch9.jpg 100 285 1.1
When you happen to drop ink on paper you
may be using, do not look disconsolate and
feel uncomfortable. Make a joke of the accident
by turning the blot into something funny.
Fold the paper over the ink-spot, press the
two sides together; then open the fold, and
you will find the dull, round blot transformed
into a queer, comical-looking object the like
of which was never seen on land or sea. The
strange thing about these oddities is that try as you
may you cannot coax any two ink-drops to change
themselves into the same shape; they utterly refuse
to do so. Experiment with them and you will soon
realize that each has its own independent idea regarding
the figure it will assume, insisting, when you press it, upon
taking the matter into its own hidden hands and turning
into whatever it pleases. The various results are generally
decorative and might often be used with good effect for
book-plates.
.pm section_ni 'If You Have a Group'
of three or four ink-drops, they may be controlled to a certain
extent. Hold the paper so that the wet ink will trickle
downward, and you can join the blots together, elongating
the design; then, when the paper is folded lightly, if you
.bn 131.png
.pn +1
press the ink with short, gentle strokes out sidewise the
tiny splashes tend in that direction, and an upward movement
will cause the ink to spread upward—sometimes in
little streaks, again in a bulging way, giving an uneven, undulating
boundary. Should the paper be folded across the
ink the result would be a single figure, while an allowance
of an eighth or quarter of an inch space before creasing the
paper gives two designs, one a duplicate because a print of
the other. A similar method of making ink-impressions is
to splash the fluid on the paper with a paint-brush and then
to fold and press it; or, group drops of ink with the splash
of a brush and press the two sides of the paper together.
.il fn=i_119-fig244.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca Ink Marine. Fig. 244.
The ink-impressions may be made to take the form of
.pm section 'Landscapes and Marines'
Often very pretty effects can be produced in this simple
manner. Fig. 244 is a suggestion showing a stretch of sky
with mountains as a background and points of land jutting
.bn 132.png
.pn +1
out into the sea for the middle distance, while the foreground
is entirely of water, which reflects the distant
purple hills. The picture is readily made, but the work
must be rapid to insure success, as delays cause the ink to
dry in spots, which ruin the design. Fold through the
centre a piece of blank, unruled paper from a large-sized
writing pad; open it and on the upper portion mark the
sections according to diagram Fig. 245. The dotted line
indicates the crease through the centre of the paper and
gives the distance at which the first sections should be
placed above the fold. With a lead-pencil lightly trace the
divisions: have ready a bottle of ink, a common water-color
brush, a glass of water and a clean dinner-plate. Dip the
brush in the ink and dab it on the plate several times; then
do the same with the water, mixing ink and water together.
Try the strength of this mixture on a scrap of paper; if it
corresponds to the tone of the second point of land in Fig.
244 (or A in the diagram) it is ready for use. B and D
(Fig. 245) require a degree lighter than A, so mix more
water than ink on a clean place in the plate. C (Fig. 245)
is the faintest mountain and needs the most water mixed
with ink. Use ink as it comes from the bottle for E (Fig. 245),
the nearest point of land, as that is the darkest portion. Test
the three tones and keep changing them, adding more water
.bn 133.png
.pn +1
as needed, until you are satisfied that each one is of the required
strength; then wash the brush clean and be sure
everything is ready for the work. Having once commenced,
you cannot stop an instant until the sketch is finished; understand
exactly what you intend to do and how you are to
do it before beginning, as there will be
.dv class='column-container-left colw15'
.il fn=i_121-fig246.jpg w=75px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 246.
.il fn=i_121-fig247.jpg w=75px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 247.
.dv-
.il fn=i_121-fig248.jpg w=75px ew=15% align=r
.ca Fig. 248.
.pm section_ni 'No Time for Deliberation,'
and you must work as fast as possible. Dip the brush in
the lightest tone of diluted ink, have it well charged with
the fluid, and in swift strokes paint C. Without
stopping, take up the next lightest tone
on the brush and sweep in B and D, then
the darker, A, and finish with E in pure
ink. Fold the paper immediately, and,
holding it down flat on the table
with the left hand, press with
the right; rub the paper all
over again and again, being
sure to cover the entire surface in order
to print the mountains on the lower portion of the paper.
The study will then be finished with the exception of the
sailing-vessel, which may be indicated with a few strokes.
Bring the brush to a fine point and trace in ink the lines
of Fig. 246. First make the central vertical line, then the
slanting line on the right-hand side which joins the mast
a short distance from the top, from the same point extend
two lines down on the left. Fig. 247 is the hull of the
vessel, and the straight line crossing it a short distance from
the top denotes the narrow space to be left white. Fig. 248
shows the complete outline of the craft, intentionally made
as simple as possible, to enable any girl to introduce the
boat into the sketch without difficulty. As is seen in Fig.
.bn 134.png
.pn +1
244, the boat is filled in with black and duplicates itself in
the shadow reflected on the water, but the shadow must be
made with the brush; it cannot be printed from the boat.
The chrysalis of the
.pm section_ni 'Ink Butterfly'
(Fig. 249) was made of two or three
ink-blots and a splash of ink from
a paint-brush. This chrysalis did
not in the least resemble a real
one, but when the paper
was folded along the edge
of the ink a butterfly appeared.
On soft-finish paper write any word you choose;
then, while the ink is wet, fold the paper, and upon
opening it you will find
.il fn=i_122-fig251.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=l
.ca Fig. 251.
.pm section_ni 'An Odd Design'
Figs. 250 and 251 were made in this way; both
from written words which represent most desirable
states of mind. When you can gain Fig.
250 you will surely have Fig. 251.
.pm section_ni 'The Fantastic Horses'
(Fig. 252) gave no hint of what might be
expected when they were first seen in the
form of a group of shiny black spots, and it
was only after opening the folded paper that
they revealed their true character as extravaganza
animals with legs different in length
and extraordinary eyes.
.bn 135.png
.pn +1
.il fn=i_123-fig252.jpg w=225px ew=45% align=r
.ca Fig. 252.
You can make creatures
wilder in appearance than
these, and in this way form
a collection of pictures of
the animals you have never
known.
Fig. 253 represents
.pm section_ni 'A Pair of Birds'
of a peculiar kind, found
nowhere but inside ink-bottles.
Others may come
from the same source, but
none will be precisely like these. Try the experiment of
ink-drops on pieces of muslin; work rapidly and you will
be delighted with the results.
.il fn=i_123-fig253.jpg w=225px ew=45% align=l
.ca Fig. 253.
If you are fond of
.pm section_ni 'Nature Study'
and happen to have vines
or any other kind of house
plants, you can make valuable
ink sketches from them. Break off a few pieces of the
main growth. Take one at a time, and with the left hand
hold the spray either in the bright sunlight or lamplight in
such a way as to cast a distinct clean shadow upon the
paper pad that is placed beneath it. With a brush dipped
into the ink, paint over the shadow; be careful to follow
every turn and twist of leaf and stem, that the sketch may
be true in every detail. You will find the work to be
quick and easy and the results satisfactory. In no other
.bn 136.png
.pn +1
way can better characteristic growth of the
various specimens be obtained. Notice carefully
Fig. 254,
and it will give
a true idea of
the plant; and
Fig. 255, how
naturally and
gracefully the
vine turns in curving
lines. Fig. 256 gives
sprigs from four different
plants. Can you name them? All the studies are
decorative and furnish original designs for embroidery,
or wood-carving, but,
best of all, you can
make and use this
kind of ink-pictures
as illustrations for the
book in which you
write down your
notes on Nature
study, and so be able,
after describing a plant, to
give an original, realistic picture
of it.
Small specimens can be
painted with ink, root and
all forming one picture, but
larger plants must be separated
at the centres and a
study made of each part, the two halves being placed side
by side on the same piece of paper.
.bn 137.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER X | MOVING TOYS
.sp 2
.di i_125-drcapch10.jpg 175 305 1.1
How would you like a merry-go-round
with all the animals prancing one after
another, each with a girl or a boy on
its back, riding along regardless of the
speed of the steed, like the real ones
you have tried in the parks and at the seashore?
.pm section_ni 'The Merry-go-round'
Fig. 257, is easily made, the work consisting
mostly of stringing different things on a hat-pin
and sticking the pin through a box. Procure
a long hat-pin (Fig. 258), a large, empty
spool (Fig. 259), three small corks (Fig. 260)
and, for a foundation, a round flat box if you can obtain or
make it, if not, a common note-paper box must answer the
purpose. A piece of string about a yard long and two
shank buttons will help out the simple machinery (Fig. 259).
The canopy is of paper or card-board (Fig. 261) and the
support for the animals of card-board (Fig. 262).
.il fn=i_126-fig257.jpg w=400px ew=75%
.ca Fig. 257.
.il fn=i_127-fig258.jpg w=50px ew=10% align=l
.ca Fig. 258.
Lay a piece of card-board flat and place over it an ordinary
tea-plate; hold the plate steady and draw a circle on
the card-board by running the lead-pencil around the edge of
the plate. This will give a circle of about the desired size.
Then draw bands across the circle, as in Fig. 262; to do
this draw lines dividing the circle into quarters and at the
.bn 138.png
.pn +1
left of each of the four lines draw a line a little more than
half an inch away from it, making four bands (Fig. 262).
.bn 139.png
.pn +1
Cut out the circle, then the four wedge-shaped pieces between
the bands, and bend up the end of each band five-eighths
of an inch (Fig.
262).
.il fn=i_127-fig259.jpg w=225px align=r
.ca Fig. 259.
.il fn=i_127-fig260.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=r
.ca Fig. 260.
On these ends paste
any stiff paper animals
you may happen to have,
(Fig. 263), selecting those
which will balance each
other, as the merry-go-round
must revolve evenly. Colored scrap-book animals
look well and are stiff enough to hold themselves
firmly in place. Should you not happen to possess
these, animals from old pamphlets, advertisements or
newspapers may be used. They should be stiffened by
being pasted flat on thin card-board or stiff paper. When
fastening the animals on the merry-go-round paste the body
of the animal to the turned-up end of the card-board band
(Fig. 263).
.il fn=i_128-fig261.jpg w=175px ew=25% align=l
.ca Fig. 261.
.pm section_ni 'In Making the Canopy'
use a small saucer or bowl as a guide to draw the circle on
paper or card-board. Cut out the circle, point it around the
edge (Fig. 261), turn the points down and the canopy is
ready to go on the hat-pin. If you do not
have the correct-sized plate, saucer, or bowl,
the circles may be drawn with the aid of a
home-made compass. To make the compass,
take a pair of scissors and a piece of
card-board (Fig. 264), punch two holes about two inches
apart in the card-board and through them pass the points
of the scissors until they extend through on the other side
an inch or a trifle more; secured in this way the scissors
.bn 140.png
.pn +1
make a very good compass. Adjust the scissors so that the
distance between the two points is four inches, then firmly
stick the sharper point
in a piece of cardboard
and, keeping
that steady, slowly
move the other point
around in a circle,
pressing it down only hard enough to scratch the surface
(Fig. 264). Make the circle for the canopy in the same way,
but have the distance between
the scissor points
much less—not more than
two and one-fourth inches—in
order to preserve the
correct proportions.
Now watch the almost
.pm section_ni 'Magical Forming of the Merry-go-round'
Pass the long hat-pin (Fig. 258) through
the exact centre of the canopy (Fig. 261)
then put on one of the corks (Fig. 260); work this up tight
.bn 141.png
.pn +1
to the canopy that it may hold the latter in place. Twist
the cork around and around on the pin, as it will be apt to
go on crooked if the pin be forced carelessly through the
cork. String on another cork, working it up the pin midway,
then slide on the bands, with the animals attached,
pushing the pin through the exact centre of the pasteboard;
next put on the large spool.
.pm section_ni 'The Box Must Have Some Holes'
made in it before using; puncture two one inch from the
front edge and four inches apart in the lid; then make two
more holes through both lid and box on the front side half
an inch from the top and five inches apart, as seen in the
illustration. Fig. 257.
Stick the loaded pin through the centre of the box-lid,
bringing it well down, and cover the extreme point of the
pin with the last cork in order to prevent the pin from coming
through and pricking. This cork must lie firmly on the
bottom of the inside of the box.
The merry-go-round is now ready for the machinery to
set it in motion. Pass the string around the spool and cross
the two ends in front (Fig. 259) keeping the ends crossed;
thread one of the ends through the two holes on its own side
of the box, bringing the end out from the front of the box, do
the same with the other end of the string as shown in the illustration.
To prevent the string from accidentally slipping
back through the holes, tie a shank button on each of the ends.
Now, holding the box with one hand, gently
.pm section_ni 'Pull One End of the String'
with the other hand and see the animals go dancing around,
just like the big wooden griffins, zebras, and giraffes on
real
.bn 142.png
.pn +1
Of course, the merry-go-round needs boys and girls to
ride the animals and enjoy the sport. Look them up in the
advertisements of old magazines, newspapers, or wherever
you can find paper young people. Cut them out neatly and
let them take turns riding on the different animals. When
cutting out the legs of the paper children, merely cut up a
deep slit to divide the legs in order to make the riders cling
firmly to the various animals.
The brighter the colors used in the merry-go-round the
gayer and more attractive its appearance. There is
.pm section_ni 'Something Very Fascinating'
in the toy; even grown people are interested and amused
as they watch it whiz around with its burden of happy little
paper children. Another lively game for paper children is
the
.pm section_ni 'Flag Dance,'
(Fig. 265), where each doll actually waves its own little
paper flag as she dances to and fro.
Make four small flags of different colored tissue-paper,
each 1½ inch wide and 3 inches long, which allows for
fastening to the staff.
Four little paper girls can be cut from Fig. 266. Take
four half-sheets of stiff, unruled white writing-paper, fold
each lengthwise through the centre; then trace Fig. 266
and cut it out of an extra piece of paper. Lay this half
figure with its straight edge on the fold of one of the papers
and with a lead-pencil draw a line around it. Cut out and
open (Fig. 267). Make four dolls. Cut the flag-staff off the
right hand of two and off the left hand of the other two,
that the hands on the outside of the group, when the dolls
.bn 143.png
.pn +1
are in place, may hold the flags (Fig. 268). Draw or paint
a face and dress on each of the little girls, being sure to use
the inside of the bend or fold for the front of the doll, as
this slight inclination to fold forward after the doll is cut
out and straightened
out flat is of great
assistance in bracing
the figure when it is
in position. Cut a slit
up between the feet,
but no further. Let
the legs be of one
piece, to insure greater
strength to the standing
doll (Fig. 267).
Fold the flag-staff
lengthwise, also the
hand holding it, and
give to each of the
paper children one of
the home-made tissue-paper
flags by pasting a
flag on every flag-staff (Fig.
268). When the dolls are
ready, obtain a very flexible,
slender, cloth-covered, long steel from a dress-waist or
stays, and tie a strong black thread from end to end, making
a stretch of nine or ten inches. On the centre of this
thread tie another about a yard long (Fig. 265), and on the
steel foundation fasten the four dolls. They should stand
erect, one on each end, and two midway between centre and
ends.
Fig. 268 shows the method of pasting the feet of the figures
.bn 144.png
.pn +1
on the steel; slide the steel up between the feet; then
bend them forward and glue one foot on each side of the
steel, flat against it. Fasten a flag, about four and a half
inches long, on the end of a long, strong hat-pin; then stick
the pin firmly in a small pastry-board and slip the steel with
its pretty children over it, resting the centre of the steel
flat against the pin, which is now a flag-pole (Fig. 265).
.il fn=i_132-fig266.jpg 'Fig. 266.' w=75px ew=15% align=l
.il fn=i_132-fig267.jpg 'Fig. 267.' w=150px ew=30% align=r
Take hold of the loose end
of the thread and step-back
from the table on which the
dolls are placed. When a sufficient
distance away to cause
the thread to stretch out
straight give it a number of
gentle jerks in quick succession.
This will cause all the paper
children to rush back and
forth, waving their bright flags
in triumph.
They can enter more heartily
into the play if there is
music, and it gives life to the
“flag dance.” Ask your companion
to strike up the “Star-Spangled
Banner” on a comb while you
make the little paper children dance in time to the music,
which you can do by jerking the thread to the musical
rhythm.
Find three large-sized button-moulds and some burnt
matches for your
.pm section 'Button-mould Tops'
Select round matches, as they will fit the holes in the button-moulds.
Place one mould flat down on a piece of orange-colored
.bn 145.png
.pn +1
paper and draw a line on the paper around its edge.
Cut out the circular paper and paste it on the flat side of the
button-mould; then pierce a hole through its surface, exactly
over the hole in the mould, slide a match, unburnt end
first, through the mould, until it extends about one-third
beyond the bottom of
the mould. If the match
does not seem firm, fasten
it in place with a little
mucilage. When this top
is finished, make two more of the
same size, one covered with red and
the other with green paper. No
string is necessary for spinning these
tops; merely give each one a twist
with the thumb and second finger of
the right hand and around it goes.
.pm section_ni 'The Game'
consists in spinning the three tops,
one immediately after the other, the
red top first, then the orange one, and
last the green, allowing them all to
whirl around together and not disturbing
them in any way until the
last one to cease spinning falls. The
top which keeps up for the longest
time scores the first point. When
the first round is finished set the tops twirling again, commencing
with the orange one and taking the red one last.
Mark down the score of the winning top and give them all
a third and last trial, leading with the green top and bringing
in the orange last. The top which gains the greatest
.bn 146.png
.pn +1
number of point wins the game. Should each top gain a
point, the game would be a “tie,” and necessitate the playing
of it all over again.
In case two friends would like to join in the sport,
the game may be changed. Let each, with closed eyes,
select a top, leaving one for the hostess. At a given
signal have all the tops spin at once. The top which stands
up longest wins the first point, and the greatest number of
points the game. Allow two rounds, making six points to
each three-handed game.
.bn 147.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER XI | HOME-MADE PYROTECHNICS
.sp 2
.di i_135-drcapch11.jpg 100 123 0.8
If you would like some bright, lively fireworks,
the kind you can manufacture at
home, make them the day before the celebration,
and there will be no necessity of
waiting all the long hours until dark before
seeing the sparks fly. Begin the fun
early the next morning, and fire off these
queer fireworks the entire day. The
.il fn=i_135-fig269.jpg w=125px ew=25% align=l
.ca Fig. 269.
.il fn=i_136-fig270.jpg w=100px ew=20% align=l
.ca Fig. 270.
.il fn=i_136-fig271.jpg w=200px ew=35% align=r
.ca Fig. 271.
.pm section_ni 'Three-story Red, White, and Blue Pin-wheel'
is very satisfactory, affording three times the enjoyment of
a simple one-story affair. Fold a three-inch square of stiff
red paper diagonally across from corner
to corner, making two folds, which cross
at the centre of the paper. Unfold and
cut the square along the folds almost to
the centre (Fig. 269); then pierce the
alternating corner flaps with a long,
stiff hat-pin, allowing each point threaded
on the pin to remain there; run the
pin through the centre of the paper
(Fig. 270) and shove the red pin-wheel up close to the large
round head of the hat-pin. Push a small cork on also, to
prevent the pin-wheel from slipping. Work up another
.bn 148.png
.pn +1
cork on the pin, about an inch or so below the first one;
then make a larger pin-wheel of white paper and slide it on
the same hat-pin, holding it in place with
a third cork. Cut the last pin-wheel still
larger and make it of blue paper. Shove
up a fourth cork on the pin, and below,
against it, thread on the blue pin-wheel.
No cork will be required under the last
pin-wheel; the hat-pin being now pushed
firmly into the
end of a stick,
the blue pin-wheel cannot
slide out of place (Fig. 271).
When ready, run with the toy,
or whirl rapidly around, holding
it in your hand, and see
how beautifully the three parts
spin, the whole appearing like
a whirling red, white, and blue
pyramid.
Another
.pm section_ni 'Pin-wheel in Your Hands'
has a button as a foundation.
Take a large cup and trace two
circles on yellow paper measuring
three and a half inches in
diameter; make two smaller
circles of red paper, two still
smaller of green paper, two
others—decreasing in size—of
yellow paper, and the two smallest circles of blue paper
(Fig. 272). Separate the disks into two groups exactly
.bn 149.png
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alike; then fasten each of the two sets of disks together by
placing one over another; they will form two vari-colored
disks, each a duplication of the other. Select a large button
and place it between two vari-colored disks. Be sure to have
it in the centre; then with
a large pin or needle punch
two holes through the disks,
covering the corresponding
opposite holes in the button. Thread
a string through the two holes and tie
the ends together (Fig. 273); join the
edges of the two disks and the pin-wheel
will be ready for action. Place
the first two fingers of the right hand
in one loop, and of the left hand in the
other; give the string a twirl and pull the hands
apart. The motion causes the string to twist,
allowing the hands to come nearer together;
another outward motion of the hands and the
pin-wheel will revolve rapidly in another direction.
By alternately bringing the hands together and pulling
them apart, the pin-wheel can be kept spinning as long
as you like. In making the pin-wheel, the paper may be
either pasted or sewed; it is firmer when pasted.
.pm section_ni 'Pin-wheels on the Fence'
are fiery, sparkling, and larger than the hand pin-wheels
Find a large-sized empty spool (Fig. 274) for a foundation;
then cut a circular pasteboard disk four inches in diameter
for the back of the pin-wheel (Fig. 275). Make blue fire of
strips of fringed-out bright-blue paper (Fig. 276) and paste
them across each other on the disk (Fig. 277). Cut a square
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of yellow paper fringed around the edges for the yellow fire
and fasten it over the blue fire. Make red fire of a circle of
fringed red paper (Fig. 278) a trifle
smaller than the yellow, that the
yellow fire may be seen surrounding
the red and the blue stand out
beyond the yellow. Each succeeding
layer of fire must be smaller,
though not necessarily of the same
shape as the last. The uneven, straggling ends add to the
effect when the pin-wheel is in motion. Let the last two
papers be white and green
and on the top fasten irregular
lengths of the thread-like
tinsel left from your
Christmas-tree decorations.
Do not bunch it too much;
have the tinsel string out
long in various directions, so it will look like dropping
flying sparks when you fire off the pin-wheel. If you have
no tinsel, finely cut stands
of gold-paper may take its
place. Paste the back of
the pin-wheel securely on
one end of the empty
spool. When finished it
should resemble Fig. 279.
Select a strong wire nail
and push it through a
small disk of inked pasteboard
(Fig. 280); bring the
pasteboard up close to the
head of the nail, then
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pierce the pin-wheel in the centre and run the nail through
both wheel and spool. The little black card-board prevents
the pin-wheel from
slipping off the nail.
After the paste or glue
has dried, hammer the
nail which is in the pin-wheel
upon the fence
and set the firework
off by means of a
strong string placed
over the spool with
the ends crossed (Fig.
281). By holding the
two ends of the
string, one in each
hand, and rapidly
pulling first one, then
the other, the pin-wheel
will revolve so
fast that it might be
mistaken for one of actual fire, but unlike
the real one there is no likelihood of the
paper wheel turning black and falling to the ground.
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Yours will spin as long and as often as you like, losing
none of its brilliancy (Fig. 282).
.il fn=i_140-fig282.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 282.
.pm section_ni 'The Sparkling Calumet'
is fascinating. Its bright sparks fly up and out in every direction
all over your head, hair, and clothing, but they do
no harm. Take a
strip of stiff paper
three and a half
inches wide and
eleven inches
long; cut a hole
in one end (Fig.
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283) and paste
the two lengthwise
edges together,
forming a hollow tube; then pin up the open end
nearest the hole (Fig. 284). Cut Fig. 285, making it about
four inches across at the widest
point; slash the lower
edge and pin this pipe-bowl
in funnel shape by bringing
the two sides together
(Fig. 286);
fasten it on the tube
over the hole in
the top by gluing
the flaps down on
the pipe-stem (Fig.
287). Half-fill the
pipe-bowl with brilliantly colored
bits of paper, including
scraps of gold and silver tinsel cut
very small. In this way pieces
too little for anything else can be
utilized.
Make a good supply
so that you
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may fire off the calumet many times. Place the open end
of the tube to your lips and blow (Fig. 288).
It will not take more than five minutes to make the
.pm section_ni 'Roman Candle'
Cut a piece of paper about ten inches long and seven
inches wide, roll it up and slip a small elastic over the roll
to hold the Roman
candle in shape;
carefully fold in one
end of the roll (Fig.
289); then collect all of the scraps of bright-colored paper
and bits of tinsel for sparks (Fig. 290).
When the sparks are ready load the
candle by filling it with them. Hold
the candle in one hand and gayly swing
it around like a real Roman candle. In
what a dazzling circle the bright paper
sparks fly! No matter if they do scatter
all around, they may be gathered up and used again.
If you can find a side-steel taken from a dress-stay, use
it for a
.pm section_ni 'Snap-fire'
Bend the
ends together
until it breaks at the centre (Fig. 291). On
the broken end of one piece paste two gay
tissue-paper streamers (Fig. 292). To fire it,
hold the firework in an upright position,
streamers downward, the papered end between
the thumb and forefinger of the left hand and
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the upper end held with the thumb and
forefinger of the right hand. Bend the
snap-fire as in Fig. 293. Let go suddenly
with the right hand, then an instant
later with the left, and
see the firework spring
up high in the air, carrying
its gay trimmings
with it.
Just wait until you
make the
.pm section_ni 'Rushing Comet'
and send it flying through the air, with its long tail sweeping
out behind. How heartily you will laugh when it
strikes its round head against some object
which drives it flying backward.
A rubber ball about three inches in diameter
will make a good comet’s head (Fig. 294).
.dv class='column-container w100'
.dv class='column colw70'
.il fn=i_143-fig295.jpg w=300px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 295.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw30'
.il fn=i_143-fig296.jpg w=140px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 296.
.dv-
.dv-
.il fn=i_144-fig297.jpg w=75px ew=15% align=l
.ca Fig. 297.
.il fn=i_144-fig298.jpg w=75px ew=15% align=r
.ca Fig. 298.
Cut two strips of bright red tissue-paper,
each four inches wide, the entire length
of the sheet, and paste the two pieces together, forming a
long paper ribbon (Fig. 295); fold this once near the centre
(Fig. 296); fold again, bringing the lower folded end up to
the first end (Fig. 297), then cut the paper in a fringe, making
the strands half an inch wide; begin at the folded end
and cut through all the layers up to the single layer of
paper (Fig. 298). Unfold and you will have Fig. 299.
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Fasten this tail on the ball with strong paste (Fig. 300).
In the same manner cut another long fringe of bright-blue
tissue-paper; fasten it on the
ball partly beyond and partly
overlapping the red paper.
Make a third fringe of orange-colored
tissue-paper, and glue that also on the comet’s head.
Gather up the tail carefully so it will not tangle and set
the ball aside until it
is perfectly dry; then
run out in the sunshine
with the comet
in your arms and throw it up as far
as you can toward the blue sky. The
comet will look gorgeous
sailing through
the air. When it comes down, take the
ball up again and throw it as far in front
of you as possible. Away it will speed
with a flutter and a dash, a long, brilliant
streak of color (Fig. 301). The tail of the
comet can be made longer by using three
instead of two lengths of the paper.
Now we will make
.pm section_ni 'The Pistol'
of any firm, strong, hollow cylinder. A
slender pasteboard mailing tube, or a stick
of bamboo, or a section of some shrub
from which you can push the pith, leaving
a hollow case, will answer the purpose.
Have the hollow stick about eight inches
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long, and for a ramrod cut a smooth, round stick an inch
or two longer. Be sure that the ramrod slides easily
through the
tube while
fitting snugly.
Fig. 302 shows the ramrod in the pistol. Get a large
raw potato and cut off several thick slices to use for bullets.
Punch a slice with one end of the pistol,
then with the other, leaving the potato
bullets in it exactly as they came from
the slice. When you are ready to fire,
place the ramrod against the
bullet in one end of the pistol
and suddenly push
the ramrod with
force through the tube, sending the
first bullet flying, and as it leaves the
pistol a loud report will follow. Fig. 303 shows the potato
slice and the bullets which have been used. Should you
be able to find corks which exactly fit the pistol you could
use them instead of potato. Fasten each cork to the end
of a string and tie the string firmly around the centre of
the pistol. Remember that the success of the pistol depends
upon keeping the air bottled up tight in the tube by
having the bullets fit tight. If the air is allowed to escape,
no report will be heard; the bullets will not pop. But
never fear; you will be able to make the pistol; have confidence,
patience, and care, and your work will turn out well.
.pm section_ni 'Sky-rockets'
are one of the best kind of fireworks and furnish lots of
fun. We will make some and send them flying through
the air.
.bn 158.png
.pn +1
Cut strips of paper eighteen inches long
and two inches wide, fringing them seven
inches on one side (Fig. 304). Commence
at the unfringed end, B, and roll them like
lamplighters (Fig. 305), folding each over at
top end to keep it in place (Fig. 306, C).
These are the sky-rockets, and are best
made of stiff, bright-colored paper, but may
be of any kind except very limber paper.
Make a number of sky-rockets and “fire them
off” by the aid of a large, empty
spool with a piece of elastic adjusted
loosely over one end, but tied securely
(Fig. 307). Place one sky-rocket
at a time through the hole
in the spool, fringed end out,
and, grasping the tip end in the elastic
(Fig. 308), pull the sky-rocket toward
you and let it fly back as you
would send an arrow from a bow.
There is another paper sky-rocket
which rivals a real one in brilliancy,
and is much easier to fire. Make the
rocket of a hollow stick—a bamboo handle
from a Japanese fan or
parasol, or an old dried sunflower
stalk will do—and
cut the stick about seven
inches long. Near one end
tie on firmly a stout rubber
band (Fig. 309). The stick of the sky-rocket
should be strong and slender and about
twelve inches in length. Have it small enough
.bn 159.png
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in diameter to slide
easily through the
sunflower stalk.
Fasten many gay-colored
streamers of
tissue-paper on one
end, making them
fully a yard in length. When
all is ready, place the stick with
streamers uppermost in the tube,
draw back the rubber band with
the stick (Fig. 310), and fire (Fig.
311). The sky-rocket goes swiftly
through the air, carrying a
stream of paper fire in its wake. As with the real fireworks
you must be careful not to aim any of these in a
direction where they will strike anyone.
.dv class='column-container colw80'
.dv class='column colw30 coltop'
.il fn=i_147-fig308.jpg w=100px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 308.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw70 coltop'
.il fn=i_147-fig309.jpg w=175px ew=44%
.ca Fig. 309.
.il fn=i_147-fig310.jpg w=250px ew=87%
.ca Fig. 310.
.il fn=i_147-fig311.jpg w=400px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 311.
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.dv-
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.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER XII | MONOTYPES
.sp 2
.di i_148-drcapch12.jpg 250 225 1.1
They are charming, these monotypes;
charming in effect
when finished, delightful
in their accidental results,
and wholly fascinating
in the method, or
lack of method, used in
their production. Painted
with a bristle brush,
a camel’s-hair brush, a
sponge, a rag or your
thumb, as the case may
require; painted on glass and then printed on paper, with
a clothes-wringer for a printing-press; can anything be
more enchantingly unconventional? Yet the finished monotypes
are truly artistic and beautiful. If you can paint at
all, be it ever so little, you can make some kind of a monotype,
and you will always have the feeling that you can do
better next time. The
.pm section_ni 'Materials'
for your work are a piece of glass about six inches square,
a tube of lamp-black oil-paint, some sewing-machine oil, and
a pad of unruled writing-paper.
See that your glass is perfectly clean and free from dust,
squeeze out some of the black paint in a saucer and mix it
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with a few drops of the machine oil. You will soon learn
the consistency required, for if you make the paint too thin
it will run and blot, and if there is not enough oil it will go
on too thickly and smudge in printing.
.pm section 'The Painting'
Choose a photograph or print for your copy which is
simple in effect—that is, one which shows a good deal of sky
and broad stretches of light and shade. It may be either
landscape or marine, but, until you have had some experience
with the work, avoid figure pieces, and architecture. When
you have learned the process be as original as you like, but
keep to your copy at first; you will never make an exact
reproduction. Use whatever kind of a paint-brush seems
best fitted, and work rapidly that the paint may not dry.
A fine soft sponge will give excellent foliage effects; this
should be dipped in the paint and simply dabbed on the
glass. A clean cotton rag will take off extra paint and is
especially useful where water is represented in the picture.
By dragging the rag or sponge over a surface too thickly
painted you can loosen it and give the appearance of grass
and shrubbery, or of a roadway. Soft clouds can be made
by putting the cloth over the end of your finger and rubbing
on the glass with a circular movement, using but little
paint; for an ordinary sky make horizontal strokes with
the rag, keeping the tint as flat as possible. If you place a
piece of white paper under the glass the work will be easier,
for you will appear to be painting on a white surface and
the transparency of the glass will not trouble you.
.il fn=i_148a_top.jpg w=450px ew=80%
.ca
Soft Clouds.
Can be made with a cloth on the end of your finger.
.ca-
.il fn=i_148a_bot.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca
Foliage Effect.
Made with a sponge.
.ca-
.il fn=i_148fp.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca
The Distant City.
Printed on Unruled Writing-paper.
.ca-
If you have ever painted
.pm section_ni 'Heads,'
sooner or later you will long to try one with this process.
A woman’s head with flowing, wind-blown hair seems
.bn 164.png
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especially adapted to the work. A bristle brush and the
ever-useful rag will spin the hair out, and toss it about in
decorative masses. For the face you will need a small pad
made of soft silk, or muslin, and raw cotton—indeed, several
pads will be found useful. Cut the silk into a four-inch
square, place in the centre a wad of raw cotton about the
size of a hickory nut, and, drawing the silk smoothly over
the cotton at the bottom, bring it together at the top; wrap
with thread close to the cotton and tie securely.
Draw the outlines of the face lightly with a fine camel’s-hair
brush, and lay in the shadows broadly with a large
brush; then take your pad and go over the shadows, stippling
them with little dabs until they are smooth and free
from brush strokes. When it is necessary to deepen a
shadow add more paint with the pad.
Do not put in the features with hard lines, let the face
be modelled with light and shade, making deeper accents
where more sharpness is required. The definite strokes
about the eyes, the nostrils, and the line between the lips
can be made with a brush without hardness. Hard lines
never look well in a monotype; they stand out harshly from
the general softness of the effect, and appear unpleasantly
out of place.
.pm section 'The Printing'
When your painting is finished, slightly dampen a piece
of paper by passing a wet sponge across one side, lay the
dampened side carefully on the glass next to the paint, and
then pass both through the clothes-wringer. Remember to
hold the glass as it comes through that it may not fall and
break. Lift your paper off lightly and quickly, without
dragging, and you have the completed monotype, like, and
yet unlike, the picture you painted. In the first place, the
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.bn 167.png
.pn +1
design is reversed, and then there are often beautiful effects
which your brush could never have produced. If the
painting on the glass still holds, try another print, and even
a third; the first are not always the best.
.il fn=i_150fpb.jpg w=370px ew=66%
.ca
The Turbulent Sea.
Printed on Imported Blotting-paper.
.ca-
.il fn=i_150fp_top.jpg w=400px ew=80%
.ca
Study of a Head.
Printed on Imported Blotting-paper.
.ca-
.il fn=i_150fp_bot.jpg w=400px ew=80%
.ca
Study of a Head.
Printed on Imported Blotting-paper.
.ca-
When no more impressions can be taken, wipe the paint
from the glass with a cloth and begin another picture.
.pm section 'Monotone Monotypes'
A very pretty experiment is to use color instead of black
and make a monotone of your monotype. Sepia will give
the picture in soft brown, Indian red in bright red, while
Antwerp blue produces the tone of blue found in a blueprint
photograph. Of course oil colors alone must be used,
water colors will not print.
.pm section_ni 'Another Field for Experiment'
lies in using several colors in one picture. For instance,
you might make your mountains blue, your trees green, and
your foreground red and yellow.
Then again mixing the colors and using them as if painting
on canvas will prove interesting. The deepest pleasure
in all work of this kind is to experiment and discover
methods for ourselves, then to work out and perfect these
methods and make them all our own.
There are various
.pm section_ni 'Papers'
suitable for monotype painting. Rice-paper is especially
pleasing; it is soft of texture, light of weight, and has a
warm, creamy tone. The monotypes printed upon it are
delicate, clear, and distinct. Imported blotting-paper also
produces satisfactory results, though the print is not quite
.bn 167a.png
.pn +1
as soft in effect; it has a smooth, rather hard surface, but
takes the paint well. Both of these papers are used dry.
Some professionals use a Japan paper and a Holland
paper. The Japan paper is very thin, and the Holland
paper has a surface like water-color paper, but is heavier
than the ordinary kind.
For first efforts the unruled, ten-cent writing pad is the
best. Very good prints can be made on this, and one feels
free to experiment as much as heart desires with such inexpensive
material. The monotypes given here were painted
on writing-paper and imported blotting-paper.
.bn 167b.png
.il fn=i_152fpa.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca
Early Spring.
Printed on Unruled Writing-paper.
.ca-
.bn 168.png
.bn 169.png
.il fn=i_152fp.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca
Florida Coast.
Printed on Imported Blotting-paper.
.ca-
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.bn 171.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER XIII | PRISCILLA RUGS
.sp 2
.di i_153-drcapch13.jpg 200 279 1.1
As there is no limit to the
beautiful effects which may be
produced by the well-chosen
color combination in the Priscilla
rag rugs, and anyone who
has an eye for color (which,
by the way, may be cultivated)
is sure of success.
There are many new inventions
in hand-looms, yet
the old cumbersome loom of
our grandmother’s day is still
to be found in the outlying
districts of most towns and
cities, and the weaving done on this is fully
as satisfactory as that on the new looms. Almost
every village has its rag-carpet weaver, and on his
old-fashioned machine can be woven all that we want in
this line.
First, there are the all-wool rugs for general use in the
house, then mixed wool and cotton rugs for the piazza, all
cotton for bedroom and bathroom, mixed cotton and silk
and entire silk for portières and couch-covers, and for covers
for sofa-pillows.
.bn 172.png
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There are also rugs of heavy cotton, such as denim in
its dull reds, blues, yellows, greens, and browns.
The size of a rug for general use is usually one yard
wide by two yards long, the yard width being the limit of
the ordinary loom. Smaller rugs are woven in different
proportions: a runner for the hall is three-quarters of a yard
wide and of any required length, and door-mats half a yard
wide by one yard long. Squares for the centre of the room
can be made by having two breadths woven exactly alike
and then sewing them together.
You who possess a loom of even the clumsiest design
have a field open before you full of interest, for freedom to
experiment in pattern and manner of weaving will lead to
continually new results and there will be increasing
and beauty in your productions.
.pm section 'Color Schemes for Rugs'
Collect all your available material, plan your combination
of colors, and then decide whether it will be necessary
to put some of the rags into the dye-pot. If you have a
handsome vase in your room it is a pretty idea to take that
for your keynote and reproduce its color in your rugs.
Solid colors are the best unless you wish to have part of
your rug what is called “hit or ” For “hit or miss”
any short pieces may be used and sewed together indiscriminately;
then again, if you have a good deal of checked,
plaid, or mingled material, it may be used by itself for
centre or border. It is upon the solid colors, however, that
you must principally rely, as there is less of the element of
chance in their use, and your calculation as to the result of
your color combination will be surer.
.il fn=i_154fp.jpg w=382px ew=66%
.ca Making a Priscilla Rug.
A favorite design is a “hit or miss,” or a solid-colored
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.bn 175.png
.pn +1
centre with striped ends. A more unconventional effect is
produced by making the rug in stripes of unequal width
and in daring color combinations; some of these latter are
startlingly barbaric and artistic in appearance and are well
adapted to studio use. Again, more harmonious effects are
produced by using various tints and shades of one color.
Very narrow stripes of black and of white often separate
wide stripes of different colors, sometimes singly, sometimes
together, and when used with discretion they give a
certain decision and finish to the whole. You will naturally
want to exercise your own taste and originality in designing
your rugs, so a description of one all-wool rug will be amply
sufficient as a guide.
This rug is one yard wide by two yards long. The
centre is exactly one yard square and is of solid dark cardinal
red. The two ends are precisely the same and the stripes
of the border follow each other in this order: Next the
centre comes a very narrow stripe of old gold, then one of
the same width of white. These are made by putting the
strips of color only once through the loom, or once across.
After these comes a five-inch stripe of old blue, again the
narrow yellow and white stripes followed by a two-inch
stripe of moss green, a three-inch stripe of dull light blue,
a five-inch stripe of light brown, a two-inch stripe of old
blue, and next the fringe a one-inch stripe of dark cardinal
red. The fringe is simply the warp allowed to extend
beyond the rug about a quarter of a yard at each end.
Gray is a useful color in all-wool rugs and makes an
effective centre for a bright-colored border.
.pm section_ni 'The Fire Rug'
is a beautiful blending of reds and yellows giving a flame
color. The ends are dark red, and, by degrees, the red runs
.bn 176.png
.pn +1
into orange, which, in turn, melts into dark yellow, growing
gradually lighter until the centre of the rug is a pale, soft
yellow.
.il fn=i_156.jpg w=325px ew=60% align=l
.ca Tack on a Piece of Paper Samples of the Rags Used.
Pale tones of yellows
and greens are
sometimes combined,
also yellows
and browns.
Before taking
your rug to the
loom tack on a piece
of paper samples of
the rags used in the
order in which you
wish them woven,
and write opposite
each sample the
width the stripe is
to be made, as
shown in diagram.
Give this to the
weaver that no mistakes
may be made by him in the placing of the colors.
.pm section 'The Weight'
To calculate how much you will need of each color, remember
that it requires about two pounds of woollen rags
to the yard; therefore, if you want half a yard of one color,
one pound will be required; for a quarter of a yard, one-half
pound. Do not make your calculations too closely, with a
little over-weight in each case no harm is done and it is
better than falling short of the required amount. The narrow,
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.pn +1
or once-across, stripes require an inch or two over the
yard for each stripe.
.pm section 'How to Cut and Sew the Rags'
.il fn=i_157.jpg w=300px ew=60% align=r
.ca
Sew the pieces together
in this way.
.ca-
Cut your rags in strips one-half an inch wide unless the
material is very thin or loosely woven, in which case make
them wider; very heavy cloth should be even narrower than
the half-inch. Cotton rags should be one
inch wide. As the rag’s are pinched
together when woven it is the
thickness that counts, and the
object is to keep them of
an even bulk so that
the rug may not have
an uneven, lumpy surface.
Perhaps you
will be told by the
weaver not to sew
your rags too securely,
for they
cannot be jerked
apart readily when it is necessary to break off one color
to begin weaving the next; but do not act on such advice.
You must sew the strips together with care so that the ends
may not stand out and give a ragged look to the finished
rug. The accompanying diagram shows the best manner of
joining the pieces. You see that one piece is laid over the
end of the other, then both are folded lengthwise and sewed
securely in the fold. This gives smooth joints and an even
surface.
Wind your different colors into balls, having, as a rule,
one pound in each, and put them in a bag to send to the
loom.
.bn 178.png
.pn +1
.pm section 'Cotton and Wool Rugs'
For piazza rugs, or for summer cottage use, cotton may
be mixed with the wool; indeed, some hold that it is unnecessary
to have all-wool for any purpose, though the writer
thinks differently. The temptation is great, however, to
use the pretty bits of gingham and lawn left from summer
gowns, and they do give a certain, if not lasting, brilliancy
to the rug. That much of the cotton is apt to fade and
grow shiny with use is of little consequence when the rugs
are not subjected to hard and constant use. Rugs of this
class should be as bright and gay as possible; the combination
of even the crudest colors looks well on a vine-shaded
piazza and in the gayly decked summer cottage.
.pm section 'All-cotton Rugs'
For bedroom and bathroom all-cotton rugs are exceedingly
pretty and appropriate, and when they are made of
fast-colored material they may be washed with ease and
kept always fresh and clean.
.il fn=i_158.jpg w=400px ew=80%
.ca The Centre may have Dashes of Color through it.
White should predominate in these washable rugs, and
the best as well as the simplest effect is produced by combining
.bn 179.png
.bn 180.png
.bn 181.png
.pn +1
it with but one other color. Indigo blue and turkey
red are safe and useful colors; brown and green gingham
also look well with the white. Of cotton rags allow one
and one-half pounds to the yard. When you are in doubt
as to the permanency of your colors soak the rug, before
washing, in a strong solution of salt and water; this will
“set” almost any color. These cotton rugs may be woven
in alternate strips of color and white, or the white be used
for the centre and the colors for the border, or the centre
may have dashes of color through it as shown in diagram.
.il fn=i_158fp.jpg w=382px ew=65%
.ca In Stripes of Unequal Width.
Bathroom rugs can be entirely of white or, towel-fashion,
have a narrow colored strip at each end. Any
white cotton may be used in these bathroom rugs, old being
better for this purpose than new, as it is much softer.
.pm section 'Warps and Fringe'
Gray linen is undoubtedly the best-wearing warp and
harmonizes with all colors, therefore for all-wool rugs it is
the best. It gives, of course, a gray fringe, but that is not
undesirable. When a colored fringe is wanted the cotton
warp will have to be used. This comes in red, blue, purple,
yellow, and white. Use cotton warp for cotton rugs, and
where the filling is largely white the warp should be white
also. When red warp is used with white filling a pink tone
is the result, while blue and purple with white filling produce
a gray effect.
At each end of the rug the warp should be woven with
self-filling to the depth of one inch. This makes a heading
for the fringe and prevents the rag filling from ravelling.
It is, in fact, a selvage. You may knot the fringe, using six
strands to a knot, or plat it and then knot as in diagram, or
it may be stitched at the top and left to flow freely.
.bn 182.png
.pn +1
.pm section 'Dyeing the Cloth'
Those who make a business of manufacturing rag
rugs scorn to use the dyes that come ready prepared
and think it well worth the extra
trouble to make their dyes themselves.
So it is,
perhaps, when one
has plenty of time
to devote to the
work, but a girl’s
life is so full of interests
and occupation
she generally
chooses quick
methods, though
the results may
not always be as
lasting.
.il fn=i_160.jpg w=350px ew=60% align=l
.ca You may Knot the Fringe or Plat it and Knot it.
In case your heart yearns toward the old-fashioned
process and you want to go into the work thoroughly, read
the recipes given here and follow them carefully. They are
taken from an old manuscript recipe-book, yellow with age
and worn by use, which has descended to the writer from an
ancestress famous for her good housekeeping and housewifely
arts. The dye appears to have been prepared in
large quantities, usually enough for sixteen pounds of wool,
but you can easily regulate the proportion of the ingredients
and make as much or as little as you want.
.pm section_ni 'Wool Dyes'
Navy Blue.—"Boil in a sufficient quantity of water twelve
ounces of copperas, three ounces of alum, one and one-half
.bn 183.png
.pn +1
ounces of verdigris, one and one-half ounces of cream-tartar.
Run[A] your cloth in it for four hours, then air. Empty out
that liquor and fill up with clear water; add four and one-half
pounds of logwood, boil it for one hour and a half,
then add six ounces of madder and boil for half an hour,
then run your cloth for half an hour. Air it (the cloth),
then add six ounces of blue vitriol and three ounces of
pearl-ash. Mix it well and run your cloth in it for twenty
minutes, then air and rinse it.
.fn A
To “run” means to leave the cloth in the dye, moving and stirring it about
occasionally that the dye may be evenly distributed.
.fn-
.ti 0
Silver Gray.—"On one pound of woollen: Take two ounces
of sumac and three ounces of logwood and boil for one hour
in four gallons of water, then add one-half ounce of cream-tartar.
Put in your woollen for one hour, then take out and
air. Refresh your dye with water and add one-half ounce
of copperas, bring it to a boil and run your woollen for half
an hour, then air, rinse, and dry it.
.ti 0
Yellow.—"On woollen for one pound: Dissolve in four
gallons of boiling water three ounces of alum and one
ounce of cream-tartar, then run your cloth for one hour
and a half at boiling heat. Take out, cool, and rinse,
then boil one pound of fustic chips for five hours, run
your cloth, while boiling, for one hour, then cool, rinse,
and dry it.
.ti 0
Madder Red.—"On one pound of woollen: Boil five gallons
of water in a kettle, add three ounces of powdered alum and
one ounce of cream-tartar, then run your woollen in it for
two hours, rinse and air it. Put five gallons of fresh water
in a kettle, add eight ounces of madder, mix it well and
bring it to the boil, then run your woollen for one hour, but
it must boil only five minutes. Take it out, air and rinse it.
Add to the dye one-half pint of clear lime-water, then run
.bn 184.png
.pn +1
your woollen for ten minutes, then take it out and rinse it
immediately.
.pm section_ni 'Cotton Dyes'
Brown.—"On cotton for five pounds: Bring eight gallons of
water to the boil and add four ounces of pearl-ash, dip your
yarn (or cloth) for half an hour and then wring out. Take
twenty gallons of water and one bushel of maple or white-oak
bark, boil it two hours, then take out the bark and strain
the liquor and add one pound of copperas; stir it until it is
dissolved and let your liquor cool to lukewarm. Dip your
yarn for five minutes, wring and air it; dip again for fifteen
minutes, wring and dip again until you have it dark
enough.
.ti 0
Purple.—“On cotton for two pounds: Boil four ounces of
sumac in four gallons of water, then dip your yarn for half
an hour; wring, air, and put it in again over night, then take
out and wring. Boil in seven gallons of water one pound
four ounces of logwood for one hour; take three gallons of
the logwood liquor and dip your yarn in it for twenty
minutes, then add three quarts of the logwood liquor and
dip for twenty minutes, then put in the remainder and dip
for twenty minutes, then wring out and dry your yarn.”
The wringing process given in the last two recipes is
for cotton yarn; cotton cloth or woollen cloth should never
be wrung out; simply lift it from the dye with two sticks,
immerse it in clear cold water, if you are to rinse it, then
hang it up and let it drip. All material must be perfectly
clean and thoroughly soaked before being put in the dye.
.ti 0
Note.—“In boiling, all drugs and barks that will not dissolve
ought to be put in a thin, coarse bag and taken out before
you dip, and the liquor should be settled. Dip only in
clear liquor.”
.bn 185.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER XIV | A PEANUT NOAH'S ARK
.sp 2
.di i_163-drcapch14.jpg 200 261 1.1
Changing one thing into another is
always interesting, and the most charming
part of a Peanut Noah’s Ark is that
you can transform these ground-nuts
into any and every kind of
wild creature. At your command
they will come trooping from all
parts of the tangled jungle, the elephants
leading and tigers, lions,
bears, wolves, kangaroos, giraffes,
and others following. Ever so
many insects, too-the curious peanut
spider, actually as large as one of those mammoth
Southern tarantulas which often travel North on bunches
of bananas, and the enormous hard-shelled hornet, whose
sting will not hurt half as badly as its smaller cousins who
are alive and whose nests are large and round, dark gray in
color and appear as if made of paper. In addition to these
you can have beetles of different kinds, grasshoppers, and
various sorts of moths.
With the help of bits of paper and some wooden toothpicks
the ground-nuts may be transformed into
.bn 186.png
.pn +1
.pm section 'Denizens of Earth, Air, and Water.'
First we will catch the terrible hornet, but to get him you
must select a peanut as near like Fig. 312 as you can find.
This is for the thorax or chest; choose a longer nut, resembling
Fig. 313, for the abdomen or body. Take six common
wooden toothpicks for the legs (Fig. 314), and bend
each stick until it fractures near the centre without breaking
(Fig. 315). For the waist use a short piece of toothpick
(Fig. 316). For the sting take a pin (Fig. 317). To insert
the sting in the body make a small hole on the lower
side and thrust in the pin so that the point will project from
.bn 187.png
.pn +1
the tail; push the head of the pin into the nut until it is
out of sight, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 317, 2A. This
diagram gives the point of the pin as it stands out from the
nut. Join the chest and body by thrusting one end of Fig.
316 into Fig. 312 and the other end into Fig. 313, leaving
a small length of Fig. 316 exposed to represent the slender
waist of the hornet, as shown in Fig. 318. This done, put
three legs on each side of the insect by forcing the toothpicks
into the thorax or chest peanut (Fig. 318).
.il fn=i_164.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca
DETAILS
OF THE
TERRIBLE
“PEA-NUT”-HORNET
Fig. 312-322.
.ca-
Now we have a huge ant, and as ants are practically
wingless hornets, some of them even having stings like the
bee tribe, it is only necessary to add a pair of wings to complete
the terrible peanut hornet. If you have any tracing-paper
or the waxed paper from a candy-box, the semi-transparent
material will form wonderfully natural wings; but
any kind of paper will make
.pm section_ni 'A Pair of Good Wings.'
With a pencil draw the pattern (Fig. 319) upon a bit of
paper, fold at the dotted line and you will have Fig. 320.
With the scissors cut around the outline through both
leaves of the folded paper; the result will be Fig. 321, the
two wings joined together. Paste them on the back of the
thorax, and you will have Fig. 322. To make it look still
more lifelike, ink stripes across its back and head, and stick
in the front of the head two fine, small black pins for the
antennæ. To prove that this is a live hornet, let anyone
who doubts the fact press the end of his finger on the point
of the sting and he will be satisfied. Should he still claim
that the thing is not alive, dip your finger in a glass of water
and allow a drop of the fluid to fall on each joint of the legs
where the wood is fractured; the swelling of the wet wood
.bn 188.png
.pn +1
will cause the legs to move in a manner sufficiently lifelike
to satisfy the most critical.
It is not commonly known that
.pm section_ni 'Spiders Are Good to Eat,'
but the newly discovered specimen known as the Peanuticus
spiderencus is one which the most dainty little girl may eat
without feeling at all nervous as to consequences. Spiders
differ in many respects
from true
insects, but we
need only observe
the most
obvious points of
divergence.
.dv class='column-container-left'
.dv class='column colw60 caption'
Fig. 323.
.dv-
.dv class='column colw40 caption'
Fig. 324.
.dv-
.il fn=i_166-fig323-324-325.jpg w=350px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 325.
.dv-
First, they have
no waist; that is,
their body is jammed
upon their
thorax (Fig. 323).
Next, their heads
are driven into
their shoulders,
so to speak, so that they not only have no neck, but there is
not even a line to indicate where the head ends and the
thorax or chest begins.
From the quart of peanuts select one which looks most
like Fig. 323. Spiders have more legs than beetles or wasps.
Garden spiders have eight well-defined legs, and our Peanuticus
belongs to the garden spider family. Therefore, take
eight toothpicks and, bending them as before described, make
eight legs. Push two legs into each side of the large part
.bn 189.png
.bn 190.png
.bn 191.png
.pn +1
of the nut—the abdomen—inclining them backward, and two
more into each side of the small part of the nut—the thorax—slanting
them forward, as in Fig. 324. Make the antennæ
of two black pins, bent according to Fig. 325; push the
pins well into the head of the spider (Fig. 324). If you
thread a fine piece of black elastic through the spider’s
back, allowing a length of about a half yard, and weight the
body by fastening a little flattened piece of lead or a small
stone on the under part with melted sealing-wax, the Peanuticus
can be made to dance up and down in the air like a
natural spider running on its web. The black elastic will
not be noticeable. Tie the end of the elastic on a stick;
then you can hold it out from you and have a better view
of the curious creature.
Pick up another peanut and see what it suggests.
Imagine it with long ears. What would it look like?
.pm section_ni 'A Rabbit, of Course.'
Cut two ears from white paper and a tail from the same
paper; paste one ear on each side of Bunny’s head and
fasten the little stumpy tail in place. Then stick two short
pieces of toothpicks in the nut for the front legs; bend the
back legs at the centre and push the upright part into position
so that the lower horizontal portion will be bent
forward and rest on the ground. Ink round spots for eyes
and a line partially across the front for the mouth.
.pm section_ni 'Camels'
are curious creatures, always carrying a little mountain
on their backs, and chewing as if they had an inexhaustible
supply of chewing-gum tucked away in some invisible
pocket. Think of the mountain’s back when selecting a
.bn 192.png
.pn +1
peanut for this animal and find one with a high hump.
Cut the head and neck (Fig. 326) of stiff paper or card-board;
ink the
eyes and mouth,
and slide the head
into a slit cut in
the nut. Make
the tail of heavy
black thread or
darning-cotton
and fasten it on
by simply sewing the thread in the
nut. Tassel out the end. For the
two hind and one of the front legs
use three stiff, straight toothpicks; bend the other toothpick
for the front left leg so that the camel will appear to
be walking. The little animal will stand on three legs,
holding the fourth up, as in Fig. 327.
Find a nut shaped something like
.pm section_ni 'A Little Chicken,'
with part of it inclining upward for the head. Stick two
short, bent toothpicks in for feet; if properly adjusted the
chick rests on them. Cut paper wings and paste one on
each side of the chicken. Make the beak also of paper and
insert it in the front of the head. The eyes can be marked
with ink.
When among the jungle folks, off in the tangled wild
woods,
.pm section_ni 'The Elephant'
grows to an immense size, but things are very different in
Peanut Land. There the big-eared creature is a wee thing
not much larger than the chicken you have just made.
.bn 193.png
.pn +1
It is a veritable midget of an elephant and not at all dangerous.
Look over all your nuts and choose the one most
closely resembling
the body and head
of an elephant; then
make two pasteboard
front legs
like Fig. 328, and
two more like Fig.
329 for the hind legs. Cut two ears (Fig.
330) and a trunk (Fig. 331). The tail should
be comparatively slender
and a trifle bushy at the
end. Paste ears, tail, and
trunk in their proper
places and cut four slits
in the lower part of the
nut for the four legs,
which you may then slide
into place (Fig. 332). The
tusks are two toothpicks
stuck into the lower part of the head. By the diagrams it
may be plainly seen just how the work is done.
.il fn=i_169-fig333.jpg w=100px ew=25% align=l
.ca Fig. 333.
.pm section_ni 'The Owl'
is fashioned from a nut without the joint-like
extension. Ink the eyes, beak, and
wings, and with heavy thread or darning-cotton
sew the wise bird to a twig or
toothpick. Divide the stitches forming
each foot into two portions or
two toes, as a real owl shows only two when in the same
position (Fig. 333).
.bn 194.png
.pn +1
In the queer Peanut Land
.pm section_ni 'Storks'
hold an important position. They are very proud and
carry their heads high as they stand perched upon their
long stilt-like legs. Their Holland relatives delight in
building nests on
the tops of chimneys,
and it is always
considered a
sign of good luck
for the occupants of
the house when Mr.
and Mrs. Stork favor them with
their presence. Your stork will
not have to remain on the outside
of the house, because, not being as
large as the others of his family,
you can find room for him in almost
any place. Make the bird’s
body of the most common-shaped
peanut, his legs of two stiff wooden
toothpicks, and his head (Fig. 334)
of stiff paper. Mark eyes on the
head and put the different parts of
the bird together. He will stand
up straight if you punch his feet into a piece of patented
paper used in packing bottles (Fig. 335). If you have no
such paper, use anything you can find that will answer the
purpose.
.pm section_ni 'Lobsters'
which will not pinch also live in Peanut Land. They have
eight bent toothpick legs, a tail of paper (Fig. 336), and
.bn 195.png
.pn +1
paper claws (Fig. 337). The antennæ are toothpicks. Real
lobsters have one front claw larger than the other, but on
peanut lobsters these are of
the same size. When you
have made the lobster (Fig.
338) you might boil him
by dipping the funny little
thing in red ink, for lobsters
are always red after
being boiled.
All these animals need a
.pm section_ni 'Noah'
to keep them in order in the Ark.
Make Noah entirely of peanuts; a small
one for the head, a large one for the
body, two for
the arms, two for each leg, and two
small nuts for the feet. String the
nuts together with strong, coarse
thread. Make the hair of a number
of strands of black thread tied together
in the centre. Pin this wig
on the peanut head, part the hair
and spread it out to meet in the
back and gum it in place. Mark
the face with ink and dress the doll
with loose trousers and loose sack
coat. Cut the hat of common wrapping-paper.
First make the brim
of a circular piece of paper, with a
round hole in the middle; then the crown of a strip of paper
slashed on each side. Fasten the ends of this together, turn
.bn 196.png
.pn +1
out the slashes on one side and slide the brim over the
crown down on the turned-out slashed portion. Paste it on
tight. Next turn in the slashes on the top edge of the
crown, fit a disk of paper over them as you would put a lid
on a pan, and gum the top of the crown in place. You will
find Mr. Noah rather loose-jointed, but that does not matter;
he is better so, for he is not too stiff to run about and
attend to his collection of animals. Make Mrs. Noah of
peanuts as you did Noah, and dress her in bright colors
with a gay little hat fastened firmly on her head.
.sp 1
.dv class='column-container'
.dv class='column'
.if h
.fs 90%
Fig. 341.
.fs 100%
.if-
.if t
[Illustration: Fig. 341.]
.if-
.il fn=i_172-fig341-339.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 339.
.dv-
.dv class='column coltop'
.il fn=i_172-fig340.jpg w=200px ew=100%
.ca Fig. 340.
.dv-
.dv-
.pm section_ni 'The Ark'
may be an ordinary pasteboard box, with a gabled roof
pasted on the lid. Take a box like that shown in Fig. 339,
bend a piece of stiff paper
(Fig. 340), paste the sides of
Fig. 340 on the lid (Fig. 341),
and over the two open ends
gum triangular paper cut as in Fig. 342. Paint windows
and a door on the sides of the Ark; then paste the Ark on a
piece of another larger box-lid cut like Fig. 343. Put Noah
and his wife in the box with all the animals, and tie a string
through a hole pierced in the front of the stand of the Ark,
so that the Ark with its entire cargo of peanut animals may
be dragged from one place to another (Fig. 344).
.bn 197.png
.il fn=i_172fp.jpg w=382px ew=66%
.bn 198.png
.bn 199.png
.pn +1
Noah’s Ark and all its animals has ever had a great
attraction for young folks, and it is not an uncommon
sight to see baby grab Noah, Mrs. Noah, or some of the
gorgeously painted animals, and put the
toy in its mouth. Many of the colors used
in painting the shop toys contain poison,
but the present Mr.
and Mrs. Noah and
all the zoölogical
collection described in this article are healthy, wholesome
food. So when you tire of playing with them you may
eat them, with no
danger of ill consequences.
Just
think! Elephant
and camel for first
course, stork and
lobster second, and
dessert of spiders, wasps, and
small birds. What a novel bill of
fare! One little girl may eat a
couple of elephants, several giraffes, a rhinoceros or two,
and still have a good appetite for her regular dinner.
.bn 200.png
.pn +1
Should you think of some favorite animal not here
described, which would be an addition to your collection,
put your wits to work and hunt up a peanut suitable for the
purpose; then find a photograph or printed picture of the
animal, that you may be sure to have it as perfect as the
materials will allow. In this way almost
.pm section_ni 'Any Animal, Fish, or Insect Can be Made,'
for after working out the given examples you will have
gained sufficient knowledge of the governing principles of
the work and enough skill to enable you to continue the
manufacturing of peanut toys alone or with the help of
other girls and boys.
.pm section_ni 'Different Lines of Objects'
can also be formed from the nut. Break open one with
only a slight indenture at the centre and make the two
halves into fairylike little sailing vessels by the addition
of a sail and mast cut all in one from white writing-paper,
and gummed to the bottom of the boat near the large
end. It requires but a moment to make these tiny crafts,
and they will sail across a basin of water as if they were
in reality large affairs on the salt sea, their white wings
gleaming out in the most charming manner. Stir the water
slightly with a stick and see how the boats dance; blow
gently on the sails and off the two will race for the opposite
side of the basin. If you are near any small stream or pond
you may launch your tiny boat and watch it bravely breast
the little ripples.
.bn 201.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER XV | A FLOWER FEAST
.di i_175-drcapch15.jpg 125 178 1.1
This dinner party will be great fun,
especially as there need be no
worry about cooking, for the sun,
with the assistance of the rain and
air, has attended to that part of the
preparation.
We shall have to
provide some sort
of a dining-table. An ordinary
letter-paper box about
eight inches long and five
inches wide will answer the purpose. Spread
over the table a fresh, white table-cloth of
paper, and for a centre-piece choose
.pm centerimage4 i_175-fig345-348 225 345 346 347 348
.pm section_ni 'A Pineapple'
made of a cone one and one-half
or two inches high (Fig.
345), cutting it off flat at
the stem (Fig. 346) so that
it will stand firmly on the
table (Fig. 347). On the top
of the fruit pin a small
bunch of coarse grass tips
tied together with thread
.bn 202.png
.pn +1
(Figs. 348 and
349) and use the
petals of a bright-colored
flower,
which will lie flat
when the lower
portion is cut off,
as an ornamental
mat to place under
the pineapple;
a nasturtium
blossom (Fig. 350)
will look well.
Almost everyone
is fond of
.pm section_ni 'A Fine, Fresh Fish'
for dinner, so we will select
one which is sound and
perfect. Carefully open a
large-size milk-weed pod in
the seam which you will
find on the rounded side
(Fig. 351) and take out the
beautiful white fish composed of the seeds clinging to their
downy wings, the seeds forming the fish’s scales (Fig. 352)
and the down its body.
Cut out a piece of white
paper (Fig. 353) and with
a drop of paste fasten it on
.bn 203.png
.pn +1
the fish to
form the tail
(Fig. 354);
also gum a
small, round
piece of inked paper in position for the eye;
place the fish on a dish made from a long, green leaf (Fig.
355). Hollyhock
seeds, which are
packed together
in rounded forms,
must furnish
cheeses, the resemblance
being very marked (Fig. 356). Two will be required and should
be placed on the opposite sides of the table.
.il fn=i_177-fig356-357.jpg w=200px ew=40% align=l
.ca Fig. 356.\ \ \ \ \ \ Fig. 357.
.pm section_ni 'The Rosy-cheeked Apples'
(Fig. 357) which come from
the rose-bush are the seed-vessel
of the flowers, and
so closely do they imitate
little apples, when detached from the bush
they might easily be mistaken for such. Select
a leaf plate, fill it with the apples and place them on the
table between the pineapple and the salad. They give a
bright note of color, which helps the decoration.
The
.il fn=i_178-fig358-359-360.jpg w=175px ew=30% align=r
.ca Fig. 358.\ \ Fig. 359.\ \ Fig. 360.
.pm section_ni 'Fruit Salad'
shall be dainty enough for a fairy queen. We will mix
shredded orange from the petals of a full, fresh young dandelion
blossom (Fig. 358 shows one of the petals magnified)
.bn 204.png
.pn +1
with shredded strawberries
produced from the common
red-clover blossom (Fig. 359
represents an enlarged petal),
and shredded cocoanut made
from the ordinary white-clover
petals (Fig. 360 also magnified).
When these are well mixed
serve them on a pretty, green
leaf plate, and the dish will give
another bit of mingled color
with its pink, white, green, and
yellow.
.pm section_ni 'The Cups and Saucers'
are furnished by the oak-tree and made of acorns. The
lower part (Fig. 361) forms the saucer; the upper (Fig. 362)
the cup. Cut off the top, then remove the
kernel and the cup is ready for use (Fig. 363).
It is better to
select a large-sized
acorn for
the saucer and
a smaller one
for the cup, in
order that the
cup may have
more space in
the saucer and
not fit too closely
(Fig. 364).
Miniature dippers can be
fashioned of acorn cups by piercing a hole
.bn 205.png
.pn +1
in one side near the top and pushing a slender stick through
until it rests against the opposite side (Fig. 365).
.il fn=i_179-fig367.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca Fig. 367.
Odd little baskets are also made of acorns (Fig. 366) by
cutting away all of the top of the acorn except a band
through its centre; this forms the handle. The acorn is
left in its rough saucer, which gives the outer surface of
the basket, the inner surface being the interior of the acorn
proper. Make several cups and saucers, and the feast will
be ready for others to see (Fig.
367). Of course, it is only intended
to give pleasure in this way and
not really to serve as food.
Rose petals make an excellent
substitute for the common
.pm section_ni 'Snapping Bonbons,'
such as are usually served at parties
with the refreshments. Choose
the largest and best petals (Fig. 368)
and gather up the edge of one all the way around, holding
the folds securely; a little, bag-like object is thus formed
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(Fig. 369), which, when held firmly with the thumb and
forefinger of one hand and struck against the out-stretched
palm of the
other, snaps
with a loud
noise. If any
opening is allowed when gathering up the
edges of the petal, the air will not be confined
and consequently the bag will not snap,
and you must try another.
Of the thorns covering the stems of the roses you can
make chains by sticking the point of one thorn into the base
of another and continuing in this manner until the chain is
as long as you desire (Fig. 370).
The party being over we will make some
.pm section 'Baskets of Green Burs.'
They are pretty and rustic and can be shaped into almost
any style; each bur is provided with little hooked fingers
(Fig. 371) that lock when the two burs are pressed against
each other, enabling them to stick fast together—not so
tight, however, that they cannot be separated when desired.
Be sure the burs are young and fresh; they will then be
free from all dryness and perfectly safe to work with; if too
old they will be difficult to handle and apt to drop the
small, thorny particles. Before commencing the work
spread a newspaper out in front of you, then, placing
your burs on that, take one bur and with several others
form a circular row around it; another row around completes
the bottom of the basket (Fig. 372). Build up the
sides on the top of this last row and form the handle with a
row of burs long enough to reach easily from side to side
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of the basket (Fig. 373). You can experiment
and make all sorts of things—vases, bowls,
plates, chairs, tables,
and houses—of
burs, and the work is very interesting and easy.
Beside contributing to the salad, the dandelion furnishes
.pm section 'A Variety of Amusement.'
You have only to hold its golden head up under your chin
to learn if you are fond of butter. With one hand hold the
flower (Fig. 374), with the other hand a mirror. If you see
a yellow reflection cast upon your chin by the blossom
underneath, you enjoy using plenty of butter on your
bread. Take the grandfather dandelion with his round,
white head (Fig. 375) and blow once, then again and again,
three times in all; the number of downy seeds left on the
head denotes the time of day. For instance, should all be
blown away except three (Fig. 376), it would mean that it
was three o’clock; if two are left it would say two o’clock,
and so on.
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.il fn=i_182-fig374.jpg w=150px ew=25% align=r
.ca Fig. 374.
Select another nice
.pm section_ni 'Old Grandfather Dandelion'
and he will tell you when you are
fortunate enough to obtain a certain
wish. First make a wish, then say
aloud “yes” and give a single blow;
next say “no” and blow again. Proceed
in this way, repeating the two words alternately,
giving one blow at each, until all the seeds are
detached from the head. If the word “yes” comes
at the last blow your wish will be granted; if “no”
comes last it
will be denied.
With
stems of this
same flower,
which, you
know, are hollow and
much smaller at the
top than at the bottom,
you can make pretty
green rings by pushing
the smaller into the
larger end of the stem
(Fig. 377). To make a
chain, join a number of
rings together by first
passing one end of the second
stem through the first
ring before the two ends of the second stem are fastened
together, doing likewise with the third, fourth, and fifth
stems (Fig. 378).
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.il fn=i_183-fig378.jpg w=300px ew=75% align=l
.ca Fig. 378.
.il fn=i_183-fig380.jpg w=60px ew=15% align=r
.ca Fig. 380.
To make an odd little ornament, split the
dandelion stem about two inches down lengthwise
through the centre (Fig. 379) and draw
one side strip through your lips several times—it
is perfectly harmless—until it curls
up (Fig. 380). Treat the other side in the
same way and it will also curl (Fig. 381).
.pm section_ni 'The Morning-glory'
gives us some of the most fragile flowers
of which we have knowledge; they
are so delicate and fine of texture not
many artists are able to render perfectly
the peculiar charm of the blossom.
Beautiful in their varied colors,
they blossom until killed by frost, and
growing as they do almost anywhere,
even along the dusty roadside, their cheerful
faces sing out a bright “Good-morning”
if one is there in time to find them
open. Usually they begin to close early in
the day, and when they close they change
into twisted elongated affairs which are
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eagerly sought by children bent on having a little sport.
If you will gather a few of these floral cornucopiæ you can
make them pop so loud they will rival the torpedo. Hold
tight the opening end of the closed blossom with the
thumb and forefinger of the right hand and fill it with air
by gently blowing in the wee stem end; grasp this securely
with the left hand; then suddenly push the two ends together,
and snap! will go the flower.
.bn 211.png
.bn 212.png
.pb
.il fn=i_185fp.jpg w=397px ew=65%
.ca Home-made Baskets.
.pb
.bn 213.png
.pn +1
.sp 4
.h3
CHAPTER XVI | BASKET-WEAVING
.sp 2
.di i_185-drcapch16.jpg 150 228 1.3
In and out, in and out; under and
over, under and over; around and
around, again and yet again; widening
and narrowing, and, lo! a basket
is woven. A child of eight can learn
it, a woman will find the work a
charming pastime; so this is written
for girls of all ages.
Dye your reeds, put all the bright
colors you like into your baskets, and
see if they are not much prettier and
more substantial than the so-called
“Indian work.” Red, blue, green,
yellow, black, purple—a butterfly’s
wing need not be gayer nor an old-time work-basket more
useful. Large, small, medium-sized, deep or shallow—only
one’s desire need determine the question.
.pm section 'Materials for Weaving'
A variety of materials are adapted to basket-weaving, but
the most substantial baskets are made of reeds. When the
principle is mastered you may use anything you choose
which will lend itself to the work.
The basket-reeds can be purchased from any reed and
rattan manufacturer, and come in various sizes. Nos. 2, 3,
.bn 214.png
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and 4 are the ones to use, and as No. 4 is quite heavy you
will need that only for large baskets, such as waste-paper
baskets, flower-pot cases, etc., and even for such purposes
No. 3 will answer. No. 2 is the finest, and of that you will
use the most. The prices range from twenty-three cents to
thirty-five cents a pound, No. 2 being the most expensive.
Beside the reeds you will need a twist of raffia; this is a
soft material used by the florist for tying up plants, and
may be obtained from him at little cost, probably eighteen
or twenty cents a hank.
.pm section 'To Prepare the Reeds'
The reeds come in bunches of five pounds each; separate
these, and taking each reed wrap it loosely around your
hand to form a coil, twisting the ends in and out to hold them
in place. This puts your material into a convenient form,
and you need unwrap the reeds only as you have use for
them, one at a time. Have ready a pan or pail full of water,
for the reeds must be soaked awhile before they are used
to make them more pliable and to keep them from breaking.
Try a small basket at first—let us say a rather flat, shallow
one—and for this one coil of No. 3 and several of No.
2 reeds will be enough. When they have soaked for about
five minutes take out the No. 3 reed, unwrap it, and cut six
pieces twelve inches long and one piece eight inches long;
then untwist your raffia and cut off one strip.
.pm section 'Weaving the Basket'
The reeds you have just cut are for the ribs of your
basket. Lay the short rib to one side within easy reach,
then take three of the ribs in your left hand and cross them
with the other three, as in Fig. 382. Be sure the reeds lie
.bn 215.png
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flat and side by side; do not bunch them. Hold the ribs
where they are crossed between the thumb and first finger
of your left hand, the vertical ones
on top, as shown in Fig. 382, and
with your right hand place one end
of the raffia on top of the reeds,
under your left thumb, leaving the
free end to fall to the left, as in Fig.
382. Hold the ribs securely now,
and bring the raffia up under those
on the left-hand side close to the
crossing, then over the upper ribs
(Fig. 383), under the right-hand ribs
and over the lower ones, going
around twice and catching down the
end of the raffia in the process; then
trim off the remaining short end of
the raffia. Do not loosen your hold
with your left hand, but with your
right separate the ribs as well as
you can and begin to weave the
raffia, starting at the left-hand rib of
the upper group, as shown by letter
A, Fig. 384. Bring the raffia over
this rib and draw it down close to
the centre, then under the next, over
the third, under the fourth, and so
on until you have been once around,
when you will find another rib necessary
to make the weave come out
properly. Here is the place for the
short rib; place one end of this rib
across the centre of the others, as
.bn 216.png
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shown by letter B, Fig. 385, and hold in place with your
left thumb. Bring the raffia over the new rib, and continue
weaving as in the first round; when
you reach the short end of the rib
bind it down with the raffia as you
carry it over one of the other ribs, as
shown by letter C, Fig. 386. Weave
steadily with the raffia now, and keep
your mind on separating the ribs until
they are of an equal distance apart;
also remember to draw the raffia down
firmly each time you pass it in and
out between the ribs, first on one
side, then on the other. Of all parts
it is most essential that the centre
of the basket should be firmly and
strongly woven. Be careful not to
weave under or over two ribs at one
time. Under one, over the next, is
the rule; and when you find, as you
will occasionally, that something is
wrong, and alternate weaving has
become impossible, look back over
your work and you will discover
that you have somewhere crossed
two ribs at once. In such a case
pull out the work and correct the
mistake.
Weave the raffia until the centre
is about two inches in diameter, or
until you have used up the raffia,
then take from the water a coil of the No. 2 reeds, unwind
it, and placing one end across the end of the raffia, hold it
.bn 217.png
.bn 218.png
.bn 219.png
.pn +1
with the thumb of your left hand, and proceed to weave
with the reed just as you did with the raffia (Fig. 387). In
all cases the joining must
be done on the inside of
the basket.
.il fn=i_188fp.jpg w=500px ew=90%
.ca 'Weaving Baskets.'
.il fn=i_189-fig388.jpg w=225px ew=40% align=r
.ca
Begin to shape the sides
By bending the ribs upward
Fig. 388.
.ca-
.pm section_ni 'Weave Your Reed'
as closely as possible, and
when you have a disk about
four inches in diameter begin
to shape the sides by
bending the ribs upward
toward you (Fig. 388) and
drawing your reed tighter.
If this slips up in the process,
push it back in place
and hold it down by passing the fingers of your left hand
between the ribs from the inside. Indeed, this is a good
way to hold your basket as soon as the ribs are sufficiently
separated. Your left hand follows your right always in