Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/132

 in bands. It is as well to put a circle of card board inside the bottom of the bag. A square jewel case can be made in the same way and many other little things to ornament a room.

Novel Table Cloth.—I saw a very novel five o'clock tea cloth lately which had been given to a young bride as a wedding present. It was an ordinary cloth made of rather coarse linen, with a very handsome drawn thread border. But the novel part was that dozens of autographs were all over it, worked in coloured ingrain cotton. The idea is very easily carried out. One has only to make or buy a tea cloth and as visitors call ask them to write their names on the cloth, and when they have departed work over it with ingrained thread. But I think it would improve the appearance of the cloth if, instead of autographs hap-hazard here and there, a design in visiting cards was drawn in marking ink either in the centre or at the four corners and then each visitor could write on a card. The one I saw had only the names of intimate friends and relatives and was a pretty idea, I think.

Pretty Fringe for a Knitted Quilt.—Cut the cotton into lengths a little more than twice the length you wish the fringe to be, put four strands of cotton together. Cast on nine stitches knit three rows plain. Fourth row: slip one, knit five, take up a set of the cotton and pass over the right hand pin, knit a stitch keeping the set at the back of the pin, bring the set forward, knit a stitch and put the set back knit the last stitch. Fifth row: knit two, take the head or loop of the set and the third stitch and knit them together, knit the rest plain. Sixth row: slip one, knit one $$ put the cotton twice over the pin and knit two together, repeat from $$ once. Put on another set as before. Seventh row: knit two, knit the third stitch and the head of the set together $$ knit one, knit half the made loop, cotton forward, knit the other half of the loop, repeat from $$ once more. Knit to the end of the row. Eighth row: slip one, knit nine, put on the set as before. Ninth row the same as the fifth row. Tenth row: cast off four, knit one $$ cotton twice over the pin, knit two together, repeat from $$ once more, put on the set as before and repeat from seventh row.

Spotted Muslin—Very many pretty little bedroom requisites such as glove pockets, handkerchief pockets, night dress bags, wall pockets, &amp;c., &amp;c., can be made of the common spotted muslin, if the maker has any taste and ingenuity. Choose a muslin with rather large dots, and with crewel silk or, work a pattern with the dots, covering them with different colours working from dot to dot in a net work, or you can with a pencil draw designs round the dots and then work over with silk.

Crazy Work.—This is really a kind of patch work, very pretty and effective, and if well done looks like Oriental work. Collect as many pieces and patches of silk, velvet, plush, satin, as you can. Any of the milliners would be able to save you their scraps, and the smallest pieces will do. Bed spreads can be made in this work, but it is as well to attempt something smaller at first, a bracket for instance. I have just made a pair, a description of which will be a guide. First cut the shape in brown paper, and make it to fit the bracket as you cannot cut any of the work when finished without spoiling it. Now cut out in any strong material, ticking I have found the best, then cut your patches, or rather trim them, as the odder they are in shape the better, and have colours that will harmonize. Tack the patches on the foundation completely covering it, fitting the pieces in here and there and turingturning? [sic] the edges of silk and satin under, baste securely and then feather stitch round each patch with colored silk. Choose any colour or colours you like, but I think the one looks best. I did mine with gold coloured silk and the effect is very good. That is crazy work but it is greatly improved if you get a ball of tinsel gold, silver, bronze, any will do, and beginning at