Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/135

 anything that can be easily sewn and finish with a rosette at each side where it is sewn on. This can all be bebe [sic] carried out with gold paint instead of lining, and the bag for the centre part made of gold coloured silk or satin. For bazaars these baskets are very effective.

To CrystaliseCrystallise [sic] Grass and Leaves for Ornaments.—These make very effective ornaments and are so easily made a child can do them. Pulverise and dissolve about one pound of alum in one quart of hot water, but do not on any account boil it. Pour the solution into a deep earthen jar and let it stand by the fire till just luke warm. Select the grass you want to do, and be sure they are perfectly dry and pressed out straight. Fasten with thread or just suspend them to a stick and lay it across the top of the jar being sure that it is quite submerged in the liquid. Put the jar in a cool place where it will not be shaken or moved for 12 hours, then take them out and let them drain. When quite dry the blades of grass will be covered with crystals of alum. For yellow crystals, boil a few safronsaffron [sic] leaves in a little water and mix it with the solution. For red or pink add dye, Prussian red is best. If they do not crystalise the first time sufficiently, heat the solution and dip them again and so on until they are right.

Wattle Work.—This is comparatively a new work, and is really an imitation of wattle in yellow wool. To carry it out you require a couple of skeins of wool the exact colour of the wattle flower. A small comb, one of those little things sold in small cases is the best, a needle and thread, and a sharp pair of small scissors. Cut a piece of card board half an inch wide and wind some of the yellow wool round and round it till you have 12 or 13 turns. Now sew the wool securely along one edge of the card, drawing it as close together as possible so as not to make too thick or wide a stalk to the tiny flower. When all the strands are fixed so that they won't slip when combed, cut them along the opposite edge of the card. Slip the scissors along close against the card and you should have a little ball of wool strands. Now take the little comb and comb them out, so that every bit of wool is divided and the little ball looks like yellow cotton wool or wadding. Take the scissors now and trim and cut it until the size of a wattle blossom. The process is very simple and having once begun it you will see how to do it far better than I can tell you here. When sewing the strands together leave long threads of white cotton (two of them) so as to fasten the little blossom on to the side of the centre stalk which is worked in of the color of the stalk. Very pretty brackets, tea cosies, mantle drapes and many other things can be made with velvet or plush and wattle flowers and leaves worked on them. The design is drawn, or you can buy a wattle transfer now I think. The stalks are worked in green arasene and the leaves in a different shade. When the leaves and stalks are worked fasten on the little blossoms on each side of stalks. The flannel flower is generally in season at the same time as wattle and looks very effective if introduced with it. You can make the flannel flowers of white flannel, the thicker or cricketing flannel. Cut the petals (by a flower) on paper first. Then pack your flannel or velveteen with stiff muslin gummed or put on with starch this will make it firmer and not so apt to fray at the edges. Let the muslin dry before cutting them with a sharp pair of scissors. Cut the flower exact to the pattern and make the centre of white wool in the same way as I have described the wattle making, but larger and flatter. Then mix a tiny drop of green dye, and with a camel hair brush just brush the centre to give it the faint green tinge and just the least tint upon each petal. You cannot do better than take a natural flower and copy it. Flannel flowers can be bought but they are very expensive and a quarter of a yard of flannel or velveteen will make dozens.