Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/136

 Having learned the wattle it occurred to me that berries could be made in the same way and would be so much more effective, I tried them and the result was beyond my expectations. A bunch of purple grapes can be made to look very beautiful, and if the leaf of the vine is cut out of green silk and veined with sewing or crewel silks the effect is quite startling. It takes time and patience in making the berries to arrive at perfection, and great artistic taste is required to blend the colours, only the dark purples, and for the green grapes, the delicate shades of green. The red mountain ash berries can be made of red wool and are a great improvement on the crewel berries worked flat.

Carpentering for Young Ladies.—Almost any lady can use a hammer and nails with a little practice, and in the bush so many little ornaments can be made that it is quite worth while learning. I will give a few little articles easily made and from which my gentle readers, I am sure, can advance to others more elaborate. A stand for a photograph is made with six pieces of wood; common deal, or bamboo, one inch and a half wide; and the length, bar for centre 12 inches, two bars on each side 11 inches, lower cross bar 10 inches, upper cross bar 7 inches, leg or support behind 10 inches, this last must have a tiny brass hinge to it. Arrange the bars in position and glue them in place. Nail the one half of the hinge on the support to the back of the upper cross bar just in the middle. Round the corners of the cross bars and tops of the upright lengths and just below the lower bar bore a hole and insert a piece of wood in, the outside lengths to support the picture. The frame is now finished,and can either be covered with plush or be painted with Aspinall's enamel. This is merely one article of the many a woman can make if she tries. Three corner gipsy stands made from rustic wood and covered with silver paper cigarettes are wrapped in, or painted with enamel or gold paint, and tied with coloured ribbon at the corners are very effective to stand a flower vase in or to hang a small basket of moss to.

A Pretty Pin Cushion.—Make four little sacks of strong calico and stuff them firmly with bran or sawdust and sew them up. Now make corresponding bags of silk of contrasting colours, and about two inches longer so that when the filled sacks are in, the silk ones can be tied with ribbon or cord, and if a little of the top is frayed out it is more effective. Sew all four sacks together securely near the top or shoulder so that they will stand erect. Three sacks make a very pretty cushion too.

A Hair-Pin Cushion.—Get a little box, a wooden one is best, one of those the children buy lillies in will do nicely. It must be filled with horsehair curled stiffly, or fibre, and have a knitted or crocheted cover. The top can be made of zephyr, by knitting one row plain, and every other one by winding the zephyr round the first finger four times, and knitting it in, which makes a soft fluffy material in which to stick the hair pins. The cover can be crocheted of macramé twine in shell pattern to fit over the box. Then by way of beautifying it stiffen the whole of the box with a little cold boiled starch and gild it with gold paint when thoroughly dry.

Alum Baskets.—Not only baskets but dozens of other little ornaments can be made or decorated with this. I have seen glove boxes done, and once I did a little jewel cabinet for a bazaar. At Christmas time when trees are the order of the day it can be turned to various uses in making odds and ends. Dissolve as much alum as the quantity of water required will take up for your basket or whatever you are going to ornament must be quite submerged. When the water will absolve no more pour it into a saucepan, or into a kerosene tin cut down is as good as anything, and let it boil slowly until reduced a good deal. Lay a stick across the top of the kerosene tin and with a piece of thread or string