Page:Embroidery and Fancy Work.djvu/133

Rh perfectly even. Strike gently over the surface until the paper plate is perfectly smooth and even. Instead of the paper you can use leather scraps, soaking them from ten to fifteen minutes in hot alum water, and then fitting them together so as to form a smooth surface, using the sand bag to secure an equal thickness throughout. As you become used to handling this pasted paper or leather, you will find you can mould it like wax in your hands, and, with practice can model from it any desired object. When you have attained some degree of skill in handling it, you can model your ornamentation as you would in clay. Few tools are needed for this work. A few gouges, both flat and half round, a pen-knife, pair of scissors, compasses, and a couple of pattern or tracing wheels, one with and one without sharp points are all that need be bought. A wooden knife with a point is needed for various purposes, such as scraping, working the leather into corners, etc. Wooden gouges and chisels can be whittled out as you find need for them. One or two grounding tools like those used inirepoussée work will be found useful.

Having your papier maché or leather "core" ready you can ornament it by means of designs cut out of thick card-board, or out of a sheet of papier mache of the proper thickness, Thus you can arrange a wreath of ivy leaves, or cut Gothic letters to form a motto round the edge.

Rosette designs can be formed by using wooden button moulds, or you can make rosettes of papier maché or card-board, and arrange them round the edge of the plate or bowl, glueing or pasting them into position. Then take a piece of thin skiver which has lain in hot water for two or three minutes and lay it on the core. It should be an inch or two larger in diameter than the plate. With fingers and tools stretch it carefully over the inside of the core, working it into every