The San Francisco call. [volume], December 04, 1910, Page 21, Image 21

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
The San Francisco Sunday Call
WHITTLED WOODWORK A GIRL CAN DO
WHITTLING and whistling used
both to b© considered boys'
prerogatives, but In these for
tunately progressive days they have be
come common property, and form the
recreation and occupation of feminine
ti well as masculine devotees.
Fcr the whittled work described here
the only Implements necessary are
pieces of soft wood (pine Is best) about
half an Inch thick, a heavy jackknife—
the sloyd knife, which may be pur
chased in any hardware store. Is made
especially for the purpose— oil and
colored Etaln. The knife is highly
tempered; and must be rubbed -with oil
befcre using in order that it may not
los« Its temper In the heat of friction
end the wh:tt!er lose her temper as
well! Polish on a piece of leather
after u-ir.g.
For the apprentice in the art there
Etching and Cutting
Glass '
BOTH eich!njr and cutting glass may
be accomplished with care by the
am?. tear, though the latter* espe
c:x]'.y is a dangerous process. The o>
tion here given must not be taken
R any full instruction. Acids are good
r.ings to keep away from.
To etch glass cover the object with
- x by melting and letting it harden.
i v.-kh a sharp-pointed instrument
your design and leave the wax
ered glass In the fumes of hydro
i: acid. This will eat into the glass,
: after the wax is removed the design
be found to be etched into It.
In cutting glass the design is first
'-"8«n with wet* chalk and then
scratched in with a diamond or a glass
A penc'l is then made of lamp-
with other chemicals
h will eat into ihe glass.
his is lighted and the pattern is gone
with it. For a heavy line bear
>«m hard and to or.c side of the point.
Tee friass is thus not really "cut" at all,
machine-cut glass being not or.e-half so
aluable a,s the real article. Glass of
the leas expensive variety is "pressed,"
that is, run through a machine
whicij cuts the pattern into it. Any one
lih adequate implements and some ax
\u25a0 \u25a0/. ability could, after practice, learn
' » cut glass herself, but as I have said,
:: is a process rauc'a more difficult than
:: sounds.
Lamp Wicks
A LTHOrGH the day of the lamp
i\ is passjr.g. some persons prefer
\u25a0*- \u25a0*- t:;e frlow in the reading room to be
trozn oil. That brings us to the question
of wicks.
If you wish to prevent wicks from
"smoking" when first lighted, it Is a
pood idea to boil them before use. Im
merse a few wicks in boiling vinegar
and plare the pan at the side of a stove
for two cr three hours. Drain off the
ilQuid and hang the wicks up to dry.
A good substitute for a wick is a
ftr:p of woolen underwear or felt, pre
viously soaked In vinegar for a few
hours. This is all right in a lamp with
* tingle burner.
Newly Painted Rooms
PLACE a vessel full of lighted char
coal in the middle of the room ajid
throw on it two or three handfuls
/if juniper berries, shut windows, chim
ney and close the door for twenty-four
hours. When opened the smell will have
entirely disappeared and no delicate
fabric will be four.d damaged.
RIBBON FLOWERS FOR TABLE DECORATION
FOR tho city dweller who cannot
always obtain fresh flowers, and
for the country dweller whose
tastes run to tne expensive blossomi
of high cultivation, the question of ar
t:Sclal flowers for table and other fes
tive decoration is always present. Paper
flowers, unless they are of the ex
travagant and fragile rice paper, are
c. v .ri*2 «v tcv'rr 'ool^iig, and no ratls
WORK FOR THE WOMANLY BRAIN AND HAND
are a number of fiat pieces that may
be cut out for early practice. A thread
winder, made In the shape of a maltese
cross, with triangular arm-ends, the
cross form supplying notches for the
thread. Is one of these. Then there is
\u25a0
the key tag, with one rounded end, and
a email hole for the key ring to pass
through. The cordwinder, with a tri
angular notch at each side, and the
'\u25a0\u25a0V.-?i
rounded ends showing a wide, square
notch in each, is a bit more involved.
Perhaps the easiest of all is the plant
label, which is simply a long oblong,
with one end pointed into a triangle,
and the whole painted white.
Once past this stage of the proceed
ings, the pencil sharpener comes next
to band. This has a long rectangular
shape, rounded at on© end, like the key
tag, but Is also provided with a handle
that must be rounded. The wood
chosen is of the thickness of the handle,
and the sharpener proper is cut down
to half the size of this. The handle is
whittled in round shape, like a brush
handle. A strip of sandpaper is then
glued to the sharpener and it is com
peted.
Now v.c come to the more difficult ex
amples of whittling, yet not so difficult,
after all. when once skill has been ob
tained. The spool holder, shown in the
photograph, is a flat piece of wood cut
with deep notches at the ends, which are
slightly wider than the middle strip. A
holo the size of a spool hole is bored
at spool-width intervals; the length of
the holder, of course, depends on the
number of spools It Is to contain. Two
pieces of baby ribbon are needed to hold
the spools in place; one is laced throusrh
the holes In the wood, cominjr ud through
e3ch spool hole, where the other is loop
ed through It. This second •olece. which
thus passes ovtr the tops of the spools,
is knotted or sewed to the first piece
at the left-hand notch, and fastens to
WITH the last month of- the year
suggesting the coming holiday
season and its little luncheons
?nd dinners, the question of favors
arises in the mind of practical women.
Here are just a few hints.
factory substitute has hitherto been
found. But now the flowers of ribbon
have Btepped into the breach, and these
adequately fill all requirements. They
are pretty, not expensive, practically
Indestructible, and* so easily; made that
they seem to almost make themselves.
If wrapped away in j tissue paper when
not in use, they will never become dusty.
For tl:c rose, Trhich i? tr^^lffiwt -"-.
it by a long bow at the right-hand one.
\u25a0 -
With the bracket we come to the
question of joining. The ' bracket is
whittled in three pieces— the back, the
shelf and the middle support. The
whittled edges are sandpapered to make
them smooth; the shelf and support
edges are rounded, the back ones per
pendicular. The joining is done by
means of the smallest size furniture
nails, driven into the wood obliquely,
first to the right and then to the left.
Those fastening the support to the back
are to be long enough to drive the en
tire bracket into the wall and hold it
there. This little bracket is very con
SOME FAVORS FOR CHRISTMAS WEEK
Purchase pasteboard boxes at any
store that sells artists 1 supplies. On the
outside sketch in a border of holly
leaves. Use India ink or a hard pencil
and fill in the forms with crayon.
Now at the Noah's ark counter buy
little trees and place them In the little
boxes. They are not useful, you will
say. No, of course not! But they serve
as delightful little souvenirs of a holiday
feast, and whether for little folks or
their grown-up sisters and brothers they
will stand as pleasing memories, keep
!lng green for a long time.
Tho mistletoe on the card is not real.
It can be bought at the millinery de
partment in a large bunch. After cut
ling two horizontal slits in a card insert
the sprig that suggests the Christmas
season and. write the name of the guest
on the card. ,
Just here are some lines that might be
written instead:
"At Christmas play and make good
cheor,
For Christmas comes but once a year."
"At Ciiristmastide the open hand
Scatters its bounty o'er sea and land.
And none is left to grieve alone.
. For love is heaven and claims its
own." '.-,'--
lustration, satin ribbon is best, but
taffeta may be used for. : the more deli
cate flowers, and watered silk some-.'.
times ' gives a pretty > effect. ', Artificial '
leaves ; and ; centers^ are used, and ; the
whole Is quite .; lifelike, ';' especially" when
the flowers are ; - placed ; ; in :.the- satin
basket, which, , by ;\u25a0 the way, . is plaited '
-and knotted over neavy millinery wire—
a deep: hat frame In s the .Corday style "^ :
-will do. >.- >^'.r^4>i.^K^*«aS<is^ssSsJ
venient for holding flowers-, Ismail china'
vases, etc.; or it may serve la household
purpose by being 'placed in. the bath
room or kitchen to hold bottles.
The tie rack comes in four pieces— the
rack proper, the s£de supports and the
square back. They are naiiled together
as just described, with extn\a heavy nails
in the back, whlchi serve t2ie purpose of
\u25a0 . ' is
a means of fastening to .the, wall or shelf.
Or, if desired, this', back fblock may be
dispensed with and ; a bixuis hook be m- *
serted. as here shown. iThe brass rod .
on which to hang the fties Is inserted
by boring holes In t thejsdde supports,
fastening it firmlyf on (one, standing it
\u25a0 >
"Again at Christmas did we weave
The holly round the Christmas hearth;
The silent snow possessed the earth."
For any little giftsithat you wish
;The ribbon is first ;doubled^to" the re
quired tori the petal arid 'then
gathered/together and puffed so that no
"open edges" show. The second- is done" in
the same' manner, arid caugh| to the "first
at the bottom, -:, and: , so on. until -the
proper number of petals is reached. , The
artificial stamens ;arp then". laid*; cross
•wise i on /> the t flower, . so|»that
irt?mi* I ar« 1 n «',th* . middle, a End -j are I f as-. ,
up on edge and hammering the other
support on to it. This,- of course, is
done btf ore the supports are fastened
to the rack.
The flower-pot stand, for keeping
flowers indoors. Is the final word In
whittling. Each piece must be made
separately and nailed strongly to the
side blocks. It is really work that is
better done with a plane and chisel,
but with practice .and determination. the
whlttler can achieve it.
All these pieces are to be stained;
green is best for the flower-pot holder,
a dask walnut for the others. , Simply
rubbing with oil will darken prettily the
natural wood. A varnish may also be
applied .if desired, but it is really bet
ter to leave the dull finish.
to present as surprises the round box
decorated by hand, offers a delightful
little hint for decorating wooden
forms.- In this day of pyrography and
the many wooden articles that are
bought for a song there should be no
difficulty in purchasing boxes of
••\u25a0-.\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0
various sizes. and shapes.'
i Draw two sprays of leaves and ber
ries on the lid, and . use the festoon'
arrangement of circles on the side. It
is a matter of a few minutes to sketch
this design in, and a' few more will
fill in the forms with red and green.
If you wish, the monogram of each
recipient can be written or printed in
the center.
For the high-stemmed glasses, in
which fruitcups or any desserts are
served, the little sprig ,of pine, with
a cone and, perhaps, , a festoon of red
and green ribbons will do much to
decorate a table, and, if artificial, can
be worn in the lapel of a coat for many
; days. ; ' ".
The little things are deserving of
your, attention, if you wish to be a
teried' tightly with. thin wire, which is
thencut off close- With'the addition of. j.
a'y shortr artificial ;; stem and cup, the i^
flower Is now complete. , (
;; Of; course/ any, number of, these.fiow- j,
ers" must • be made— enough , to fill a.", bas- \u25a0;
ket'or to form wreaths" and bouquets. T
The. 'important thing is: to observe ,theV>
natural flower— by \ all means ,' have a'
; moc!<elj-a»d , to ;' follow ,it \ closely. '-'.<\u25a0 Ribbon! * \- c
TO WASH HAIR BRUSHES
H AIR BRUSHES need to be washed
frequently, because of the perspi
ration of the head, which readily
retains the dust in the air. The best
brushes may be ruined by careless
washim?, and If the bristles are allowed
to become soft, a hair brush becomes
practically useless for its Intended pur
pose. Many persons cleanse hair brushes
by covering them with wheaten flour
and simply rubbing the bristles to
gether. This method, however. Is not
thoroughly satisfactory.
To keep your brushes In good condi
tion proceed in -the following manner:
Have two dishes of cold — not hot
water. To the first dish, which contains,
say, a quart of water, add a dessert
Most Useful
TURPENTINE can be used la all
sorts of ways. "Here are some:
Spirits of turpentine will restore
the brilliancy to patent leather. Bags
and -boots rubbed with a raff moistened
with it look almost like new.
A few. drops in boxes and cupboards
will keep moths away.
If a few drops are added to starch, it
will prevent the Iron from sticking.
A flannel dipped in hot water sprin
kled with turpentine and laid oa tho
part affected will often relieve lum
bago and; rheumatism.
Turpentine mixed with beeswax makes
a good ; floor polish.
A little .added to the steeping water (a
tablespoonful to a gallon) makes clothes
beautifully white.
A Homemade Present
A ROW of hand-embroidered seal
- lops to trim a corset cover ia not
an unacceptable gift for a friend.
Just enough to apply to neck and arm
holes (but enough without a doubt) is a
reasonable amount to make. Get hand
kerchief linen and stamp upon it tiny
scallops, with an eyelet in «ach or in
every alternate scallop,, if simplicity is
the point you strive for. This bit of
handwork, perfectly padded, button
holed, eyeleted and then cut out, pressed
and mounted upon colored tissue paper,
will not be scorned by the friend in need
or the woman who never embroiders.
It is entirely applicable to the next cor
set cover, and easily done at that.
successful entertainer this month. The
greens and reds are seasonable' and
effective, and nothing quite repays the
\u25a0worker f.o much as the delight of tho
"favored" guests. '\u25a0\u25a0 . .IriJEflß-'HTa
can, of course." be bought to match any
blossom that ever , grew, and with ex
perience and added skill the amateur
flower maker can copy many rare and
beautiful blooms.
The ribbon should be at least three
inches .wide, tnd about two-thirds of a
yard would -be needed for a singl e wild
rose. Other flowers can . be estimated
approximately from this, but the ribbon
spoonful of ammonia. Now take your
oruenes one by one and keep dipping
the bristles up and down in the water,
betas careful net to wet the backs, tad
in a minute or two the dirt and dnst
win com* out or them as If by made,
leaving; them beautifully •white. Now
dip up and down several times In th*
second dish, containing the clean -water,
to rinse them. Shake well and plac* to
drain across a rack or towel-horsn.
No soap Is seeded and so ruhhlng
wttn the hands. If .you adopt this
method of cleansing your brushes, yon
will find that they will last tare* tftnas
as long as If cleansed with hot wat*r
and soap and that the bristles -will "pre
serve their stiffness*
Well Shrunk
WHEN "*"^t up -washing m»>
-terials it la Important to sSsrfaSe
the roods b«fcT» cutting. AH
such materials as duck. Trmrina. linen
and chrvtot shrink aa Inch In a yard t£u»
first Urao they are washed, and tt 1*
quite possfbla that •very time th«y are
washed subsequently they -will eo«>
tlc.ua tht shrinking process to aozn* ex
tent.
An expert dressmaker recommends *
simple and satisfactory -way of shrink
ing: washing: goods. "Fill a baCitu&v"
she says, "one-quarter full ot clear
water. Fold the material i a a dean
towel, to prevent dust settling: oa It;
place It in the water, and let It remala
there all day and overnight. Then
hang it up dripping wet to dry. It wl2
take a long time to dry. but it \u25a0will dry
in time and be smooth, enougi to make
up without ironing. When the dress or
blouse 13 complete, dampen and press."
A New Method
IF RUST stains prove very obstinate,
here i 3 a method of which few
know, and yet which has a repu
tation for infallibility:
The stain should be held over a
basin of warm water to which am
monia has been added. A piece of
wood should then be dipped in a solu
tion of 13 per cent of hydrochloric acid
and applied to the spot. As soon as
the stain disappears the portion of tho
material which has been treated
should be rinsed in the basin of am
monia and water, so as to prevent
the acid from destroying the texture
of the cloth.
As hydrochloric acid has an Injurious
effect on some fabrics, however, it i 3
always best to test its action on a
corner of the material before treating
the stain. Keep all acids away from
fire and never pour water on them.
To Remove Mildew
IF KID gloves have become spotted
with mildew they should be placed
in a . bottle with a lump of am
monia about the. size of a walnut;
cork the bottle tightly and leave them
for a short time, when the mildew
spot3 will quite disappear. If left too
long, however, the ammonia will rot
the stitches: so they must bo watched.
An air-tight box will do equally well
as a bottle. • v,._
A Washing Hint
IT IS not generally known that a
slice of lemon put into tho copper
when boiling clothes will itiak»
them beautifully white, and take all
tho stains out of pocket handker
chiefs and children's dresses. Cut tho
lemon with the rind into slices, and
let it remain in tho boiler till the
clothes are reader to coma out.
Smile !
THERE is Quito enough trouble la
the woiU. Try to banish some
of it with & smile or a kind word.
It is a duty you owa to yourself »nfl
to your f ellow-belnss.
Is best bought by the piece in the mar*
usual colors. The only other Imple
ments needed besides the artificial
flower parts are wire and wire scissors,
i hough a strong pair of shears will
Usually take the place of these.
The work is simple and fascinating
i nd might well be a remunerative occu
jation for a shut-in or a semi-invalid.
And most certainly they are a boon for
the city hostrsa.