COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2011 witii funding from Tine Library of Congress littp://www.arcliive.org/details/indooroutdoorlianOObear HANDICRArX AND PECREATION TOR GIRLS THE BEARD BOOKS FOR GIRLS By LINA and ADELIA B. BEARD Handicraft and Recreation for Girls. IllustniteH. ;^i.6o net (postage extra). What a Girl Can Make and Do. New Ideas tor Work and Play. Illustiated. $l.bo net. The American Girl's Handy Book ; or, How to Amuse Yourself and Othere. Illustrated. $1.00. THE BEARD BOOKS FOR BOYS By DANIEL C. BEARD The Jack of All Trades ; 01, New Ideas for American Boys. Illustrated by the author, ^l.oo. The Outdoor Handy Book. New and Cheaper Edition of The American Boy's Book of Sport. With illustrations bv the author. $2.00. The American Boy's Handy Book ; or, What to Do and How to Do it. With illustrations by the author. $2.00. Indoo and #^ Outdo -Handicraft AND RECREATION fOR GiRLS BY Lina Beard and Adelia B.Beard New\ork Charles Scribner's Sons 4904 OCT 14 1904 ^OoByrlehtEmrv , CLASS C^ XXo. No Copyright, 1904, by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS Published, October, 1904 .-3 37^^ SPECIAL NOTICE The publishers hereby give warning tliat the unauthorized printing of any portion of the text of this book, and the reproduction of any of the illustrations or diagrams, are expressly forbidden. PREFACE This book, like a girl's life, is divided into two parts : i ccupation and amusement, or handicraft and recreation. It is not equally divided, for handicraft is so much more ce play than work, and is so entertaining in itself, we find 'ifiQculty in drawing a distinct line between that and recrea- tion. The one insists upon blending with the other and the book, after all, is a book of entertainment. With the old handicrafts coming back into favor and new ones constantly being brought forward, a girl's life may be full of delightful employment. To work with joy- ous enthusiasm and self-reliant energy, as well as to play with light-hearted enjoyment, cannot fail to make her sensi- ble, wholesome, and happy, and it is with this end in view that we have written and illustrated the book. Our wish is to help our girl friends to make the most of their girl- hood and to enjoy it to its fullest extent. We have had practical experience in the actual working out of all the various handicrafts and recreations, and there- fore give only that which we know can be well and easily done by the average girl. Thanks are due to the Delineator, Harper s Bazar, Woman s vi Preface Home Companion, and Good Housekeeping, for their courtesy in promptly returning for this work the original drawings and material used in their respective magazines. The Author. Flushing, August 2, 1904. CONTENTS PART I HANDICRAFT CHAPTER I. PAGE Spinning 3 The Spinning-Wheel, 4 ; The Spindle, 5 ; The Distaff, 7 ; Thoroughly- Cleaned, 8; The Band, 8; To Adjust the Band, 9; The Flax, 10; Practice, 11 ; How to Spin, 12 ; When the Thread Breaks, 12. CHAPTER IL Weaving on a Home-made Loom 15 The Pin Loom, 16; The Heddles, 17; The Shuttle, 19; To Adjust the Warp, 19; The Woof, 20; How to Weave a Miniature Navajo Blanket, 20 ; Blankets for Dolls' Beds, 26. CHAPTER HI. A Ball of Twine and What May Be Made of It 27 Making a Little Hammock, 27; How to Tie the Twine, 29 ; A School- Bag, 31 ; Twine Curtains, 34. CHAPTER IV. An Armful of Shavings, and What to Do with Them 36 Selecting the Shavings, 36; A Soft Little Basket, 36; How to Prepare the Shavings, 37; How to Weave the Shavings, 39; Bind the Edges, 40 ; The Handle, 40 ; A Handkerchief Case, 41. viii Contents CHAPTER V. PAGE Primitive Reed Curtains : 43 The Reeds, 43; Raw Material, 43; The Twine-Stick Weave, 44; The Finished Curtain, 46 ; Curtain-Bee Frolic, 48 ; Door-way Screens, 49. CHAPTER VI. Things to Make of Common Grasses 53 A Grasshopper House, 53; A Doll's Hammock, 56; A Bouquet-Holder, 58; Weaving a Napkin- Ring, 59. CHAPTER VH. Possibilities of a Clothes Line 62 Adapted to Decoration, 62 ; Rope Wood- Basket, 62 ; Rope Net Fringe, 65 ; The Tassels, 65. CHAPTER VHL How to Weave a Splint Basket 68 The Material, 68 ; The Spokes, 68 ; The Weavers, 70 ; ^^'eaving the Basket, 71 ; Binding Off, 71 ; Trimming, 73. CHAPTER IX. Modelling in Tissue-Paper 75 Modelling a Chicken, 75; A Turkev, 81; The Sturdv Little Elephant, 83. CHAPTER X. Nature Study with Tissue-Paper f 86 All Flowers from Squares and Circles, 86; The Best Models, 86; Ma- terial, 87 ; The Carnation, 87 ; How to Cut a Circle, 88 ; The Morning- Glory, 94; The Daffodil, 99. CHAPTER XL A New Race of Dolls 103 Dolls of Substance and Form, 103; The Paper, 104; Making the Head, 104; The Arms, 105; The Body, 105; The Legs, 106; The Feet and Shoes, 107; Doll's Hair, 106; The Dress, 108; The Cap, no. Contents ix CHAPTER XII. PAGE An Indian Encampment on a Pastry-Board 1 1 1 The Ground, iii; The Wigwam, 112; Decorating the Wigwam, 114; The Fire, 114; The Doll Indian, 115; The War Head-Dress, 116; A Travois, 118; Pipe of Peace, 119; A Perfect Little Tomahawk, 120; The Chieftain's Shield, 120; Arrow-Heads and Arrows, 122; A Bow That Will Shoot, 124; The Doll Squaw, 125; Squaw's Chamois Gown, 125 ; Primitive Loom and Navajo Blanket, 125 ; Papoose, 130; Cradle for Papoose, 13 J ; Indian Money, 131; Wampum Neck- lace, 131. CHAPTER XIII. A Toy Colonial Kitchen with Fac-simile Colonial Furnishings.. 133 The Floor, 135; The Fireplace, 138; A Hair-pin Crane, 138; Little Dutch Oven, 139; Two Andirons, 141; The Fire, 142; Iron Pot, 143; The Peel, 144; The Toaster, 144; Pot-Hooks, 145; The Spinning- Wheel, 147; The Little Spinner, 150; The Costume, 150; Flint-Lock Rifle, 151; The Bellows, 153; Colonial Pewter Dish, 154; Grand- father's Clock, 155; Colonial Churn, 160. CHAPTER XIV. Little Paper Houses of Japan 162 How the People Live, 162; The House, 162; The Floors, 167; The Fence, 168; The Gateway, 169; Birthday Festivals, 169; The Koi. 171 ; x\ Kago, 172. CHAPTER XV. Some Odd Things in Russia 1 75 The Coronation Cathedral, 175; Door- way, 177; Cupolas, 178; A Rus- sian Peasant Doll, 180; A Little Samovar, 182. CHAPTER XVL Pottery Without a Potter's Wheel 185 Primitive Pottery, 185; The Clay, 187; Moulded on Baskets, 187; The Table, 188; The Roll, 189; To Coil the Clay, 189. X Contents CHAPTER XVII. PAGE Baby Alligators and Other Things of Clay 193 The Head, 195; The Body, 196; The Tail, 196; Coat of Armor, 197; The Legs and Feet, 198 ; A Banana, 201 ; A Little Bust of Washington, 202. CHAPTER XVIII. Funny Little Apple Toys 206 The Porcupine, 206; Sally Walker's Head, 208; Sally's Curls, 208; The Indian, 209; A Comical Little Jap, 211 ; An Apple Tower, 214. CHAPTER XIX. Marvel Pictures 215 Mary, 215; Her Dress, 217; Sun-Bonnet, 218; How to Draw the Lamb, 219; How to Make the Wool Grow, 219 ; How to Draw the Goose, 221 ; How to Feather the Goose, 223. PART II RECREATION CHAPTER XX. Egg Games for the Easter Holidays Lifting for Pasch Eggs 227 How to Prepare the Egg-Shells, 227 ; Hanging the Eggs, 228 ; The Players, 22S ; The Lifting, 229 ; The Egg Dance, 230 ; Placing the Eggs, 230 ; Dividing the Players, 230 ; The Dance, 230 ; The Re- ward, 231 ; Easter Angling, 231 ; Materials for the Game, 231 ; Fish- poles, 231 : Eggs, 232;. Rules of the Game, 234; Table Egg-Rolling, 235- Contents xi CHAPTER XXI. PAGE May Day Amusements } 237 How the May King and Queen Are Chosen, 237; Archery, 237; The Bows, 238 ; Arrows, 238 ; Floral Target, 240 ; Keeping Score, 243 ; May Baskets and Spring Flowers, 246; How to Erect the Pole, 249; Dressing the May-Pole, 250 ; The Balls, 252 ; The Game, 252. CHAPTER XXII. Hallowe'en Revels 254 Gold Nuggets, 254; The Mine, 255; The Miners, 255; The Apple Witch, 256; Witche's Hair, 257; Hat, 257; Broom, 258; Ghost Writ- ing, 259; Four-Leaved Clover, 260; Apple-seed Fortune Telling; 261 ; Fortune Bags, 262. CHAPTER XXIII. The Magic Cloth and What It Will Do 264 Magic in India, 264; A Jumping Frog, 264; The Hungry Birds, 267; To make the Children Talk, 268 ; Moving Peaces, 269 ; The High Note, 270. CHAPTER XXIV. Finger Plays for Little Folk 273 The Teeter, 273; Church, 275; Steeple, 275; Open Door, 276; The People, 276; The Preacher, 277; Man Chopping Wood, 277; My Mother's Knives and Forks, 279 ; My Father's Table, 280 ; My Sister's Looking-Glass, 280; The Little Black Birds, 280; The Baby's Cradle, 281 ; Chin Chopper Chin, 282 ; Build the Tower, 282 ; The Five Little Pigs, 285 ; Little Heads for Little Fingers, 285. CHAPTER XXV. How to Arrange Fresh Flowers 289 Selecting the Flowers, 289 ; A Number of Nasturtiums, 290 ; Do not Crowd the Flowers, 290 ; Green Leaves with Flowers, 291 ; Color Schemes, 291 ; The Vases, 292 ; Colorless Transparent Vases, 292 ; Arrangement, 293 ; Flower Lifter, 294 ; Symmetry, 295 ; Wild Flowers, 295. xii Contents CHAPTER XXVI. page Open Air Play-Houses 298 A Florida Play-House, 298 ; Palm Decorations, 298 ; Other Decorations, 298; An Umbrella Play-House, 299; A Real Teepee, 302; An African Hut, 306; The Floral Tent, 307. CHAPTER XXVII. Keeping Stoke 308 The Counter, 308; The Scales, 309; Groceries, 312; Vegetables, 312; Candy, 313; Wrapping Paper, 313 ; Money, 314; Paper Pocket-Books, 314; Keeping Accounts, 316 ; Bars of Soap, 319; Butter Clay, 319. CHAPTER XXVIII. A Frolic with the Roses 320 Beauty of the Rose, 320; Rose Petal Fleet, 321; Green Leaf- Boats, 322 ; The Lake, 323 ; A Little Rose Girl, 325 ; A Garden, 325 ; A Peach-blow Vase, 327; Candied Rose Petals, 327; Rose Petal Cap, 328; Conventional Designs, 330; A Wreath of Roses, 332; A Rose Book, 332. CHAPTER XXIX. A Straw Ride Picnic 333 The Season, 333 ; Games for the Wagon, "^1,2, ; Simon Says, 335 ; Bird Wish, 337; Lines to Be Recited Rapidly, 337; At the Grounds, 338; Chasing the Deer, 338 ; The Swing, 338 ; Teeter-Tarter, 338 ; The Dinner, 339 ; Dishes, 339 ; Camp-Fire, 342 ; After Luncheon, 342 ; Telling Stories, 343 ; Game of Menagerie, 343. CHAPTER XXX. A Paper Chase 345 The Hares and Hounds, 345 ; The Start, 347 ; False Scents, 347 ; The Finish, 348 ; How to Dress, 348. PART I HANDICRAFT The spinning-wheel shall buzz and whirr. CHAPTER I SPINNING HERE is so much poetry, romance, and history as- '^t^ sociated with the distaff and spindle, and later with the old spinning- wheel, that we have looked upon them with a feeling almost of awe, certainly with a reverence for the gentle hands that spun so industriously generations ago. But it has now oc- curred to us that we too may set the wheel a-hum- ming, taking up with en- thusiastic eagerness the work laid down by our great- grandmothers so many years ago. The song of even the athletic girl will soon be like Martha's when she sings in the market-place : "I can spin, sir," and the wheel will no longer be set aside as a relic of an industry past and gone. All the old handicrafts are coming back again, and ere long we shall be as proud as the maids in Revolutionary 3 Handicraft for Girls times of our hand-spun and hand-woven fabrics. To be able to spin and weave is to be accomplished in the newest as well as the oldest of household arts. Is the old spinning-wheel in the attic, neglected and cov- ered \vitii dust, or in the parlor, decked in all its bravery of blue ribbons and snowy flax? Bring it out, wherever it may be, and for the first time in many years it shall buzz and whirr, whive a girl's slender fingers part the flax and a girl's light foot rests upon the treadle. Look well to The Wheel and see that none of its parts are missing. There must be the bench, of course, with its treadle and wheel, then the slender rod which is tied loosely at the lower end to the cross-piece of the treadle (Fig. i), and caught at the looped Fig. I. — The slender rod tied at the lower end. Fig. 2. — The looped upper end of the rod. upper end to the little, curved-metal crank that extends at right angles from one end of the wheel's axle (Fig. 2). spinning The tw() slanting uprights which hold the wheel in place are slotted at the upper ends, and in these slots rests the axle. A little peg, slipped through two holes in one of the Fig. 3. — A little peg slipped through two holes. uprights, keeps the axle from slipping out of place (Fig. 3). The frame that holds The Spindle belongs in the position shown in the illustration of the spinning-wheel. By turning the handle that extends out from the upper end of the bench this frame may be moved slightly forward or backward when it is necessary to loosen or tighten the band on the wheel. In the two uprights of the spindle-frame there must be Handicraft for Girls ^ leather rings like Fig. 4, one ring in each upright. The narrow strip extending outward from the ring is pushed through the hole in the upright, and the edge of the ring fitted into the little grooves just above and below one of the holes (Fig. 5). These two leather rings hold the ends of the spindle, which can be easily taken out and put in by bending one of the rings backward or slightly turning one of the uprights. Fig. 6 shows the spindle with the spool, or bobbin, and the small, double-grooved wheel. The spindle proper is simply the metal rod and horseshoe-shaped piece of wood with its two rows of Fig. 4. — The leather rings. Fig. 5. — One ring in each upright. Fig. 6. — The spindle. spinning 7 little hooks or teeth. Besides the wheel and spindle there must be The Distaff and the arm that holds it. The arm is an upright with a rod extending out at right angles from the upper end. The lower end of the upright is slipped into a hole at one cor- ner of the highest part of the bench. The distaff, which the mountaineers of Kentucky call the " rock," is a thing you can make for yourself if your wheel happens to have lost its own. Many are cut from the Fig. 7. — The tip of your Christmas tree for a distaff. Fig. 8. — Bring the four branches up and tie at the top. , top points of pine-trees which grow like Fig. 7, and dog- wood also is sometimes used. The tip of your Christmas tree will be just the thing. Strip off the bark, bring the four branches up, and tie at the top to the middle stem (Fig. 8). Let the lower end of the stem extend about four inches below the branches and whittle it down to fit in the hole in the distaff-arm. These are all the parts of the spinning-wheel, but before 8 Handicraft for Girls you can "see the wheels go round" every piece of metal must be Thoroughly Cleaned and freed from rust. Rub first with kerosene oil and then with the finest emery paper. Be very careful in polishing the teeth that you do not bend or break them, as it will not be easy to have them replaced. In fact, it is difficult to replace an}- part of the wheel, and though it has lasted several generations, careless handling may put it past repair. When the cleaning is finished, grease with lard the parts where there is any friction. The slots that hold the axle, the spindle- stem, and the metal arm, where the treadle-rod rests upon it, all need lubricating. The best Band for the Wheel is hand spun, but at present it is possible to obtain them only of old- fashioned spinners who make their own bands. You can, however,make a band of cotton cord, such as is Fig. 9 The length of cord for a wheel measuring eighteen and a half inches in diameter is about ten feet five inches. This allows for a lap of one inch at the joint. Sew together Fig. 9. -Proper size of cord for wheel band. used for cording dresses, gives the exact size. spinning 9 with silk, wrapping and sewing until the joint is almost invisible. To Adjust the Band loop it together, making it double (Fig. 10), lift the wheel from the sockets, and slip the band over it. Fit one part of the band into one of the grooves of the wheel, the other part into the other groove, allowing it to cross at the bottom (Letter B, Fig. 11). Take the spindle from its frame Fig. lo. — Make a double loop. and fit the bands into the Fig. II. — The band will cross at the bottom. groove in the end of the bobbin (Letter C, Fig. 6) and into the first groove in the small wheel (Letter D, Fig. 6). lO Handicraft for Girls The Flax may be obtained from any linen-thread factory and can be bought by the pound or half-pound. It is graded by color, the darkest being- the cheapest and the whitest the most The spinning-wheel. expensive. For practice-work the cheapest is as g-ood as the more expensive. When you have learned to spin a fine, even thread you may choose the color in reference to the article you intend to make. spinning 1 1 Open your hank of flax, take part of it, and spread thinly over the distaff, wrapping- it around and around. Put on several layers, each almost as thin as a spider-web, extending it out widely and smoothly each time. You may think the ribbon tied on the distaff of your parlor wheel is merely for ornament, but it is not. The bands hold the flax in place while it is being spun, and a crisp, dainty, pretty-colored ribbon is just as useful for the purpose as one that is old and faded, and it is far pret- tier to look upon. Wrap the ribbon around the flax on the distaff, beginning at the bottom, cross it, and tie as shown in illustration of the spinning-wheel. Though everything is ready, before attempting to spin, Practice, simply working the treadle until you can manage that part of the work mechanically and give your whole attention to your hands. It seems a simple thing to work the treadle, but you will find that without previous practice you will forget to make your foot go in the absorbing interest of getting the flax ready to run on the spindle. Curb your impatience a little while therefore, and resolutely turn the distaff, with its pretty load, away from you. Place one foot on the treadle, give the large wheel a turn to the right, or away from the spindle, and try to keep a steady, even motion with your foot. The jerks caused by uneven pedalling will always break the thread, so you must learn to make the wheel turn smoothly and easily, without hurry and without stopping. Some spinners place only the toe of the foot on the treadle, others rest on it the heel also ; it matters little which 12 Handicraft for Girls method you adopt so long as the wheel turns evenly. When you are quite satisfied that you can keep the wheel going without giving it a thought you may begin To Spin. From the lowest ends of the flax draw down several strands and twist them with 3'our fingers into a thread long enough to reach easily the bobbin on the spindle. Pass the end of the thread through the hole in the end of the spindle nearest to you (Letter A, Fig. 6), cai"ry it across and over the upper row of teeth and tie to the bobbin (Fig. 6). Start your wheel going, and, forgetting the action of 3'Our foot, give your undivided attention to drawing out the flax. Hold the strands lightl}' with )^our left hand and with your right keep constantly pulling them down and at the same time twisting them slightly. See illustration on first page. All this time 3'Ou must keep the flax from matting and tan- gling and the twist from running up into the mass of flax on the distaff. Only practice will make perfect in this work, though the knack may come suddenlv and you will wonder at your first clumsy attempts. The little fluster and excite- ment one feels in beginning and the hurry to get the flax into shape for the spindle is a drawback that practice will also overcome. When the Thread Breaks, as it will again and again at first, thread yovxr spindle as before, tie the new thread to the broken end and begin once more. A better way to mend the thread when you are reallv doing good work is to unwind a little from the bobbin, thread it backward through the spindle, bring Spimiing 1 3 the end up to meet the end from the distaff, and let the two lap three or four inches ; then moisten your fingers and twist the threads together, making one thread again. Moistening the Fingers occasionally is a good thing while twisting, as it makes a smoother thread. In the old days the spinner kept a cocoa- nut-shell, filled with water, tied to the lower part of the spindle-frame, into which she daintily dipped the tips of her fingers when necessary. A finger-bowl or cup of water near by will answer the same purpose. "^^^^^dx^ 0-X°3 X^iLQJv()L.^-^ The little girl and the little loom. 14 CHAPTER II WEAVING ON A HOME- MADE LOOM T is easier than sewing- or knitting or crocheting, and comes so natural to many of us that one would almost think we should know how to weave without being taught. Why, even some of the birds do a kind of weav- ing in their pretty, irregular fashion, and it was probably from the birds and other small, wild creatures that the earliest human mothers took their lessons in weaving, and learned to make the mats for their babies to sleep on and baskets for carrying their food. No one knows how long ago these first baskets and mats were woven, but in the beginning weaving was done without looms. Afterward rude frames were tied together and hung from the limbs of trees, then softer and more flexible material was used and finer fabrics were woven. To this day almost the same kind of looms are used by the Indians in our far Western country, many miles away from the roar and clatter of machinery, and on them are woven the wonder- fully beautiful Navajo blankets for which Eastern people are willing to pay such large sums. If it is natural to weave, it should also be natural to make one's own loom, and 15 i6 Handicraft for Girls Q yw^rvyNryv^rv^rvyvY'vy*»^^'yv^r*^w^/vv~~~T The Pin Loom is simple in both the making and the working, with ma- terial usually close at hand. The necessary wood you will find at the nearest carpenter-shop, if not in your own home, and for the rest, a paper of strong, large-size pins, a yard of colored cord, and one ordinary carpet-tack are all that is needed. Make the frame for the loom of a smooth piece of soft pine-board, fifteen inches long by nine inches wide (Fig. 12). Make the heddles of two flat sticks, nine inches long, half an inch wide, and one-eighth of an inch thick (Figs. 13 and 14). From another flat stick of the same thickness, nine inches long by one inch wide, make the shuttle (Fig. 15). With a pencil and ruler draw two straight lines aci'oss the board, the first one inch and a half from the top edge, the other two inches and a half from the bottom edge. This will make the lines just eleven inches apart. On these lines, beginning one inch from the side edge of the board, make a row of dots exactly one-quarter of an inch apart, twenty-nine 1 , . J dots on each line, as in Fig. 12. At each corner of the board, one inch above the upper line and one inch below the lower line, draw a short line, and on Fig. 14.— Heddie. ; 55555557" Fig. 12- — The frame for the loom. Fig. 13.— Heddie. Weaving on a Home- Made Loom 17 each short line, three-quarters of an inch from the side edge, make one dot. With a small tack-hammer drive a pin in each of the twenty-nine dots on each long- line, and in each single dot on / g= the four short lines (Fig. 12). FJg- 15.— The shuttle. When driving in the pins let them all slant evenly outward, the ones on the top lines slanting toward the upper edge of the board, those on the lower lines slanting toward the bottom edge, as in Fig. 16. XV. ■<#/ ■ Now lay 3'our board aside where nothing will be placed on Fig. 16. -Let the pins slant outward, top of it, and make your hcddlcs. The Heddles are for lifting the threads of the warp so that the shuttle may be passed through. One heddle is left perfectly plain, like Fig. 13. The other is cut in notches on one edge like Fig. 14. Along the entire length of one of the sticks rule a line dividing it exactly in the mid- dle (Fig. 17). On this line, be- ginning three-quarters of an inch from the end of the stick, mark off spaces one-quarter of an inch apart, making thirty- one dots. At the upper edge of the stick mark off the same number of spaces exactly opposite those on the line. Then draw straight lines connecting the upper and lower dots, extending the first and last lines entirely across the stick (Fig. 17.) At a point on the upper edge, exactly "A^) ^TWT\j/T Fig. 17. — The marked-off notches in heddle. i8 Handicraft for Girls in the middle between the first two lines, start a slanting line and bring it down to meet the second line where it touches the long line. Between the second and third lines draw another slanting line to meet the first at the bottom, forming a V. Leave the third line, and make another V at the fourth, and so go the length of the heddle, drawing a V at every other short line. At the top between the V's make smaller V's, as in Fig. 17. With a sharp knife cut out these notches, bring- ing the large ones quite down to the middle line (Fig. 17). On the end lines just below the middle line bore a hole with a small gimlet or a hat- pin heated red-hot at Letter A in Fig. 17. Indeed the notches, too, may be made wnth a hatpin by la}^- ing the red-hot end across the edge of the stick at the top of the line, and pressing it down while rubbing it back and forth. If you are unused to handling a knife, burning the notches will be the easier way. You can shape and trim them off afterward with the knife. Of the third flat stick make The complete pin loom. Weaving on a Home- Made Loom 19 The Shuttle. Curve the corners at each end as in Fig. 15, Sharpen one end down to a thin edge and in the other end cut an eye two inches long and one-quarter of an inch wide (Fig. 15). Cut your yard of colored cord in half, pass the end of one piece through one of the holes in the notched heddle, the end of the other piece through the hole in the opposite end of the heddle, and tie each end of the cords to one of the pins at the four corners of the board, drawing the cords taut. This will fasten the heddle in its place across the loom (Fig. 12). Near the bottom of the board, directly below the last pin at the right on the long line, drive the carpet-tack to serve as a cleat for fastening the end of the warp. All that now remains to be done is To Adjust the Warp, and your loom will be ready for weaving. The threads which extend up and down, or from the top to the bottom of the loom, are called the warp. Soft, rather coarse knit- ting-cotton makes a good warp for almost anything woven on a small loom. Tie the end of the warp securely to the first pin on the long line at the upper left-hand corner of the loom (Fig. 18). Bring the string down and around the first two pins on the lower line, up again and around the second and third pins on the upper line, and then down and around the third and fourth pins on the lower line. Up Fig. is.-Adjusting the warp. 20 Handicraft for Girls again, down again, crossing two pins each time, back and forth until the last pin on the lower line has been reached. Wrap the warp around this pin several times, and then around the tack, tying it here so that it cannot slip. The warp must lie flat on the board \vhere it passes around the pins, and in stringing up it must be drawn rather tight, though not with sufficient force to pull the pins out of place. Turn the heddle on edge, the notches up, and slip the threads of the warp into the notches, one thread in each notch. This, you will see, divides the warp into upper and lower threads, and forms what is called the shed. While the threads are sepa- rated take the other heddle and darn it in and out above the first heddle, taking up the lower threads and bring- ing the heddle over the upper ones as in Fig. 19. The Woof is the thread which crosses the warp and usually covers it entirely. The material to use for wool will depend upon wdiat you are going to make. Germantown wool is used for the woof of the miniature Navajo blanket shown in the illustration. The warp is knitting-cotton. This is The Way to Weave a Navajo blanket; simpler things you can easily make after this first lesson: Of Germantown wool you will need three colors, Fig. 19. — Putting in the second heddle. A Miniature Navajo Blanket. 22 Handicraft for Girls which are the colors most frequently used by the Indians — red (scarlet), white, and black, about half a hank of each. Take five yards of white wool, fold one end over a two- Fig. 20.— The threaded shuttle. yard length, fold again, and push the double end through the eye of the shuttle (Fig. 20). Tie the long end of the wool to the first pin at the lower left-hand corner of the loom, on the long line, making a tight knot and pushing it down close to the board (Fig. 21). With the notched heddle on edge push the shuttle through the shed — that is, be- tween the upper and lower threads of the warp. Draw it out on the other side, then turn the heddle down, notched edge toward you, and stand the plain heddle on edge. This will lift the lower threads of the warp above the others and make them the upper ones. Push the shuttle back through the shed, lay the plain heddle Fig. ai.— Starting the woof. Pl^eaviiig on a Home-Made Loom 23 flat, and stand up the notched heddle. Weaving from the left, the notched heddle always stands, while the plain one lies fiat. Weaving from the right, the plain heddle stands, and the notched one is turned down. Do not draw the woof tight across the warp. When you have passed the shuttle through, leave the thread like Fig. 21, and then push it down firmly with your finger-tips until it lies close to the pins. A Coarse Comb with no fine teeth is very good to use for packing the woof, and takes the place of what is called the lay. While the woof is looped out like Fig. 21, comb it down toward you with the comb, and it will fit in evenly between the threads of the warp. As the woof of the Navajo blanket must be very tightly packed, use first the comb and then your fin- gers to push it down and make it compact. Weave back and forth until all the wool in the shuttle is used. If the end of the woof extends beyond the last thread of the warp on either side, turn it back and weave it under and over several threads, and start a new piece with the end just lapping the old. The ends of the woof must never be allowed to extend beyond the warp at the sides. It is not necessary to tie the new piece of woof ; the tight pack- ing will hold it in place. In this case the new woof must be of the red wool. Weave it across twice, or once over and back, making a very narrow red stripe, then cut it off and thread the shut- tle with white. Weave the white twice across, then change to black and weave a stripe one-quarter of an inch wide. Above the black weave another narrow white stripe and another narrow red one. Put a lonsf thread of white wool 24 Handicraft for Girls in the shuttle, and weave a white stripe one inch wide. You will have to thread the shuttle twice for this, as too long a thread will make so large a bunch that it will be difficult to pass it through the shed. After the white stripe weave another black, white, and red stripe like the first, then another inch-wide white stripe. Once more weave a black, a white, and a red stripe. Begin with the narrow black, follow with the narrow white, and then weave a wider red stripe, taking the thread four times across. After the red the narrow^ white, and then the narrow black stripe. This last stripe is the lower border of The Central Pattern of the blanket, where your weaving will become more difficult, and at the same time more interesting. Thread the shuttle with a long piece of red wool and weave it once across from the left, turn back and weave through five threads of the warp, draw the shuttle out and weave back again to the edge; again weave through the five threads, then back as shown at B in Fig. 22. Turn here and do not take up the last thread of the warp; pass the shuttle un- der three threads, turn on the next thread, and bring it back under four threads (C, Fig. 22), once more under the three threads, turning on the next as before, but passing back under two threads only. Turn on the next thread (D), and pass under three. Figs. 32 and 23. — ^\Veaving the centre stripe. JVeaving on a Home-Made Loo7n 25 Back under two threads (E), turn as before on the next thread under two, turn, back under two (F), turn, under one, turn on the next, under two (G), turn, under one, turn on the next, back under two, and unthread the shuttle, leaving the woof hanging. Begin with "a new piece of red wool, follow the same direction, and weave another red point on the next five threads, then a third one which will take in the last warp- thread on the left. You will notice in the diagram that the woof always turns twice on the same thread of warp. When the three red points are finished fill in the spaces between with black (Fig. 23), then continue to weave the black up into points as you did the red, making two whole and two half black diamonds. Leave the woof quite loose when you make a turn in weaving, and the space left be- tween the red and black will fill up in packing. Take up the end of the red wool left at the top of the first red point, and weave in the space between the half and first black diamond, then break off. Take the next red end and fill in between the two whole diamonds, then the next, and fill in between the whole and the last half diampnd. This will give you a pattern of black diamonds on a red ground. Weave the last of the red woof once across, then break off and weave a black, white, and red stripe like the one forming the lower border of the pattern. Finish the blanket with the wide white stripes and narrow colored ones like those first woven. To take the work from the loom, cut the threads be- tween the pins at the top of the loom, and with quick but gentle jerks pull it off the lower row of pins. Tie together the first and third loose ends of the warp close to the edge of the blanket, then the second and fourth threads, and so on across, then cut the ends off rather close to the knots. 26 Handicraft for Girls The little Navajo blanket woven in this way will closely resemble the real Indian blanket in texture, pattern, and colors. Blankets for Dolls' Beds may also be woven of fine white wool and finished with a pretty pink or blue border at each end. A wash-cloth, soft and pleasant to the touch, you can weave in half an hour with candle-wick for woof. This should not be packed tightl}', but woven with rather a loose mesh. Then there are cunning little rag rugs to be made for the dolls' house, with colored rags for the woof. But so many materials may be woven on your home-made loom, that it will be a pleas- ure for you to discover them for yourself. CHAPTER III A BALL OF TWINE AND WHAT MAY BE MADE OF IT UN to the kitchen and ask the cook to lend you her pastry- board for a day or two, to use as a support for holding string from which to make a toy ham- mock (Fig. 24). Drive twelve large tacks in a straight line across the top edge of the board; place the tacks one inch and a half apart (Fig. 25), and with a pencil draw lightly a line across the board from side to side, one inch and a half below the tacks. Fig. 24.— The hammock you can make. 27 28 Handicraft for Girls This will guide you in keeping the knots even. Be sure that the line is perfectly straight; then draw another line one inch and a half below the first and con- tinue making lines until the board is covered with them, at equal distances apart and running across from side to side. Over each tack on the top of the board hang a piece of string about two yards long (Fig. 26). Being doubled, each string makes two lengths of Fig- 25 —Tacks in top of board. Fig. 26.— Over each tack hang a piece of string. one yard each. Bring the two ends of each strand down evenly together that all the strings may hang exactly the same in length. Fig. 26 is in- tended only to show how to hang the strings and gives but a section of the work. With strong pins fasten the first and fourth strings down tight to the board (see B and E, Fig. 27); then tie the second and third strings to- gether (C, D, Fig. 27), mak- ing the knot H Fig 27. — AA/ith strong pins fasten the first and fourth strings „\ . to the board. (^ !&• "^7)' r A Ball of Twine 29 Fig. 28. — When knot H is secure stick pin in string G. To Tie the Knot, bring- the two strings C and D (Fig. 27) together; hold the upper portions with the thumb and first finger of the left hand and the lower parts in the right hand, bring the lower parts up above the left hand — across and over the portion of string held in the left hand — and turn them down a trifle, running them under the strings in the left hand just above the thumb and first finger; pull the lower portion of the strings through the loop out over the first finger of the left hand as shown in Fig. 29, O. Tighten the knot with the right hand while holding it in place on the line with the left. The secret of tying the knot properly is to hold the two strings together and tie them exactly as one would tie a knot in a single string. When the first knot (H, Fig. 27) is tied, take the pin out of the string E and stick it in the string G, according to Fig. 29.— Tying the knot. 30 Handicraft for Girls ^^^^ Fig. 28. Fasten down the knot H with another pin, and you will have the knot H and the string G firm and tight to the board while you tie the two loose strings F and E together, forming the knot K. Pin this down to the board and remove the pin from the string G and place it in the string N, leaving M and G free to be knotted together. Continue tying the strings in this way until you have made the first row of knots across the board, always using pins to hold the boundary-strings securely to the board on each side of the two you are tying. As each knot is formed, pin it to the board and allow the pins to remain in the first row until the second row of knots has been made. Fig. 29 shows the beginning of the third row of knots in the knot P, the pin being taken from the first knot, H, ready to be placed in the knot P. Form row after row of meshes by knotting the strings until the netting comes too near the bottom of the board to work comfortably, then slip the top loops off from the tacks and hang a portion of the net over the top of the board, allowing a lower row of meshes to hang on the tacks. Fasten the last row of the knots carefully, binding with strong strings the short loose ends of the strands securely to the string forming the mesh each side of the knot. Remove the net from the board and make A Fringe of string on each side of the hammock. In Fig. 30, T shows how to place a strand for the fringe under one side of the mesh on the edge of the net; and S gives the manner of bringing the ends of the strand down over the string form- ing the mesh and under the loop made by the centre of the fringe-strand. Pull the two ends of the strand down A Ball of Twine 31 evenly, and bring the knot up close and tight to the ham- mock-mesh as shown in the finished fringe in Fig 30. When you have made the fringe, thread a separate heavy cord through the loops on each side of the ham- mock (Fig. 31). Tie the loops to- gether (Fig. 32) and fasten together the two ends of Fig. 30. — Making the fringe. each cord, making these two extra last loops long enough to allow of a free swing for the little hammock, or you can thread a cord of the same as that used in the hammock through every loop, tying the ends of each piece together through a brass ring, and instead of one long loop a number will support the hammock. Fig. 33 shows a strong, ser- viceable little School-Bag which is easier to make than the hammock. Take a piece of heavy cord twenty inches long, lap one end to the distance of an inch over the other and sew the two lapped ends firmly to- gether; then bind them neatly around and around with string. ^^^'J^'^T^^ Bring the two edges or sides „. ^^ „. cord through loops » ° , Fig. 32.— lie on end of hammock, of thc circlc together, forming loops together. 32 Handicraft for Girls two ends (V V, Fig. 34). Tie a strong string on each end (Fig. 34) and fasten each of the strings to the back of a chair; you will tiien have a circle of heavy cord securely suspended in mid-air. Cut twenty-four lengths F'g- 33- — Your school-bag made of string. of twine, each twenty-five inches long ; double each piece and fasten all the strands on the circle of heavy cord in the same way 3-ou made the fringe on the hammock (X X, Fig, 34), except that this time the strands must be quite a distance apart. Let all the spaces between the strands be equal. Having fastened the lengths of twine on Making a sash-curtain for her room. 33 34 Handicraft for Girls the circle, net them together exactly as you netted the hammock, but you must depend upon your eye to keep the meshes even and of the same size, as there will be no board with lines to guide you (Fig. 34). Tie the knots in circular rows, going around on both sides of the circle for each row. Continue the meshes until within three and a half inches of the bottom, then tie the two sides together, closing the bottom of the bag and forming the fringe shown in Fig. 33. Having finished the bag, untie the strings attached to the two ends and make two handles of heavy cord or slender rope. Fasten the handles on their respective sides of the bag. Loop the ends of the handles under the cord forming the top of the bag, and bring each end up against its own side of the handle. Sew each of the two ends of the two handles securely to the handle proper; then bind the sewed portions neatly together with fine cord as in Fig. 33. With some firm straws and more string we will make A Sash-Curtain F'S- 34- — Making the school-bag. for the window of your own room, as the little girl is doing in the illustration. Loop about thirty strands on the same number of tacks, in the manner in which you hung those for the hammock (Fig. 26). Make one row of knots, and before forming the next row slide a piece of straw one inch long over the two strings wnich are to be knotted to- gether; the ends of the string must be moistened and A Ball of Twine 35 brought together in a point in order that thej may more easily be threaded through the straw. The letter R in Fig. 35 shows the straw with the ends of the string run through it, and U gives a straw higher up on the strings. After each straw is put into place, knot the strings imme- diately underneath to pre- vent the straw from sliding out of position. Fig- 35 shows how to manage the work. It is almost exactly like that of the hammock, the only dif- ference being the threading on of the straws which hold the strings in place without a knot at the top (see W in Fig. 35). Let the bottom of the net end in a fringe. Take the loops off from the tacks when the curtain is finished, and slide them on a straight, slender stick, which you can fasten to the window by resting the ends of the stick through loops of tape tacked on the sides of the window-frame at the right distance up from the ledge of the window. If possible, let all the net-work be made of pliable, soft material; it is easier to handle, and the results are much prettier. Make the curtains of any color you may fancy. F'S- 35- — Sliding straws on strings for curtain. CHAPTER IV AN ARMFUL OF SHAVINGS AND WHAT TO DO WITH THEM O you love to g"0 into a carpen- ter-shop, with its sweet-smelling woods and fascinating tangle of white and rose-tinted shav- ings, and to watch the carpenter guide his plane along the edge of a board, shaving off so evenly and smoothly the long curls which look almost as natural as the ringlets of a little girl ? I am sure that many times you have tucked the ends of the shavings under your hat and scampered off with the curls streaming out behind or bobbing up and down delightfully at the sides. It is great fun, yet there is still more entertainment to be found in these pretty shavings. Gather an armful, then, choosing the most perfect ones, not too thin, with firm, smooth edges, and you shall weave them into A Pretty, Soft Little Basket like the illustration. Pine-shavings are the best to use, as they are less brittle than those of harder woods. Select a number and put them to soak in cold water to make them soft and pliable. Then, lifting out those of an even width, place them before you 36 ^11 Annfitl of Shavings 37 on a lap-board or table, and after passing them between your fingers several times to take the curl out, cut eight pieces The soft little basket made of shavings. CI Fig. 36.— Directly across the centre draw a straight line. eleven inches long. Directly across the centre of two of the strips draw a straight line, as in Fig, 36. Place one of these strips, A, fiat on the table and lay the other, B, across it so that the up- per edge of B will touch the divid- ing line of A and the mark on B will be on a line with right-hand edge of A, Fig. 37. Under A slide another strip, C, Fig. 38. Over B and under C slide Fig- 37-— So that the upper edge of B will touch the dividing line of A. 38 Handicraft for Girls the strip D, Fig. 39. Over D and under A pass the strip E, Fig. 40. Under E, over B and under C weave the strip IaW Fig. 38. — Under A slide the strip C. Fig. 39. — Over B and under C slip the strip D. F, Fig. 41. Under E, over B, and under C weave the strip G, Fig. 42. Over F, under D, over A, and under G weave Fig. 40. — Over D and under A pass E. c c c^ m Fig. 41. — ^Under E, over B and under C weave F. the strip H, Fig. 43. This forms a square for the bottom of the basket. Bend up the ends and An Armful of Shavings 39 Weave the Sides with longer, narrower shavings which you can make by cut- ting lengthwise through the middle of several wide shavings. Tfl Fig. 42. — Under E, over B and under C weave G. Fig. 43. — This forms the bottom of the basket. If you find any difficulty in keeping in place the part you have woven, pin it to the board or table with several pins, as in Fig. 44. Bring the sides up close to the edges of the bottom, then start your weaver at D, on the inside of the basket (Fig. 44). Weave all the way around, turning the corners sharply, until the weaver meets the first end ; lap it over this, cut it off and tuck the last end under H. Start the next weaver at C, weave it around and tuck under E. Weave five weav- ers around the sides of the basket, beginning each time Fig. 44.— Bend up the ends now and weave the sides. 40 Handicraft for Girls Fig. 45. — Bend the upright shavings over the top edge. in a new place that the joints may not all come together, then bend the upright shavings over the edge of the top weaver, tucking the ends of each under the third weaver, one inside, the next outside, as they may come inside or out- side the basket (Fig. 45). Bind the Edge with two binders the width of the side weavers. Hold one inside, one outside, and whip them on over and over, taking the stitches with a narrow strip of shaving as shown in Fig. 46. Cut two strips the width of your side weavers for The Handle, making one twelve inches and the other eleven inches long. One inch from each end cut notches, as in Fig. 47. Slide the end of the short strip under the second weaver on one side of the basket and pull it up until the points catch on the weaver, then tuck the end un- der the lower weaver (see illustrations). Loop the handle diagonally over the basket and fasten the other end on the second weaver on the side. Secure the ends of the long- strip on the third weaver, allowing it to cross the other side of the handle at the n Fig. 46.— Bind the edge with two binders. Fig. 47-— Notch the ends Uke this. tj An Armful of Shavings 41 top, then bind the two pieces together at the middle by wrapping with a shaving of the same width ovei^ and over. Split this wrapper at the last end and tuck the two ends in at the sides. Fig. 48 shows the under part of the handle with one end of the wrapper tucked in. You can make table- mats, charming little hand- kerchief-cases, and a num- ber of other things of the dainty shavings, all on the same principle as that of the basket. To make The Handkerchief-Case, weave a square, measuring eight inches, of the narrow shav- ings, just as you did for the bottom of the basket. These shavings must be twelve inches long and you will probably Fig. 48. — Tuck the two ends in at the sides. The handkerchief case. need about thirty-two pieces. When the square is finished tuck in the ends, as around the edge of the basket, then bend in three of the corners to meet at the middle and 42 Handicraft for Girls catch with needle and thread. Sew a quarter of a yard of bright ribbon where the corners join and another quarter of a yard on the loose corner. (See illustration.) Put your handkerchiefs in the little pocket, bring up the loose point, and tie the ribbon in a pretty bow. CHAPTER V PRIMITIVE REED CURTAINS HESE pretty rustic hangings can be made very easily and quick- ly. They are light in weight and the general tone of color- ing, when the reeds have been carefully dried at home, is a pleasing soft gray green, with suggestions here and there of gray browns, reds, and yellows. The curtains may be either of these reeds or fresh green cat- tails, and even of the silvered gray stalks left standing from last season. The cost in actual outlay of money for several curtains need be only a few cents for cord, staple-tacks or nails, and screw-eyes, but, like the early savage whose method of work you are imitating, you must collect the Raw Material out in the open. So away to the spot where the finest cat- tails grow, gather a lot of them, cutting the stalks off clean and smooth at the base, that the cat-tails may not be bent or split, for as reeds in your curtain they must be as nearper- fect as possible. Cut the velvety brown head off from each one, making all of the stalks the same in length ; then, with 43 44 Handicraft for Girls several long leaves twisted together for string, tie the stalks into a bundle and march home with the treasure. An old bamboo fishing-rod, a length of handle from a long- handled d B JQL. J Fig. 49.— Beginning a primitive curtain. dusting or win- dow brush, or any kind of a long, slender, smooth, round stick will do for the top cur- tain-pole from which to hang the reeds. Lay the pole across a table in front of and parallel to you ; then tie the centres of four pieces of cord of even lengths on it at equal distances from each other (Fig. 49). Detail of the work is given in Fig. 50. Place a cat-tail reed up against the four ties, allowing one string from each tie to come over and the other underthe cat-tail (Fig. 51). Cross the two lengths ofeach cord over the last cat-tail, bringing the lower string up and the upper string down (Fig. 52) ; then lay another reed up against the crossed strings, carrying the strings in turn over this reed (Fig. 53). Again bring the lower strings up and the upper down before Fig. 50. — Centre of twine tied on long stick. Prhnitive Reed Curtains 45 placing in another cat- tail, and always alternate the large and small ends of the reeds as in Fig. 54, in or- der to have them equally balanced and to avoid bring- ing all the small ends on one side and the large ones on the other side of the cur- tain. Continue Crossing the Cord and adding cat- tails until the curtain is of the desired length. Tie the ends of the string on each line securely together and tuck them un- Fig. 51. — Allow one string to come over and the other under the cat-tail. Fig. 52. — Cross the two lengths of twine. Fig- 53- — Lay another cat-tail up against the crossed strings. dz: Fig- 54- — Alternate large and small ends of reeds. 46 Handicraft for Girls der the weave, hiding the ends on the wrong side of the curtain (Fig. 55). At equal short distances from the tips of the head-pole fasten in a screw-eye large enough to pass readily over the two hooks immediately above the window where the curtain is to hang (Fig. 55, A, A). Fig- 55- — Primitive curtain of reeds and twine stitch. On the centre of the space along the upper side of the top pole, between the first and second cord and the third and fourth cord, drive in a staple-nail (Fig. 49, B, B), shown more plainly in Fig. 56. These staple-nails are for hold- ing in place the long cord used in rolling up the cur- tain (Fig. 57, B, B, and Fig. 58, B, B). Thread one end of a Prmiitive Reed Curtains 47 long piece of cord from the back of the curtain through one staple-nail and the other end through the other staple- nail. Bring both ends of the cord down over the front of the curtain around the bottom and up over the back; then tie the ends on ^ \ \ Fig. 56.— Staple nail in top pole of curtain. the pole (Fig. 57, C, C). Dotted lines show how the cord runs along the back of the curtain. Have the cord suf- ficiently long to allow of the stretch between the two staple-nails B and B (Figs. 57 and 58), to hang down over the B C Fig. 57. — Cord fastened on top pole for rolling up curtain. 48 Handicraft for Girls back and extend in a loop below the bottom edge of the curtain (Fig. 57, D). When you wish to raise the curtain, pull the bottom loop and up will go the curtain (Fig. 58). These primitive hangings are just the thing for outing cottages on the sea-shore or log-houses in the mountains. B B Fig. 58.— Cat-tail cur- tain raised by loop from bottom. You can have fun weaving them while at your summer home and in place of the old-fashioned quilting-bee you might give a Curtain-Bee Frolic. The girls and bo3's could readily make a number of hang- Primitive Reed Curtains 49 ings in one afternoon, and while weaving the reeds together they would weave into the work all sorts of bright speeches and gay laughter, so that ever after the curtains would be filled with delightful associations of the charming summer afternoon. Reed curtains can be fashioned in any width. If very narrow hangings are in demand, cut your reeds to measure the length needed for the curtain-width and weave them together with the same twine cross-weave used in Fig- 55- Doorway-Screens hung on a swinging, armlike rod extending, when open, at right angles with the doorway, and easily moved forward Fig- 59— Small end of one cat-tail. Fig. 60.— Large end of another. or backward, are attractive when of woven reeds, especially if dull, green-colored cord is used in the manufacture in place of ordinary twine. For very wide out-of-door ve- randa-shades, select the strongest cat-tails and dig out about two inches of pith from the large end of one cat-tail very cautiously to avoid breaking the sides ; then push the small Fig. 61.— Wide curtain, each reed of two cat-tails joined. end of another cat-tail into the opening (Figs. 59, 60, 61) ; weave these long pieces together as you wove the single reeds in the first curtain, using extra lines of weave. If you cannot obtain cat-tails, take other reeds ; or cut some 50 Handicraft for Girls straight, slender poles from shrubs or trees, and weave them into curtains with colored cord of reds or browns. Such pole-hangings would be excellent for the open front of your mountain shack or lean-to, and they could do service in screening the sunlight, when too strong, from the central open way of your saddle-bag log-house. 4 Sitting in the orchard 52 CHAPTER VI THINGS TO MAKE OF COMMON GRASSES A Grasshopper-House A M M Y, make me a grasshopper- house." " Go 'long, chile, I done got 'nough to do 'thout makin' no hoppergrass- houses." " Please, mammy, only one, and I can make them for myself. I'll watch you just as close. Won't you, mammy ? " " Pick me some grasses, then ; I 'low I has to, but don't yo' come pesterin' me no more after this time. " Seed-top grasses, honey, seed-top grasses ; don't git me none of them blade kind. Ketch hoi' near the top and pull 'em up slow like, then they'll come out nice and smooth, an' leave they ole rough skins behind, just like a eel does when you skins him. That's it, you got 'nough now ; bring- 'em 'long here an' we'll make the hoppergrass-house. " Hoi' your own hand, honey, you'll learn best that-a- way. Can't forgit the feelin' of it once you build it on yo' fingers. "Take one piece o' grass an' put it round yo' middle finger with the ends inside like this (Fig. 62). Now lay the next piece right across the first (Fig. 63), an' bend back the 53 54 Handicrafi for Girls Fig. 6j. — Put the grass around your middle finger with the end inside. Fig. 63.— Lay the next grass across the first. ^^ Fig. 64.— Bend back the ends of the first grass. Fig. 65.— Put the next grass across your hand. Things to Make of Cofmnon Grasses 55 Fig. 66. — Bend back the second grass ends like the first. the under ends back ev'ry time. How many bars has yo' got now? Six? That's 'nough fo' any hoppergrass, an' is as many as yo' little hand can hoi' anyway. " Now slip it offen yo' fingers, bring the ends together an' tie with a blade o' grass just above these here blossom ends (see illustration). There now, yo' done made a hoppergrass - house, an' don' yo' come askin' yo' ■^- « -r- ^t. * *t. ole mammy to stop her Fig. 67.— Tie them together J ^ at the root ends. WOrknomorC." ends of the first grass over the tother an' tuck 'em 'tween yo' fingers just like that (Fig. 64). Put the next grass across yo' hand (Fig. 65), an' take up the second grass-ends, bendin' 'em back to keep company with first grass- ends. That makes an- other bar (Fig. 66). Now yo' do it an' let mammy see how yo' git along That's right, lay the grass across an' put Fig. 68.— Lift two of the grasses and tie them together. 56 Handicraft for Girls That is the way the little girls and boys in the South are taught to make the grasshopper-houses, by the old colored "mammies." They are funny little cages, and, of course, will not hold a grasshopper or any other insect, but we like to imagine they will. There are other things to make of grasses, any one of them requiring only a few mo- ments' work, and it is a pretty, quiet occupa- tion f(^r restless little fingers. Sitting in the orchard, nestling like little partridges amid the tall grasses, all your ma- terials are close at hand. Reach out and gather some of the long- bladed grass, and we will make II A Doll's Hammock Some of this grass measures twenty-five inches in length. It does not grow on stalks, but the blade appears to spring directl}' from the root, and it is smooth and pliable. You may find orchard-grass almost anywhere, generall}^ in neglect- ed corners and close to fences where the scythe does not reach. Take eight or ten of the Fig. 69.-Tie them all bladcs of this grass and tie in pairs. ^ them together at the root-ends as in Fig. 6^, drawing the knot tight as in Fig. 68. Stick a pin through just below the knot and fasten to vour knee; then lift two of the grasses at the right-hand side, and tie The grasshopper-house. Tliuigs to Make of Common Grasses 57 them together about one inch below the pin (Fig. 68). Tie the next two grasses together in the same manner, the next, and the next, until you have tied them all in pairs (Fig. 69). Make the second row by separating the pairs of the first and tying one grass of one pair to the neigh- boring grass of the next pair, making the knots one inch below the first row. This leaves the first and last grasses hanging loose (Fig. 70). On the third row the first and last grasses are tied in once more (Fig. 70). On the fourth they are left again, and so they alternate until the Fig. 70.— Make the knots hammock is finished. of the second row one inch below the first row. Keep the rows of knots at even distances apart, and make the hammock as long as the length of the grass will allow. Leave about three inches of the grass below the last row of knots, and then tie the ends together as in the illustration. Swing the little hammock between the low-hang- ing branches of a tree ; put your dolly in it and let the summer breezes rock her to sleep while you sing: The grass hammock. Rock-a-by baby in the tree-top. A ver}' pretty 58 Handicraft for Girls Bouquet-Holder can be made of seed-grasses and one long- blade of grass. In this you may carry the most delicate wild flowers and ferns without wilting them b}' the warmth of your hand. Bunch together seven fine, strong seed-grass stalks and tie just below the blossoms, with the root-end of your long- blade grass (Fig. 71). The stems of the seed-grasses are the spokes, the long grass the weaver. Turn the blossom-ends down, the stem-ends up, and close to where it is tied, begin to weave the long grass in and out, under one spoke, over the next, under the third, over the fourth, go- ing around and around spirally until the end of the weaver is reached, then tie it to one of the spokes. Keep forcing the Bouquet-holder made gpokes farther and farther of seed-grass. ^ apart as you weave until the holder is shaped like a cone. As you see in the illustra- tion, the weaver never passes over one of the spokes twice in succession. In one row it goes over a spoke, in the next Fig. 71. — Bunch together the seed-grass stalks. Things to Make of Common Grasses 59 row under it, in the third over again, and so on. In order that it may always come this way you must have an uneven number of spokes. Four will not do, nor six, nor eight, but five, seven, or nine spokes will bring the weave out all right. A Grass Napkin-Ring is another thing that can be made by weaving or braiding the grasses. Select ten fine long blades of grass, divide them into two bunches of five each, put the root-ends to- gether, and tie them as when making the hammock. Pin these two bunches to your knee about two inches apart, and taking one blade from each bunch, cross them as in Grass napkin-ring. c -^ V Fig. 72. — Xake one blade from each bunch and cross them. Fig. 73. — Bring C over A and D un- der B and over C. 6o Handicraft for Girls Fig-. 72, the right-hand grass A on top of the left-hand grass B. Now bring the left-hand grass C over A, and the right-hand grass D under B and over C (Fig. 73). Next weave the left-hand grass E under A and over D, then the right-hand grass F over B, under C, and over E. Weave the remaining four grasses in the same way, taking first from one side, then from the other. When your work has reached the stage shown in Fig. 74, take the grass A, Fig. 74. — Weave the remaining grasses in the same way. S A Fig. 76. — Turn the grass A under, and weave it in and out. turn it under and weave it in and out as in Fig. j^, then the grass B, turn it over and weave until it crosses A (Fig. 76). D comes next, to be woven until it crosses B, then C, which will cross D. On the left hand always turn the grasses under before beginning to weave, on the right hand turn them over before beginning to weave. Things to Make of Common Grasses 6i When You Have Woven or braided a strip about five inches long, untie the two knots at the top, form the braid into a ring and tie the opposite ends together in two knots. The groups G and G in Fig. JJ form one knot, the groups H and H the other knot. Trim the ends off neatly and the napkin-ring will look like the one in the illustration. Do not use rough or saw-edged grasses for any of this work, for they sometimes cut the hands, and the seed-top grasses must not be old enough to shed their seeds into your eyes. When dry most grass is quite brittle and will break if you attempt to bend it. The fresh, green, soft and pliable grasses are the kind you need and these you may always find in season. Fig- 77. -Tie the opposite ends together. CHAPTER VII THE POSSIBILITIES OF A CLOTHES-LINE ^OU can form it into graceful patterns of curves and coils, loops and rings ; )u can weave it basket-fashion or net it together with brass curtain-rings, and you can fray it out into soft, pretty tassels. You can make it into a decorative wood- basket, a grille for an open doorway, fringe for curtains and portieres, or decoration for the top of a wooden chest. One use will suggest another and you will probably find some way of adapting the rope that has never yet been thought of. Hemp rope and cotton, large rope and small, down to the ordinary heavy twine, all lend themselves to this work. It requires a rather heavy clothes-line, one considerably lighter, called by some rope-cord, and a piece of strong twine for the Wood-Basket shown in the illustration. Make the bottom of a board two feet long and sixteen inches wide, and on each end of the board nail securely one-half of a barrel-hoop (Fig. 78). From an old broom- stick cut four rounds one inch thick for the feet (Fig. 79), and fasten one round to each corner underneath the board with strong screws or wire nails (Fig. 78, Z Z). 62 The Possibilities of a Clothes-Line 63 The wood-basket. This is all the wood you will need for the basket, the rest is to be made entirely of rope. Take your small rope and nail one end of it to the edge of the bottom, close to one end of one of the barrel-hoops (Fig. 80), then wrap the hoop with the rope, one row close to another until it is com- pletely covered. Cut off z. the rODe when it reaches Fig- 78-— On each end nail one-half of a barrel- the end of the hoop and nail it down as you did the first end of the rope in be- ginning. Fasten a piece of the heavy rope entirely around the edge of the board, nailing it at intervals along each side, but leaving loose that at the end edges until later. Make the End Pieces Fi -For °^ ^^^ basket by looping and twisting the heavy the feet. rope into the pattern shown in Fig. 8i, form- 64 Handicraft for Girls ing as many loops as are required to reach across the end of the bottom. Wrap and tie one row of the loops to the rope on the end edge of the board and the side loops to the hoops, using the twine for this purpose. Eight inches from the end of the bottom, under- neath but near the side edge, nail one end of your heavy rope ; bring it up slantingly and wrap and tie it to the hoop just above and touch- ing the top edge of the loops, stretch the rope tightly across the hoop and tie at the other side, then carry the end down and fasten underneath the bot- tom eight inches from the end of the board (see illustra- tion). Wrap and tie the top loops of the end piece to the top rope as shown in illustration. Finish the other end of the basket in the same manner, not forgetting to nail in place the rope left loose at the end edges. Give the completed wood- basket several coats of dark varnish. The varnish not only produces a nice finish, smooth- ing down both wood and rope, but also stiffens and helps to hold the rope in place. Fig. 80. — Nail one end of the small rope to the edge of the bottom. Fig. 81. — Make the end pieces like this. The Possibilities of a Clothes-Line 65 A Rope Netting at once simple and effective is made like Fig. 82. This netting may be made of heavy rope for a grille in an open doorway, or of lighter rope for fringe. In either case the method is the same. In a board, at regular distances apart, along a straight Fig. 82. — A Rope netting. line, drive a row of wire nails. It depends upon the size of the rope how far apart the nails should be placed. For a heavy rope there must be at least four inches between, and this distance should lessen as the rope decreases in size. Cut your rope into pieces four feet in length if it is heavy, not so long if it is light rope. Loop one piece of rope over each nail and let it hang down evenly, then 66 Handicraft for Girls bring the first and fourth strands together and slip on them a small brass curtain or embroidery ring (Letter A, Fig. 83). Push the ring up to within four inches of the line of nails if the nails are four inches apart. If the distance between the nails is three inches the ring must be three inches below the line. Catch the ring to each strand of rope with needle and thread to hold it in place. Bring the third and sixth strands together and slip on a ring (Letter B, Fig. 83). Then the fifth and seventh, and so across the board. Begin the next row by slipping a ring on the first and second strands, placing it the same distance below the first row of rings that the first row of rings is below the line of nails (Letter C, Fig. 83). Bring the third and fourth strands together with a ring, the fifth and sixth, continuing the original pairing of the strands until the row is complete. The third row of rings brings together again the second and fourth strands, the third and sixth, as in the first row, and the fourth row of rings goes back to pairing the first and second, third and fourth strands. Fig. 83. — Slip on a small brass curtain ring. The Tassels Below the last row of rings wrap and tie the strands together, then untwist the ends of the rope up to where it k The Possibilities of a Clothes-Line 67 is tied and fray it out until it becomes fluffy. Make the head of the tassel by wrapping closely with twine a short distance below the ring, or you may slip on several of the brass rings as a finish. The board on which you make your netting need not be any longer than is convenient to handle, for when one part of the netting is finished it can be taken off the nails and new strands added to carry on the work. Fig. 84 is an ornamental design suitable for decorating a wooden chest or, if sewed on cloth, for a hanging. By studying the design you can easily reproduce it without the aid of de- scription or other diagram. Fig. 84. — Ornamental design. CHAPTER VIII HOW TO WEAVE A SPLINT BASKET *^OUR enthusiasm will begin when you find how easily the splint can be cut and shaped after it has soaked for a while in water. It is delightful to work with, almost as soft and pliable as ribbon, while having more substance. Although there is apparently such diversit}'^ in the material shown in the illus- tration, it all comes from one roll of splint, which is uni- form in width and thickness. A basket measuring about six inches in diameter and three inches in height is a convenient size on which to learn. Open Your Roll of Splint, put two pieces to soak in a bowlful of cold water, and let them remain twenty minutes. Have ready a clean lap- board, a pair of large scissors, and an old towel. The lap-board not only serves for a work-table, but also keeps the water out of 3'our lap. Wipe the dripping water from the splint, and cut off six pieces nineteen inches long; then cut these into sixteen strips one-half inch wide, for the spokes of the basket. Do not attempt to tear the splint, for it will not tear evenly, 68 ^■^^ How to Weave a Splint Basket 69 From the other piece of splint cut four strips for weavers, making the first one-half of an inch wide, the next one- fourth of an inch wide, another one-eighth of an inch wide, and the last one-sixteenth of an inch wide. Place all the weavers in the water and leave them until you are ready to begin weaving. Take Up the Spokes, one at a time, and pass them between your fingers until they are perfectly straight and flat ; then number them all by writing the number with a pencil on each end of every spoke ; see diagram (Fig. 85). Lay the ^ spokes in front of you on the lap-board crossing the first four at the centre (Fig. 85). Place the next four spokes in the spaces between the ones you have just arranged in the order shown in Fig. 86, then the remaining eight in the spaces left be- tween these. For instance, the ninth spoke should come between No. i and No. 5, the tenth spoke between No. 5 and No. 3, the eleventh spoke between No. 3 and No. 6, and so on around the circle (Fig. 87). Be sure the lower end of a spoke fits between the same numbers as the upper end. When all the spokes are placed hammer a Fig. 85. — The first four spokes. 70 Handicraft for Girls strong- pin directly through the centre where they are crossed, to hold them together while vou begin. The Weaving With the spokes 13'ing in the position shown in diagram (Fig. 87), take the eighth-inch weaver, and begin to weave it in and out of the spokes. Start it under spoke No. i about tw^o and one-half inches from the centre, bring it over No. 9, under No. 5, over No. 10, under No. 3, over, under, over, under, until it has crossed spoke No. 16; then skip No. I, bring the 7|. ,^ \veaver under N0.9, and weave another row. You wall find it necessar}^ to skip one spoke at the beginning of each row, in order to make a continuous u n d er-and-o V e r weave. Weave five r o w' s with the eighth-inch weaver, then slide the end under the last row% lapping it an inch or so and running it under several spokes, to hide the joint. Slip the first end under a spoke also. During this part of the work )^our main endeavor must be to weave in a perfect circle. The illustration shows the bottom of the basket completed. Before bending the spokes for the sides of the basket, Fig. 86. — Eight spokes in place. . BhHHHIL!' -'^^ %4 "*" Mj^y W^mmK^ '--^' ^Hk| Bottom of basket completed. Material for weaving basKet. Small basket with two rows of trimming on different colored weaver between. Lining the basket. How to Weave a Splint Basket 71 let them soak in the water a few minutes, then place the work on the lap-board, the same side up as when started, and carefully bend the spokes up at right- angles with the bot- tom (Fig. 88). Start a half-inch weaver inside the basket, close to the bottom, and weave under and over until the row is complete; then, allowing for a lap of about three inches, end under the first end of — Bend the spokes up. Fig. 87.— All of the spokes in place. cut the weaver off and slide the the weaver, making the invisible joint by tucking each end undera spoke. Start the next row a little beyond the joint of the first row, that the join- ing may not all come in one place. Weave five rows of the half-inch weaver, then two rows of the fourth-inch weaver and then bind off (Fig. 89). Binding Off Cut the spokes off evenly, leaving about two inches ex- tending above the top of the 72 Handicraft for Girls ^^"Svaojr^ Fig. 89. — Binding off. basket, then put the basket in the water, spokes down, and soak until pliable. Bend each spoke down snugly over the top weaver, and slip the end through the next weaver, pushing it down until its end is hid- den under one of the weavers. Bend one spoke inside, the next outside the basket, according as they come inside or outside of the top weaver (Fig. 89). This binding off holds the top weaver in place and makes the basket very firm ; but the spokes must be pro- tected from wear where they are bent, and it is necessary to put a double band around the edge. For this band cut two pieces of the fourth-inch weaver w h i c h will go around the basket and lap about an inch. Place one piece along the inside edge, the other along the outside edge of the basket, and with the sixteenth-inch weaver bind them to the top weaver, as shown in Diagram 90. Fasten the end bv taking several cross-stitches with the narrow weaver, passing it under the inside band only, and tucking the end under the same band. Fig. go. — Putting on the band. How to PVeave a Splint Basket 73 The Trimming Many splint baskets are trimmed with twisted loops of the same material. For this trimming- take one of the half- inch weavers and cut a thread's width off its edge, making it just a trifle narrower than the other weaver. Insert the end of this weaver under a spoke at the top of the basket (letter A, Diagram 91), give a twist to the left, and pass it beneath the next spoke, as shown in Diagram 91, letter B. Pull the loop down and flatten it a little with your thumb, then twist the weaver again, this time to the right, and slip the end under the next spoke, letter C. Continue this around the basket, and make the joint of the trimming as you did the other joints, by lapping the ends and slip- ping them under the spokes, which makes the last loop of double thickness. The small basket shown in the illus- tration has two rows of trimming, and between them is run a weaver of another color pulled out into loops at the sides. The illustration on the first page of this chapter shows a large basket with four rows of trimming and handles. The handles are made of the fourth-inch weaver, which is brought around twice, making a ring of double thickness. The ring is then wrapped with the eighth-inch weaver, and fastened to the basket with loops of the same. The weav- ing of this large basket differs from the smaller one, in that the weaver is not cut at the end of each row, but is con- y^'Exo-va, Fig. 91. — Making the trimming. 74 Handicraft for Girls tinned around row after row. For a large basket the half- inch weaver can be used in this way, but in a small basket the slant of the weaver as it runs around is too apparent. If a long weaver is used in a small basket it must not be more than one-eighth of an inch in width. While baskets of the natural white splint are extremely dainty, color certainly gives variety and adds interest to the work, and the splints will take dye readily. You might also line your basket with silk of a color to harmonize with the splint. The white-ash splint one and one-half inches wide comes in rolls of twenty-five 3^ards, and a roll will make several medium-sized baskets. The material may be obtained of almost an}^ kindergarten supply firm. CHAPTER IX MODELLING IN TISSUE-PAPER FEW cents will be sufficient to buy enough tissue-paper to model good- sized elephants, too large to stuff into the Christmas stocking, for they meas- ure six or seven inches in length and stand four or five inches high ; and you can make chickens nearly life-size, and the queer little turkeys, too. You must select paper of the nec- essary color, and fold, roll, fold, squeeze, fold, tie, with here a little pull and there a little pat, a spreading out, a pinching in; that is all. There is no sewing, no pasting, no pinning, merely modelling and tying, using only tissue-paper ana string. These animals are very substantial and unique. They are not at all thin or fiat, but well rounded out and lifelike, with character and independence enough to stand alone — just the kind your little brother and sister will be delighted with, for they may play with the toys free from all danger of hurts or bruises. To Make the Chicken select a sheet of tissue-paper of a soft yellow color, cut it through the centre, fold into two pieces. Take one of the 75 76 Handicraft for Girls halves and gather up the long edge where it has been cut (Fig. 92), then gather the opposite edge (Fig. 93). Crease the paper as it is folded by holding One end with the right Fig. 92. — The beginning of the paper chicken. hand (Fig. 92), and drawing the paper several times through the partially closed left hand. This will cause it to retain the creases, as seen in Fig. 93. Fig. 93. — Second step in modelling chicken. Roll a separate piece of paper into a little wad and lay it on the creased strip (Fig. 93) about one-fourth of the dis- Fig. 94. — Third step in modelling chicken. tance from one end. Bend the short end of the strip over the wad of paper, as in Fig. 94; then fold up the strip Modelling in Tissue-paper 11 where the end of the short fold lies, bend this over the first fold (Fig. 95) and bring the loose end on the bottom of the three layers. Fig. 96 shows a wad of paper inserted at one end of a strip of creased paper folded over and over three times, making four layers, two on top and two on the bot- tom of the paper wad. Wind a string around the paper tight up to the wad and tie it securely to form the head (Fig. 97). You now have the body and head of the chicken. Make the legs and feet of a strip of paper about sixteen Fig. 95. — Fourth step in modelling chicken. Fig. 96. — Fifth step in modelling chicken. Fig. 97. — Head and body of chicken. inches long and seven and one-half wide. Gather up the two long sides with your fingers as you did the paper in Fig. 93 ; crease the paper, then wind each leg with string, leaving one inch free at each end to form the feet (Fig. 98). Lift up Fig. 98. — Modelling the chicken's legs. the free end of the folded paper (Fig. 97) and place the centre of the legs (Fig. 98) midway under the last fold as in Fig. 99. Tie the end of the loose layer of the body securely 78 Handicraft for Girls on the body, and you will have the foundation ready for the beak, wings, and tail (Fig. loo). Cut a square of the same kind of tissue paper, measur- ing nine and one-half inches on all four sides ; fold diago- Fig. 99. — Modelling body and legs of chicken. nally twice across the square as when making a paper pin- wheel. The centre of the square is exactly where the diagonal lines meet and cross ; pinch the centre portion up into a beak and tie it with a string (Fig. loi) ; then fit the Fig. 100. — Partially modelled ready for beak, wings and tail. beak over the centre of the chicken's head, bringing the paper entirely over the head on all sides ; tie the square around the chicken's neck close up to the head (Fig. 102). Modelling in Tissue-paper 79 Fig. loi. — The beak of chicken. Fig. 102. — ^Modelling beak on chicken. 8o Handicraft for Girls Fig. 103. Paper chicken nearly finished. The two points A and B of the square must form the wings, while C is carried backward over the under portion of the body and D back over the upper part, the two ends C and D being brought together and tied tight up to the body to form the tail. In Fig. 103 you will see exactly how to pinch up the wing if you notice particularly the ■o upper part of the wing B, next to the body. The wing A on Fig. 103 shows how the two wings must be tied close to, but not on, the body. When each wing is tied, make the tail of C and D by tying the extensions together as explained above ; that done, bend down the legs, spread out the wings and Fig. 104. Hungry little paper chicken. ^^^'^^-s-i Modelling in Tissue-paper 8i tail, open out and flatten the feet, then stand the little chicken on a level surface (Fig. 104). Remember always to crease the tissue- paper with the grain oi the paper; if you at- tempt to cross the grain the paper will be very apt to tear. The Turkey (Fig. 105) is also mod- elled from half a sheet of tissue-paper as near the general color of a turkey as can be found. Make Fig. 92 and Fig. 93 of the paper; then fold Fig. 93 five and th ree-quarter inches from one end (Fig. 106, F). Three inches from this end tie the two layers together (Fig. 106, G). Fold the strips back and tie a string through the lower loop Fig. 105. — The astonished paper turkey. Fig. 106. — ModelHng turkey's body. up over the loose top laver (Fig. 106, H). Wind the ex- treme end of the paper (Fig. 106, O), with string to form 82 Handicraft for Girls the beak (Fig. 107), bend the beak down and tie it to the neck to form the top of the head (Fig. 108, P). Make the legs and feet as you did those for the chicken (Fig. 98) and slide them through the body so that one fold of the body will be above and two beneath the legs (Fig, 107). Cut the wings from a separate piece of tissue- paper (Fig. 109). Let the paper measure seven inches on the widest side, five on the opposite side, and four and one-half on Pinch the paper together through Fig. 107. — Legs and feet of turkey. each of the other sides. Fig. 108. — Head modelled on turkey. Modelling in Tissue-paper 83 the centre and tie (Fig. 1 10). Gather up one wing, so that it will not tear, and slip it through the body, immediately over the legs, with the widest side toward the front (Fig. 105), Fig. 109. — Paper for turkey wings. leaving the other wing out free on the other side of the tur- key. Bend down the legs, spread the tail out fan shape Fig. no. — Turkey wings. and bend it up ; open out the wings and drop them down- ward and forward (Fig. 105). Flatten out the feet and stand up the turkey (Fig. 105). The Elephant (Fig. in) will require two sheets of brown tissue-paper for its body, head, and trunk, which are all made of a single strip of paper. Unfold, spread out and fit the two sheets of 84 Handicraft for Girls tissue-paper together; then gather up one side, as in Fig. 92, crease and gather up the other side (Fig. 93). Bind one end with black thread to the distance of four and one-half inches to form the trunk; then fold the remainder of the strip into four layers, beginning with the free end of the paper; fold over and over three times. This gives the body Fig. III. — Elephant modelled of tissue-paper. and head. Bind black thread around the folds next to the trunk to form the head. Make four legs of two pieces of paper in the same way you formed those of the chicken (Fig. 98), only" the elephant's legs must be very much thicker. Slide the legs through the body between the two layers of paper, shove the front legs forward and the hind legs backward. For the tail use a small strip of the brown tissue-paper. Wrap it around and around with black thread to within an inch of the bottom and cut this end up into fringe. Fasten the tail on the elephant with black thread, Modelling in Tissue-paper 85 pass the thread between the first and second layers of paper forming the back of the body of the animal and tie the tail on the outside threads which cross from side to side of the elephant ; bend the top of the tail over the thread, as you would hang a garment on a clothesline, and tie the bent- over end down on to the tail proper. Shape the ears like Fig. 112, pinch together the end S and tuck it under the thread which separates the head from the body. Allow the long side, M, to form the front of the ears. You can add white ivory tusks if desired. Roll up two white writ- ing-paper lighters and push an end of each up in the head under the trunk, forming one tusk on each side. In making these little creatures do not forget that you must do some modelling, bending and shaping them with your fingers, squeezing up the paper where it stands out Fig- "2-— Elephant's too far, and gently pulling it out in places where it flattens too much. The heads can be turned to suit the fancy, the bodies inclined this or that way, or they may stand stiff and erect. You might model a number of chickens, of different-colored paper, some yellow, some white, and others black, like real chickens; or make several turkeys and two or three elephants, some of the latter with tusks and others without. The toys when finished will cause exclamations of delight and approval. They are simple and easy to put together, something which will not cost much and yet be worth many times the amount ex- pended for the necessary material to manufacture. The little animals are attractive, substantial toys, entirely different from the common ones which any girl or boy with sufficient pocket money may purchase. CHAPTER X NATURE STUDY WITH TISSUE-PAPER NATURAL flower, some tissue-paper, a pair of scissors, a spool of thread, and nimble fingers are all you need. There are no patterns, only circles and squares and strips of paper which you gather here, spread out there, wrap and tie some place else and, with deft fingers, model into almost exact reproductions of the natural flower before you. With its unfamiliar terms to be committed to memory and the many parts of the flower to be distinguished, botany is apt to prove dry and tire- some to the little child, but to study nature by copying the flowers in this marvellously adaptable material is only a beautiful game which every child, and indeed many grown people, will delight in. The form of the flower, its name and color, may, by this means, be indelibly stamped upon the memory, and a good foundation laid for further study. The Best Models Ordinary garden flowers and those most easily procured make the best models. The carnation-pink, the morning- glory, and the rarer blossoms of the hibiscus, are well S6 Nature Study With Tissue-paper 87 adapted to the work, also the daffodil and some of the won- derful orchids. Even holly with its sharp-spiked leaves and scarlet ber- ries and the white-berried, pale-green mistletoe may be closely copied. All these and many more are made on the same principle and in so simple a manner even quite a lit- tle child may succeed in producing very good copies from Nature. Material Buy a sheet of light pink tissue-paper, another of darker pink, and one of the darkest red you can find. Then a sheet of light yellow-green and one of dark green. Have a table " cleared for ac- tion " and place your paper on the right-hand side, adding a pair of scissors and a spool of coarse thread, or, better still, of soft darning-cot- ton. With all this you are to copy the Carnations modelled from tissue-paper. Carnation-pink which someone has given you or you have growing in your own garden. Make one of your light pink paper, one of the darker pink, and another of the rich, deep red to have a variety. 88 Handicraft for Girls Fig. 113.- -Fold the square diagonally through the centre. Lay jour natural flower down on the left-hand side of the table, away from your material but quite within easy reach, for it must be con- sulted frequently. Seat yourself comfortably and don't work hurriedly. The first thing neces- sary in this system of squares and circles is to know How to Cut a Circle Quickly, easily and accuratel}^ and always without a pattern. Here is a method which never fails : Cut a square the size you wish to make your circle. That is, if you want a circle with a diameter of four inches cut a four-inch square (Fig. 113). Fold the square di- agonally through the cen- tre according to the dotted line on Fig. 113, and you have the triangle (Fig. 1 14). Fold this at the dotted line and it will make another triangle (Fig. 115). Again fold through the middle and 3'ou have the third triangle (Fig. 116). Fold once more and Fig. 117 is the result. Measure ■ Fig. 114.— The first triangle. Nature Study With Tissue-paper 89 the distance from the edge, B, to the centre A in Fig. 117 and mark the same distance on the other side of the angle shown by the dot, C (Fig. 117), With your scissors cut Fig. 115. — Second triangle. Fig. 116. — Third triangle. across from C to B, curving the edge slightly, as shown by the dotted line from C to B (Fig. 118). Fig. 1 19 is the circle still in its folds. Fig. 120 is the circle opened, the dotted lines indicating where it has been folded. Your eye will soon become sufficiently accurate to en- Fig. 117. — Fold once more. Fig. 118. — Cut from C to B, curv- ing the edge. Fig. 119. — The circle still in its folds. able you to gauge the distance from A to B, and you can then cut from C to B without measuring. Before Beginning Your Flower take up the natural one and examine it carefully. You will notice that it has a great many petals crowded closely to- 90 Handicraft for Girls Fig. 120. — The circle opened. not noticeable except as appearance, and the edge It is this last ap- pearance or the impression of the flower that you are to produce rather than its many and separate little parts. So now to work. Cut Two Squares for Each Pink, one measuring five and one - quarter inches, the other four and three- quarter inches, and gether and that their edges are pointed like a saw. You will also see that the green calyx is wrapped snugly around the lower part of the flower and that it, too, has a pointed edge. Now hold the pink off at arm's length. The sep- arateness of the petals disappears and you see them only as a mass ; the points on the edges are thev give the flower a crimped of the calyx looks almost straight. Fig. 121. — The petals. Nature Study With Tissue-paper 91 turn them into circles (Fig. 121) by the method just ex- plained. Take one of the circles at the centre, where the folding lines cross, with the tips of the fingers of your left hand and pinch it together ; then, while still hold- ing it, crimp the edge with the fingers of your right hand (Fig. 122). Do this always with every kind of flower, whether it is made of circles or squares. Without loosening your hold of the centre, draw the paper lightly through your right hand sev- eral times, then crimp the edge again, this time with the blade of your scissors. Treat all the circles alike, then place a small circle in- side a larger one and draw them through your hand to bring them together, pinch- ing them closely until within a little over an inch of the edge (Fig. 123). Make a slen- der lighter of ordinary writ- ing-paper (Fig. 124), snip off the point of the flower (D, Fig. 123), open the other end a little and push the lighter through until its head is hid- den. This forms the stem. Jfig, 122. — Crimp the edge with your fingers. Fig. 123. — Draw these through your hand to bring them closely together. Fig. 124. — Make Wrap and tie with thread at ughter. the bottom of the flower (Fig. 125), and again where the petals spread. This last is to be but temporary, as you will remove the thread when 92 Handicraft for Girls the flower is sufficiently pressed together to hold its shape. From your lig-ht-green paper cut a circle measuring three and one- quarter inches through its diameter and cut it in two to make the half circle for the calyx (Fig. 126). Remove the thread that holds the flower just below its petals and wrap the calyx closely around the lower part, tying it at the bottom ; ji J4 'mcVies Fig. 126.— The calyx. Fig. 125.— Wrap and tie at the bottom and where the petals spread. Fig. 127. — Wrap the paper spirally around the stem. Nature Study With Tissue-paper 93 then cut a narrow strip of dark-green paper and wrap it spirally around the stem, beginning at the top (Fig. 127). Let the wrapper extend a little below the lighter and twist the end to hold it in place. Spread the petals of your flower as much like the natural blossom as possible. v9 Fig. 128. The leaves. Leaves For the leaves cut a strip of dark-green paper six inches long and three-quarters of an inch wide (Fig. 128). Find the centre by fold- ing the paper end to end and mak- ing the crease shown by dotted line in Fig. 128. Gather it along this line, not with needle and thread — we use no needle in this work — but with your fingers, and pinch it together ; then twist each end into a point (Fig. 129). With the sharp point of your scissors punch a hole directly through the centre (E, Fig. 129), and push the point of the stem through the hole, bringing the leaves as far up on the stem as you find them on the Fig. 129. — Twist each end into a point. natural flower ; then wrap and tie them in place. The Bud is made of a circle of dark-green paper the diameter of which is three and one-quarter inches (Fig. 130). Gather this circle between your fingers as you did the others and crimp the edge with the scissors. It will then form a little 94 Handicraft for Girls Fig. 131 bag- or cup like Fig. 131. Slip the bag over the head of a lighter and tie at the bottom as in Fig. 132. If the bud does not take the proper shape at first, model it with your fingers until it is correct. Start the wrapping of the stem just above where the bud is tied and finish as you did the stem of the pink. Use small leaves on the bud stem, having the strip of paper just as wide, but consid- erably shorter than for the leaves on the stem of the open flower. It is wonderful how Fig. i3o.-The bud. very natural these blos- soms appear. At a short distance no one would think they are not the real, old and familiar pinks. Only the fragrance is missing, and that may also be supplied and a spicy odor /^ given by enclosing a whole clove in the heart of each flower. The Morning-Glory From your pale-pink paper you can make the delicately beautiful morning-glory. Have the natural flower with its stem and leaves to copy from, even if the blossom is not the color you want. As with the pink, it is the general form and appearance we strive for in the morn- ing-glory, not the detail. Make your pink circles with a diameter of about seven inches. It is always better to have your flowers a trifle larger than the natural ones, rather than smaller. Fig. 132. — Slip the bag over the head of a lighter. Nature Shtdy With Tissue-paper 95 But one circle is required for each morning-glory. Crimp this in your fingers and draw through your hand as you did the circles for the pinks ; then, pinching it to- gether to within one and one- half inches of the edge, hold it in your left hand and flatten out the top as in Fig. 133. See that the fulness is evenly distributed, and pull and straighten out the edges until you are satisfied with its ap- pearance. K piece of bonnet-wire Morning-glory modelled from tissue-paper. makes the best stem if you wish to give the true viney effect of the growth. If it is only the blossom you are making, a paper light- er will answer. When you use the wire bend one end over to form a small loop ; this is to keep the stem from slipping through the flower. Pass the Fig- 133- — Flatten out the top of the flower 96 Handicraft for Girls I straight end of the wire through the centre of the flower and draw it down until the loop is hidden. Make Fig. 134- — Green square for calyx. The Calyx , of a square of light-green paper measuring about four and one-half inches. Fold the square four times through the centre to form the creases shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 134. Hold the square at tiie centre and draw the edges down as in Fig. 135; then bring the two edges to- gether in gathers, just below one of the corners, to form a leaf-shaped point as in Fig. 136. Gather below each corner, tie as in Fig. 137, and twist each cor- Fig. 135. — Draw the edges down. Fig. 136. — Form a leaf-shaped point. Nature Study PVith Tissue-paper 97 ner into a sharp point like F, Fig. 137. Draw the calyx through your hand, bringing- the points together (Fig. 138). Push the calyx up on the stem and tie just at the base of the flower, then tie again about three-quarters of an inch below and wrap the re- mainder of the calyx close to the stem. Wind the stem with light- green tissue-paper and bend it as the natural one is bent and curved. Make several buds of the pink paper, fol- lowing the directions given for the green bud of the pink; then twist each bud at the point and add a calyx. The wilted flower shown in the illustration is made by taking one of the morning-glories you have just finished and actually wilting it by draw- ing the flower together and creas- ing and pressing it to resemble the partially closed and drooping natural blossom. Only a piece of dark-green paper six inches square is re- quired to model two almost perfectly shaped morning-glory leaves. Fold the square twice diagonally across from corner to corner to find its centre ; then begin at one corner and Fig- 137- — Twist each corner into a point. Fig. 138. — Bring the points together. 98 Handicraft for Girls gather along one of the creases until you reach the centre (Fig. 139). Start again at the opposite corner, gather Fig. 139. — Gather along one of the creases. along the crease to the centre, then wrap and tie (Fig. 140). Pinch each leaf from underneath along the crease in the middle, to give the depression at the midrib. Straighten the leaf out a little at its widest part and you will find you Fig. 140. — The morning-glory leaves. Nature Study With Tissue-paper 99 \ have made a pair of leaves which are surprisingly natural. Wrap and tie these to the stem and make as many more as you think are needed. The Daffodil is of such a different nature it hardly seems possible that it can be made on the same principle as the other flowers, yet the work is practically the same. Match the tint of your natural daf- fodil in yellow tissue-paper as nearly as possible, and then cut two squares for each flower measuring about five and one-half inches. Fold the squares cross- wise and diagonally through the centre as you did for the calyx of the morning- glory (Fig. 134), and cut one square in Daffodils modelled from half along one of its diagonal folds tissue-paper. Fig. 141. — For the two extra petals. t.ofC. lOO Hamiicraff fo^ Girls Fig 14a. — Pinch and tie in place. (Fig. 141). Gather the square two and a quarter inches below each corner and tie as in Fig. 137, but do not twist the points. This gives you four pet- als, but as the daffodil has six, vou must make two more from the triangu- lar halves of the square vou have just cut. Gather each triangle across from side to side, ac- cording to the dotted line in Fig. 141. and pinch and tie in place as in Fig. 142, mak- ing sure the petal is of exactlv the same size as those on the square. Bring to- gether the fan of paper left below the petal and wrap and tie as in Fig. 143, then cut otY the ragged end (Fig. 144). Fig. 144. — Cut off the ragged end. |i Fig. 145. — Fit each loose petal between two of the others. Fig. 143. — Bring to- gether the fan of paper below the pet&l. Nature Study l/Vith Tissue-paper loi Fig. 146. — Pinch the cup together. Fig. 147. — Slip the cup on your finger like a thimble. Draw the petals of the square together as you did the calyx, and insert the stem made of a paper lighter. Put in place the two extra petals, pushing the wrapped ends down into the heart of the flower; fit each loose petal between two of the others and tie (Fig. 145). Turn back to the bud of the pink (Fig. 130), and from a circle of the yellow paper, with a diameter of four inches, make the cup (Fig. 131), using the scissors to give a fine crimp to the edges. Pinch the cup together at the bottom almost half-way up and tie (Fig. 146) ; slip it on your finger like a thimble and press it into shape like Fig. 147. Insert the point or stem of the CUD into the centre of the ^•^- ^^S— insert the stem of the cup into cup HlLU LUC CCUUC Ul LUC the centre of the flower. I02 Handicraft for Girls flower and tie in place just below the petals (Fig. 148). Cut a two and three-quarter-incli square from light- brown paper and divide it diagonally in half for the calyx. Examine your natural daffodil and notice how loosely the calyx seems to be wrapped around the flower. Imitate this by leaving the point loose at the top, while you wrap the bottom of the calyx closely around the stem. Allow the wrapping for the stem to cover the lower part of the brown calyx. Make several long, narrow leaves from strips of dark-green paper, two inches wide and of varying lengths. Twist one end of each leaf into a point and, gathering the other end, draw it through your hands until it stands up stiffly. Wrap each leaf partly around the stem and tie in place, following as closely as possible the natural growth of the leaf on the stem. Bend the stem just below each flower, being careful not to break the paper lighter which forms it. If you use thread the color of the flowers for tying and green for the stems the effect will be almost perfect. CHAPTER XI A NEW RACE OF DOLLS IKE the little animals, these dolls are modelled of tissue-paper and they are equally substan- tial and durable. The dolls, as well as their dresses, shoes, and bonnets, are made without taking a stitch or using glue or paste. Nothing could be prettier or more suitable to hang on the Christmas-tree than these little ladies decked out in their fluffy tissue- paper skirts, and nothing will give greater delight to the chil- dren. To make Little Miss Muffett you will need eight sheets of white tissue-paper, two sheets of flesh pink, not too deep in color, a quarter of a sheet of light-brown or yellow, and a small piece of black. Her un- derclothes will require one sheet of white and her dress 103 Here she comes. Little Miss Muffett. I04 Handicyaft for Girls and bonnet one sheet of any color you consider most be- coming-. Take one sheet of the white paper at a time and draw it lengthwise through your hands, creasing or crimping it as Fig. 149. — Creased tissue-paper for making doll. in Fig. 149. six of them another and Fig. 150. — Six sheets of tissue- paper folded to- gether for mak- ing doll. Fig. 151. — Head of doU. Do this to all the eight sheets. Then, pulling partly open, place them evenlv one on top of fold through the middle (Fig. 150). Take an- other sheet of the crimped paper and roll it into a ball like Fig. 151. Open the fold- ed paper, place the ball in the middle, bring the paper down over the ball and wrap and tie just below with coarse linen thread or white darning-cot- ton (Fig. 152). This is the head, which you must model into shape with your fingers, squeezing it out to make it fuller and rounder at the back and pinching it to give a chin to the face. Fold another crimped sheet like Fig. 153 for the arms. You will notice the ends do not quite reach the folds. The space left _ tt . ^ ^ \ Fig. 152. — Head tied should measure a little over on body. A New Race of Dolls 105 Fig- 153- — Beginning the arms. Fig- 154- — Pink paper over arms. Fig. 155. — Outside of arms tied over inside. one inch. Crimp half a sheet of the pink paper and with it cover the arms ; allow the pink to extend equally at each end beyond the white and fold over the ends, tying them as in Fig. 154. Then tie the loose ends down as in Fig. 155. Open the paper just below the head, slip the arras in place and tie below (Fig. 156). Spread out your smooth sheet of pink paper, place the doll's head directly in the centre and draw the paper down over head and body ; keep it as smooth as possible over the face and wrap and tie at the neck (Fig. 157). Push the pink paper up on the shoulders and cut a slit about six inches long lengthwise through the middle of the entire mass of paper, as shown in Fig. 157. Wrap and tie each of the legs (Fig, 158) and tie once more un- der the arms (Fig. 161). Fold the bottom edges un- der and model the feet in shape (Fig. 158). The wrap- pings at the thighs and knees take slanting lines, which give a more natural shape to the legs than if the thread were simply wrapped round and round as at the Fig. 156.— Arms in place. anklcS. io6 Handicraft for Girls Paint the Face m. of Little Miss Muffett with water-colors, placing the feat- ures low on the head to give a babyish look, and make the eyes large and mouth small. Color the cheeks and Fig. 157- — The pink skin of tissue-paper over doll. Fig. 158. — Modelling legs of doll. chin a deeper pink, and put little touches of red just above i the eyes near the inner corners and little streaks of blue just below the eyes. Miss Muffett's curls are furnished by The Wig, which you are to make of brown or yellow paper, or black if you want a little brunette. A New Race of Dolls 107 Cut a circle seven and one-half inches in diameter, and on the edge cut a fringe one inch in depth (Fig. 159). This is the hair, which you must curl by drawing it lightly over the blade of a penknife or scissors (Fig- 159)- Fit the wig on Miss Muffett's head, holding it in place with pins until you can tie it on just back of the curls (Fig. 161) Now for the little lady's clothes. To make m Fig. 159. — The wig. The Shoes, which will be her first article of dress, cut out of the black tissue-paper two circles measuring four and one-half inches in diameter (Fig, 160); place one foot in the middle of a circle, draw the paper up around the ankle and wrap a number of times before tying. Put the other shoe on the other foot in the same manner, and The shoe. your doll will look like Fig. 161. Fig. 160.— Pattern of shoe. Miss Muffett's Lingerie consists of a union garment (Fig. 162) and a white skirt (Fig. 163). From one end of your remaining sheet of white paper cut a strip about seven inches wide, and at the middle cut a slit half-way up (Fig. 162). Draw this through your hands to crimp it, the creases to run lengthwise, that is, from top to bottom. Fit the little garment to the body, tying it just below the arms and again above the knees, where it will form ruflfles. io8 Handicraft for Girls Cut the white skirt in a circle seventeen inches in di- ameter with a circular opening in the centre (^Fig. 163). Crimp the skirt and put it on over the feet, not the head, of the doll, wrapping and tying it in place around the waist. Not only mav tissue-paper be purchased in all colors, with their various shades and tints, but in prett}^ little checks, plaids, and fig- ures as well, so Miss Muffett may have a dress equal in appearance to the cotton or silk gown of her china sisters. Cut the skirt of The Dress after the white skirt pattern (Fig. 163), and the waist like the smaller circle (Fig. 164), which has one slit, from outer to inner edge, added to the opening at the centre. This waist circle should measure ten inches in diameter. Do not crimp the dress skirt, but put it on in all its crisp Fig. 161. — Ready to be dressed. Fig. 162. — Union garment. freshness, and tie in place at the waist-line. Adjust the waist on Miss Muffett, bringing the slit opening at the back. A New Race of Dolls 109 It looks very much like a cape now, doesn't it ? But draw the fulness in at the bottom and around the arms at the Fig. 163. — ^White skirt. Fig. 164. — Waist pattern. shoulders, and you have a little waist with full short sleeves. Tie the waist rather high, and bring it down to Fig. 165. — Pattern for sun-bonnet. Fig, 166. — Bonnet folded. bag slightly over the skirt as shown in the illustration of Miss Muffett. Cut no Handicraft for Girls The Sun-Bonnet of the same paper as the dress. Fig. 165 shows the pattern, which is ten inches long and nine inches wide. Fold the straightedge over three times, according to the dotted lines in Fig. 165, making the folds one and one-quarter inches wide. Fig. 166 shows the bonnet folded, and the dotted line around the curve indicates where it is to be gathered in at the neck. Fit Fig. 166 on Miss Muffett's head, allow- ing the folded edge to extend slightly beyond her face, then draw the bonnet down at the back and gather it in with your fingers until it sits snugly to the neck. Through the middle of the fold, one inch from each end, puncture a hole, and through these two holes pass the thread that goes around the back of the bonnet and ties under Miss Muffett's chin. See illustration of sun-bonnet. The sun-bonnet. CHAPTER XII AN INDIAN ENCAMPMENT Take for Indian encampment for your very own! A wigwam, camp-fire. Indian travois, blan- ket-weaving loom, gorgeous feathered head-dress, bow, arrows and shield, tomahawk, wampum, and a little cop- per-colored papoose in its funny stiff cradle, hanging on a tree entirely alone ! Does not all that sound delightful? The complete scene can actually be made to appear in your room at home. The Ground a common pastry-board or any kind of board of the desired size — -about nineteen by twenty-six inches — and for grass cover one side and the four edges of the board with a piece of light-green cotton flannel stretched tight, fleece side up, and tacked to the under side of the board. Sprinkle sand and small stones on the grass at one side of the wigwam, to show where the grass has been worn off by the tramping of the Indians, the bronco pony, and the dog, for all Indians possess dogs of some description. If you have a toy dog of suitable size, stand him by the fire where he will be com- fortable. Before the red men owned horses, a dog was al- ways used to drag the travois, and to this day the braves care as much for a dog as does any pale-faced boy — which III 112 Handicraft for Girls : Fig. 167. — Home-made compass. is saying much, for a white boy and any kind of a dog- make j devoted friends and comrades. Now that we have our camping-ground, the first thing we must do is to Put Up the Wigwam for shelter. Draw an eight-inch diameter circle on the grass near one end of the ground. Fold a strip of paper lengthwise, stick a pin through one end of the paper and drive it down into the board where you wish the centre of the circle, push the point of a lead pencil through the other end of the paper four inches from the pin ; keep the pin steady while you move the pencil around many times until a circle appears plainly on the grass (Fig. 167). Cut twelve slender sticks eleven inches long and sharpen the heavy end of each into a flat point (Fig. 168). The sticks must be straight, for they are wigwam-poles. Tie three poles together two inches from their tops and spread out the sharpened ends at nearlv equal distances apart on the circle line ; mark the spots where the_y rest and bore gimlet-holes in each place through the cloth into the wood. Enlarge each hole with a penknife and insert the poles, push- ing the sharpened points down firml}^ into the holes (Fig. 169), Add seven more poles around the circle, keeping the spaces between all about even. Sink these last poles in the ground as you did the first three ; then tie the tops together Fig. 168. — Pole sharpened to flat point. An Indian Encampni.ent 113 around the first three poles, and you will have the wig- wam frame-work of ten poles standing- strong and firm. Make the cover of un- bleached or brown-tinted cotton cloth cut like Fig. 170. Mark the curved lower edge with the home- made compass used for the grass circle. Fasten the pin and pencil in the paper strip nine and one-half in- ches apart ; draw almost a Fig. iSg.^First three poles planted firmly in edge of circle for wigwam. Fig. 170. — Cover for wigwam. 114 Handicraft for Girls half circle, then an inch and a half from the spot A (Fig. 170), where the pin is stationed, begin to cut the opening for the top of the wigwam poles, B (Fig. 170). Slash the point C in as far as D, sew pieces of cloth over the points E and E, leaving the opening at dotted lines to form pockets for the smoke-poles. Cut two rows of little holes on each side of the upper part of the wigwam to run the pinsticks through when fastening the wigwam together (Fig. 171). Now comes the fun of decorating the cover. Pin the cloth out flat and smooth, and paint in brilliant red, yellow, black, green, white, and blue the designs given in Fig. 170. When finished, fit the cover over the wigwam-poles and with short, slender sticks pin the fronts together. Peg the lower edge down to the ground with short black pins and slide a pole in each pocket of the smoke-flaps E and E (Fig, 170). Bring the poles around and cross them at the back of the wigwam. As you do this you will exclaim with delight at the result, for the little wigwam will be very realistic. In front of your wigwam or tepee Build a Make-Believe Fire of bits of orange and scarlet tissue-paper mixed in with short twigs, and then you must manufacture something to cook in. Bore a hole in the ground near the fire and fit in the fire-pole, making it slant over to one side and hang directly above the fire. Place a stone over the embedded end of the pole to keep it firm. Suspend an acorn kettle or any little kettle of the right size for the Indians to use on the pole and the camp will begin to look cosey for the red men to enjoy. Hunt up a jointed doll about five inches high, paint it copper color, ink its hair, and the doll will be a fairly An Indian Encampment 115 Good Indian. If you can find a Zulu doll of the required size, with long, straight black hair, and give him a wash of dull red paint,' Fig. 171. — Wigwam witbi make-believe camp-fire you can turn him into a fine Indian. Failing these dolls, I make an Indian doll of dull red raffia or cloth. This you ii6 Handicraft for Girls can do if you try, and remember to have your red man a lit- tle more slender than store dolls ; most of these are rather too stout to make good Indians. Real chiefs like Turning Eagle, Swift Dog, Crazy Bull, and others, wore gor- geous feather head- dresses, and gloried in ^ the strange war bonnets, not because they were gay and startling, but for the reason that each separate feather in the head-band meant that the owner had per- formed a brave deed of which the tribe was proud, and the greater the number of brave deeds the greater the number of feathers ; consequently the longer the bonnet-trail. This explains the real meaning of the common ex- pression, "A feather in 3'our cap." Your Indian must be a mighty chief and will need a very long- trailing War Bonnet. Cut the head-dress like Fig. 172 of white paper. Paint all the paper horse-hair tips on the paper eagle feathers red, the tops of the feathers black, and the band in which they are fastened yellow, red, and green, leaving white spaces between the colors (Fig. 173). Cut out, then turn the end of the band F (Fig. 172) until the loop fits the Indian's head, and glue the end of the loop on the strip f An Indian Encampment 117 Fig- 173. — ^Indian war bonnet (Fig. 173). Paste fringed yellow paper around each of the chieftain's feet, fringed edge uppermost, to serve as moccasins. Part the Indian's hair at the back, bring the two divisions in front, one on each side of the head, and wind each with scarlet worsted as the real Indian wears his hair, then wrap around your red man a soft, dull- colored cloth extend- ing from the waist to the knees. Pin the drapery in place and the chief will be ready to take charge of his bronco pony, which may be any toy horse you happen to pos- sess. The horse in the illustration is an ordinary cloth toy. Red men are not fond of remaining long in one place, and naturally your Indian will soon want to break camp and carry his belongings else- where. Help him prepare by making ii8 Handicraft for Girls A Travois. You will need four slender poles, two fifteen and one-half inches long, one five and one-half and another six and one- half inches long. Bind the six-and-a-half-inch pole across the two long poles four inches from their heavy ends; fas- ten the five-and-a-half-inch pole across the long poles two and one-half inches above the first cross-piece. Instead of Fig. 175. — Travois ready for camping outfit, thongs of buffalo hide, such as the real red man would use, take narrow strips of light-brown cloth to form the rude net-work over the space bounded by the four poles. Tie the top ends of the long poles together (Fig. 174), then tie the travois to the horse, as in Fig. 175. In most of these conveyances the thongs are tied across one way only, from short pole to short pole, forming a ladder-like arrangement. A chief must always have his An Indian Encampment 119 Calumet, or " pipe of peace," to smoke and pass around the council circle, when all the leaders of the different tribes meet to talk over important matters concerning H the welfare of their people. Real calu- mets are generally large and of goodly length, some of them being four feet long. They are made of dull-red stone, which, when first cut from the large mass, is soft n ) a. .G, Fig. 176. — Different parts of straw calumet. enough to be carved out with a knife ; later the pipe be- comes hard and capable of receiving a polish. But as the red stone is not within our reach, we must use dull red- colored straw for the calumet. Soak the straw in hot water Fig- 177. — Calumet finished. to render it less brittle. Then cut a three-inch length piece ; make a hole in it a short distance from one end (Fig. 176, G) and insert a three-quarter inch length of straw for the pipe bowl (Fig. 176, H). For the mouthpiece take a I20 Handicraft for Girls half-inch length of white straw (Fig. 176, I), and slide it in the other end of the pipe. Glue both bowl and mouth- piece in place and decorate the calumet with red, green, and white silk floss tied on the pipe stem (Fig. 177). K (DO The Tomahawk must not be forgotten. Soak and one-half inches long in hot water; when it is pliable, split an end down one inch, no more (Fig. 178, J), and in true Indian fashion bind a stone hatchet (Fig. 178, K) between the split sides of the stick handle with thongs of hide. Whittle the little hatchet from a piece of wood, cover it with glue, then with sand. When dry it will be difficult for others to believe that the im- plement is not of real stone. Instead of thongs use thread (Fig. 179). a stick two Fig. 178. — Handle and hatchet for tom- ahawk. Fig. 179. — Toma- hawk ready for use. The Chieftain's Shield is of hide taken from the neck of the bull bison ; the piece must be twice the required size for a finished shield to allow for the necessary shrink- age. Over a fire built in a hole in the ground the skin is stretched and pegged down. When heated, it is covered with a strong glue made from the hoofs and joints of the bison, which causes the hide to contract and thicken. As this process goes on the pegs are loosened and again ad- Ail Indian Rncampment 121 justed until the skin ceases to contract and absorb the glue. Then the hide is much smaller and thicker than at first. When it has slowly cooled, the skin is cut into a circle and Fig. 1 80. — Diagram for shield. decorated. Though pliable, the shield is strong enough to ward off blows from arrows or spears. Bison hide is something you cannot obtain, so take writing paper for the shield. Cut it into a circle an inch and a half in di- ameter, with an exten- sion for the handle (Fig. 180). Glue the free end of the handle on the opposite side of the back of the shield. Make ten pa- per eagle feathers (Fig. 181), hang seven on the bottom of the Fig.181. shield with red Eagle feather of paper. thread, after first Fig. 183.— Decorated Indian shield. 1 22 Handicraft for Girls decorating the centre of the shield with given designs and the edge with colored bands, using any or all of the follow- ing colors, but no others: positive red, blue for the sky, green for the grass, yellow for the sun, white for the clouds and snow, and black. To the Indian color is a part of religion. Purple, pinks, and some other colors, the red man, loyal to his beliefs, can never bring himself to use. Attach two of the remaining feathers at the top and another on the centre of the shield, as shown in Fig. 182. The Indian makes his Arrow-heads of triangular flakes of flint chipped from a stone held be- tween his knees and struck with a rude stone hammer. The pieces knocked off are carefully examined, and only those without flaws are kept. Stones for arrow-heads must be very hard. When found, the red men bury them in wet ground and build fires over them, causing the stones to show all cracks and checks. This enables the arrow-maker to discard those unfitted for his work. Though you cannot make a real flint arrow- head, you can manufacture a toy one. Take a piece of stiff pasteboard and cut it like Fig. 183. Let the length be a trifle over half an Fig. 183.— Paper inch. Covcr the arrow-head all over with a light coat of glue, then dip it in sand, and the arrow-head will come out as if made of stone. Were it actually hard stone and large size you would be obliged, as the Indians do, to trim and shape more perfectly the point and edges of the arrow-head. You would hold a pad of buckskin in your left hand to protect it from the sharp flint, and on your right hand would be a piece of dressed An Indian Encamp^nent 123 hide to guard it from the straight piece of bone, pointed on the end, which you would use to strike off little bits of stone along both edges, working cautiously as you neared the point in or- der not to break it. But such work will not be needed on your arrow-head. For The Shaft Fig. 184. — Insert ar row-head in shaft. Fig. 185. — Arrow- head and shaft bound together. hunt up a piece of wood strong and straight. Cut it three in- ches in length, remove the bark and scrape the wood until it is about the thickness of an ordi- nary match. Notch one end and split the other end down one- quarter of an inch, insert the arrow-head (Fig. 184), then bind the shaft and head together with thread (Fig. 185), in place of the wet sinew an Indian would use for a real arrow, after he had first fastened the head in the shaft with glue from buffalo hoofs. Cut three paper feather strips (Fig. 186), each an inch in length, paint black bands on them, bend atdotted line and glue the feathers on V\ r^ Fig. 186.— Paper leather for arrow. the shaft one-quarter of an inch from the notch, allowing them to stand out at angles equally distant from each other (Fig. 187). Bind the Fig. 187. 124 Handicraft for Girls extensions L and M (Fig. i86) to the shaft, and tie tufts of white and red worsted on immediately above the feathers to help in finding the arrow (Fig. i88). Paint the shaft in brilliant colors. Almost any kind of wood that has a spring will make A Good Bow for your little Indian. Cut the piece of wood four inches long and an eighth of an inch wide. Scrape it flat on one side and slightly rounded on yv the other, notch the stick l^ at each end, wind the cen- tre with red worsted and paint the bow in bright hues (Fig. 189). Tie a strong thread in one notch and bring it across to the other notch ; tighten until it bends the bow centre half an inch from the straight thread ; tie the thread around the notch (Fig. 190). Now try the wee weapon ; hold it verti- cally and shoot the little arrow into the air. It will fly very swiftly away, land- ing many yards from where you stand. Make the bow case (Fig. 192) of ordinary wrapping paper cut like Fig. 191, three and a half inches long and two and a half inches wide. Fig. 189.— Bow ready for string. Fig. 190. Bow string. An Indian Encampment 125 Fig. 192. — Bow case finished. Fold the paper lengthwise through the centre and glue the sides together along the dotted lines ; then fringe the edge up to the dotted line and decorate with gay paint. Dress the joint- ed doll squaw in a fringed Chamois-Skin Gown ; fold the skin and let one half form the front, the other half the back. Cut the garment like the half N, in Fig. 193, stitch the sides together, stitch the Fig. 191.— Cut bow case Uke this. under part of the sleeves together and fringe both sleeves and bottom of the dress (O, Fig. 193). Belt the gown in with scarlet worsted and load the squaw down with strands of colored beads ; then seat her on the grass (Fig. 194) while you make the primitive loom for her to use in weaving one of the famous Navajo Blankets. Paint a two by four inch piece of white cotton cloth with a blanket design in red and black, with white Kg. 193- — Squaw's chamois dress. 126 Handicraft for Girls between the markings, and pin it securely on a board (Fig. 195). Tie stones to a pole six inches in length (Fig. 196); with long stitches fasten the stone-weighted Fig- 194- — Squaw doll make-believe weaving Navajo blanket on primitive loom. pole to the bottom edge of the painted cloth blanket (Fig. 197). Two inches above the blanket attach a six-inch pole to the board with pins and use a coarse needle and heavy thread to make the warp. Run the thread through the An Indian Encampment 127 wrong side of the blanket and up around the pole. Cross it on the under side of the long thread (P, Fig. 197) which extends from blanket to pole. Carry the thread along the pole a short distance, ^'^^- ^"^^--^^^^^^ W^nket pinned on board. loop it over (Q, Fig. 197) and bring the thread down through the right side of the blanket. Take a long stitch and again Z^ Fig. ig6. — Stones tied to pole for bottom of loom. carry the thread up over the pole. Continue until the warp is entirely across the blanket. Pin another pole six and a Vig. 197. — ^Building primitive loom. 128 Handicraft for Girls half inches long, three-quarters of an inch above the top pole, and fasten the two poles together by tying loops of string across from one to the other (Fig. 198). Make the loom frame of two seven-inch poles four and a half inches apart and crossed at the top by another seven- inch pole, the three firmly tied together and made to stand erect on the grass by planting the two upright poles in holes , — Primitive loom ready for frame. bored through the cloth grass into the board ground. Hang, the loom on this frame by winding a narro^y strip of cloth] loosely around the top of the frame and top of loom (Fig. I94).i Find a stout, short-branched twig for The Tree (Fig. 199). Sharpen the bottom and drive it into a hole in] An Indian Enca7np7nent 129 the ground. For the foliage cut a fringe of soft green and olive-brown tissue-paper folded lengthwise in strips. Crimp the strips with a blade of the scissors, then open out the fringe ; gather each one through the centre, give the paper Fig. igg. — Natural twig and tissue-paper tree. la twist, and the two ends will form bunches of foliage. iWork the twisted centre of one piece down into a ci'ack at the top of the tree. Over across this at right angles in lanother opening, fit in the second twist of paper foliage and I30 Handicraft for Girls crown all with a bunch standing upright as shown at] Fig. 199. A solemn Little Papoose bound in its stiff cradle is one of the drollest things imagin- able. Paint a small doll copper color, make its hair black,] and bind the baby in a cradle cut from brown pasteboard (Fig. 200). Cut along heavy line and bend forward the 1 Fig. 2CX3. — The little papoose you can make. Cradle for papoose. tongue R along the dotted line, bring the strap S across and glue the end on the under side of the cradle ; then line the cradle with white tissue-paper and place the Indian child on it; spread a piece of vivid red tissue-paper over the in fant, bringing the sides of the cover on the under side of the cradle, where you must glue them. Fold over the lower end of the paper and glue that also on the back of the cradle. Paint the cradle and portions of the cover white, green, black, and yellow (Fig. 200) ; then hang the cradle and baby An Indian E^icampnient 131 on the limb of the tree (Fig. 199), where the little papoose will be safe while his squaw-mother works at her weaving. The red men use queer money which they call Wampum. It is made of shells found usually along the borders of rivers and lakes. The Indians cut the thick part of the shell into C3dinders about an inch long, bore holes length- wise through the centres and string them like ^ beads on fine, strong sinews (Fig. 201), but this money is not as pretty as glass beads, for it resembles pieces of common clay pipe stems. A certain number of hand-breadths of wampum will buy a gun, a skin, a robe, or a horse, and when presented by one chief to another the wampum means good-will and peace. Of course, you will want to supply your Indians with their own kind of money. You can string the wampum into a neck- lace and decorate the strand with eagle claws, bright beads, and tufts of gay worsted. Find some beads much smaller, but as near as possible in color and form to real wampum, and string them with tiny eagle claws made of wood cut ! like Fig. 202, only smaller. Paint the claws very dark \ gray, almost black, and bore a hole through the heavy end i with a hat-pin heated red hot. The claws will then string : easily and give quite a savage appearance to the necklace (Fig. 203). Let the colored worsted tufts, which must take the : place of hair, be bright-red, and the strands of round Fig. aoi. Wampum, I Indian money. I':i2 Handicraft for Girls beads on each side of the necklace of various colors (Fig. 203). Indians when they cannot obtain beads use gayly colored porcupine quills for their embroidery. You need not try the embroidery, but be sure to make the entire Indian encampment with everything pertaining to it. Fig. 303. — Indian necklace of wampiun, eagle claws, tufts of hair, and bone beads. CHAPTER XIII A TOY COLONIAL KITCHEN WITH FAC- SIMILE COLONIAL FURNISHINGS. OULD it not be fun to see a yoke of real live oxen come slowly walk- ing into the kitch- en dragging a load of logs? That is what many of the colonial boys and girls saw every day, and frequently the boys helped their fathers cut the logs which were for the big kitchen fireplace. And such a fireplace ! Large enough for the huge, roaring fire and the chimney-seats also. These were placed close against the sides of the opening, making fine places for the boys and girls to sit and listen to thrilling tales of adven- ture or delightful fairy stories. The kitchen in those days was the chief apartment and the most interesting room in the house. Who would want to go into the stiff, prim "best room" when they could be so much more comfortable in the spacious kitchen where everyone was busy and happy, and where apples could be hung by a string in front of the fire to roast and made to spin cheerily when the string was twisted, that all sides might be equally heated ? Any girl or boy to-day would be 133 A Toy Colonial Kitchen 135 only too glad of a chance to sit on a log in front of such a fire and watch red apples turn and sputter as the heat broke the apple skin, setting free the luscious juice to trickle down the sides. As the Indian's first thought was for shelter, and he put up his wigwam, so the early settler's first thought was for shelter, and he built, not a wigwam, but a log-house with a kitchen large enough to serve as a general utility room. It IBoLck. 9/£ inch Kitchen Floot* Front VX/iincVxes Fig. 205. — Kitchen floor. was filled with various things, and all articles in it were used constantly. Everything not brought from the mother country the settlers made by hand. The colonial kitchen you can build may be of gray or white cardboard. Old boxes, if large enough, will answer the purpose. I will tell you exactly how I built the colonial kitchen seen in Fig. 204. I made the floor (Fig. 205), the two side walls both alike (Fig. 206), the back wall (Fig. 207), and the interior of the fireplace (Fig. 208) of light-gray cardboard. 136 Hand ia'iift for Girls I cut all the heavy lines, scored and then bent all the dotted lines. Now you do the same thing. Get your meas- urements correct and be careful to make the lines perfectl3'straight. Before putting the kitchen to- gether, fasten the rustic brackets, cut from a branching twig (Fig. 209), on the wall above the mantel-piece to sup- Top Side WclII^ Q 'BottOTTV 9 ^ inch Fig. 206. — Side wall. A B • • • • A 5 • • r*. =a A Ci' (c/^mcM 5" M s- " ^ C ^ 1 B D Q 1 J^ IM V j^ '^ :^' ^ i' i • • :s S 5 p C! r s^ r s Fig. 207. — Back wall. \»Vt.\v A Toy Colonial Kitchen 137 port the ilintlock gun. Take two stitches through the wall around each twig, as shown in Fig. 210, at the dots A and A and B and B (Fig. 207). Q fc/i ino\i q ft c •»» .^ eo -. •!■ * 1 » ' 1 1 4 .;i 1 - 1 .^ •^ CD D P:io « D /2wcV E - G J » E 5 \-rvc.V 1 t Fig. 208. — Interior of fireplace. Every colonial fire{>lace boasted of A Strong Crane upon which to hang the pots and kettles over the fire. One end of the crane was bent down and attached to the side chininey wall by iron rings. These rings allowed the 138 Handicraft for Girls crane to turn so that the extending iron rod could be swung forward to receive the hanging cooking utensils and then pushed back, carrying the pot and kettles over the fire for the con- tents to cook. The crane was black and of iron. A hair-pin (Fig. 211) makes a fine crane. Bend yours, as shown in Fig. 212, then with two socket-rings made with stitches of black darning-cotton fasten the crane to the side of the chimney at Fig. aog'^-A forked the dots C and C (Fig. 207), and tie Fig.To.-Put twig for the a piecc of the darning-cotton on the ti»e brackets bracket. i • , , i • t i i i ,^ up in this way. little crane immediately below the lower socket-ring ; bring the thread diagonally across to the top arm of the crane an inch and a quarter from the free end and again tie it securely (Fig. 213). Bend the two sides of The Fireplace F and F (Fig. 207) as in Fig. 213. Bend for- ward the interior of the fireplace (Fig. 208) at dotted lines, and | fit Fig. 208 on the Fig. 211.— The crane is made of a hair-pin. back of Fig. 207 to form the inside of the fireplace and the mantel- piece. Slide the Fig , 212. — The crane. slashed top strips of the sides of the fireplace D,D,D,D (Fig. 207), back of the slashed strips D,D,D,D (Fig. 208), which will bring the two centres E and E of the sides in A Toy Colonial Kitchen 139 Fig-. 208 behind F and F in Fig. 207, and will thus form two layers on the sides of the chimney. Push the edge G and G of Fig. 208 through the slit G and G in Fig. 207 to form the mantel-piece, then bend down the edge of mantel-piece along dotted line. You must have An Oven at one side of the great fireplace for baking the wholesome " rye and Indian " bread, and the delicious home-made apple, Fig. 213. — ^Back wall, showing crane hung and oven door open. pumpkin, rice and cranberry pies. In colonial days thirty large loaves of bread or forty pies would often be baked at one time, so spacious were the ovens. These side-ovens used to be heated by roaring wood fires built inside of them and kept burning for hours. When the oven was thoroughly hot the cinders and ashes were brushed out and in went the pies with a lot of little ones called "patties," for the 140 Handicraft foi' Girls^ children. Whon tliosc wore cooked to a golden brown each child was i^iven his own pipino- hot "patty." Make your box-like oven accordinj;- to Fig. 214. cut the heavy lines, score and bend the dotted lines. Bring the side H to the side I ; lap I over 11 so that the two slits. J and 1, will exactly tit one over the other; then bend the back down and run the tlap J on the back through the two slits J on the side, and the tlap K through the slit K. ^ A- ^\^c\\ esj \/2.'\VvO\ Fig. 314. — The oven. Adjust the oven back of the oven door L (Fig. 2o;\ and fasten it light on the wall by sliding the tlap M of the oven (Fig. 214) through the slit M (Fig. 20;) abm'e the oven door; bend it down flat against the wall. Bring the bottom oven-flap N in through and over the lower edge of the oven door-way N (Fig. 207) and bend that also flat against the ^vaU (Fig. 213). The two side oven flaps will rest against the back of the wall on each side ot the oven door-way. Now that is hnished firm and strong, and you can A Toy Colonial Kitchen 141 Put the Kitchen Together in a few moments. Lay the floor (Fig. 205) down flat on a table; bend up the two diagonal sides O and O, and slide the slit P in the side wall (Fig. 206) down into the slit P of the floor (Fig. 205), bringing the wall (Fig. 206) in front of the upturned floor-piece O (Fig. 205). In the same way fasten the other side wall on the floor. Slip the two slits Q and Q of the back wall (Fig. 207) down across the top slits (Q, Fig. 206) of the side walls. While bringing the back wall (Fig. 207) down to the floor, slide its outside strips S and S over and outside of the upturned pieces of the floor, S and S (Fig. 205), to hold them in place. As soon as the Indian's wigwam was up, he had a brisk fire to cook by, for after shelter came food. The white man did likewise after his house was built. Though he had andirons to help with his fire, even then to Fig. 215. — Pattern for andiron. Lay the Fire in the immense fireplace re- quired some skill. Cut two andirons of cardboard (Fig. 215), bend at dotted lines, paint black, and the andirons will stand alone and look like real Fig. 216,— The andiron. ones (Fig. 2 1 6). Fig. 217.— The flames. 142 Handicraft for Girls Cut from red, orange, yellow, and black tissue-paper flames like Fig. 217; bend at dotted line and paste the Fig. 218. — The flames leap up the chimney. mingled flames one at a time and turned in varying direc- tions on a piece of cardboard made to fit the bottom of the fireplace. Adjust the little black and- irons to the fire and glue them in place ; select a large log for the " back-log," and a more slender one to lay across the front of the andirons. Place smaller wood in between with the flames, and scatter a few bits of black paper on the hearth underneath to appear like fallen charred wood. When finished the fire should look as if it were actually Fig. 219.— Cut the shell sparkling, roaring, and blazing (Fig. in half. _, 218). Your fire is ready, so you must hurry and get the A Toy Colonial Kitchen 143 Great Iron Pot to hang over the flames. Break an egg- in halves as indi- cated by dotted lines in Fig. 219; even off the edge of the Fig. 220. — A strip of paper for the handle. larger half shell with a pair of scissors, paste a strip of tissue-paper over the edge and glue on a stiff paper handle (Fig. 220). Cut three pieces of heavy, stiff paper like Fig. 221, bend at dotted line and pinch the two lower corners on part T together to form the pot legs (Fig. 222). Turn the Fig. 221. — Cut the pot leg like this. Fig. 222. — ^Bend the pot leg like this. egg-shell upside down and fasten the legs on by gluing the flap U (Fig. 221) on the bottom of the shell ; the legs should enable the pot to stand upright. Turn the egg-shell into iron by painting the handle and outside of the pot jet black (Fig. 223). Swing the crane forward, hang on the pot, pretend you have some- thing to cook in it, then move the crane back over the fire. Remember all the time you are play- ing, that this is the way your colonial ancestors cooked. ^. ^ , In days of long: ago, they had many Fig. 223.— Paint the pot -^ &.&'./ J black. other 144 Handicraft for Girls Odd Utensils One of the easiest for you to make is the long-handled iron shovel called a " peel " (Fig. 224), used to place bread and pie in the great oven. Cut the peel from stiff cardboard, paint it black and stand it up by the side of the chimney © 00 Fig. 224. — A queer shovel called the "peel." Fig. 225. — Make the toaster by this pattern. (Fig. 204), Trace the toaster (Fig. 225) on cardboard, paint it black, bend up the four semicircular rings and bend down the two feet, one on each side (Fig. 226), Chicken and other eatables were placed between the front and back rings on the toaster and broiled before the A Toy Colonial Kitchefi 145 fire, which was so hot that it was necessary to have long handles on all cooking utensils. S Several pieces of iron of varying lengths, generally made into the shape of the letter S, were called "pot- hooks " ; they hung on the crane. Make two or three Fig. 227.— Make pot-hooks of cardboard a pot-hook ^j^^ T)?i\\\\, them black/ like this. ^ (Fig. 227). When you are not using the little toaster, bend up the handle and hang it on a pin stuck in the wall (Fig. 204). Fig. 226. — The toaster. Fig. 228. — The spinning-wheel and jointed doll spinning 146 Handicraft for Girls Just look at your little colonial friend, Thankful Parker ! (Fig. 228). The tiny maid seems almost to be stepping lightly forward and backward as she spins out long Fig. 229. — Spokes. threads of the soft, warm 3'^arn, singing softly all the while a little old-fashioned song. How busily she works, and listen! you can all but hear the wheel's cheery hum, hum, hum! A Toy Colonial Kitchen 147 Fig. 233.— Wheel brace. That's the way the real colonial dames used to spin. Such a Spinning- Wheel belonged to every family, for all had to do their own spinning or go without the yarn, as they could ob- tain no assistance from others. Cut from cardboard the spokes (Fig. 229) for your miniature colonial spin- ning-wheel, the tire (Fig. 230), and the two small wheels (Fig. 231). Bend forward the fan-shaped ends of each spoke (Fig. 229) and glue the tire (Fig. Fig. 231. — Small wheel. ec CC II JJ AA EE EE I BB -* DD DD FF FF HH G Q G II Fig. 232.— Stand. JJ 148 Handicraft for Girls Fig. 230.— Tire of wheel. KK LL ^r^ H01.e 230) around on them; let one edge of tire lie flush on the edges of the bent ends of the spokes. With the exception of the square spaces AA and BB on the stand (Fig, 232) cut the heavy lines and the little holes ; score, then bend the dotted lines. Bend down the long sides and the ends fitting the corners against and on the inside of the same letters on the sides, glue these in place and you have a long, narrow box with two extensions on one side (HH and GG). Bend these extensions, also their ends II and J J, and glue the ends on the inside of the opposite side of the box against the places marked II and JJ. Turn the box over, bring- ing the level smooth side up- permost. Cut out the wheel brace (Fig. 233), turn it over on the other side, then bend AA backward and BB forward, and glue the brace on the box-like stand (Fig. 232) on the squares AA and BB. See Fig. 228. Make the upright (Fig. 234) of wood ; shave both sides of the end, KK, until it is flat and thin, then glue a small wheel (Fig. 231) on each side, raising the wheels above the wood that the flat end of the up- Fig. 234.— upright. MM VioLe. « A Toy Colonial Kitchen 149 Fig. 235.— Hub. I right may reach onl}' to their centres. Glue the wheels together to within a short distance of their edges. With the red-hot end of a hat-pin bore tlie hole LL through the front of the uprii^ht, and below bore another hole, MM, through the side. Make the screw (Fig. 238) and the block (Fig. 239) of wood. Run the screw through the side hole MM in the up- right (Fig. 234), and push the screw on through the hole in the top of the block (Fig. 239). Break off more than half of a wooden toothpick for the spindle (Fig. 236) and pass it through the hole LL (Fig. 234). Make the hub (Fig. 235) of wood and thread it in through the wheel and brace (Fig. 233), to hold the wheel in place. Use two wooden toothpicks, with the ends broken off (Fig. 237), for legs ; insert these slantingly into the holes, GG (Fig. 232), on the under part of the stand, allowing the top ends to reach up and rest against the under side of the top of the stand. Spread out the bottom ends of the legs. Run the upright (Fig. 234) through the single hole near one end of the stand (Fig. 232) and pass it down through the under hole on HH. The lower part of the upright forms the third leg. See that all three legs set evenly when the wheel stands, and that the box part is raised slight- ly higher at the upright end, slanting downward toward the other end (Fig. 228). Glue the three legs firmly in place. Fig. 236. — spindle. Fig. 237.— Leg. Fig. 238. — Screw. a Fig. 239.- Block. ^5o Handicraft for Girls Fig. 240. — Do her hair up in this fashion. Connect the two small wheels (Fig. 231) and the large wheel together by passing a string between the small wheels and over around the outside of the tire of the /large wheel, fastening it on here and there with a little glue (Fig. 228). ^i?'.^'*':~ Twist a piece of raw cotton on the Hair-pin. ^ spindle and tie a length of white darning-cotton to the end of the cotton (Fig. 228). Stretch the thread across to the hand of your colonial-dressed doll, glue it in place, and the next time your mother attends a meeting of the Society of Colonial Dames tell her to show your little maid Thankful Parker and her spinning-wheel. When you Dress the Doll coil her hair up on top of her head (Fig. 240) and fasten it in place with common pins (Fig. 241). Make the straight bang look as nearly as possible as though the hair were drawn up into a Pompadour such as was worn in Colonial times. Make the cap (Fig. 243) of thin white material cut like Fig. 242, and the band (Fig. 244) of the same color as the dress. Cut the thin white kerchief like Fig. Fig. 245.— Pattern of kerchief. Fig. 242. — Pattern of cap. Fig. 243. — The cap. Fig. 244. — Cap band. A Toy Colonial. Kitchen 151 245, and fold it as in Fig. 246. Fig-. 247 gives the design for the dress waist, and Fig. 248 the sleeve. The skirt is a straight piece gathered into a waist- band. The apron (Fig. 249) is white. When the doll is dressed it should resemble little Thankful Parker (Fig. 228). An Back D Fron-t" Fig. 246.— Fold the kerchief like this. Old-Fashioned Flintlock Rifle Fig. 247. — Pattern of waist. with its long, slender barrel was used almost daily by our forefathers for securing game as food. The gun was kept hanging in plain sight over the kitchen mantel- piece, ready for de- fence at a moment's notice, for in those early days wolves and other wild ani- mals were numer- ous and dangerous, and enemies were also likely to appear at any time. You should have one of those queei old guns to adorn your kitchen wall. Get some heavy tin- foil off the top of a pig. 251.— Make this part of paste- bottle, or take a col- ^°^<*- Fig. 248. — Pattern of sleeve. Fig. 249. — ^The apron. Fig. 250. — Lock and band of tinfoil. k 152 Handicraft for Girls lapsible tube and from it cut a wide strip like Fig. 250, one narrow, straight strip and two medium-wide straight strips, four in all. Cut the butt end of the gun (Fig. 251) of stiff card- (^ =0 board. Break a piece measuring four and one-half inches from a Fig. 252. — A pin for a ramrod. common coarse steel knitting-needle for your gun-barrel and use a slender, round stick, or the small holder of a draughtsman's pen, cutting it a trifle more than three and one-half inches in length for the ramrod pfroove. Fig. 253. — Slide the paper end in the wood like this. In the centre of one end of the stick bore a deep hole with the red-hot point of a hat-pin and insert the pointed end of an ordinary pin for a ramrod (Fig. 252). Split the other end of the stick up through the centre not quite half an inch and work the butt end of the gun in the opening (Fig. 253). Lay the gun-barrel above the wooden part (Fig. 254) and Fig. 254. — Ready for the tinfoil bands. fasten the two together with the four bands of tinfoil (Fig. 255), allowing the top part of Fig. 250 to stand up free to represent the flintlock. We must be content without a trigger unless you can manage to make one by bending down and cutting a part (^f Fig. 250. Paint the butt and wooden portion of the gun brown before binding on the A Toy Colonial Kitchen 153 barrel, and you will find that you have made a very real- looking little rifle to hang upon the rustic brackets over the mantel-piece. Fig. 255.— Colonial flintlock made of knitting-needle and small pen-holder. jl When the fire in your big kitchen fireplace needs ■ brightening, use the Little Bellows to send fresh air circulating through the smouldering em- bers. The bellows are easy to make. Cut two pieces of pasteboard like Fig, 256, and cut two short strips of thin paper. Paste one edge of each strip to each side of Fig. 257. — The finished bellows. Fig. 256.— Cut the bellows by this pattern. one piece of c a r d - board bellows, fold the strips across the cen- tre (Fig, 256), and attach the free ends of the folded strips to the other piece of pasteboard bellows, forming a hinge-like connection on each side between the two pasteboard sides. Paste the points of the two sides together up as far as the dotted line (Fig, 256), When thoroughly dry you can work the bellows by bringing the handles together and opening them as you would real bellows (Fig. 257). Heavy tinfoil must furnish material for your 154 Handicraft for Girls Fig. 258. — Colonial pewter dish made of tinfoil. Pewter Ware ; much of it has the same dull, leaden color and the peculiar look of old pewter. Should the pieces of tinfoil you find be twisted and uneven, lay them on a table and smooth out the creases with scissors or the dull edge of a knife-blade ; then cut out round, flat pieces and holding- one at a time in the palm of your left hand, round up the edges by rolling the ball of a hat-pin around and around the plate ; press rather hard and soon the edges will begin to crinkle and turn upward (Fig. 258). You raa}^ mould some deeper than others and have a row of different-sized pewter plates on the kitchen manteh piece, and you can make a wee pie in the deepest plate, open the oven-door and shove the pastry into the oven with the little iron peel. Try it. The colonial kitchen would be incom- plete without a bright, Home-like Rag Rug to place over the bare board floor, and it will be fun for you to weave it. Take a piece of smooth brown wrapping-paper Fig. 259.— The warp, the size you want your mat, fold it cross- wise through the centre and cut across the fold (Fig. 259), making a fringe of double pieces which we will call the warp. Unfold the paper and weave various colored tissue- Strips in and out through the brown foundations (Fig. 260), A Toy Colonial Kitchen 155 until the paper warp is all filled in with pretty, bright colors. You can weave the rug " hit or miss" or in stripes wide or narrow as you choose, only make the rugs as pretty as possible. Now we must manufacture a fine Old Colonial Clock (Fig. 261). It would never do to forget the clock, for poor little Thankful would not know how long her many loaves of bread were bak- ing in the big oven, and the bread might burn. Cut Fig. 262 of card- board and score all dotted lines, except NN — 00, which forms the hinge of the door. Mark this with a pinhole at top and bottom, turn the c a r d - board over and draw a line from pinhole to pinhole ; then score it on this line that the door may open properly out- ward. Try to draw the face of the clock correctly. Make it in pencil first so that any mistake may be erased and cor- rected. When you have the face drawn as it should be, go over the pencil lines with pen and ink. Begin the face with a circle (Fig. 263). Make it as you made the circle for the wigwam, only, of course, very much smaller. Above the circle, at the distance of half the diameter of the circle, draw a curve with your home-made compass (Fig, 264), Lengthen the compass a little and make another curve a Fig. 260. — Weave the rug in this way. 15^ Handicraft for Girls trifle above the first (Fig. 265). Connect the lower curve with the circle by two straight lines (Fig. 266), draw a small QQ Fig. 261. — Colonial clock with movable weights. Fig. 262. — ^The clock is cut in one piece. circle above the large one (Fig. 267), connect the two cir- cles by two scallops (Fig. 268), and bring the upper curve A Toy Colonial Kitchen ^Sl down into a square (Fig. 269). The small top circle stands for the moon; draw a simple face on it like Fig. 270, then make the numbers on the large circle (Fig. 271) and also the hands (Fig. 272). Both numbers and hands must be on the same circle on the clock. They are on two different circles in the diagrams that you may see exactly how to draw them. Leave Fig. 269 white, but paint the other portions of the clock a light reddish brown with black lines above and below the door, and a black band almost entirely across the bottom edge of the front of the clock that the clock may appear to be standing on feet. Gild the three points on the top to make them look as if made of brass. Be sure that the four holes in the top (Fig. 262) are fully Fig. 263. — Draw the circle. Fig. 264. — Then a curve above the circle. Fig. 265. — Another curve above the first one. Fig. 265. — Connect the lower curve with the circle by two lines. large enough to allow a coarse darning-needle to be passed readily through them ; then bend the clock into shape, fit- ting the extension PP over the extension (^(^ ; the two holes in PP must lie exactly over those in Q,Q,. Glue the 158 Handicraft for Girls clock together, using the blunt end of a lead-pencil, or any kind of a stick, to assist in holding the sides and tops to- gether until the glue is perfectly dry. Thread a piece of heavy black darning-cotton in the larg- Fig. 267. — Draw a small circle above the large one. Fig. 268. — Connect the two circles by two scallops. Fig. 269. — Extend line of upper circle down to form a square. est-sized long darning-needle you can find; on one end of the thread mould a cylinder-shaped piece of beeswax, cover it with thin tinfoil, then open the clock-door and hold the Fig. 270. — Make this face in the small circle. Fig. 271. — Put the num- bers on the clock face in this way. Fig. 272. — Make the hands of the clock like these. clock with its head bent outward and downward from you. Look through the open door and see the holes on the inside of the top; run 3'our needle through one of these holes and A Toy Colonial Kitchen 159 across the top on the outside, bringing it down through the other hole into the clock. Slip the needle off the thread and mould another piece of bees- wax on the free end of the thread, make it the same size and shape as the first weight, cover this also with tinfoil an^ you will have clock-weights (Fig. 273) for wind- ing up the old-fash- ioned timepiece. Gently pull down one weight and the other will go up, just as your colonial forefathers wound their clocks. When the weight is pulled down in the real clock it winds up the machinery, and the clock continues its tick, tack, tick, like the ancient timepiece Longfellow tells us of, stationed in the hall of the old-fashioned country-seat. Do you like real country buttermilk, and have you ever helped churn ? If you live in the city or for some other reason are not able to make the butter, you can still enjoy manufacturing a little Fig- 273.— Weights for winding the clock. Fig- 275. — The churn. Fig. 274. — Pattern of the churn. i6o Handicraft for Girls Colonial Churn that will look capable of producing the best sweet country butter (Fig. 275). Cut Fig. 274 of heavy paper or light-weight cardboard ; mark three bands on it (Fig. 275). Make your churn much larger than pattern, have it deep enough to stand Fig. 276.— Cork lid g \v\^]\ as Fip;. 27;. Glue the sides to the churn. ° , , n , . together along the dotted lines, turn up the circular bottom and glue the extensions up around the bottom of the churn. Fit a cork in the Fig. 278.— Dasher. Fig. 279. — Push the end of the handle through the dasher. Fig. a8o. — Cut end of handle pasted on the dasher. Fig. 277.— Handle of the dasher. top for the churn-lid and make a hole through the centre of the cork for the handle of the dasher (Fig. 276). Make the handle by rolling up a strip of paper as you would roll a paper lighter. Glue the loose top end of the handle on its roll ; then cut the large end of the handle up a short dis- tance through its centre (Fig. 277). Cut the dasher (Fig. 278) from cardboard, slide it over the divided end of handle (Fig. 279), bend the two halves of the handle- end in opposite directions, and glue them on the dasher as shown in Fig. 280. Slip the handle of dasher , , ,. , , throu2:h the cork lid (Fig. 281), and Fig. 281. — Put the handle of the ^ . _ \ & y dasher through the lid. fit the lid in the churn (Fig. 275). » A Toy Colonial Kitchen i6i Paint the churn and handle of dasher a light-yellow-brown wood color, the bands black, and when dry you can work the dasher up and down the same as if the churn were a real one. Stand the churn in )^our kitchen not far from the fire so that little Thankful may attend to the cooking while she is churning. cMi.\rri:R xiv LITTLE PAPER HOUSES OF JAPAN IvAcJ ILl'. quaint aiul lull ol siinshino .^J ->^ .iiul color art^ tlio typical housi^s ot japan. l'\\c\ avc so sinipU^ in oonstrni'tion a oliiKl tni^ht almost build tlunn, oontMallv only one stm-y in luMi;ht and always without a cellar, chini- noys. tnc[Waccs. windows, and even without a doof. Yet the dainty abiules ate Hooded with lii^ht and Iresh air. How is it managed? Simply by sliding the entire Iront ot the house to one side, leavinj;- the buildiui;- wide open. Otten the back walls, too, are 0[">ened. and in some houses tlu^ sides also. These cott-ages are usually part wood and part paper. It seems strange to think of people actualh' Hying in paptM- dwellings, but the Japanese understand how to manutacture strong, durable paper. They delight in making all sorts ot i^ajHM-. Irom the tough, well-nigh indestiuctible kind to the deli- cate, tilniv variety, and it is adapted to inmunerable uses. In Japan people iuit only build paper walls, but the yery poor \year paper clothing. We will make our Japanese House entirely ot pajHM" (Fig\ 282). Take medium-weight water- color j">aper, or any kind that is stit1 enough and not too Little Paper Houses of yapan 163 brittle, cut a piece sixteen inclies loii^- and seventeen inches wide and (mi it mark the plan of the lar^e room (Fig. 283). This should measure sixteen inches across the back from A to A, seventeen inches along the side from A to B, and thirteen inches across the fnmt from B X.o C. The back division forms the foliage and the back of the room, the mmmmmmmm*.:^^-^^- UTiT^T^^TnT'^ tR Mi la ^ ^ a ii ■■ la ii ^ ^ m 1 m Fig. 282. — The little paper house. centre division the roof, and the front division the front and sides of the room. No paste is used in making the ?juilding ; the design is merely cut out, bent into shape, and fastened together with projecting tongues run through slits. Cut all the heavy lines, lightly score, then bend all the dotted lines, except the two immediately across the front of the room at top and bottom. This front is five inches wide and four and a half inches high, with two openings in it and a portion extending down in front to form the little pf^rch. Make a pinhole at each 164 Handicraft for Girls end of the two lines forming top and bottom of the front of the room A and B, then turn the paper over and draw a top A. 2/^ inches 3)^ irvcKcs .I,ia. 5 irvcKes 4 irvcKcs A 5 irvcKes Fig. 283. — Plan of large room. line and a bottom line across on the wrong side of the paper from pin-point to pin-point. Score these on the wrong side of the paper, for thej must bend from that side in order to Little Paper Houses of yapan 165 m 5 iivcKes X. (J C c CM to 3/4 3/4^ mcK ii\cK Fig. 284. — Floor of large room. cxlend inward from the right side to form the projection of the roof and the top landing of the veranda. Fasten the room together, then cut out the floor (Fig. 284), slide it in place and also the steps TFig. 285), marking straight lines across the dia- gram to indi- cate steps. Build the small room(Fig. 286) in the same way that you made the large one. Cut it from a piece of paper nine and one-half inches wide and thirteen and one- half inches long. This room has no floor. When finished run the tongues extending out on the back of the room through the remaining four slits at the side of the foliage on the back of the large room (Fig. 283). Work carefully and you will be fully repaid. Paint the roof of each room in little black squares with white mark- ings between to represent black til- ing. Paint the outside of the house yellow, the back wall of the large room pale blue, the floor light brown. Paint the back of the small room mottled green and pink. Make a band of light blue edged with black across the outside top of the front opening and a red band across the bottom. Let the projecting veranda be yellow, with vines across the lower part. Edge the openings of the large room with two nar- row bands, one purple the other black, and mark black lines ^« Lap ? inches Fig. 285.— The steps. 1 66 Handicraft for Girls from side to side crossed with lines running from top to bottom to form a lattice-like work on the side of the smaller opening (Fig. 282), 4/2 irvcKes 4^ o (A 5!^ ir\cKes \ *l 3/2 iacKes Fig. 286. — ^Plan of small room. The sides of the house are supposed to be formed of paper-covered screens which slide in grooves and may be I Little Paper Houses of yapan 167 removed entirely when desired. The interior of a real Jap- anese house is divided into rooms merely by the use of sliding paper screens, and the entire floor may readily be thrown into one large apartment, there being no solid par- titions as in our houses. Cut out flat round paper lanterns, paint them with the gayest of colors and make the small top and bottom bands black ; then with needle and thread fasten the lanterns along the top front of the large opening of the small room (Fig. 282). You need not be concerned in the least about furnishing the little house : it does not need any furniture, for the Jap- anese have no stoves, chairs, tables, knives or forks, carpets, bedsteads, washstands, bookcases, desks, framed pictures, nor any comforts like ours. The Floors are covered with clean, thick, soft matting rugs and are just the place for girls and boys to play, and have a good time running about in their stocking feet, for in Japan people always take off their shoes before entering a house and everyone goes either stocking-footed or barefooted when indoors, so the floor-mats are kept free from dust. Of course, men, women, and children all sit on the floor; and when Breakfast is Ready the floor is set instead of a table, and each person receives his own little lacquer tray placed on the floor, or on a low wooden stool, with the individual portion of rice in a deli- cate china bowl, pale tea in dainty teacups and shredded or diced raw fish in china a queen might envy. On the tray are also a pair of ivory chopsticks, which even a little child can manage skilfull}^ in place of the spoon, knife, or 1 68 Handicnift foy Girls fork that our girJs or boys would use. The Japanese do not have bread, butter, milk, or coffee, and never anv meat, but they cultivate a mammoth radish which is cut up, pickled and eaten with relish. For dinner they take pale tea, rice, and fish, and for supper fish, pale tea, and rice. Often the fish is cooked, sweetmeats are served and pickled radish also, but frequentl}'^ the breakfast consists of merel}' a bowl of cold rice. These unique people do not seem to think or care much about their food : many times they denv them- selves a meal that they may spend the money on a feast of flowers in some garden where thev can enjov gazing upon masses of exquisite cherrv blossoms, chrvsanthemums, or other flowers. No nation in the world loves flowers more than the Japanese, and none can lival them in the beautiful arrangement of their blossoms. When night comes the natives Never Go to Bed, for there are no beds. Soft silk or cotton comforts are brought to each person, and the people roll themselves up in the comforts and sleep an}' place they wish on the floor, using little wooden or lacquer benches for pillows ; usually these have a roll of soft paper on the top, making them a little more comfortable. Take a comfort and try sleeping on the floor with some books under your head and j^ou will know how it feels to sleep in Japanese style. Every Japanese house should have its Fenced-in Garden. Make vour fence of paper cut according to Fig. 287, and mark the pattern (Fig. 288) on it with two tones of yellow paint. Paint the convex top of the gate-way a bright red with narrow bbck border, and mark the white gate-posts Little Paper Houses of yapan 169 with black Japanese lettering like Fig. 289. Paint the re- maining portions of the gate-way yellow, the edges black. Fig. 282 will help you to grasp the idea of the fence and gate-way. The names of the streets are not on the corners a 3% irvcKcs 3/^ incKes 3 iacKcs 3/i it\cKes Fig. 287. — Fence and gate way. %. % as in our cities, so a panel of white wood is nailed to the gate-posts with both the name of the street and householder on it, and often a charm sign is added. Put up the fence by slipping the upper tongues on each end through the slit on the outside front edge of each room, then sliding the lower tongues of the fence through the lower out- side edges of rooms and porches (Fig. 282). Both boys and girls have fine times in Japan, and they are as happy as the day is long. On the fifth day of the fifth month the boys reign supreme, and their relatives and friends vie with each other in their endeavors to render the day a happy one for the little fellows. All Japan is alive and anxious to celebrate the occasion. Quaint flags in the shape of enor- 3 Li) 6 Fig. 288. — Draw this pattern on the fence. Fig. 289. — Signs for gate- posts. I JO Handicraft for Girls mous fish swim in the air and float over the towns, forming bright masses of color. Every home that is blessed with one or more boys displays a fish banner for each son, the younger the child the larger the fish, and the proudest house is the one that can boast of the greatest number of fish flying from its bamboo pole. Every Japan- ese boy's birthday is celebrated on this da}' with great rejoicing, no matter at what time of the year he was born. Make Several Fish for the pole to be placed in front of the little paper house; they look very comi- cal, bobbing and swing- ing high in air with their wide-open mouths. Cut Fig. 290 of white tissue- paper, also Fig. 291, which is a trifle larger than the first and is slashed along three edges. Lay Fig. 290 on top of Fig. 291 ; bend the flaps over and paste them on Fig. 290. Form a little hoop of a strip of stiff paper with the ends pasted together; blow the fish open, then paste the hoop on the inside of the open edge of the head to form its immense mouth. When dry mark the fish with red paint like Fig. 292. Tie a thread on the two opposite sides of the mouth and with another thread attach Fig. 290. — Upper half of koi. Fig. 291. — Under half of koi. Little Paper Houses of yapan 171 the loop to a slender stick on the end of which you have fastened a gold disk made of two pieces of gilt paper. This is intended to repre- sent the rice ball with which the real fish are fed. The fish banners are hollow so that the wind may fill them, causing the fish to rise and fall as the breeze comes and goes. Push the end of your fish-pole through the centre of a small box-lid or but- ton mould (Fig. 293) and stand the dec- oration outside the gate-way of the little house. The fish used on this eventful day are the famous carp, which the natives call koi, the unconquer- able. The Japanese carp stands for good cheer, indomitable will, perseverance and fortitude, and it is used to impress these virtues upon Fig. 292 -The koi- ^J^g ^Q ^^,^ ^^ ^J^g emblem or undaunted ■' determination. good qualities named Y\%. 293.— Boy's birthday pole. 172 Handicraft for Girls are fully as necessary for girls even though the Japanese do not mention the fact, but girls are not forgotten. The nation gives them the third day of the third month for their festival. It is called the "Feast of Dolls," and is a gala day for little girls. Dolls and gorgeously dressed images, representing the Mikado, nobles, and ladies, are brought out and placed on exhibition, along with beau- tiful jars containing queer little trees and rare vases tilled with flowers. The day is made a joyous one and a day long to be remembered by the little girls. There are no sidewalks in Japan, the pavements being laid lengthwise through the centre of the streets, and on this path people stroll or hurry along. Mingled with the others are the Japanese laboring men, called coolies, carrying between them The Kago, which swings from a pole the ends of which rest on the men's shoulders. The kago is a sort of canopied hammock chair. You can easily fashion a tiny one from paper and straw. Cut Fig. 294 of stiff paper, make it three inches long and at the broadest part an inch and a quarter wide. Paint the kago yellow, and to form the framework sew on each end a piece of heavy broom straw, jointed grass, or straw which has been limbered by soaking, and cut a piece six and three-quarter inches long for each side. Bring the side straws together beyond each end and bind them (Fig. 295). Then hunt up a slender round stick six inches long and sew the kago on it by means of thread loops at each end Fig. 294. Pattern of kago Little Paper Houses of yapan 173 (Fig. 296). Make the canopy of a piece of stiff paper three and one-half inches long and two and one-quarter inches wide, paint it yellow, and with stitches only at each end sew Fig- 295. — Bind the edges of the kago with grass or straw like this to make the frame. it firmly on the pole over the seat of the kago (Fig. 297). Either buy a little Japanese Umbrella or make one of a disk of green tissue-paper folded and crimped from centre to edge. Use a heavy broom straw Fig. 296. — Tie the kago to the pole. for the handle and lighter ones for the ribs; stick them in, gluing them only to the centre, which is now the top of the umbrella; wind the top of the umbrella, the ribs, and the handle firmly together with black thread. The umbrella will not open but looks well closed. Place a tied bundle of red tissue-paper and the green umbrella on top of the yellow 174 Handicraft for Girls kago and fasten them securely in place with black thread (Fig-. 298). Fold a piece of soft, lavender-colored material on the seat of the kago as a comfort for the doll to sit on ; then fit in Fig. 297. — Sew the top on over the pole. a little Japanese doll or any kind of doll dressed and painted to resemble a little Jap. The doll's head should reach up, or almost up, to the canopy. Pull part of the comfort over the T\%. 298.— The little lady rides in her kago. doll and fasten her snugly up in a sitting position. Make a gay paper fan and attach it to one of the doll's hands, and the little lady will be ready to go on her journey. CHAPTER XV SOME ODD THINGS IN RUSSIA 'N his own country the Czar is almost wor- shipped by the people, and when his coronation takes place, crowds of loyal Russians flock to Moscow, the former in hopes of obtaining a glimpse of their beloved ruler, or at least of seeing portions of the grand procession, the beautiful decorations and the gay festivities which always form part of the jubilant occasion. For centuries the great white Czars have been crowned in the Cathedral of the Assumption, which, though not large, is magnificent, and is the most im- portant building in all Russia. The structure stands, sur- rounded by many other sacred edifices, in an enclosure known as the Kremlin, situated in the centre of the city of Moscow. Its white walls support a vaulted roof of soft, dull green crowned with golden cupolas, each cupola sur- mounted by a shining golden cross. The interior is re- splendent almost beyond description with its rich coloring, its jewel-framed paintings, its sculptures, its gold, silver, and precious stones, its priceless robes and holy relics. To give a true conception of the wonderful interior of the sacred cathedral to one who has never seen it, is impos- sible, but we can gain an idea of the general appearance of the exterior by making a miniature Cathedral of the As- 175 176 Handicraft for Girls sumption (Fig. 299). Find, or make, a firm white pasteboard box seven inches long, five and one-quarter inches wide, and four and one-half inches high ; this is for the body of the building. Fold a strip of paper seven inches in length, crosswise, through the centre, and bring the ends together, Fig. 299. — Miniature Cathedral of the Assumption. making another fold crosswise through the centre of the doubled strip, which will give four layers of paper of equal length. Cut this into a scallop three-quarters of an inch deep, open out the strip and you will have four scallops, each one and three-quarters inch wide, at its base. Lay the strip in turn along each of the top edges of the sides of the box, and mark the box around the edges of the scallops, drawing four scallops on the two long sides of the box, and Some Odd Tlmtgs m Russia 177 three on each of the short sides. Cut out the scallops on top of the box; then take the cover of the box, which must form the roof of the structure, and remove the bent-down sides; trim off with scissors the extreme edge of one long- side and one short side, until the cover forms a tight fit in the top of the box, but may, with gentle pressure, be made to slide down one inch. Fasten the roof in place at each corner by running a strong pin from the outside wall through into the roof, until the pin is em- bedded its full length in the roof. Now cut the Fig. 300. — The Door way. u Door-way 300) of light reddish-brown Fig. 302. — Door window. Fig. 303. — Upper window. (Fi paper; make it three inches high and one and one-half inch wide. Let the door proper (Fig. 301) be of inked paper an inch and a half high by an inch and a quarter wide, the door-window (Fig. 302) one inch and a quarter high by three-quarters of an inch wide. Cut the upper row of windows like Fig. 303 and the lower front windows ac- cording to Fig. 304. Make the lower side windows double (Fig. 305). The door-arch (Fig. 306) must be a trifle Fig. 304. — Lower front , i . windows. ovcr two and one-quarter Fig. 305. — Lower side windows. 178 Handicraft for Girls T-i-rrrn-TT-r Fig. 306. — The door-arch. inches long. Curve the arch by drawing it across a blade of the scissors, paint it green on both sides, bend down the slash- ed portion, and paste the arch over the door-way, as in Fig. 299. Make five Cupolas of white writing-paper. For each cupola, cut a piece of paper five inches long. Let the first be three inches wide and the remaining four two and one-quarter inches wide; slash up the bottom edge of each cupola one-quarter of an inch ; then half an inch below the top edge of each cupola paste a row of narrow, three- quarter-inch high windows cut from p_ inked paper (Fig. 303). I I When the windows are 1 ' ' I on, paste the two ends of each cupola together, lapping them one-quarter of an inch. Bend out the lower slashed edge and glue the highest cupola on top of the centre of the roof; fasten the other four on the roof near the cor- ners and at equal distances from the centre (Fig. 299). Have ready five half egg- shells and glue one on the top of each cupola. Then Fig. 307. — ^The paper cross. 308. — A cross on the cut five paper crosses(Fig. top of each cupola. Some Odd Things in Russia 179 Fig. 309. — A narrow black strip. 307), each measuring about two inches in height, including the lower slashed portion. Fasten a cross on top of each egg-shell (Fig. 308). Gild all the crosses and shells, bringing MiPPIWPVM'WPPi'PPPf the gilt down into a narrow band on the paper below the shells. On the edge of each shell paste a narrow black- painted paper strip (Fig. 309), adjusting it so that the gilt on the white paper will show below the points. To Make the Roof fasten a five-eighths-inch Avide strip of paper along and over the scalloped top edge of the four sides of the building, using strong paste or glue for the purpose (Fig. 310); be sure that the strip is on even and firm ; then let it dry. Paint the entire flat roof and flat top sur- face of the scallops green, using the same paint selected for the door-arch. Oil paint is best. Be carefulnotto spatter green on the white and gold cupolas. When finished, place your little cathedral up high on a level with your eyes, turn it until you have the view which is given in Fig. 299, and you can ver) easily imagine just how the real Cathedral of the Assumption appears. Thousands of girls, boys, and grown-up men and women in freezing, snowy Russia, Fig. 310. — Fasten a strip of paper along the edge. k i8o Hatidkraft Jor G/Ws Sleep On Their Stoves every night during the long winter months. How strange it would seem to be away up on top of a great warm stove, built of brick and nearly as high as the ceiling! The Russians do not bother about making the bed, or rather the stoye, for they have no sheets, blankets, or bedspreads. When it is time to re- tire, the inmates climb up on top of the great whitewashed stove and sleep just as they arc, in the clothing they wear during the day. If you would know how the average Russian looks. Dress a Doll Like a Russian Fig. 311. — Dress a doll like a Russian. Fig. 3U. — Half of cap. (Fig. 311). Cut two halves of a muslin cap (Fig. 31J) and sew them to- gether (Fig. 313). Sew in strands of tan-colored darning cotton on a line around the cap, midway from top and bot- tom (A-B, Fig. 312), and also sew a line of tan-colored strands on each side of the middle stitching of the white cap, until the lower fringe is reached. Fig. 314 shows the fringe of hair partially sewed on the cap. Glue this cap on the doll's head, smooth down the „. ^^ ^ . , ^ , Fig. 314. — The fringe of hair Fig. 313.— The cap. luur and CUt it off partially sewed on. Some Odd Things in Russia i8i straight around, making the hair a trifle shorter at the back than the front. Cut another piece of cloth (Fig. 315), and sew in a fringe of the tan-colored cotton (Fig. 316); glue this on the doll to form the beard, and trim ^^\^xX&^^}^ off the edges. Paint the moustache on the face, making it the color of the hair. Rus- sians, as a rule, are blonds, Fig. 315.— Another piece having either red or ^. , ^ , , of cloth. *= , , . ^'2- 316.— The beard. lighter-colored hair. Make the trousers loose and bind them to the doll below the knees. The Russian leather boots which the natives wear always reach up over the trousers, and you can make such boots by painting the doll's feet black and sewing straight pieces of black material on the doll for boot-legs, allowing the cloth to be long enough to wrinkle around the ankle. Try to make the boots appear as if laced up the front, for many wear them so in Russia. The blouse should be loose and belted in at the waist, hanging straight and square around the bottom. In case your doll has real hair, omit the wig and cut the real hair in Russian style. These people never use their immense stove for heating a teakettle, though they drink tea upon all occasions. To make tea they resort to a samovar, which is a curious brass or copper vessel, shaped something like an urn. When the tea is ready, it is poured into tall glasses, a slice of lemon is put in each glass, and the tea drunk scalding hot. The beverage is called chai, and the Russians enjoy it so much that they often take twenty glasses in succession. When one desires sugar, it is not put in the tea, but held in one hand, and a portion bitten off from time to time between the swallows of tea. 1 82 Handicraft for Girls If vou will eniptv an egg-shell of its contents and get a sheet of white writing-paper, a small square box, a piece of yellow sealing-wax, some liquid gilt, and five gilt beads, four about the size of large peas, and the fifth a trifie larger, we can manufacture ^^ A Little Russian Samovar f^lr "^^HV ^"^^^^ ^^^^' 3^/^' Should you have no ^^tv -5*^^^^ '^^^^^' i^i^ke one of pasteboard one inch square and half an inch high; if vou cannot get the beads, use small, round buttons. The four beads or buttons are feet for the samovar. Fasten one on each corner of the bottom of the box with sealing-wax, then glue the broken centre of the large end of the egg-shell on the middle of the top of the box. Cut the handles from paper according to Fig. 318, making each handle one inch and a half long and half an inch wide. Run the half of one handle over the edge of a blade of the scissors; this will cause the paper to curl. Turn the handle over and curl the other half in the opposite direction ; bend the handle at the dotted line, one- quarter of an inch from the lower edge, and paste it on one side of the samovar, midwav between top and bottom. Make the other handle in the same way, and fasten it on the opposite side. Cut the faucet (Fig. 319) of paper one inch wide; roll the paper up from the bottom, bringing the handle on top ; Fig. 317. — A little Russian samovar. rig. 318, The handle. Fig. 319.— The faucet. U' o o o o Fig. 320. — The different parts of the samovar. 183 184 Handicraft for Girls bend the handle straight up, and bend the spout down in front of the handle. Glue the other end of the faucet to the front of the samovar with sealing-wax, placing it near the bottom, half-way between the two handles. Make the top chimney of a roll of paper a generous inch in width. Paste the loose edge of the paper down on the roll, and pierce a hole in the roll one-quarter inch from the bottom, making it large enough to admit the end of a match. Glue a burned match in this hole, allowing the main part to extend out one-quarter of an inch from the chimney. Fasten a small, round, flat button on the end, and attach a round paper disk three-quarters of an inch in diameter to the top of the chimney, crowning the disk with the large bead. Fig. 320 gives all the different parts of the samovar and shows as nearly as possible how the}^ should be put to- gether. When the samovar is finished, gild it all over, and you will have a unique little creation that would delight the heart of a Russian. II CHAPTER XVI POTTERY WITHOUT A POTTER'S WHEEL LMOST every girl at one time in her life has loved dearly to make mud-pies, and it is not strange, for her mother, grand- mother, and many, many times great-great-grand- mother before her de- lighted in making mud-pies. The last, the primitive women of our race, made them to some purpose, for they were the inventors of pottery. The home-making, house-keeping instinct was strong even in these women, who had no houses to keep, and they did their best with the material at hand. First they wove rude baskets for holding and carrying food; then they learned that cooked food was better than uncooked and could be preserved much longer, so they made baskets of a closer weave and cooked in them by means of water heated by hot stones; finally, they tried cooking over the fire in shallow baskets lined with clay. The clay came out of the basket baked and hard, and behold, they had a new kind of vessel — fire-proof and water-proof. We may imagine with what joy they welcomed this ad- dition to their meagre store of home-making utensils and with what patient industry they strove to improve upon this discovery. 185 Mailing coiled pottery. l86 Pottery IVithout a Potter s Wheel 187 They used their baskets as moulds to hold the soft clay, and they fashioned the clay without moulds into shapes suggested by natural objects. The sea-shells furnished in- spiration and many vessels were made in their beautiful forms. The first potter was a woman, even as the first basket- maker was a woman, and, coming down to our own times, the important discovery of the production of exquisite col- ors and blending of colors in the Rookwood pottery was made by a woman. Discovered, developed, and still, in many cases, carried on by women, surely pottery is a woman's art, and as a girl inheriting the old instincts, you may find it the simplest and most natural means of expressing your individuality and love of the beautiful. Beginning as these gentle sav- a-ges began, using their primitive method, you may be in- spired to study deeper into the art, and perhaps become the discoverer of some new process that will give to the world a still more beautiful pottery. Even the smallest girls may do something in Coiled Pottery, for it is very simple and easy at first, growing more diffi- cult only as one grows ambitious to attempt more intricate forms. The Clay ready for use you will find at any pottery. If it is dry break into small pieces, put it in a large stone jar, and cover with cold water; let it stand until thoroughly soaked through and then stir with a stick until well mixed, and work with your hands — squeezing and kneading until free from lumps and perfectly smooth. When it is dry enough 1 88 Handicraft for Girls not to be muddy, and is of the consistency of dough, it is in good working condition. Keep the clay always in the jar and closely covered that it may not again become too dry. Besides the clay you will need a table to work on, a pastry-board, a thin block of wood about twelve inches square, a wet sponge for cleaning and moistening your fin- gers, and several simple tools. The Table. If you stand at your work, a tall office stool with rotat- ing seat will be just the thing you want, for by turning the seat this way and that f\ you may look at your / work from all sides without disturbing its position. An}^ kind of Fig. 321. — ^A short, flat stick. ^-^^io)iiiniiii)iiiiiiiiiiii,Miiihiiiiimiiiiiinn.ii,ini iiiiiiihmniniiimrammwiwSis,,^ Ordinary tablc will an- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ swer the purpose, how- Fig. 322. — The tools. Piece of round stick sharpened eVCr. Oil tOD of the table or stool place your pastry-board, and at the right-hand side the sponge, which must be kept quite damp. You will want but Few Tools as most of the work is done by the fingers alone. A short, flat stick, sharpened on one side like the blade of a knife (Fig. 321), an old penknife, a piece of round stick sharpened at each end like Fig. 322, and some emery-paper are all you will need at first. Pottery IVithout a Potter s Wheel 189 On the pastry-board place a large lump of clay, then take a handful of the clay and begin to make The Roll by turning it lightly between your hands (Fig. 323), When the clay lengthens out lay it on the board, and roll under your hands, as perhaps you have done when mak- ing dough snakes. Keep your clay snake of an even size its entire length, be careful not to flatten any part, and continue to roll it with a light touch until it is about the thick- ness of your little finger. Place your square block on the stand before you, and in the centre begin To Coil the Clay (Fig. 324). When you have made a disk about two and one- half inches in diameter, lift the roll and build up the sides, coiling slowly round and round, pinching it slightly as you go, with the last row always rest- ing on the one just beneath (Fig. 325). Unless you have made a very long roll, which is not easy to handle at first, you will soon have to stop coiling for lack of material. Do not use all of the first roll, but allow the end to rest on the table, where it can be joined to the new roll you are to make. Pinch the Fig. 323. Turn it lightly between your hands. Fig. 324. — Begin to coil the clay. 190 Handicraft for Girls Fig- 325. — Lift the roll and build up the sides. end of the new roll to that of the old and round the joint between your hands. Continue coiling until 3^ou have made a cup- shaped vessel three inches high, then break off the roll and flatten the end to meet the sur- face of the brim. Moist- en your fingers on the sponge, and smooth the inside of the cup, holding the walls in place with your left hand curved around the outside (Fig. 326). Do not press too hard with either hand, but slide your fingers gently round and round over the inner surface. When the coils on the inside have become well flattened mix a little clay and water into a paste, and spread it on, filling any cracks that may still be left between the coils, con- stantly smoothing all the time. You will find that this process has, at first, the effect of broaden- ing the base and lowering the sides of the cup, and until you have quite mastered the method you must allow for the broaden- ing and flattening of your work. Your cup, with a base of two and one-half inches and sides three inches in height, will now prob- Fig. 326. — Smooth the inside of the cup. Pottery IVithout a Potter s IVheel 191 Fig. 327. — Turn it into a pretty dish. ably be a saucer measuring about four inches across the bot- tom, and not more than one inch and a half in height. It matters little, though, at this stage what shapes you turn out. Do your best with each piece, and if the work flattens turn it into a pretty dish by pinching the edge to form a little lip,and (^^^^^ adding a handle like Fig. 327. ^'^HHlif' As you are working with- out a wheel the symmetry of your pottery must depend en- tirely upon your eye and hand, therefore keep turning the block upon which it stands that no irregularity may be overlooked. When you add ornaments or handles see that the roll of clay from which you make them adheres closely to the vessel. Add soft clay to the joints and smooth until the whole seems to be of one piece. In your first attempts leave /~\ VL- ^^^ ^ ^^ outside of the pottery cor- - r of clay changes in liring, and your little [nccc ol potteiv will prtUxibly come back to you almost the color of old ivory. One cannot be very positive about the color, however, for clays vary, and perhaps yours may bo of a kind that will fire another color. The potter will glaze your work for you il vou wish, or leave it in the bisque. Nothing' has been said about what Shapes to Make the Pottery, for that will depentl much uptMi your own taste and ability. Rather low, flat, dish shapes are most easily handled and variations in the cup or ilower-pot shape. Alter these may come the jars and vases. Set a well-shaped piece of pot- tery before you as a nunlel to copy, until you have ideas of your own to carry out, and learn to handle your clay before attempting- too ambitious a subject. CHAPTER XVII BABY ALLIGATORS AND OTHER THINGS OF CLAY HE first chance you have go to Florida; you will be charmed with all you see. Go where the sky is bluest, where winter is changed to summer, where the wild mocking-bird, the Ken- tucky cardinal, the scarlet tan- ger, the blue jay and a host of other birds are on most friendly terms with girls and boys. Go where the wild squirrels live unmolested in the beautiful great live-oaks, whose branches are hung with long, soft gray moss which swings and sways with the slightest breeze. There you will find the home of many baby alligators, queer little things whose eyes are provided with three eyelids; one is transparent and slides across sidewise like a window-glass to keep the water out of the eyes when the little fellows want to see what is going on beneath the surface. A number of baby alligators in a dry, sunny spot, will delight in piling upon each other four and five deep. The young owner of twenty of these pets declares that on such occasions all the alligators sleep except one who, wide-awake, acts as sentinel. At the approach of anyone he will swing his long tail over all his companions to awaken them and warn them of the danger that may be 193 194 Handicraft for Girls near. Fig-. 329 was modelled from a baby alligator who conducted himself in a most dignified and exemplar}^ man- ner when placed fiat down on a shingle lying on a table; Fig. 329. — Alligator modelled from life. but first he had to be held in position for a moment in order to recover from the excitement caused by being taken from his out-of-door home and brought into strange quarters. It is not difficult to model a Baby Alligator of Clay. All you need for the work is a lump of soft clay, a hat-pin, your fingers, and determination to succeed. Fig. 330. — Clay for modelling alligator. Take a piece of clay (Fig. 330) and roll it between your hands until it resembles Fig. 331. Push the two ends Fig. 331. — Clay rolled between the hands. together, causing the roll to hump up slightly near the centre, la}' it down on a board or any hard, flat surface, and Baby Alligators 195 Fig. 332. — Beginning the head. with the fingers carefully pat, squeeze, and push it into the form of Fig. 332. Gently smooth out all roughness; then nip off little pieces of clay from the big lump for the nose and two eyes; stick them on as in Fig. 333. Again smooth the rough edges until the clay looks like Fig. 334. With a little careful modelling you make the ^'^' 333-— Extra pieces on for eyes and nose. head exactly like Fig. 335. Mark the eyes, mouth, and nose with the fiat point of the pin. If portions of the head become too thick, take off some of the clay, and if at any time the head is worked down too thin fill in the hollow spots with clay. In modelling one can always pinch off pieces here and there when necessary ; or add little bits. Fig. 335.-Head finished. SmOOth it all down, Fig. 334.— Head almost in shape. 196 Handicraft for Girts and the places altered will never show the marks of the change. When the head is finished cover it with a wet cloth to keep the clay moist, and begin to make The Body. Mould another piece of clay like Fig. 336. Run the ball of Fig. 336.— Clay for body of alligator. your thumb along the sides, making the body the form of Fig. 337, broader and thicker through the centre than at the two ends. For the tail pull from the large lump a smaller amount of clay, roll it and model it like Fig. 338, larger at F1&- 337— Body of atligator. one end than at the other. The last portion (Fig. 339), like the others, is flat on the bottom, and with the exception of a small triangle at the heavy end of the tail the two sides meet at the top, forming a sharp ridge which decreases in height as it tapers down to a point at the extreme end. As each part is finished keep it moist with a wet cloth, and Baby Alligators 197 Fig. 338. — Section of tail. when the four sections are made place them in a row (Fig. 340), then join them together, round- ing all the edges slightly. Fig. 341 shows how to mark the back of the alligator. Live alligators, you know, are en cased in a natural Coat of Armor formed of small plates or shields, and in the clay one must imitate the real. Use the hat-pin for marking the lines on the head, and trace stripes sidewise across the entire length Fig. 339. — Tail of alligator. Fig. 340.— Ready to be put together. of the body in the manner shown by Fig. 341 from C to D, continuing the stripes down each side of the first section of the tail (Fig. 329). Next run a line lengthwise through the Marking the back. entire centre. D to E (Fig. 341) shows how to begin, only you must commence the central lengthwise line at C. Mark the Fig. 342. — Roll a small piece of c!ay. 198 Handicraft for Girls g Fig. 343. — Break off a part. plates on one side starting at C, as in- dicated from E to F (Fig. 341); then make them on the other side, which will cause a pointed scallop to stand out and up on both sides of the space from G to H (Fig. 341). On the last section the top ridge will be scalloped H to K (Fig. 341). The nostrils are distinctly marked by two round holes ; make these with the point of the pin. Cover the alligator over with a wet cloth while you model his Legs. Roll a small piece of clay (Fig. 342), break off a part (Fig. 343) and turn back the broken end (Fig. 344). Add another piece to it (Fig. 345), smooth the edges to- gether, forming a bend like an elbow (Fig. 346), and press the end of the leg out flat (Fig. 346). Roll five small pieces (Fig. 347) and fasten them on the flattened portion of the leg in the positions shown by Fig. 348. The foot suggests a human hand, the toes taking the Fig- 345.— Add another piece. Fig. 346. — Press end of leg out flat. Baby Alligators 199 Fig. 347. — Ready to begin the foot. places of thumb and fingers. Rub the toes in- to the foot and spread out the extended, flat- tened part of the leg-, making it appear web- like between the toes (Fig. 349). The foot of the real animal has nails or claws on three of the toes (Fig"- 35o)» but you need not attempt this detail. If the foot is correct in form and proportion you have made it well. Fig. 350 is given merely to show how the natural foot looks. Model two front and two hind legs and feet; see that the hind feet and legs are larger and differently formed from the front ones. The hind feet have only four toes (Fig. 351). The line A (Fig. 340) designates the place where the front legs should be joined to the body, and the line B (Fig. 340) shows where to fasten on the hind legs. That you may have a thorough understanding of the manner and direction in which the joints of the legs Fig. 348.-Modelling the foot. bcud, WC will SUppOSC that 200 Handle raft for Girls Kig- 350.— Fore-foot of alligator Fig. 349. — Fore-foot and leg of alligator. you rest on the floor on your knees and elbows. You will then lind that 3'our knees bend forward and your elbows back- ward, with vour arms corre- sponding" to the front legs and your legs to the hind legs. Now, when you draw or model here- after, you will not make any mis- take in regard to it. Look again at Fig-. 349. The fiuit, V, cor- responds to or rudely resembles \ your hand; T, your wrist; P, ^ your elbow ; C), your shoulder. Examine Fig. 329. On the hinr* Baby Alligators 201 leg are the foot, ankle, knee and hip joint. While the alli- gator is in a plastic state make him open his mouth, by cutting a slit in the head from the front along the waved line up back beyond the eye; carefully pull apart the jaws (Fig. 352), Have your alligator measure at least fourteen Fig. 351.— Alligator's hind-foot. inches from tip to tip, for it will be more difficult to model a smaller one. Once having made the little creature, you will find it easy to model similar animals ; select something else in the same line and try to make it. Most fruits are readily reproduced in clay. The Banana is very simple to copy. Roll a piece of clay, making the ends bluntly pointed ; bend it slightly as in Fig. 353 and, paying strict attention to proportion, carefully form the work like the Fig' 352. — Cut open the mouth. 202 Handicraft for Girls Fig. 353. — Clay ready for modelling banana. Fig. 354. — Banana modelled in clay. A Head of Washington modelled with your own hands would have a double value. You could show the head to your friends and tell them how you made it, and should they wish to become amateur sculptors, you might help them with their work. Make a thick cake of clay for the bust. On the back part of the top lay a small, round cake to form the neck, and push a stick down the centre of the neck through the bust to the board beneath, allowing a portion of the stick to extend up beyond the neck ; then roll a piece of clay into the form of an o.^^ for the head — three times the size of a hen's Q^^ — and push it down on the original, adding, taking from, smoothing and flattening as may be required (Fig. 354). The "Father of His Country" always com- mands a(;imira- tion, and every- thing pertaining to him is inter- esting. Fig- 355-— Egg-shaped clay for head. Baby Alligators 203 stick (Fig. 355). The stick enters the head near the centre of one side, so do not push the clay egg- on through one end. Continue to push the head down until it meets the neck. The stick i« necessary to give firmness and support to the work. Model the head, neck, and bust until it looks like Fig, 356. While modelling you must not neglect any part of the head ; the work should go on at the sides and back as well as the front; every now and then turn the stand on which your work is placed that you may Fig. 356. — Head blocked in. model otherpor- tions of the head. In sculpture it is essential that objects be made as they are ; therein lies the difference between sculp- ture and paint- ing ; in painting and drawing objects are not made as they actually exist but as they ap- pear. Be sure to have the head of correct pro- Fig- 357.— Modelling features. Fig. 358. — George Washington. 204 Handicraft for Girls portions before beginniiiii^ the featuies ; then take away a little of the clay where the nose joins the forehead and cut away more clay under the nt)se straight down to the chin, according- to the dotted lines which ap[)ear in Fig. 357. Hollow out ])laces for the eyes and indicate the mouth Fig- 359.— Washington's profile. Finished head. Fig. 360. — Back of 'Washington's head. with a straight line. Add more clay for the hair, forming it into a queue at the back. Be careful to study well the character of Washington's face before going on with the work. Notice that it is strong, the chin firm and square, the lips tightly closed and the mouth almost a straight line, the nose not perfectly straight but inclined to be aquiline, the eyes rather heavy- lidded ; and the hair, following the line of the head on the Baby Alligators 205 top, is puffed out on the sides, covering both ears. Fig. 358 gives the front view, Fig. 359 the profile, and Fig. 360 the back view of the head. Make the neck full and large. You can ke,ep the clay moist with a wet cloth and work on the head a little each day. Persevere until you make so good a likeness of George Washington that it will be recognized at a glance, and ever afterward you will enjoy and appre- ciate much more all portraits of him. CHAPTER XVIII FUNNY LITTLE APPLE TOYS UCH a funny little porcupine ! See how his pointed spears bristle out in every direction, forming a fine coat of mail (Fig. 362). If he was only alive, he could coil him- self up into a prickly ball — not a ball, though, that one could handle without being hurt. This little fellows differs from the Hystrix cristata, or real porcupine, in that he did not wait until his quills grew to turn into a ball, but was a ball to begin with, for he commenced life as an apple, and an apple is one of the nicest kinds of balls, as it may be tossed back and forth and then eaten later. If you can find an apple with a bump on one side, you may make a porcupine in less than five minutes, for all that is necessar}^ is to stick the apple full of wooden toothpicks, and that work will be as easy as putting pins into a cushion. Let the bump on the apple form the head of the ani- mal. Bend four toothpicks like Fig. 361 and push them up into the apple to serve as legs and feet. Make the bent toothpicks balance ^'e- 361-Bent 1 1 f 1 11 • .ii toothpick. the apple perlectly, so that the porcupme will stand firmly on its feet without other support. Use black pins for eyes and broom straws for the whiskers. Stick 8oO Funny Little Apple Toys 207 them into the head of the animal as shown in Fig. 362. Begin at the extreme back of the porcupine to insert the wooden toothpicks that are to serve as quills ; although they are not hollow it makes very little difference, as this wee creature cannot shake them, causing the quills to knock against each other, as does the real animal when he wants to produce a rustling sound to warn off an enemy. Continue pushing in the toothpicks until the apple resem- Fig. 362. — The apple porcupine. bles Fig. 362. Keep the quills inclined backward and be careful not to have them stand out too far; slant the quills as much as possible, as the length of the porcupine must appear greater than the breadth. Now, if you could endow the animal with life, you would find that he was a vegetarian ; that is, he could not eat meat, and you would be obliged to feed him on fruit, roots, and certain kinds of bark. You may be glad, though, that this porcupine is only a "make-believe one," for, if he lived, he would sleep all day and want to run about and take his exercise during the night ; and, more than that, you would feel very sorry JoS Haudura/t for Girls for the poor little fellow, because he would be extunulv lonesome so far awav from his native land ot India, Alt lea, or some part of Southern Kun^pe. So of the two. all things considered, the apple porcupine uKikes a better pet tor the small uhmu- bers of the house- hold. A round, deli- catelv piuk-tintod ^- Fi«« S64-— Shape of eye. Fig, 365.— Apple seed io centre of eye. FIj. SBy.— Sally'; opea mouth. Fi^. j«i.-The nose. apple IS bcSt for Little Sally Walker's Head (Fig-. 363^ With the small blade of a pocket-knife cut the eves near the centre ot the apple. placing' them far apart to give an innocent ex- pression to the face (Fig. ;o 0. Cut the lower line Fig, 3«^strip of ol the eyes straight ami r«per rolled up ^|^j. uopcr CUrVCd. aS in Fis.3«^3 -Sally WcUkers tiaht. ' » heH ^""i^'S^: tiien push the small, pointed end of an apple-seed in the centre ot each eye ; run the seed in so far that onlv a small portion of the blunt end stands out i^big. ^>o5V Cut awav a small, half- nioon-shaped piece of the skin v^'^>- 3^^^^ ^"-^ indicate the nose. The mouth must be open and made the shape of Fig. 367. Cut it into the apple a tritle more than an eighth of an inch in depth. Make the curls of two narrow stiij\^ Funny Little Apple Toys 209 of pajjcr rolled up li^tit like Fig. 368 ; then pulled out as in Fig. 369. Pin one curl on each side of the head (Fig. 363). Cut a round piece of white paper for Sally's collar. Make a small hole in its centre and slip the collar on the end of a stick ; then push the stick well up intfj the lower part of the head (Fig. 363). Keep the collar in place by two pins stuck through it into the apjjle. The Indian is very different in color- ing and expression from Sally (Fig. 370;. Notice how near together his eyes are ; and see how long and narrow his nose is. If you examine the face of the next red man you see, or the picture of one, you will probably find that he has two deep, decided lines from his nose to his mouth, and that the mouth itself is firm and straight. Remember these hints when making the Indian's head. Select a dark-red apple, one that is rather long and narrow, if possible, for Fig. 369.— Sally's curl. Fig. 371. — Indian's nose. Fig. 370.— The apple Indian. 210 / /^> > • y /.^>ji // /^>>* /T'*^'A'' the red nuinsoKlom luisa rouiui taco. I'ut tworvrsvM w luu> papoi- aiul pill lhon\ on tho apple with hl.uk-hoavUHi pins piercwl through the centre ol each eye. Make the Kmij; I \ fe»thcr for «j»- plc Indian. mx^e ot paper iFig'. ^rO. Cut two slits elose tv>- gether vmi tlu^ taee .\ud slide the sides ol the nose ^.V.\. l-'iji'. 37 into the slits t^Mii'. 370V I'ut two more slits, one on evieh sivle of the i\v>se. down to the corners ol the niiHith. and insert in each a piece ol narrow white paper tv> lojin the lines; then cnt one tnore slit tor the niouth and push in a strij^ot white p.iper. which nun- he bent down to show a wider portion vl''>- .^T'-'*^- Last, but not least. cvMue the v^rnaniental teatheis. II vou can (U^tain natural vMies so much the better; il not. make [\iper te.ithers ot bris;ht, ditTereniU coKMcd p.iper. l-'ig-. ^^/j ^"><- 373- The ;»v>plo Jap. Funny Little Apple Joys 211 shows how f.o cut. t.hcrn. Roll Ihc hc>t.lorri jjort.ioii 1,o make a stiff stern and after pmichin;^ holes in the tof) of the a[jple, Fig. 374-Applc Jap's eye. F'g- 375-— For apple Jap's hair. F'g. 376.— Apple Jap's hair. forming- them in a row around the crown of the head, push each feather in place, having the tallest in the centre, as in Fig. 370. Kuii a slender stick up into the bottom of the head and you will have something better than taffy-on-a- stick. The Jap's (Fig. 373) features are formed very differently from those of either Sally or the Indian. His eyes arc shaped like narrow almonds, rather ?:)luntly rounded at the inner corners and pointed at the (juter corners. Cut the eyes like Fig. 374 of black paj>er and stick them on the head with white-headed pins driven through the centre of each. Let the u Fig. 377.— Stick frame for apple Jap. I 212 Handicraft for Girls c\C'S' slant up at the outoi" ci^tnors. lor tliat is the way real Japanese eves j^row. Thev i\ever have eves like vSallv's, Fig. 379. — Foundation of apple tower. Fig. 380. — Second floor of apple tower. Make the nose crescent-sluqied, anti pin it on with two white pins. The mouth nuist be much laroer than the nose, though cut in similar shape. Hold the nu>uth in posi- tion by running a row ol white pins thiough it into the head. Tiic pins will also form the Jap's teeth. Cut the hair of black paper (Fig. 375); if you have wo black paper, make scmie with ink. h^ringe the hair as in h^ig. 37(1 ; then fasten the circle of stilT black hair cm top of the head with black pins, ll^se a russet apple or a yellow one for the Jap, because, you know, these people do not have led cheeks or fair skins. When the head is finished, push it down on the top of a stick aci'oss which has been fastened anc^ther shorter stick near the top Fig. 381. -Ready for third (Fig. \'j'j\ INIakc w simpic kiiuonci- floor. Fig. 378.— Apple tower. 213 214 I fa mi i craft /or Cirh lilvo gx>\vn ot iKipor and haiii; it on oviM" \\\c Jap's attiis. It vou wish, vou can paste the cdi;os oi simuis ot the gar- I'iud a til in. sound, louiul apple, and wo can Build a Tower (^I'ig'. 37v'^). C'uf the huit into r.ithrr ihirk slices. srU^rt the middle slice, that being the largest, and stick tour toi^th- l>icks into it (^I'ig. oTS))- l'i>ke the slice next in si/eand push it down tight v>n top ol the ionf loot hjncks (^Kig\ 380). Stick tour nuui^ toothpicks into the second slice (,1'ig. 381). plac- ing the loolhpii'ks in the spaces i>n the second slice betwiHMi the lowiM' tirst lour toothpicks (^h'ig. ,^^0. 0\\ the toj^s ot the last toothpicks fasten another slice ot api>le. then stick in nioie toothjMcks aiui so on, alvvavs ren\en)beiing to place the ti^p toothpicks in the spaces on the apple slice lelt be- tween the lowiM- toothpicks. Iniild uj^ the towcM at least seven slices high and ^k^ the woik caietnllv. keeping the toothpicks straight and even, that the apple towef may stand erect and not uvsend^K- thi^ l.imous Leaning Tinver ot Pisa; for if your building should incline \k> one side, as di>es the Pis.i tower, if would not long retain that positiiui. but the cMitire structure would conn^ tuudiling down, obliging vou to trv building again with another aj^ple. A tini^ Outi-h windmill can be made ot v>ne apple and a paper pin-wheel, and there are lots ot otluM" interi\sting things vou m.n m.innlacture from the same- tiuit. CHAPTER XIX MARVEL PICTURES admire and wonder over. ERE are Mary, Mary's lamb, and Mother Goose's goose all waiting for you to dress them and make them into Marvel pictures. Mary must be attired in her clothes, the lamb in his wool, and Mo- ther Goose's goose in its feathers, and you can do it every bit yourself. Then when all are nicely finished you can tack them up in your room for everyone to We will begin with Mary, because a little girl is vastly more important than a lamb or a goose, however much the others may be petted and loved. Take a smooth piece of white tissue-paper, lay it over the drawing of Mary given here, and with a moderately soft pencil make a careful tracing of the little figure. Turn the paper the other side up and go over the lines again with a very soft pencil ; then lay the paper right side up on a piece of white cardboard, a little larger than the page of 215 Marvel Pichtres 217 this book. See that the figure is exactly in the middle and again go over the lines with your pencil. Remove the tis- sue-paper and strengthen the lines of your drawing with your hardest pencil. If you have a box of water-color paints, tint Mary's face, her neck and arms flesh-pink. Redden her cheeks a little, and paint her lips a darker Fig. 382. — Mary's dress. Fig. 383. — Mary's apron. red. Make her eyes blue and her hair a light brown and she will be quite ready for Her Dress. v Fig. 382 IS the pattern, which you must make by tracing it on tissue-paper and then cutting it out. Choose any material 2l8 Haudicraft for Gir/s you like — wool, cotton, or silk, for her dress and any color, only let it be quite smooth. Lay the tis- sue-paper pattern down on the goods, pin it in place and cut around close to the edges. Tr}' the dress on Mary to see that Fig. 384.-The brim of sun-bonnet. jj^ j^jg perfectly; thcU COVCr thc wrong- side thinly with paste, adjust it to the little figure and press down firmly, smoothing out any wrinkles that may appear. Cut a white lawn apron like the pattern (Fig. 383), and paste it over the dress bringing the upper edge up to the waist line. Make a cunning little Sun-bonnet Fig- 385.~Cro\vn of sun-bonnet. Fig. 386.— Plait like this. Fig. 387.— Cut like this. of the white lawn also. Fig. 384 is the brim, Fig. 385 the crown of the bonnet. Cut out Fig. 384 first and (old back the flap according to the dotted lines, then Fig. 385, which you must plait fan-shape like Fig. 386, and then cut the shape of Fi»- 387. Put a little paste along the lower edge of Fig. 387, and over it lay the top edge of the brim (Fig. 384), pasting them together like Fig. 388. Fit the bonnet on Mary's head and paste it in place, but leave the side-flaps Fig. 388.— Mary's sun-bonnet. to Stand out loosely from her face. Marvel Pictures 219 Mary's Lamb can be traced and then drawn on cardboard in exactly the samb manner as Mary, or it may be drawn on white writing- Fig- 389. — Pattern of lamb's coat. paper, cut out carefully and {Kisted on black or ccjh^red cardboard. This last is perhaps the better plan as the white lamb will show more plainly on a colored back- <^i"(niiiIICil line Inflow tlic l.imh's tMf shows liow l.u (ho wool is to n\uh on his l.u(\ .iiul lh.it on (lie top ol his head givOvS the limit loi- tho oili;i' ot the ta[>. M:uv's lumb. \\ hen you have (laeiHl Mother Goose's Goose and (tanstcMred it to a shetM ot eaulhoard. \ ini nuist eolhuM a nwnd>er o\ small teatheis as nuieh as possibU" like the Marvel Pictures 221 shapes given in the page of diaf^rams. I'erhaps yrju can f^ct those plucked from the chicken (or to-day's dinner, or you may be allowed to take a lew from mother's feather pil- Fig. 391. — Tail feather. Fig. 393. -Hody featlier. Fig. 395— Wing feather. Fig. 394.— How to paste on the body feathers. Fig. 396. — Wine feather. Fig. 398. — Neck and breast feather. Fig. 397.— How to paste on the wing feathers. How to put the feathers on Mother GooHe's goose. ]c>ws or cushions. II you do not finfl feathers of just the rij^ht shapes take a pair of sharp scissors and trim them down to suit. Mother Goose's goose. Marvel Pictures 223 Select three feathers for the tail like the tail feather Fig. 391, and fit them in place on the goose to see just where they are to go ; then take them off, cover the tail with glue and carefully put the feathers back in place, pressing them down until they stick fast (Fig. 392). Find body feathers like Fig. 393 and, beginning near the tail, cover part of the body with glue, then stick the feathers on, overlapping them as in Fig. 394. The under part of the body must be entirely covered with these feathers, but before going on to the breast and neck the wing must be attended to. There are two kinds of wing feathers — some long and narrow (Fig. 395), and others much shorter (Fig. 396). Begin at the lower edge of the wing and glue a row of the long feathers in place, allow- ing the lower edge of one feather to overlap the upper edge of another, as in Fig. 397. Along the top edge of the wing glue a row of the small feathers (Fig. 397), and then, be- ginning again at the lower edge of the wing, cover the remainder with the small feathers. The short, broad feather (Fig. 398), is the kind to use on breast and neck. Begin at the wing and fasten them on, going upward until the head is reached, then trim ofE the stems of the feathers to fit the space shown by the dotted line on the goose's head (Fig. 399). Do not put too much glue on the goose at one time, only enough for one row of feathers, and spread it very thinly, for it takes but little to catch and hold the light feathers in place. Fig. 399- PART II RECREATION u ia tv 7, '*; :\ ^ ■?■/ ■■^pi^^^^^s Lifting for Pasch eggs, CIIy\in7LR XX EGG GAMES FOR THE EASTER HOLIDAYS Lifting for Pasch Eggs IFTING" was one of the many curious and interesting^ Piaster .- customs of the "<^ood '•'' old days" in merry ; ' England, and we in- troduce it here in the form of a verj/- jolly Easter game. First y(ju must Prepare the Pasch, or Easter Eggs in this way : Select three large white eggs, make a minute hole in the small end of each, and another hole the size of a silver dime in the large end. Place the hole at the small end of each shell to your lips and blow steadily until all the c^^ has run out. Then set the shells in a warm place to dry while you make ready "something bitter and some- thing sweet" with which to fill them. Soft, creamy can- dies of a small size are the best for this. Select several pieces for each egg, and pour on each of these one drop of a weak solution of wormwood or quinine. Mix the bitter candy with the sweet, and fill the egg-shells. Cut from gilt fjr colored paper three scalloped disks 227 228 Recreation for Girls four inches in diameter (Fig. 400). Through the centre of each disk pass a needle threaded with doubled black linen thread, cover the un- der side of the disk with paste, separate the two ends of the thread and hold them down on each side of the large end of a shell, as shown in Fig. 401 ; then draw the disk down and paste it upon the shell over the threads. If the ends of the thread extend below the disk, clip them off with sharp scissors. Wait until the paste is quite dry and the paper firmly attached to the shells, then hang the eggs by their threads in a door-way so that they will be just one foot higher than you can reach. The Game There must be at least two girls and two boys to play the game. Fold a shawl or wide scarf until it forms a nar- row band. Wrap it around the waist of one of the girls, fasten it securely, and blindfold her with a handkerchief. Let a boy stand on either side of her, grasp the band firmlv, and then march her up to the door-wa}^ where the eggs are suspended, chanting these words : " Tid, Mid and Mi-se-ra, Carling, Palm, and Pasch-egg day. Lift you now off your feet, Take your bitter with your sweet." Fig. 4C». — Cut three scalloped disks like this. Egg Games for the Easter Holidays 229 Reaching the door-way they must halt just before it, and when the girl says "Ready" she must jump, the boys at the same time lifting her by the band around her waist. As she jumps she must try to catch one of the eggs. She can have but one trial, and if she suc- ceeds in bringing down an ^gg it is hers ; failing, she must wait until her turn comes again for the chance of securing a prize. One of the boys must have the next trial, while the two girls become the "lifters." The same cere- mony must be gone through with for each player, a girl and a boy alternately, and the same verse repeated. It is not necessary to expend any strength in the " lifting," for the players should jump, and not de- pend upon the helpers to be lifted up within reach of the eggs. When the eggs have been pulled down, the fun consists in eating the candy, , with always the certainty of finding some bitter drops among the Fig. 401.— Paste the disk on the shell.. 230 Recreation for Girls sweet, and the uncertainty of how soon aiul how often the bitter will be found. The Egg Dance The egg- dance is very old, so old that it is a novelty to young people of this generation. It is said that this dance lonnerl}' created much mirth, and no doubt it will afford our modern girls and boys an equal amount of merriment. The Eggs To prepare for it, take thirteen eggs, blow the contents from the shells, color eight red, gild four, and leave one white. The object in removing the egg from the shell is to save the carpet from being soiled should the eggs be trampled on. If the carpet is protected bv a linen cover hard-boiled eggs may be used. Place the eggs on the floor in two circles, one within the other. The outer circle, formed of the red eggs placed at equal distances apart, should measure about eight feet in diameter ; the inner circle, formed of the gilded eggs, should be four feet in diameter, and the white egg must be placed directly in the centre of the inner circle. The Dance The eggs being arranged the company is divided into couples, each in turn to try the dance. The first couple takes position within the outer circle — that is, between the red eggs and the gilded ones — and, to waltz music, they dance around the circle three times, keeping within the space between the two circles. Entering the inner circle thev waltz three times around the central Q'g^, and all this must be done without breaking or greatly disturbing any of the eggs. When an egg is broken or knocked more than Egg Games for the Easter Holidays 23 1 twelve inches from its position, the dancers retire and give place to the next couple. The broken eggs are not replaced, but those out of position are set in order before the suc- ceeding couple commence the dance. When each couple has had a turn and none have accomplished the feat, all change partners and the trial begins again. The first couple to go through the mazes of the dance without breaking or disturbing any of the eggs win each a first prize ; the next suc- cessful couple receive second prizes, and the third are rewarded with one colored hard-boiled Q%^ which they may di- vide between them. Easter Angling The appliances for this game are manufac- tured at home, and con- sist of three toy hoops, such as children use for rolling, eight bamboo walking-canes, and eight hooks made of wire like Fig. 402. A piece of twine three-quar- ters of a yard long is tied to the small end of each stick, and to the other end of the twine is fastened a hoot, AngUng for Easter eggs. 232 Recreation for Girls Fig. 402. Eight hooks made of wire. Smooth, stiff, light-brown paper is pasted or tacked over each hoop like a drum-head, and in this paper covering of each hoop six round holes are cut, just large enough to ad- mit the small end of an Q%%, or about the size of a silver quarter of a dollar. Four of the holes are made at equal distances apart, twelve inches from the edge of the paper, and the other two are near the centre (Fig. 403). Eighteen eggs to be angled for are pro- vided. They are not boiled, but the shells are emptied and prepared for decoration in the manner previously described. Fig. 403. — Cut six holes in the paper like these. Egg Games for the Easter Holidays 233 They may be painted with water-colors, with designs of spring flowers and butterflies, gilded or silvered, or colored with dyes. A circle of gilt paper is folded twice, which forms Fig. 404, and an eight-pointed star is cut by following the dotted lines in Fig. 404. In the centre of this is cut a round hole, and when opened, the star (Fig. 405) is the result. A piece of narrow white satin ribbon,. three inches long, is folded and pushed through the hole in the centre of Fig. 404. — Cut the star by following dotted lines. Fig. 405.— The gilt star. 234 Recreation for Girls the star, forming a loop; the ends are then pasted to the point on either side of the star. When the eg-g--shell has received its decoration, this star and h^op are glued to the large end of each shell, as shown in Fig. 406. In twelve of the egg-shells are hidden trifling gifts of candv, a tinv penknife, silver thimble, or a trinket of an)' kind; in four are slips of paper on which are written " Prize Ring," and in the other two are also slips of paper; on one is written " First Prize," and on the other " Second Prize." Every shell being supplied with its gift the holes at the small end of the ^^^ are covered by pasting over each a small round of white paper, the edge of which is cut in points to make it fit more easilv to the shell. Rules of the Game. I St. Eight players onl}' can take part in the game. 2d. The three hoops are Fig. 4o6.-Giue the star and loop to placcd ou the floor, paper side up, at some distance apart. In each of the two ordinary rings are placed six eggs stand- ing upright in the holes, small end down ; four eggs contain presents and two the papers bearing the words " Prize Ring." In the third, or prize ring, are four eggs contain- ing presents, and the two which hold the papers with the words " First Prize " and " Second Prize." Egg Gmnes for the Easter Holidays 235 3d. There must be no distinguishing mark upon any of the prize eggs. 4th. Four players stand around each of the ordinary rings. Having once chosen their places they must keep them until all the eggs have been taken from the ring. 5th. Every player is provided with a fishing-rod which is held by one end, not in the middle. 6th. The endeavor of each player is to insert his hook through the ribbon loop on one of the eggs and lift it out of the ring, doing this as quickly as possible and catching as many as he can. As each q^^ is taken from the ring its contents are ex- amined and the player who first gets a prize-ring ^^^ ceases angling until the other prize-ring t,^^ bas been caught. 7th. When the eggs have all been taken out of both or- dinary rings, the two players in each ring who have the prize-ring eggs move to the prize ring and angle for the eggs which it contains. 8th. Two prizes, the first and second, fall to the lot of the two players who are fortunate enough to secure the prize eggs in the prize ring. The prizes given for the prize eggs at the prize ring should be of a little more importance than those contained in the eggs. Instead of trinkets these eggs may contain only candy, which will give more prominence to the two real prizes given at the end of the game. Table Egg-rolling. Everyone knows about the egg-rolling where the eggs are started at the top of a hill and rolled to the bottom, for it has become almost a national game, being played annu- ally on the White House grounds in Washington on Easter 236 Recreation for Girls Monday; but there is a new game of egg-rolling to be played in the house, in which any person in any place may take part. This is played, not with cooked eggs, as in the Wash, ington game, but with empty egg-shells, which have been blown and left as nearly perfect as possible; and the field for the game is a table with a chalked line across either end about eight inches from the edge and another line directly across the centre. The players are divided into Two Equal Forces wdiich take their places at opposite ends of the table. Each player is provided with a fan and the egg-shell is placed directly in the centre of the table on the dividing line. At the word " Ready" all begin to fan, the object of each side being to send the q^^ to its goal across the line at the op- posite end of the table, and to prevent its being rolled into the goal at its own end. On no account must the egg be touched except in plac- ing and replacing it on the centre line, wdiich is done when- ever a score is made, and when the &g^ rolls off the table ; in all other cases it may be moved only bv fanning. Each time the q^^ enters a goal it counts one for the side at the opposite end of the table, and w^hen the score is marked the ^.^to mi-^st be replaced in the centre; then, at the given signal, the fanning is renewed. The winning score mav be ten, fifteen, or twenty-five, but it is best not to make it too large, for several short games are more enjoyable than one long one. CHAPTER XXI MAY DAY AMUSE- MENTS INGLING with the fes- tivities of May day in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were certain games intended to rep- resent the adventures of Robin Hood, that bold forest chieftain who with his band of merry men, all clad in Lincoln green, held many a contest with bow and arrows ; and though most of them were masters of the sport, none could quite equal the leader, Robin Hood. From certain customs of these bygone days we can evolve a delightful entertainment and call it the Twentieth Century May day. The most important personage on this occasion is the May Queen; who must win her crown by skill in archery. The next in importance is the King who wins his title in the same way. Of course. Bows and arrows will be needed for the sport, and these we will make at home. They will be quite small and easy to raanu- 237 2^8 o RecreafioJi for Giyh facture, but the bows, thoiigii tiny, will work to a charm and send the home-made ar- rows flying with swiftness and precision to their goal. Look up a piece of flat rat- tan, from which to form the bow, such as is often used to stiffen stays and dress waists; cut it eleyen and one-half inch- es in length and burn a hole in each end by boring through the rattan with a hair-pin heated red hot at one end (Fig. 407). Holes made in this way will not split or break the rattan. Pass a strong linen thread through the hole in one end of the bow and tie it flrm- ly (Fig. 408) ; then bring the thread across to the other end, pass it through the hole, leaving a stretch of eight and one-quarter inches from end to end of the bow, and tie the end securely (Fig. 410). Make the Arrows of slender sticks ten inches in length and sharpened to a point at the heavier end (Fig. 409). Whittle the arrows as round as possible. If you Fig. 407.— The bow of rat- tan. J Fig. 408.— Fastening on the bow- string. May Day AmMsements 239 A Fig. 410. — Bow strung ready for arrow. happen to have old, slender, long-handled paint brushes, they will make fine arrows with the brush taken off and the large end pointed. Fig. 409. — Arrow of paint brush handle. 240 Kccrcafio/i for Ciir/s Fig. 411. — Paper cover for target. The Target may also be homc- niadc ; lor this use a small hoop — a barrel hoo[> will do — aiul cov- er it with paper. Take anv kitui of paper strong" enoui;h to hold, but not too stilT, and cut it three or four inches larger in cir- cumference than the hoop. Lay the hoop down flat on the paper and dra^v a line around its edge ; then slash the paper around the edge, cutting deep enough to almost reach the circle marked by the hoop (Fig. 411). Cut silhouettes of spring flowers from yarious bright-colored tissue-paper. Lay a piece of tissue-paper over each flower pat- tern here giyen, and trace the outline di- rectly on the tissue- paper. Make a cow- slip (Fig. 412^ of yellow paper for the centre of the target, and aboye it place (Fig. 413) a yie»let of violet tissue- paper, and under the Kig. 413.— cowsup for target. May Day Anmsements 241 centre fasten a Jack- in-the-pulpit of green tissue-paper (Fig. 414); at the right attach a pink azalia (Fig. 415) and at the left a scar- let tulip (Fig. 416). Over the remaining blank portion scatter bright silhouettes of Fig. 413. — Violet for target. Fig. 414. — Jack-in-the pulpit for target. Fig. 415. — Azalia for target. 242 Recreation for Girls other flowers. Each wild blossom has its own value : the yellow centre cowslip counts 10; violet, 9; Jack-in- the-pulpit, 8 ; pink az- alia, 7; scarlet tulip, 6, etc. When the paper flowers are ready, lay the large target paper on a perfectly flat, hard surface ; then, using paste only around the edges of the flowers, fasten each one in position on the target paper, beginning with the central cowslip. When finished turn the paper over on the wrong side and lay the hoop on it over the circular line previously drawn. The hoop must first have a strong staple driven in its top (Fig. 417). Turn up the slashed edge of the paper and paste it down over the hoop. Fig. 418 shows a portion of the flaps glued over it. Be sure when covering the hoop to keep the paper perfectly smooth and free from all wrinkles or fulness, as shown in the target (Fig. 419). Select a good position on a tree or fence. Drive in a nail at Fig. 417.— staple in hoop. Fig. 416. — Tulip for target. May Queen and King and loyal subjects. May Day Amusements 243 the proper height and hang the target by the staple in its rim ; then with a stick or stone mark a line on the ground about three yards from and directl}^ in front of the target. Let each player in turn stand with toes touching the mark and shoot one arrow at the target. Someone must keep tally, and as each arrow strikes or misses make a record of the shot. When all have had one trial the Fig. 418. — Portion of flaps glued over hoop. Fig. 419. — Target with silhouettes of flowers. second round may be played ; then the third, which finishes the game of archery and decides the relative places of all the company. The girl and boy with highest records are Queen and King, the next highest maids-of-honor and gentlemen-of-the- Court; the others fall in line according to their records on the target, and the entire party strikes out for the nearest stretch of land where wild flowers are to be found. Out from the shade they go into the sunshine, where the new 244 Recreation for Girls springing grass is tender and green, and a little beyond under the trees where a mysterious perfume, the breath of awakening Nature, per- vades the air, where grow the modest blue-eyed vio- lets, the fragrant trailing arbutus, spicy and sweet, the funny Jack-in-the- pulpit, without which no collection of wild flowers would be complete, and where also may be found the rare and beautiful bloodroot, whose stay is so short one can scarce catch a glimpse of its pure, white blossoms ere they vanish. The Queen Rules, and the King shares her honors. All the subjects must yield implicit obe- dience; but, on the other hand, the Queen should issue onl}^ unselfish and kind commands, such as are sure to render her peo- ple happy, for the thought of their comfort and pleasure should ever be uppermost. The delicate little blossoms of early spring need very careful handling, and it would be well for the King and his gentlemen to be provided with old kitchen knives or trow- Fig. 420. — Take the flowers up roots and all. May Day Amttsements 245 els, that they may be able to dig around and under the little plants in order to take the flowers up root and all, with the earth clinging to them (Fig. 420) ; each one can then be carefully placed upright in a flat-bottomed basket or box and carried home in safety. Better still would be a number of tiny water- proof paper flower-pots, which may be purchased per dozen for a trifling sum. In each pot place one plant with plenty of damp earth surrounding it, and upon reaching home tie a gay narrow ribbon throus^h holes pierced on each side ; the little receptacle will then make a charming May- basket, and the wild flowers will keep fresh and bloom- ing for a long time (Fig. 421). While the King and his men are at work digging up the plants the Queen and her la- dies can gather the buds and blossoms, picking them with as long stems as possible and remembering to have a few green leaves of each plant with its blossoms. To keep the flowers from wilting, as they would if held in the hand, let each girl be Fig. 421. — 'Water-proof paper flower-pot May-basket. 246 Recreation for Girls provided with a clean, perfecth- drv baking-powder can which has a lid that tits tightlv ; the bh>ssonis must be without moisture and verv careluUv pUiced within the can as soon as they are plucked. When the tin box is tilled the cover can be lifted on securelv to exclude all the air. The i^reen leaves mav be carried in the hand, and when thev droop thev can be revived bv being- placed in Iresh water. The bit of wildwood brought home in the form of dainty cut flowers could be put in water until dark, when the little May-baskets are readv for their reception. These baskets should always be small and must never be crowded with flowers ; it is Fig. 422. — Beginning wire May-basket. Fig. 423. — Basket ready for handle. better to have onlv one variety of blossom with its' foliage for each basket. INIanufacture the May-baskets of paper boxes, colored straws, wire, and cardboard. Those of wire can be made to resemble coral and are pretty when shaped like that shown at Fig\ 425. Make a ring of wire about the size of the top of a very large teacup by twisting the two ends of the wire together, then pull it into an oblong shape curved downward at the two ends. Form another smaller ring, connect the two by a length of wire fastened on one end (Fig. 422) ; twist the \vire on the bottom loop and bring it across the bottom May Day Aimisements 247 and up on the other side end (Fig. 423). Proceed the same way with the broad sides, extending the wire up and across the top to form the handle (Fig. 424); if more braces are needed, add them, and tie bits of string in knots of various sizes at intervals all over the basket frame to form projec- tions for the branches of coral. Transform the wire into coral by melting some white wax and mixing with it powdered vermilion. Wliile the Fig. 424. — Wire basket to be turned into coral. Fig. 425 — Coral May-basket. wax is in a liquid state hang the basket on the end of a poker or stick and, holding it over the hot wax, carefully cover the frame with the red mixture by pouring the wax over the basket with a long-handled spoon. The wax cools rap- idly and forms a coating closely resembling coral ; the little lumps and projections that form give the basket the appear- ance of real coral, which is branching and uneven. As soon as the wax has hardened (Fig. 425) insert in the basket a pasteboard bottom cut to fit ; and when filling this basket with flowers place the foliage around the sides first. 248 Recreation for Girls The fresh green contrasting with the red coral gives a pretty effect, and the leaves filling the spaces between the wires prevent the flowers from falling through. The "Old Oaken, Moss-covered Bucket" is very appropriate for woodland blossoms. Make the bucket of a strip of cardboard ten by four inches ; sew the two ends together and cut a circular piece for the bottom ; fit it in and fasten with long stitches. Cut the handle of cardboard one- quarter of an inch wide and sew it in place. Cover the bucket with strips of olive-green tissue-paper an inch and a half wide which have pre- viously been crimped by being folded backward and forward. Cut the strips in very fine fringe, unfold and gum them on the bucket in closely overlapping rows, as the cardboard must be entirel}'^ concealed to have the appearance of being covered with natural moss (Fig. 426). A May-basket which can be made in a moment is simply a bright-colored paper six inches long and three inches wide, with one of its long sides brought together at the two corners from the middle and fastened securely. A narrow ribbon forms the handle (Fig. 427). Just at dusk the flowers may be arranged in the baskets with as little handling as possible. Then, when twilight Fig. 426. — Old oaken bucket May-basket. May Day A^nuseinents 249 comes, the May day party can steal cautiously to- the door of the house fortunate enough to be favored by a May- token, hang one of the little baskets of flowers on the door- knob, ring the bell and scamper away before they are seen, for no one of the party must be present when the door opens. Bell and Ball May-pole Game for Country or City If you live in the country erect your May pole on the lawn or in an open field ; if in the city put it up in the back-yard, or if it rains or is cold hold your May day games in the house. In any case the pole should be planted in a tub as in Fig. 428, and decorated as shown in the illustra- tion. The pole must be round and smooth and stout enough to support the weight of the hoops at the top. For an out-of-doors pole from ten to twelve feet is a good height, but an indoor pole must be adapted to the height of the ceiling of the room it will occupy. Before placing the pole in the tub nail securely to its base a piece of board eighteen inches square, as shown in Fig. 427. — Colored paper May-basket. 2qo Recreation for Girls Fig. 4jS. Erect the pole in the niiddU^ ol the tub. put in cross-pieces iFig. 428). nailing them at the ends and till in all around with stones or bricks, as in Fig. 4J9. How to Dress the May-pole Cover the tub with green crimped tissue-paper and bank up with flowers — paper flowers if no others can be obtained. Beginning at the top, wrap the pole with ribbon or strips of pink and white cam- bric in alternate stripes. This can best be done before the pole is erected. Buy two toy hoops, the smallest measuring about three feet, the largest four feet in diameter. Wrap these hoops with greens Fig. 438. — The pole is planted in a tub. Fig. 439. — Fill in with stones. k\ i/ ^^k--^''^ O ^^ \ ^ '. The first player throws the ball. May Day Amusements 251 of some kind — evergreens if 3'ou can find no (others — add- ing sprays c^f tree blossoms and all the fiowers you can manage to get. Besides the two large hoops )'ou will need fourteen small ones about nine inches in diameter. These you can make of wire for yourself. Wrap eight of the small hoops with pink, and six with white cambric, then decorate with flowers and green leav^es. Keep the de- coration quite nar- row, in order to leave as large an opening as possible in the cen- tre. Get two and two-thirds yards of narrow pink ribbon and two yards of narrow white rib- bon ; divide the pink into ei2!"ht and the ^*S- 430. — On the end of each ribbon fasten a small K 11 white into six pieces. On the end of each ribbon fasten a small toy bell ; tie the ribbon on the small hoops, the white ones on the white hoops, the pink on the pink hoops, as shown in Fig. 430. Space the largest hoop off into eight equal parts and tie the small pink hoops to it at these points by their ribbons. Divide the other hoops into six equal parts and attach the small white hoops in the same manner. With wire or rib- bon suspend the hoops from the top of the pole as in the illustration. Decorate the top of the pole with small flags and flowers. 252 Recreation for Girls The Balls Make four paper balls in this way : Take a piece of newspaper and, placing a small weight of some kind in the middle, crush it and roll it into a ball four inches in di- ameter; place the ball in the centre of a square of tissue- paper and bring the four corners of the paper together over the top ; overlap the corners and fold and smooth down the fulness at the sides. Wrap the ball with fine cord, making six melon-like divisions, as in Fig. 431. Make two of the balls of pink tissue-paper and two of white. Have ready on a tray a number of small favors con- sisting of two or three flowers tied together, some with pink, some with white ribbon. The decorations of the pole may be added to or curtailed as circum- stances permit, and if flowers are Fig. 431.— Wrap the ball with scarce Dapcr flowers mav be minsfled fine cord. . , \ ^ , - , , ^ , . , With the natural ones, and the dit- ference will hardly be noticed. When The Game is held in the house the room is cleared of as much furniture as possible. The prettily decorated May-pole stands in the middle of the floor, and the children join hands and dance around it to the accompaniment of the piano or an appropriate song sung b}' all. Beginning with slow time, the music grows faster; faster and faster the wheel of children spins arouvid the pole until some hand slips from the one clasping it and the wheel parts. When this happens the circle opens at the break and the May Day Anitisenients 253 children, still keeping their places, back up against the wall. To the first four children at the right end of the line the four paper balls are given, one to each. The first child, or Number One, takes three steps forward and, aiming at the bell in one of the hoops, throws the ball with the purpose of sending it through the hoop and at the same time striking the bell hard enough to make it ring. If successful, Num- ber One is given a favor, to be pinned to the front of the coat or dress, as the case may be, the color of the ribbon attached to the favor being in accordance with the color of the hoop through which the ball passed. As it is more difficult to send the ball through the hoops in the second row, the white-ribboned favors confer the most honor. As soon as Number One has played he or she gives the ball to Number Five and returns to his or her place; then Number Two takes a turn, giving his ball afterward to Number Six, and so on down the line, thus always keeping the children about to play supplied with balls. The game goes on until the players are tired or the favors give out, and the object of the players is to win as many favors as possible. CHAPTER XXII HALLOWE'EN REVELS N Hallowe'en vou will not be obliged to travel wav ofif to shivery, cold Klondike to dig for your fortune, because the ' :~ff fairies bring the Gold Nuggets nearer home; possibly you may haye to work a little for the precious metal, but the exertion will be only fun. Ten little fairies — your ten fingers — will cheerfully supply the gold as well as the mine from which the nuggets must come on the eventful night. The fairies should make a number of small gold parcels which when finished form the nuggets (Fig. 432). Inside of each package is a piece of candy and a strip of paper with a fortune written upon it, so whateyer may be the fate sent by the gnomes in the mine, it is sure to be sweet. Have enough lumps of gold to furnish each plaj'cr with equal portions of one or more nuggets. Let the little fairies secure a tub, half- fill it with sand or saw- dust and hide the gold nuggets well in this home- tig- 432. — The gold nugget. 254 Halloween Revels 255 made gold mine, scattering the little parcels through the sand like plums through a pudding. The fairies must stand a small shovel by the side of the mine, then all will be ready and the miners can dig for their fortunes (Fig. 433). Each i^layer in turn must take the shovel and dig in the Fig- 433- — Hallowe'en miners at work. mine until one gold nugget is found. He must then open the package carefully and read aloud the fortune Fate has given him, while the other players look on and listen. The fairies can readily whittle or saw out a wooden mining shovel from a shingle or thin box-lid. Tell them to make it about four inches long and three wide, with a handle eleven 256 Recreation for Girls inches in length. Try to think of original ideas to write on the slips of fortune paper, or, failing these, look up apt quotations for the prophecies. If you can have the lines bright and witty, writing something that will cause a laugh when read aloud, without hurting any- one's feelings, your Hallowe'en mining will be a great success. Fig. 434. — Stick for apple witch. The Apple Witch understands well the art of fortune-telling. She is a funny little creature made of a stick (Fig. 434), some yellow tissue-paper and an apple. A strip of the tissue-paper is gathered (Fig. 435), drawn tight together at the top and placed over the stick with a thread wound around a short distance from the top to form the head (Fig. 436). The arms are pieces of Fig. 435. — ^Tissue-paper for making witch. Halloween Revels 257 tissue-paper (Fig. 437) fold- ed lengthwise (Fig. 438) and run through a hole punched in the body (Fig. 439). The face is marked with ink on the head (Fig. 439). Small strips of tissue- paper gathered like Fig. 440 are sewed on each arm to form the sleeves. Hair of black thread or darning cotton tied in the centre (Fig. 441) is sewed on the yellow paper head. The Witch's Hat is a triangular piece of paper (Fig. 442) with edges pasted together and a Cir- Fig. 436.-Head formed for witch. cular piece of paper slightly slashed around the small hole in the centre (Fig. 443). The circular piece is slid down over the peak to form the brim (Fig. 444), glued on, and the entire hat is inked all over, dried and fitted on the little woman's head. A broom made of a strip of folded tissue-paper (Fig. 445) with a fringed piece of the same paper bound on for the broom part (Fig. ^ 446) is sewed in the folded- Fig. 438.— Paper folded for arms. OVCr end of the witch's Fig- 437- — Tissue-paper for witch arms. 258 Recreation /or G/r/s Fig. 440. — Sleeves for witch. arm. When iinishcd the point of the stick is pnshed into an apple, and the apple placed upon a piece ot paper ) divided into squares in which dilTer- ent fortunes are written (Fig. 447). When von want the witch to tell your fortune, spin the apple on the blank centre of the paper and wait until the witch is again quiet, and she will point with her broom to some spot where the fortune is written es- Fig. 439— Arms run throush hole in body of witch, peciallv for VOU. Kach o"irl and bov must be allowed three trials with this apple witch (Fig. 44S). Fig. 441. — Black hair for witch. Fig. 442. — Crown of witch hat. Halloween Revels 259 Fig- 443- — Brim of witch hat. Fig. 444. — Witch hat. Ghost Writing is very mysterious and exciting. Dip a new clean pen in pure lemon juice and with this queer ink write mottoes or charms on a num- ber of pieces of writing-paper. Allow the ink to become perfectly dry, when it will fade out com- pletely ; then place the charms in a box and let each girl and boy in turn draw what ap- pears to be a blank slip of paper. After examining it, the paper should be handed to some grown person present who is in the secret and who has provided a lighted candle by means of which he may read the ghost writing. All the young people will clus- ter around and with bated breath Fig. 445. watch the magical developing Witch broom ^ ^ *= handle. of the words on the blank paper Fig. 446-— witch broom. 26o Recreation for Girls as the reader moves the message back and forth over the lighted candle. The heat brings out the writing in distinct letters that all may see. A second charm must not be taken trom the pile until the lirst has been read aloud. YOU WILL PASS YOUR EXAMINATION YOU WILL BE A FAVORITE. YOU WILL WRITE A BOOK. YOU WILL BE A COMFORT TO YOUR FAMILY YOU WILL LEARN TO SINO WELL Y0UWILLALWAY3 BE KIND AND CONSIDERATE, YOU WILL PAINT A PICTURE. YOU WILL GOON A JOURNEY YOU WILL HAVE A HORSE, YOU WILL COMPOSE NUSIC, YOU WILL HAVE A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN. YOU WILL HAVE A CANDY PULL. YOU WILL GOTO A FAIR. YOU WILL EARN A FORTUNE YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY. YOU WILL MEET NEW FRIENDS. YOU WIU 00 TO A DANCE C) YOU WILL BE A CHAMPION GOLF PLAYER. YOU WILL GOTO A CIRCUS, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE BRIGHT &SUNNY YOU WILL LIVE IN A CASTLE. YOU WILL BE WISE WHEN GROWN. YOU WILL BE AN INVENTOR. YOU WILL HAVE LOTS OF PETS. YOU WILL HELP OTHERS. YOU WILL WRITE POETRY. YOU WILL PADDLE A CANOE YOU WILL BE FAMOUS. YOU WILL LIVE IN A FOREIGN LAND. YOU WILL VISIT THE WH1TEH0U5E. YOU WIU BE THE BEST SCHOLAR IN THE CLASS. YOU WILL WALK ON STILTS. YOU WILL SAIL A BOAT. YOU WILL RUN A RACE. Fig. 447. — Fortune chart. If vou have A Four-leaved Clover, even though it be a pressed one. vou can put it m vour shoe on the morning of October 31 and wear it until you retire at night. The clover is a charm which will bring- good luck and will insure at least one hearty laugh before the next dav. Halloween Revels 261 A glimpse into the future showing the disposition of your sweetlieart may be had by Tasting Apple-seeds which have previously been dampened and each dipped into a separate fiavoring. The moisture will cause the spices, etc., to cling to the seed, giving various flavors. Those dipped in liquids must, of course, be afterward dried. If to your lot falls a seed which has been powder- ed with pulverized cloves, your life com- panifjn will never be dull and uninteresting ; pepper denotes quick temper; sugar, affection and kindness; cinnamon is lively, buoyant and bright; vinegar, sour and cross ; gall, bitter and morose; molasses, loving but stupid; lemon, refreshing and interesting. Add as many more flavors as you wish. When the seeds have been pre- pared and dried wrap each one in a small piece of white tissue- Fig. 448.— Apple witch. 262 Recreation for Girls paper and pass them around to the young people, allowing each girl and bo}' to take two of the prophecies; then all the children must be quiet while each in turn tastes first one, then the other seed, telling aloud as he does so the particular flavor he has received. Should a player find the first seed sweet and the other sour, it would mean that the disposition of the future wife or husband will var}^, partaking more of the stronger flavoring. If the taste of the first apple seed is pleasant, the married life of the player will be reasonably happy. If the flavor is very agreeable, the married life will be verv happy ; if the flavor proves unpleasant, it is best to remain single. A very jolly time may be had with Fortune Bags. Purchase or make a number of brown paper bags of medium size. In each place a simple little gift such as a tiny home- made doll, a paper toy you have manufactured or a picture of a young woman or man cut from a newspaper and pasted neatly on a half sheet of fresh writing-papei% drop a nut in the fifth bag and add other home-made gifts for other bags, and label each appropriately. Pin a piece of paper on the doll with these words written on it, " Dorothy's new doll" (if none of the girls happens to have that name use another in its place). Under the young woman's pict- ure write, " Marie when she is grown," and under the young man's write, " This is Malcolm when he is a man." Change the names if they do not represent au}^ of the party. After a gift has been dropped in, take the bags one at a time and blow them full of air, do not allow the air to escape while you wind a string around the openings and tie them securely. The bags, being puffed out with air, will appear A Convalescent Witch. ■ Halloween Revels 263 much the same, rendering it impossible to tell, by merely looking at them, which contain the largest gifts. All the bags should be tied on a strong string, forming a fringe of bags stretched across the room. The young people should draw lots for first choice of the fortune bags, then each player in turn must point to the bag selected, no one being allowed to tcjuch a bag until the leader has clipped it from the string. Only one bag can be given out and opened at a time, in order that all ma}' see and enjoy the contents of each separate fortune. All young people enjoy the fun of trying their fortunes. Even when convalescent and not yet quite strong enough to join in the general frolic, they may, in a quiet way test many old-time and some new prophecies. The three saucers is one as in the illustration. The apple seeds charm commencing with "One I love" is another and for new ideas there is The Feather test. Witch Writ- ing, etc. (MiAni<:R will THE MAGIC CLOTH AND WHAT IT WILL DO N Imlia (hero live wntiuloiiul iiumi who can ]>ortotni I ho most startlinj;' teats. ^ such as makiui;- snuill plants oidw up >4£ -^ tail and lar^o in a low nuin\onls, and who. b\- repeat iui;- certain magic ^\^ wonls, cause water to mvsteii- \ •c_v,>^--V4,~vA>^ ouslv spiiui:- frt)m the dry earth and tdl a hollow, protluciui;- a tinv lake iMi which little biKits can sail. C)t course, we do not understand lunv such things can be ilone. never having seen them; but there are certain amazing and astiMiishing feats that we do comprehend antl which we can perform. C^ur jumping frog is so lively and tunny that even the most grave and serious person would smile to see the little animal actually move and sudtlenlv leaj^ up in the air. Make the Frog Jump With a si)ft lead-pencil trace the frog (Fig. 440") on trac- ing-paper; then transfer it to a very soft, pliable piece of Ti7///r cotton tnull or any white cloth that will stretch readily when pulled, tor stretch it must, or the frog will not jump. Turn the square of cloth so that it will resemble the ace of diamonds in a pack of playing-cards, haying one point up, (Mie down, one at the right and c>ne at the left hand. Fasten the cloth over a piece of white paper mi a smooth 204 266 Recrcafioii for Giris biKinl or tabic with lluimh-tarks (>v stroni;* pins. \\mv cairlullv phu\' the t iacinii--pa|>oi". on which \ on have ilrawn (he tVoo- t^l-'ii;-. 449^ ovtM- the (.Mot li. allowing- the head to eonie inuief the top point of the square aiui (he leet to exteiul toward the lower point. Mr. Froo- niav then be drawn exactly on the bias weave of the cloth. When \ on have linished the tracing, go o\ er the lines again with a si>ft lead-pencil to make the mai^kings clear and (.listinct. Look at the trog to be sure he is correctly tlrawn; then renunc the i>ins and. allow ing the cloth to remain im the table oyer the piece of snuH")th w hite paper, spread both of Nour hands out on the cloth, one at each side of the frog, and, keep- ing \onr eves on the drawing, mi^yo \ our hands gradually outward, at the same time moving the mull with them. The stretching ot the bias material will cause the frog to flatten out until he crouches lor a spring (Fig. 430V C^nitiouslv raise \ our hands up ami oil the cloth and j^lace them down again in a dilTerent way; put one above and the other below his Frc\gship, and. still keejMug vinir eves on the lig- The Magic Cloth 267 lire, suddenly move your hands, stretching the square up and down, when the frog will give a quick leap and spring straight upward in the most unexpected manner (Fig. 451), Cut the squares of material large enough to be easily Fig. 452. — "We are hungry." handled; if made too small your hands will slip off the edges. Feed the Birds Have you ever seen little young birds in their nest? How they huddle together with their large 3^ellow mouths open wide watching for their mother to return with their dinner! Trace the drawing (Fig. 452) on bias cloth anrl 268 Recreation for Girls Fig- 453- — "Here comes our dinner." you can make these little birds move and really stretch up their heads for their dinner as you slow- ly pull the cloth upward and down- ward (Fig. 453)- Watch them. Then stretch the cloth out s i d e w i s e and see the bird lings quietly settle down in their nests with a "Thank you" and "Good-by" (Fig. 454). See the Children Talk Trace the girl and boy (Fig. 455) on bias cloth as you did the Fig. 454. — "Thank >cu ' and "Good-by." The Magic Cloth 269 Fig. 455- — "I can beat you spelling." Fig. 456. — " You can't, either, frog-. Fig. 455 shows how the children ap- pear when they meet. Pull the cloth side- wise and their faces change expression (Fig. 456); they do not seem to enjoy their chat. Now pull the cloth in the opposite direction, and in an instant theirfaces show surprise and dismay (Fig. 457)- Fig. 457.— " Oh ! Oh! We are both at the foot of the class." 270 Recreation for Gir/s Make the Tenor Sing 1 wonder if vou over attonclotl a coiu-ert wIumc the tenor had diffieultv in reacluno- his high notes, where he fairly seemed to rise np on his toes in his elTorts to attain the notes as liis voice ran up the scale, and every- one in the andience sympathized to such an extent that Fig. 458.— D 0. thev, too. felt like risino- aiul stretching- up their heads in search of the difficult note. Such a tenor is shown at Fi*-^-. 459. Trace him on bias clotii and pull the cloth out sidewise (,Fig-. 458'^; then, beginning with the hnver note, oks very Fig 459-— S O L. comical while his face is changing, his eyes and mouth opening wider and wider and his hair rising up straight on the top of his head. The rjbjects which are here illustrated may be replaced by others with equally amusing results; any animals, such 272 Recreation for Girls $ Fig. 460.— D O. as goats, rabbits, camels, hounds, may be drawn on the cloth and then manipulated so as to afford the greatest amuse- ment. You can have any amount of fun with the moving fig- ures on your magic cloth if you will remember the impor- tant points, which we will re- peat to be sure 3''ou understand. Have the squares of cloth for all the drawings sufficiently large to be easily manipulated. Draw the design clearly and distinctly. Draw it on the ex- act bias of the cloth ; move the two sides of the cloth at pre- cisely the same time. Move the cloth always with both hands spread out flat on top of the cloth. Place the cloth over a large piece of white paper that the picture may be plainly seen. Care should be taken to obtain soft cloth that will stretch readily. These diver- sions will afford fine sport for a quiet evening and will be en- joyed bv the entire family. If painted the designs will be still more comical. FINGER-PLAYS FOR LITTLE FOLKS CHAPTER XXIV OW we must play in-doors, and if you will spread out your little hands and slide them together, back to back, with the palms out- ward, so that the longest finger of the left hand rests on the back of the right hand and the longest finger of the right hand lies on the back of the left hand, you will have a Queer Little Teeter-tarter which will move when and how you wish. The two longest fingers form the teeter- tarter ; half of the teeter is on one side and half on the opposite side of the fence. The fence is made by the other parts of the hands, which, crossing each other, fit snugly and tightly, leaving the teeter free to swing back and forth at will. Fig. 461 shows how your hands should be placed together : the long finger marked A is half of the teeter ; the other half is on the opposite side- Move the long fingers and watch the teeter go up and down, first one end then the other, just like a real teeter made of a board across a fence. If you bend back both of your wrists, the right wrist will drop while the left wrist 273 274 Recreation for Girls will be raised above it. This will bring one edge of the fence or hands toward you, and looking" down, you can see both ends of the little teeter. Fig. 461. — The queer little teeter. You might cut out of writing-paper two small dolls and bend them so that they will sit on the teeter. The least bit of paste on the bail of the teeter finger of your left hand and some more on the nail of the teeter finger of 3'our right hand will fix the paper children securely on the teeter, and you can make it go as fast as you please without dan- ger of the dolls' falling off. Fig. 462 gives the pattern for the dolls ; Fig. 463 shows how to bend them, and Fig. 464 gives a little paper girl seated on one end of the teeter. Take the dollies off the Fig. 462. — Pattern of doll. Fig. 463. — Doll ready for teeter. Finger- Plays for Little Folks 275 teeter and let them rest for a while and watch you build a church. Place your two hands back to back, with the ends of the fingers of the right loosely crossing those of the left hand ; then, bring the palms of the hands together, fin- gers inside and thumbs outside and lo ! Fig. 464.— Doll on teeter. Here is the Church (Fig. 465). But it is without a steeple. Build one by rais- ing the two first fingers, without disturbing the remainder of the hands ; bring the raised finger-tips together and, " Here is the steeple " (Fig. 466). A church, like any other building, Fig. 466. — " Here is the church," Fig. 466. "And here is the steeple, 276 Rccrcatiou for Girls to be ot use. nuist have people in it. and if we could onlv look inside this building we might lind them; move vour thumbs apart, or " Open the doors and see all the people" (^Fig. 467). There thev are sit- ting in rows; don't vou see them? Now let the people go up-stairs. Crc^^s vour two smallest fingers on the inside, which will bring the backs ol the hands toward each other; keeping the little fingers to- gether, cross the third ifino-ers, next the second, then the first Fig. 467. -"Open the door and see all fiugerS. The fiugCrS OU the left "■^^ ^'°P'"-" hand form the \stairs for the people or fingers of the right hand \o climb. Trv it again, allowing the people to ascend slowlv one b\" one : " Hej'e are the people climbing up-stairs" (Fig. 46S\ Keep vour hands looselv in the last position and raise your right elbow; while holding that up, twist your lett hand around forward until the left thumb rests on the inside of the right hand. Both hands will now be turned downward with the wrists uppermost. Leaving the hands in this posi- tion, turn your two elbows out- ward and down, which \vill bring your hands up ; slide your right ^.^ ,68. --Here are the people thumb outside and around vour cumbing up-stairs,- Fmger- Plays for Little Folks VI left thumb, the left thumb will then be the minister and, though you cannot see them, the fingers clasped inside the hands are the people, but you can see the thumb, preacher, standing up ready to talk to the people, and you may say, " Here is the preacher who for them cares " (Fig. 469). If you want to form A Bird's Head of your hand, lift up the second finger of the left hand with your right hand, and cross the lifted finger well over the back of the firstfinger of the left hand. Again, use your right hand to lift the third finger of the left hand and twist it over the second left-hand finger. The last finger is the little one of the left hand; lap this over Fig. 469-— "Here is the preacher ^, iz-.i-ir I -11 who for them cares." the left third hnger and you will have all the left-hand fingers crossed, one on top of the other. Bring the top of the left thumb up to meet the tip of the second left-hand finger, which will finish the bird's head. The head does not greatly resemble that of a real bird, but we will pretend it does, for the fun of seeing who can build the head first. To make a Man Chopping Wood, place the inside of the little finger of the right hand on the inside of the little finger of the left hand, and the inside of the third finger of the right hand over the inside of the third finger of the left hand ; then bring the second and 278 Recreation for Gir/s Fig. 470. — Preparing for man chopping wood. third lingers of the right hand up and over the inside of the pahii of the left liand, as in Fig. 470. Rest the tipof the second finger of the right hand on the tip of the thiinib of the left hand. The second finger is the stick of wood. Strike the wood with the first linger of the left hand (C, Fig. 471); raising that, bring down the second linger of the left hand (B, Fig. 471). Keep them moving, first one, then the other, and you will have "the man chopping wood" (Fig. 471). It is a pity to waste the chips which always fall when wood is being cut, so let two children, the thumb and first finger of the right hand, pick them up. Do this by tapping the palm of the left hand with the thumb and first finger of the right hand, while the man cuts the wood. Fig. 471.— Man chopping wood. Finger-Plays for Little Folks 279 The four fingers working- at the same time make it quite lively, but you will find that if the man chops fast, the chil- dren will pick the chips very quickly, and if the man works slowly the children will not hurry about gathering the chips. It will be very difficult for you to have the man chop slowly when the children are eager and quick at their task. The feat will be almost as hard as patting your chest with the left hand while you rub the right hand back and forth over the top of your little head. You will laugh to Fig. 472. — "Here are my mother's knives and forks," see the left hand rub, when you told it to pat; the poor little left hand tries to mind, but just as soon as its twin brother, the right hand, begins rubbing, the left hand has to stop patting and rub too. Lay your two hands down showing the palms ; lace the fingers together and say, " Here Are My Mother's Knives and Forks " (Fig. 472). Of course, the fingers are the knives and forks. Turn your hands over while the fingers remain in place, bring the wrists down and say, " Here is my father's table" (Fig. 473). Raise the two first fingers, bringing their 28o Recreation for Girls Fig. 473. — " Here is my father's table. tips together, and say, " Hei-e is my sister's looking-glass " (Fig. 474). Then raise your two little tino'ers and, rocking the hands from side to sitle, say, "And here is the baby's cradle " (Fig. 475)-^ There is another little fingei" game, which we will call "The Blackbirds." Dampen two bits of paper and press one down tight on the nail of the lirst hnger of your right hantl and the other on the nail of the hrst finger of your left hand. The two pieces of paper are the two blackbirds. Now hold yonr first fingers, on which the birds are resting, out stiff and double up the re- maining fingers; then let your father see how well you have taught these little pet birds to mind, for they will do exactly as you say, going and coming at your com- mand. Place the tips Ol Fig. 474. "Here is my sister's looking-glass," Fi7iger-Plays for Little Folks 281 your two first fingers on a chair, which you must pretend is a hill, and raising first one finger to make the bird fly, then the other, keep the pets flying up and down while you repeat these lines : " Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill ; One named Jack and the other named Jill. Fly away, Jack ! — " As you say the last line raise the right finger up and back over your right shoulder ; while there, quickly bend down the rightfingerwith Jack on it and stiffen out the second finger in its place. Bring your right hand down with Jack hidden and put the empty second finger on the chair instead of the first. The bird will be gone and lone- some little Jill will perch on the hill with no playmate, so you must let her go too. Repeat these words, " Flay away, Jill," and make her disappear as you did Jack, bringing down the empty second finger of your left hand and your father will find that both birds have gone; but you may make them return by saying, " Come back, Jack," as you raise your right hand and close down the second finger while you straighten out the Fig. 475. — "And here is the baby's cradle." 282 Recreation for Girls first and bring it again to the cliair witii Jack upon it. Call Jill also that Jack may have some one t(j sing to, and as you say, " Come back, Jill," bend down the second finger and straighten out the first one with Jill on it, and let her fly down to Jack. You may repeat the lines again and again, making the pets come and go. You can play "Chin Chopper Chin" with your sister, but you must be careful and touch her face very lightly. As you say " Knock at the door," softly tap her forehead, and at " Peep in," gently raise the outside of her eyelid by pushing the top of your finger upward on her temple near the eye, but not too near, as you might accidentally strike the eye. " Lift up the latch " by slightly raising the tip of her nose with the end of your finger. At " Walk in " gently place your finger between her lips; end the play by saying " Chin Chopper Chin " as you lightly tap several times under her chin. Were I with you now we would play "Build the Tower." I would place my right hand down flat on my lap with the back of the hand uppermost, and say to you, " Lay your right hand out flat on top of mine ;" then I would place my left hand over yours, and you would cover mine with vour left hand. That would make four hands all piled up in a tower; but the moment your left hand came down on top of mine I would pull my right hand out from under the tower and lay it on top, covering your left hand ; then you would hurry to take your right hand from under the pile and place it on top. So we would continue to play, always drawing tlie hand out from the bottom of the pile and plac- Finger- Plays for Little Folks 283 ing it on top until we were able to build the tower very rapidly, and, when either of us took too long a time to draw Fig. 476.— The famous five little pigs. her hand out from under the pile, a forfeit would have to be given to the other. 284 Recreation for Girls Fig- 477- — " This little pig went to market," Fig. 47g.— "This little pi; had roast beef," < > Fig. 478. — "This little pig stayed at home," < < Fig. 480— "This little pig had none," > Fig. 481.— "This little pig said wee, wee, all the way home." Finger- Plays for Little Folks 285 Ask your older sister or brother to trace the Famous Five Little Pigs (Figs. 477, 478, 479,480, 481) on unruled white writing-paper and cut them out. The strip of paper extending from one side of each little pig must be made into a ring (Fig. 482) to fit the end of one of the five fingers on your right hand (Fig. 476). Begin with "This little pig went to market" (Fig. 477) for the thumb, next, " This little pig stayed at home " (Fig. 478) for the first finger, then "This little pig had roast beef" (Fig. 479) for the second finger, and "This little pig had none " (Fig, 480) for the third finger; to the little finger belongs (Fig. 481) "This little pig said wee, wee, all the way home." Adjust the bands until they fit perfectly, then paste the end of each band under the free side of the attached pig. If the bands are too long they can be cut to proper length. Fig. 482 gives the wrong side of a pig with band curled around and pasted on back of pig, and Fig. 476 shows how the Five / Little Pigs will look when on your fingers. If you can give each little pig a flat wash of pink water-color paint, and when dry ink the outlines, they will appear more real. After you have played with the wee pigs, try Fig. 482. — Ring of paper on pig. The Children's Heads (Figs. 483, 484, 485, 486, 487), and ask some one to fold paper into hats for your finger-heads, as shown in Figs. 488, 489, 490, 491, 492. You might ask to have the various chil- dren's heads painted, giving each girl and boy different 286 Recreation for Girls Fig. 43 . -' I am sleepy." /Sir -