WOMEN'S INTERESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 December 1932, Page 3

WOMEN'S INTERESTS

A NZW HANDICRAFT PLAITED PAPER HATS Waxed paper, being pliable and vet firm, is easy to manipulate, ar.d one of the chief advantages of paper hats is that they can be n.ou.deu with a bencl of the brim here and a twist there to any becoming angle. The 1() yards of paper, which is all that is needed to maUe a shady hat, with a wide brim costs only Is.

I Simplest of all is the three-strand ( plait. To commence,the three strips of ! paper (the strips in the roll each to ; measure about 24in. m length) are set J over each other, with ends overlapping, ' and are given a twist to hold them in place. They are then plaited together, , working from one thumb to the other, and with a twist of the wrist they are given a “crinkle,” which adds strength to tlie plait and makes it look very much nicer than an ordinary, straight I edged and flat-surfaced plait. There is I a knack in making this crinkle in the

paper strands; it is done by turning . the palms of the hands upward as the * outside strands are brought into the centre of the plait. Great care must 1 be taken in joining in the fresh strands as the paper is used up; the new strand is overlapped over the plait on the right - side, to a distance of n () less than 3in., and pressed in place with ' the thumb, and then plaited in the usual way. The end which is left sticking up above the plait can be snipped off when the plait is finished.

i The hats should be made in one * piece, .without ' a join at the crown and brim. This is the simplest and most satisfactory method. The full / length of the plait should he completed

, before commencing to make up the hat. |To do this, commence at the crown. , First of all, twist a double thread ot 1 cotton round the very end of the 1 plait, with the right side facing the thumb; run a line of stitching down the edge of the plait to a distance of about 4in. Now' turn back the point |of the plait to meet the end of the ; stitching, and draw up the thread tightly to form the top “button” that is the centre of the crown. The plait is then curled round under the button, and worked round and round till the top of the crown is the right size. Each row of plaiting should underlap the previous one (remember that" you are .wonting from the right side), and it is stitched in place with strong ,si!k or cotton, making a shoit stitch on top and a long, running stitch underneath.

THE MODERN FLOOR.

WOOD-STAINING AT HOME.

Whoever first -thought of using permanganate of potasJi (Condy’s crystals) as a door stain deserves all our gratitude. Cheap, easiiy mixed, and applied straight on to the wood, it is the simplest of all stajns, and gives a very sat.sjactory deep brown colour. it is impossible to give exact quantities for mixing, as tile strength depends a good deal on the porous nature of the wood, and on tlie desired fight or dark shade. Dissolve sufficient crystals in hot water to make a decp-coioured solution, testing its strength by brushing a little on an odd piece of board. Malic a note of the proportions used, so tnat y u

can mix the same shade again §nould you need extra st.an to finish the door.

Let it become cold before using, and then apply it in good brushfins until the whom floor is evenly stained. It will dry fairly quickly, but for good wearing should be left untouched for at least 24 hours. A second coat is then sometimes necessary.

The floor may now he polished in the usual way, with a good wax polish lor preference.

A mixture of black japan and turpentine is perhaps the best stain of all. It costs more than Coiidy’ s crystals, and is more troublesome to put on, but it is well worth using for its wearing qualities and its rich brown colour. The shade can die varied, too, bv adding a tube of oil colour; red, if you lifce a warm russet brown, yellow for a golden tone. Dark greens and browns are also useful

A floor that tones with the furnishings of a room is a decided decorative asset, and the woman who cares to experiment will enjoy working with this oil stain.

ft must be mixed to a good brushing consistency, and will lie iouiq] to go further on a. new floor if applied over a very thin coating of size. As with all floor stains, it should be left to harden as long as the room can be spared, and then coated with a hard door varnish. ••

lien the floor is in use again, a weekly polishing with a good wax polish is ■ the best way to keen a good L resh isU'idaco on all stains and varnish, es. FROM THE VEILED EAST. PERSIAN WOMAN EMERGES. Mine. Zohi'a Hoidarv, flip first Persian woman who had the lemoritv to discard the veil and reveal her beautiful face, recently came to Fnednncl. She usually wears smart European ■•lothos, lint when alone she loves to change into Persian costume, She- travels all over the world., by

Mints from Moms and Mlroad.

Almcnd Biscuits

permission of the Persian Government, tb encourage Persian handicrafts. As she expressed it: “1 want to take back ideas so that illy people will not make things beautifully useless but usefully beautiful,”

bhe said that in Persia women are discarding the veil and going about the streets with their husbands—but this is very recent. She also wants Persian women to become educated, but is afraid they will change too much.

“\Ve still have our peaceful life,” she added, “our gardens, our nightingales, 'our wonder til roses ; but there is a restlessness in the an-. '

“But we have learned a philosophy which you women of the West either never knew or have forgotten. It is that a woman who wants to rule and influence will always do so, whether she is in a harem or 011 a platform." FASHION—A CHAMELEON. Four, years ago an elegant woman was a woman whose waist wa s below her hips and whose skirts were almost, above her knees. To-day ive turn round in the street to stare with astonishment at anyone who still persists in so extraordinary a fashion.

In 1912 women wore hats as big as cartwheels; to-day their hats are .so small that we hardly know whether they are wearing hats or not. In 1869 a thousand yards of nius.in could he absorbed in the flounces cf one evening dress; in 1928 half a yard of materia) was apparently sufficient. In 1860 —hut why multiply instances? The vagaries of lashion are so well known that they are taken for granted, and we are apt to forget that this continual change in the accepted standard of feminine attire is one of tinoddest facts of human life. MARRIAGE AND HUMOUR

In marriage, one peculiar, incurable habit can prove so much more irksome than a theory one does not happen to share—since the habit probably rec-ut: a score of times in the day.

j Perhaps the most important trait to possess is that much-maligned thing —» ! sense of humour; but beware, the man or woman who possesses one, of marry ing a man or woman who does not.

That would indeed spell tragedy 0) tlie most poignant kind.

Better to live alone on a desert island, than with a partner who “fails to see the point.”

TITUS CURLS.

REVIVED STYLES FOR HAIR

Long hair or short for women ? which do men prefer? says an exchange.

1 One or the most popular'of the new styles, judging by what is to be seen at the Hairdressing Fair, opened at Olympia recently by Miss Gladys Cooper, is a. style in tight short curls. Tt is Boman in origin, and was inspired by a bust of the Emperor Titus, which is in the Louvre, Paris. An elaborately-staged fantasy ol fashion is being presented daily at the Fair. Tt shows the goddess Mermen — fair, and with tresses reaching to her waist—and the short-haired Hvdrea, Goddess of Freedom, appealing to Apollo for his verdict To nssits him in his judgment 50 girls, blondes and brunettes, shew hair-

dressing fashions of the last 5000 vea'-s. Among them there are; The F<ry”tinn bob, the firot known style cf hairdressing. Fantastic head-dresses of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Short curly heads of to-day Mercea expresses the modern trend when she yields to her rival and cuts her golden tresses. The model who takes the part of Mermca wears a wig, for although a wide search was made, no girl could be found with waist-length golden hair.

HAVE YOU TRIED THESE?

A Gocd Christmas Pudding,

lib each of raisins and currants, -J cup brown sugar, fib butter, 4 cups breadcrumbs, peel, 1 dessertspoon golden syrup, 1 teaspoon each of spice and nutmegs, 6 cogs, 1 wine glass brandy and J glass dark sherry. Beat butter and sugar to cream, add each item and mix well Then add yolks and whites of eggs (beaten separately). Moisten w'th wine and brandv. Boil 8 ho,ill's. Can be kept for months, and only requires to bo boiled for 2 or 3 hours when needed. Ginger Snaps i 1 b flour, 2Joz butter, Jib granulated sugar, soz ,syrup, 1 teaspoonful of ginger. Eub the buttei in the flour, warm the syrup, mix to a paste, roll out Jin. thick. Bake Id minutes in a moderate oven on top shelf.

Jib flour, Jib sugar, 6oz butter. Cream butter and sugar. then add whites of 2 eggs not beaten. Add -flour and Jib blanched almonds cut into slices. Mix well and drop on to tin. Bake in a moderate oven

Sardine Savoury. Take a small tin of sardines; have some pieces of pastry ready and roll nut vc’.v thin. Cut in pieces large enough to wrap around the sardines. 801 l up each sardine in a piece of pastry. wet the edges and i'’iu pi-'o'v. Brush with egg, roll in crumbs and fry in boiling fat. Sprinkle with a little grated thee re