WOMAN’S WORLD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5480, 27 September 1929, Page 1

WOMAN’S WORLD.

By ANTOINETTE for the “ Hauraki Plains Gazette.” SOCIAL NOTES. On Wednesday evening of last week there was a large gathering at a social in the Hikutaia Hall given by Mrs S. Bax in honour of the marriage of her daughter, Gladys Eva, to Mi’ Edward Malcolm Morrison. The hall was beautifully decorated for the occasion, and musical selections were given throughout the function. Mr Lawrence Bax acted as M.C. USEFUL LITTLE PRESENTS. HOW TO MAKE THEM. A Coster Pin Cushion. You will need the lid of a round cardboard box about 23 inches across ; a piece of silk material for the skirt 24 by 5 inches ; cotton wool or rags for stuffing ; a circle of white silk two inches across for the head, and for the body 2 by 3 inches ; two 4-inch lengths of millinery wire for arms ; a 4-inch square of material for a shawl; black wool for the hair and coloured wools for flowers ; odd scraps for apron and bodice; and a round powder box for the foundation of the skirt. A circle of woven material (the top of a fleshcoloured silk stocking does very well) about 6 inches across makes the head. Run a gathering thread round it, fill with cotton wool, and pull up tightly, pressing the ball into an oval shape. Embroider big eyes in black wool, pouting lips in bright scarlet, and wee red dots for the nose. Then cover the head with black wool, making big coils over each ear. Sew up the body-piece and stuff it and join to the head. Fold each wire in half, cover with pale pink silk (ribbon), leaving small loops for the hands. Cover the arms with gathered sleeves of white silk and sew an arm to each side of the body. Bind a piece of coloured material to the body for a bodice and sew on the shawl. Stuff the powder box with cotton wool, heaping it high in the centre. Join the short sides of the skirt material and run a gathering thread round the top edge. Pull up as tightly as possible. Then gather the other edge in the same way and slip the material over the box. Pull up the lower gathering very tightly, so that the skirt grips the box firmly. Stitch the body to the skirt and make a tiny apron of muslin. To make the flower-basket, which will hold the pins : Cut a piece of rush from an old shopping basket or a straw hat that measures 6x4 inches. Join the short sides together and bind the others and press a circle of cardboard into the bottom of the basket. Fill it with cotton wool. Cover the top of the wool with green material •io make a foundation for the flowers. Any number of bright-coloured wools are used for the flowers, which are , made by working double crochet into a ring. Sew one side of the basket to left side and arrange the left arm accordingly. A posy of the wool flowers may be sewn in the right hand. A Crash Knitting Bag. Cut out a piece of crash 22% by 13 inches and fold it in half. Then begin to embroider in wool, the lowest round. An effective design is slanting oblongs in two shades of green with a dividing line of scarlet stem stitching. The first row begins with half an oblong, which is at the corner. Allow I an inch for turnings at the right-hand side of the material, then work the half oblong in green wool satin stitch. The lowest stitch is one inch long, and each stitch decreases in length until the top one measures only g of an inch. Work the next oblong Is inches to the left of the half oblong already worked. The middle row begins with a whole oblong, which overlaps the lowest row by § of an inch. The top row is exactly the same as the lowest. There are four whole oblongs and half in each row. Then sew up the side and place a stay busk inside each of the I -inch top hems. Then stitch them down with a border design of horizontal satin stitches in dark green and vertical stitches oni each side of the green ones in scarlet and a line of stem stitching in the pale green on each side. Then fasten a strip of crash on each side of the bag for handles. Then the bag should be lined with some pretty bright material. JARS OF FRAGRANCE. One wonders why the old-fashioned art of making pot-pourri has not been more favoured by recent generations of home-makers. An important point to remember about the preparation of pot-pourri is that the mixture should be kept in proper double-lidded rose jars—glass, china, or earthenware. Glass jars are especially fascinating, for through the crystal sides one sees glimpses of faded rosebuds, dried violets, and lavender. Gather full-blown flowers early in the morning while the dew is still on them and spread on a sheet of paper in a window until the dew has evaporated. All kinds of flower petals may be utilised, but rose pot-pourri is the simplest to make. Make a mixture of loz of powdered orris root and ioz each of cloves, powdered cinnamon, powdered mace, and all-spice. This quantity should be added to every 2oz of rose petals. Mix the spices and the petals well together, put into a jar, and stir the mixture every day for a month. You will then have the fragrant finished product of garden and sunshine.