Fashion and Things Feminine.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 223, 3 November 1916, Page 7 (Supplement)

Fashion and Things Feminine.

A PRETTY APRON FROCK

To wear in change with tli- ordinary tailored coat and skirt suit, dressmakers are now producing very charming little frocks in spring materials that are made with or without boleros. Into some are introduced cross-over effects on the bodices, while the sk : rts illustrate the new style, numerous gathers giving a somewhat fluted effect.

Pannier fashions have come in again, atfer having put in a tentative appearance a year an da half ago, and then vanished from the sartorial scheme. They are now evident in in mbers >f the new one-piece and other frocks, and have a quaintly pretty air when made up in flowered materials. Paniers aro better suited to home fashions th in to those for outdoor wear.

It is obvous that a great deal if white will be worn, .when the season of washing fabrics sets'Tn, foe already preparations have been made on an extended scale for white linen suits and cambric frocks. who. while admiring white-wear, are nevertheless, chary of adopting it for economical

reasons, wiil find compensation in fro<-ks of natural-coloured tussore, some of which are made up with apron effects, The littlo dress illustrated, for instance, might he developed in tussore or any washing material, wit i an apron of its own stuif, aranged in tucks and finished with a hem-Border studded with black or coloured buttons. The deep cuffs of tho dress are also tucked. Tlio skua is a double one, and at tho waist is a ribbon band matching the ribbon that appears at the top of each cuff. Pattern, price Is Id. OVIiRALL SUIT FOR A CHILD. It is a mistake to FFunK that children are indifferent to the clothes they wear. .Many of them aiv. very particular about the manner in which tliiey are dressed, and strangely enough, their taste goes rarely astray, and they can generally tell what is becoming to them or otherwise. Pleated skirts have already spread to children's fashions—but as a matter of fact, thes have always l>eon more or less worn by little girls, one of the most popular modes that has lingered tor years being the pleated skirl, of serge, or other light-weight woollen, attached to a calico under-bodice and worn with a jersey. Little girls have worn this sort of frock year in and year out, and now that plaids are fashionable, the pleated skirt is frequently made m tartan stuff. Pinafore and brace frocks are also much seen in the wardrobes of children, and a particularly original little frocu for a girl of seven is made of lightweight woollen in both plain and checked weaves, and :s inspired by a nursery pinafore of checked gingham. The pinaforb -overdress of (blu<f-and-whito checked mateffaT has shoulder straps and pockets in true apron style, and the foundation is of plain blue woollen, with a turned-down collar ot sheer white linen. One of the simplest styles or little

!h shown in thf overall suit illustrated, wlni.li slioukl interosl mothers mi tho look-out iur easily-made frocks tor juvenile daughters. The pattern is equally suitable for an indoor frock or an outdoor coat, and with a view to coining bright days imgtit adu'sedly !>•• made up 0 linen, tussore, or shantung silk. The paper pattern is in six parts, an I comprises one front of frock, half th,<

By IDA MLLLSLR - * C&pyrighi,

HOME HELPS OX BEAUT* CI Lit UK.

back, one sieve, half the collar, an I hall the split belt. Tlie-e pattern jxcees are indicated on the diagraii, and are supposedly laid on l'l yards ui llMimch material. Hits'latter should bo folded in half where the front an: belt patterns are laid upon it, cacu piece being cut out in duplicate. In • rest of the material must be doubled only m part. On the foldid portion (seo diagram) must be laid the baci of frock, with straight edge to tiic fold, (he collar (straight edge aiso to the fold), and the cuff patterns, the cuff being cut out in duplicate, while the collar and back are each seamless. The fold, therefore, must not be split up. but must remain as it "is until the patterns are cut out. The shwe pattern is laid on single material, and a spate is marked out below it, on diagram, for the seconl sleeve. The frock fasten, in front with bub tons and buttonholes, and when it is stitched together and made up, the belt, pieces must be arranged at waist level and stitched to tlio frock itself. A few little pleats or gathers are made oeneath the belt, and the latter must b • lined and turn.d in to mitre-points at the t ps, ,1 button appearing in each tip. The collar and cuffs shold also be 'in^d.

Simple though it be, this little overall suit is quite smart in appearance, and it would Im worth while copying it in. s-ovcral materials, for, of course, it might bo developed in serge as well ain linen or tussore. The fronts, by the way, should be faced back on the inside with bands of so!f-materlnl to the depc'i of the button-holes.

If the hands are net carofullv watched and cared for in windy -weather, the skin i.s apt to become rougn and chapped, ;md the luT'ls will probably grow brittle. Oatmeal is excellent for softening and whitening the hand-. Mix some finely powdered oatmeal with water and spread it on the skin as a paste. As it drib's, rub oif the flakes, removing the last traces in Ikewarm water. An oatmeal bag may serve the purpose if one does not care to rub the flakes dirjctly on the hands. Pour some of ths raw oatmeal into a silk handkerchief, tie the four ends together at the centre, and rub the bag over the hands when they are washed. The skin should remain soft and whrte if the oatmeal treatment is faithfully followed. When the nails are brittle, they need s littia dab or rold ereitm every night, to soften the flesh at the base of each.

Bo[ore starting tii manicure the nails, the hands should ho soaked in a bowl of warm water mixed with glycerin** and a lew drops of toilet vinegar—tho latter, however, may he dispensed with. Fifteen minutes is not too long for tham to lie in the water, and after drying them and adding a I'ltle cold cream to the nails, any coating of superfluous flesh around the margin of the nails should he pushed hack, so that tin; "half-moons" show to advantage. Afterwards, the hands should he washed again in soft water. A tiny particle )f pink nail paste may, w.th advantage, l« applied to each nail, and the colouring matter should he nibbed with a good polisher until the nails are pink and shine Ike polished glass. To keep them brilliant, it is a good plan to ruii them briskly on the palms of the hands, from time to time.

KKEDLEWUKK NOTES. It' a glove splits at tlio thumb or near a seam, a sure and permanent way o' repairing it is to buttonhole the kid on either side of the split; then sew the button noled edges together. The result will be a new, firm seam that is not likely to give way. When buttonholing, care must ba taß.'n to obtain a good hold o ; the kid. or the stitches will pull out of 'it. Dressmakers tell us that we should always thread silk into a needle by put ting the end of the silk that exists before the silk is unwound from the spool in the eye first. Ir the silk is put in from the end that is broken oft fresh, t untwists more easily than if it is threaded from the other end. This little hint is worth remembering, as i. «s very annoying to work with silk thread th it persists in getting fwTsted or ravelled.