BUTTON-MOULD TRIMMINGS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 807, 30 October 1929, Page 14

BUTTON-MOULD TRIMMINGS

! Plain wooden button-moulds form i the basis of many attractive needlework decorations for household furnishings. The mould are obtainable in all sizes and are very cheap, so that quite ambitious schemes may be carried out at very small cost. There are two ways of using the moulds: they may be painted in various vivid colours and kept in position on the background with four' stitches of raffia taken through the central hole and radiating crosswise on to the material or they may be covered with wool or raffia before being sewn in place. The first sketch shows a simple yet effective method of ornamenting case- | ment curtains of beige linen with a I conventional border design of feuttonI mould “flowers.” Moulds about one j and a-half inches across will give the best effect, and they should be painted ' in three or four good bright colours. ; When quite dry, they are arranged | on the curtains and kept" in position with four stitches of contrasting | coloured raffia. A stem of bright green, raffia, couched down with.

yellow, descends from the base of each “flower” to the edge of the coloured braid which binds the curtain and a few straight leaves and odd stems arc sewn between the stalks. The other sketch shows a buttonmould trimming on a table runner of brown Russian crash. The moulds, tinted in tones of orange, copper, and mustard yellow, are stitched down •“J with thick brown wefol, and the 1 "leaves” between their stems are ■ worked in olive green rug-wool. : The small .top drawing shows an ■ j uncommon hand-bag made of deep blue linen: the wooded frame-handle :! is painted petunia-purple, and the - i front is trimmed with small moulds l i each one completely covered with raffia in purple, lilac, deep rose, or - 4>etunia. The leaves that connect the ■ circles are worked in jade green raffia, l and the bag itself is lined with jade . linen. 1 Cushions, portieres, screens, even i dresses and jumpers can be trimmed ~ with button-mould blossoms, and t quite elaborate results may be i obtained with very little trouble.