HINTS ON MENDING MEN'S CLOTHES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 222, 12 September 1908, Page 4

HINTS ON MENDING MEN'S CLOTHES.

'Che mending of masculine - garments always makes considerable demands on the skill of the needlewoman, rents ill tailored goods being particularly dillieult to repair, whilst even buttons require different attention to is usually given to feminine garments. A tailor always gives a button a " stem" when sewing it to a coat, so that, the button-hole, may slip easily over it. A good plan in order to raise the button sulliciclitly so as to leave 1-00111 for the false shank is that of cutting a ring of cardboard a little larger than the button, removing the centre.. This liiav be slipped between it and the material, the needle being passed, through the hole in the centre, while the thickness of the cardboard prevents the thread from being drawn too taut. When finished, the ring should be broken away, and the shank of cotton strengthened by several winds of cotton, and buttonholed once or twice.

In the case of a severe "dog-ear" cutin a tweed garment, the best method by which to darn it is that of unravelling a little of the material at a seam—undoing a piece of the coat lining will usually reveal a spare piece of stuff—and using it with which to draw the severed edges together. Horsehair can often be employed with sin-cess in repairing rough country suits, if ii,i unravelliiigs can be procured, the horsehair being threaded through a needle in the ordinary way and worked in and out of the material. To remove stains on light-coloured tweeds, fuller's earth made into u paste with a little boiling water and applied hot is extremely useful, the stam being held to the lire until dry, when the powder call be finished away. If the lust, application is not entirely successful, it should be repeated once again. Oil, fruit, or paint stains can be successfully removed by means of a homemade mixture composed of a teaspoonlul each of oil of lemon, peppermint, cloves, and cinnamon, with a wineglassful ot rectified spirits or .turpentine. This should be rubbed over the surface of the, fabric with a piece of silk, handkerchief answering the purpose excellently.