HOUSEWIFE’S NOTEBOOK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 May 1939, Page 8

HOUSEWIFE’S NOTEBOOK

SOME USEFUL HINTS. Ebony needs careful treatment to avoid scratches. To clean it, wash with soda and hot water; polish with turpentine on chamois leather. To remove mildew stains, rub with powdered chalk and wash with water, cold at first then warm, then hot or boiling, if the material will permit. If the hook of a steel crochet-hook is damaged, do not discard it. The hook can easily be filed off, and the needle then makes a very useful adjunct to the work basket. A broken peg, painted, makes a useful article in the kitchen, as it may be used as a lever. for opening lids, etc, and also makes a good stop for a rattling window. A point often overlooked is to make the buttonholes of children’s clothing perpendicular. An “up-and -down” buttonhole will take the weight better than the horizontal one. Drawing pins are very useful to hold the edges of knitted garments in place when pressing them, owing to the difficulty in holding the curled edges in position under the damp cloth.