The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-12-29
USEFUL GIFTS.
Christmas Work for Nimble Fingers

Christmas Work for Nimble Fingers.
Many pretty gifts can be made of
colored cardboard, with strips of gilt
edging and embossed pictures, which
come in sheets all cut out, and in many
cases gummed on the back. The first two
of these two articles can be bought at
any first-class paper store, and the last at
a statloner's or a bookstore.
To make frame for small picture,
water-colored chrome, or
first prepare the picture
thus: Cut piece of common paste
board-part of an old box will do-ex-
actly the size of the picture, and sew a
loop of braid or cord on the back to hang
it by. If glass is desired, procure also a
clear piece of glass of the same size. Now
lay the back, loop down, on the table.
On this lay the picture, face up, and
finish with the glass, and bind the three
together with paper gummed over the
edge, or with narrow ribbon or strip of
cloth. Next take a delicate drab or
light gray cardboard four strips, one inch
and quarter wide, and long enough to
cross each other at the corners of the
picture and leave their ends projecting
twoinches. Lay these ON the picture, so as
to get them exactly the size and exactly
square. At the point where they cross
each other fasten them with two or three
stitches. Cover the crossing with an en-
bossed picture-a flower is prettiest-
and gum the frame to the binding of the
picture. These colored embossed pictures
perhaps you call them Decalcomanie
nIn oh
Little vases to stand on a shelf and
hold matches, or, filled with dry sand, to
hold a few delicate grasses, autumn
leaves (mounted on broom splints), or
ferns, are easily made. Take for the
base a large button-mold or piece of stiff
cardboard, cut round or oval, cut strip
of colored cardboard long enough to 90
around the standard and lap over a half
inch, as high as you wish it. Gum it in
the Shape of cylinder over broom
handle, or anything the right size, and
hold it firm till dry by winding soft cot
ton thread or yarn around it very closely.
When dry, gum it to the standard by
means of three or four strips of paper,
bent in the middle and fastened half to
the inside of the cylinder and half to
the standard with glue or gum. Then
ornament with narrow gilt edging at top
and bottom and gum bright picture on
the front. Black cardboard with a scar
let picture is the prettiest
For nice boxes to hang on Christmas
tree and hold candies, nuts, or anything
else, make delicate colored cardboard
box, or take an old collar box which is
made to your hand, and cover it with
light colored paper Make handle of q
narrow strip of cardboard, covered with
the same paper and sewed to the bottom
of the box inside Ornament with gilt
edging on each edge of the box and each
edge of the handle, with one of the EN-
bossed pictures on each side. Or, tC
vary it, glue a strip of bright silk OF
ribbon to the upper edge of the box in
side, and draw it up with ribbon to make
sort of bag. Or, still another, gum a
strip of tissue paper, with edge cut into
points or pinked, or fringed like motto
papers, around, and fold it down over
the contents of the box. These are very
pretty on tree.
Sachet-bags are made of two pieces of
silver perforated cardboard, embroidered
with some simple pattern. A Greek
border, or two rows of cross-stitch, miss
ing each alternate hole, thus making a
checker-work border, are the prettiest.
Each piece must be lined with silk and
bound with narrow ribbon, the same
shade as the embroidery, piece of cot
ton, with satchet powder laid between,
and then sewed together, overland,
around the edge.
Hair-receivers of the same material,
to hang over a dressing table, are very
convenient. For this you will need strip
OF colored silk, (say scarlet) one-eighth
of yard wide and fifteen inches long, a
skein of filling silk, and yard and a
quarter of narrow ribbon, all the same
shade. Take a strip of the perforated
cardboard four and a half inches long
with the upper part cut to point. This
is for the back Another piece, seven
inches long and two and a half wide, is
for the front. Around each work a
border, as for the sachet-bag, stifening
by lining with a piece of common white
cardboard, exactly the same size, and
bind the edges of each piece and its
lining together with ribbon. Now gather
the silk full on to one long side of the
seven-inch piece, leaving it, however,
projecting two inches at each end. Now
sew each side of the front piece to the
side of the back piece, at the lower part
of the latter. The back piece being but
four and half inches wide and the front
seven inches, it will set out round and
form pocket, of which the top is silver
cardboard and the bottom a full bag.
Sew together the two loose ends of the
silk, to form the back part of the bag,
and gather the bottom into knot and
finish with a tassel made of the filing
silk. Attach loop and bow of ribbon
to the upper point, and the thing is done,
and the prettiest hair receiver you ever
saw.
A combination pincushion and hand
kerchief box or jewelry box is very pref
ty and easy to make. Take good shaped
cigar box, whose cover has hinge of
cloth. Make for the top a cushion on a
piece of board the size of the cover.
The cover of another box is just the
thing. Make your cushion by cutting
pieces of old flannel, the first six the size
Of the board, the next smaller, and so
On, till you have pile well rounded up
IN all sides. Now cover with any pretty
silk or velvet, and fasten the edges
tightly ON the other side of the board
you can sew them across from side to
;ide). When done, lay it on top of your
box, and fasten it by four small screws,
put on from under the side of the cover.
Around the edge put plated ribbon,
fringe or gilt edging. Line your box,
cover and all, with delicate tinted glazed
paper, and cover the outside with other |
;olored paper, with gilt edging at the
,op and bottom, and an embossed picture
)r flower on each side.
Every one of these things can be easily