Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-09-07
HOME TOPICS.
Notes on Household Decoration.

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A handsome tidy is made of linen seine,
with the ends fringed, or with drawn
work at each end, or it may have this
work and the fringe at the bottom only.
Then with black etching silk work some
pretty figure in the centre. A vine-like
border is great addition.
A lovely cushion for a gift or to adorn
your own parlor is made by embroider-
ing spray of old-fashioned pinks on q
ground of pale blue. Around the edge
of the cushion put full puff of pale
pink satin. Where the puff is Joined to
the blue satin sew n good sized pink silk
cord. The cushion when completed
should be about half yard long, but
not quite so wide.
Delicate lambrequins for your guest
chamber may be made at odd moments OF
the popular and pretty darned net trim
the edges with lace, and line with col
ored silesia which is pretty and in har-
mony with its environment.
A pretty ornament for desk is made
by taking three penholders, with pens on
them, and painting or gliding them then
tie them together with a narrow ribbon,
and arrange them so that they will stand
upright like an easel. To this may be
attached one of the pretty little gilt or
silver buckets which can be bought at
almost any store where fancy goods are
kept if tiny chair is not already fas-
tened to the bucket, it can be tied to the
easel with the ribbon. This is intended
TO hold pens The little easel may be
used as frame for Christmas card.
which can be fastened by means of cord
matching in color the fringed edge of the
card.
Very pretty butterflies are easily made
by the amateur workman. Flexible wire
can be shaped into any form, and that of
butterfly is very easy to begin with.
The space between the outlines can be
filled in with any light material or with
velvet and silk. of design to be elabora-
ted upon it. The horns are made of the
finest steel beads strung upon very fine
wire. Black net buttertliest are simply
cut out on net or gauze. and worked in
bugles and round beads of different sizes,
the raised appearance Of the body being
given by padding Earrings to repre-
sent butterflies have been of cut Jet beads
on wire, and have often been mistaken for
jewelers. work. Fine thread wire or horse
hair serves best for threading beads for
working elaborate designs, as it is SO easy
to join the different parts together in
these materials.
It's becoming the fashion to make su-
perior kinds of scrap-books, known as in
set-books. If they are really well made,
and n settle plan is carried out they may
become very valuable. A book upon
suitable topic is selected and copy pro-
cured with extra large margins. The
work is then carefully studied, and n dill
gent search is made for portraits Of all
the persons and views of all the places
mentioned therein. These pictures must
be carefully mounted on paper-a Bristol
board of the right slze-and in due time
bound into one volume. 1t is easy to see
how such plan can be enlarged, and
yet how simple it is, and how entirely
within the possibility Of every collector.
Sometimes these books are planned upon
very large scale, and takes years of time
to complete, costing large sums in the
search for suitable contributions. A his
tory of an important epoch can be taken.
and photographs or engravings sought
for to illustrate each event, until such O
scrap-book grows into valuable acqu quisi-
ton.
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point of collecting materials for home
work in the shape of cones, nuts, acorns
etc. There is a very successful way of
initiating wood carving, which will be
found useful in making frames, and
which is very easy. A fine foundation is
made, either square or oval as may be
wished, and colored with ordinary stain
ing. Nuts of different kinds are stained
80, f,,1l 4
upon the foundation, glued III position,
and the whole is then vanished over with
Denmar varnish. 1t is great addition
to the appearance of such frame il
leaves moulded. as in leather work, are
placed among the nuts. The best nuts
for frame of this kind are walnuts, Bra
zil nuts and filberts. Cones which can
be picked up now in any quantity are adj
mirably adapted for the decoration of
homemade frames.
Very pretty work for summer is the
embroidery on chamois skin, done in en-
broidery silk or crewel. The skins are
matched and made into petticoats for win
ter wear. 1t is an English fashion that
has been tested by English women who
are noted for pedestrianism and who wear
weather resisting garments rather than
abandon exercise. The chamois skirts
are preferred to flannel, on account of
their light weight and their perfect resist
ance to wind and cold, They should be
made to come below the knee, aud gored
at the waist, buttoning closely about the
form. Where the skins are joined the
edges are to be Tapped and held by her
ring bone or feather stitch in colored
silk. The bottom of the skirt is very
pretty, cut in deep scallops aud finished
i'll buttonhole stitch, with rutlle of lace
beneath the embroidered edge. The
skirts are very durable and can be wash
ed easily in warm water. While drying
they should be gently pulled into shape
and rubbed in the hands to ensure soft
ness.
Seasenabie Recipes.
To expedite the making Of lemon pie
use hot water in place of cold, stir the cut
up lemon, the sugar, and corn-starch or
flour, and eggs together, as if you were
making pudding sauce ; then pour in hot
water; il the pail or basin containing
this is then placed in vessel of boiling
water it will cook in five minutes.
Young carrots are an appetizing addi-
tion to Il dinner Of boiled beef Do not
scrape the tender skin from the carrots,
but wash them in two or three waters,
and after they are cooked rub the skin off
with coarse towel. These, if quite