Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-12-18
The Household.



and garret. under the manipulation of skillfu |
fingers en- be made to take on freshness
which any one not versed in the art of res
tonton would not believe possible.
Bv laying i'm good stock of patience and |
perseverance, and taking for a motto the |
cheering assurance that ''therc is nothing so |
old that it cannot be made to look better, |
wonders may he accomplished by means OF |
careful cleaning, judicious dyeing and per-
sstent steaming.
The first thing to be done to a garment |
that is to be made over is to rip it to pieces,
pick out all the threads, and brush it thor
oughly If you know just how it is to be
made up again, select only the pieces needed,
so rs not to waste any unnecessary labor III
cleaning what will not be used.
If the material is wooden, but little worn,
and not much, if any, soiled, a good brush
ing and pressing are all that will be needed.
Pin the pieces on an ironing table, and brush
thoroughly, first across the goods, then
lcngthwise.
If the gathers and wrinkles to be pressed
out are few and not deeply made, but little
moisture need be used. Wiring a cloth out
of clean water until it is entirely drained,
spread il over the goods, and iron over the
cloth until it is perfectly dry. Wiring out
the cloth again, and 90 over all the goods in
the same way. When one piece must be
moistened and pressed, it is necessary that all
the rest should receive the same treatment.
One reason why made-over garments so
frequently have an unpleasant and botched
look is because too little attention is paid to
such small items. If the work must be done,
it is surely worth while to do it well, so that
one will feel repaid for ones labor in the end,
and view the completed work with satisfac-
ton.
If the stuff is much soiled, thorough
brushing is also the first step in the cleaning
process A few kinds of goods and few
colors will stand washing in warm soap-suds
if followed by careful rinsing in clear wa
ter and still more careful drying.
Much the best plan is to use some kind of
cleaning fluid, for the objections to washing
are many. Some colors fade badly; even
black turns rusty. The stuff must not he
wrung, or even squeezed hard, to take out
the water, as it will be full of wrinkles which
refuse to be pressed out. If the stuff is of
delicate color and is hung up to let the water
drain out, it is apt to have a decidedly streak
cd appearance, which the most careful rims
ing cannot prevent
After brushing, the next thing is to take
out all grease and other spots. Grease spots
may be eradicated from black goods by rub
bling with a sponge dipped in turpentinc,
having first laid the stuff over a wooden cloth
folded three or four times. Grease spots can
he taken from material of any color by COW
ering the place with pipe-clay. Powder the
clay, and moisten it with water to the con-
sstency of thick cream, spread it over the
spot and let it dry. After it has been on sew
eral hours, scmpe it off with the blunt edge
of a knife, and dust off all the fine powder
with a soft brush.
To remove paint spots, apply turpcntine
until the paint is softcned Then sponge re-
peatedly with alcohol. Oil, wax, and resin
GUS substances may also be removed by first
applying turpentine, then alcohol
Spots made by rust and some kinds of ink
may be removed from woolens by applying
citric acid. This acid cannot be used OF
some coors without changing them to very
ugly shade, so it is well to try what eiIec, il
has on the color of the goods to he cleaned
by putting some on waste bit before attack
ing the spot. 1t is always well to be on the
safe side, and to be sure that you will moi
make matters worse while trying to improve
them. In these days of many shades ant
colors it is not safe to say that what will ac
as well as could be desired on one shade will
not behave in exactly an opposite manner oil
different shade of the same color.
After the most conspicuous spots hav,
been removed, the stuff is to be sponged of
with some cleaning fluid. The following
mixture will be found Il very good prepare
ton for spongng all kinds of wooden goods
two ounces of white CASTLE soap, cut il
small bits and dissolved in one quart of warn
water after the soap is entirely dissolved
add four ounces of ammonia, four ounces o
alcohol, two ounces If ether, one ounce o
glycerne, and three quarts of soft water
Mix and bottle. The fluid should be kept il
bottles with glass or rubber shoppers.
Pour quantity of TIE fluid into an earth
ern dish; lay the goods on an ironing tabl
covered with a rubber blanket; apply tn
fluid with a sponge, using enough to wet tn
stuff thoroughly, and drawing the spong
over it always in one direction. AS eac
piece becomes nearly dry, press it with he
iron laying piece of muslin over the goods
If the stuff is light-colored, the cloth must
white, but if black or dark -cOlored, blac
cloth must be used, for the color from blac
muslin is apt to iron off on the goods b.
meath, and if white muslin is used over bac
or dark stuff, it is sure to leave on it a libe
al supply of lint, which is difficult to brus
off
Care must be taken that there are no sean
or creases either in the ironing blanket or
the cloth, or a shiny streak on the goods wi
he the result. The rubber blanket used Ill
der the stuff while sponging it must,
course, be removed before pressing
When black stuff has become rusty, Il
color can be restored by sponglng it wit
strong ammonia water or a mixture of equ
parts of ammonia and alcohol, which is st
better.
Black stuff may be restored to its form
freshness by sponging it with a liquor mat
by boiling large handful of fig leaves in tv
quarts of water until reduced to pint. Til
may be used on cloth, Grape, and bombazin
Grease spots can often be removed fro
silk by rubbing the fabric between the pain
of the hands Turpentine, alcohol or be
zine can be used, and pipc-clay, used as d
scribed above, will remove spots without i
juring the most delicate shades,
Black silk can be made to look almost
good as new by sponging on the right sit
with weak tea or coffee, and pressing on Il
right side, with thick flannel between Il
silk and the iron. When the silk is We
much wrinllled, sponge on the wrong s
with weak gum-arabic water, and win
nearly dry, iron between two wooden cloth
Rusty black lace can be wonderfully fires
ened up by rinsing ii in water to which Ina
been added boraX and alcohol in the propC
ton of one tablespoonful each of boaX al
the lace is partly dry, dip it in water
which an old kid glove has been boile
squeeze gently, pull out the edges, pin
sheets of blotting-papcr, and dry und
heavy books.
The creases can be taken out of velvet al
the pile raised by drawing it across /
iron over which wet cloth has been sprea
If there are pin marks over which the p
refuses to rise, brush it up with a stiff bru
and steam 1t, repeating the operation seve
times Narrow velvet ribbon can be iron
by dampening the back and drawing it acre
the flat face of an iron set upright on "A tab
When the nap is worn Off of cloth it C
sometimes be restored thus soak the GOO
in cold water for an hour, then with a pin
needle gently pick up the nap; after the II
is raised, brush it the right way with a s
brush.-Hdrper'S Bdzdr.
"
Preparing Food.
The students of the Iowa Agricultural c
legc issue monthly, The Students Fa
Journal. From the young ladies' departing
we take the following sensible remarks: ~