The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-03-28
WEEKLY MENpING DAY.
Why Every Housewife Should Have On
Set Apart.

Why Every Housewife Should Have Ono
Set Apart.
Every housewife should set apart one
day in each week for a mending day-its
duties should be as religiously per-
formed as her daily devotions. Which
day it shall be depends upon the usual
time of getting the clothes in from the
wash. If that disagreeable work is done
at home, it should be as early in the
week as practicable; the f1annels should
be washed out and dried quickly, so as to
shrink as little as possible, aud to al
low plenty of time to air them, for moth
ing is more ruinous to the health than
damp flannels.
1t the clothes are all in by Thursday
evening, then Friday would be nice
opportunity to lay out every garment
and put it through a rigorous examin-
alton. 1t is we'll to have special stock
ing basket, in which all the socks and
stocking are placed ready for inspection.
1t should be furnished with suitable
needles, darning cotton of all colors to
suit the fancy hosiery, pair of scissors,
etc., so that it may be picked up at any
OF those odd moments which so often
come to housekeeper when she is not
ready to settle down to work which
needs cutting out or planning. After
the holes are mended, thin places should
be neatly darned, for then they present
strong. even surface which is more
comfortable than the hole when drawn
together later.
The garments which need mending
should be placed in another basket.
Every button should be examined, and
if they are pulling out by the roots, as
children's buttons always do, double
bit of cotton, or material like the gar
ment, can be hemmed on the wrong side,
the edges of the hole hemmed down on
it, and the button replaced, concealing
the hole entirely. 1t looks much better
than setting the button higher or lower
to gain fresh foundation.
Strings have a way of wearing half off
just where they are sewed on. They
should be cut, the old place ripped off
and new sewing taken up, or else new
strings. Little Sits in undepclothing
should have strong piece of material
laid under, much larger than the slit;
when that is darned down with few
neat stitches it will hold much longer
than if it is ''just run up"
Boys clothing should be furnished
with good strong pockets, for the Joy of
little chaps first pantaloons pales be-
fore ''lots of pockets, to hold just every
thing"
Little girls enjoy pockets, too; mod
crate sized one, in the seam of calico
chief, thimble and other necessary
things which would otherwise be left
lying around and lost.
/ find that child's habit of neatness
largely depends upon the condition of
the clothing put upon her from infancy.
If she is accustomed to whole clean
clothes, she will enjoy them, then find
them necessity, and finally learn to
love and keep them so.
The poor little children who dive into
bureau drawers, pulling out buttonless
bodies, torn aprons and ragged dresses,
which they strew about until they find
some wearable garments, are greater to
be pitied; nor are they to be blamed if
they grow up into careless and untidy
men and women. 1t is never wise to
buy just enough material for child's
dress, with nothing left for mending.
The elbows always rub out first, and if
there is enough to make new under
side to the sleeves, it helps the dress to
last much longer.
If there is wide sash like the dress,
it can be utilized later on for new
sleeves, and it will be all washed
alike" for nearly all colored goods will
fade ~ time.-Good Housekeeping.