The herald., 1895-12-24
DAINTY XMAS GIFTS

A case for embroidery silks is a very
nice gift for the young woman who does
this work. Take a piece of canvas, the
very stiff kind, longer than wide, and cover
with linen, figured or plain silk. Take
several sheets of writing paper, the plain
whito with smooth surface is the best, and
taking the fold between the two pages for
the center, double the outside edge to one
third the width. then fold again, making
the two folds come to the middle of the
the sheet. Do the other side of tho sheet
the same way, and the several sheets.
Then, placing them together, fasten in the
cover you have already made by piercing
two holes and running ribbon through,
tying in a bow on the back. A piece of the
same narrow ribbon should be fastened to
the edges to hold the case together when
filled with silks. You will see the reason
for folding the pages twice when you go to
put the skens of silk in,
If you want to give girl friend useful
gift send her glove mender. Buy a ring
which may be of rubber, wood, silver or
an ordinary bone ring will answer-sew
pieces of narrow ribbon at different parts
of this ring, letting them hang down q
short distance from the ring. To the first
one attach pair of little scissors; to the
next a heart-shaped needle book; on the
third, a silver lingerie put in the finger
of the glove while mending, and can be
bought at a jewelry store-and the last rib
bon braided strand of different colored
cottons. Right here let me give you a
but cotton always. Silk cuts the kid and
your glove does not stay mended much
longer than you are doing the work.
A Christmas ball is unique trifle to
give either man or q woman. The Begin
ming, or heart, of the ball should be some
little gift. You can make it as expensive
or as inexpensive as you like. A silver
thmble is nice if the ball is to go to q girl.
Beginning on this. wind round and round
it silks for glove mending, embroidery silk
OF different colors, dental floss, or twine.
When winding put in a quotation from
some favorite author that may come to
light as the unwinding goes on from to dav,
and give pleasure long after Christmas day
has passed into the shadows of memory,
while the heart of the ball adds the final
bit of pleasure when the last thread is un-
wound. The ball can be made any size to
please the fancy, and pair of scissors at
tached to the end adds to its usefulness.
Pillows and cushions are always accept
able. A pillow in the form of football
ilihuo VI a. Doy . COiSS0 COlOIS Will please
him. Another design is to sew two hand
kerchiefs together to within about three
inches from each corner; having put the
cushion in, tie the corners securely, leaving
the edges go loose. Again, make two small,
fat cushions and taking twohandkerchiefs,
fasten the cushions together by tying the
corners of one handkerchief to the corners
of the other in knots.
Any little woman's deft fingers can make
each one of thes articles. The materials
then being the only purchasabe portion,
the gift will not only have the charm il in
dyidual taste and work, but of having cost
the giver only very moderate sum. Linen
will play an important part in the manu-
facture of Christmas presents this year, for
anything that is linen goes. One of the
prettiest effects l have seen recently is a
small bag OF finest, sheerest material, in
about three or four inches, and
shaped, flaps and all, precisely like tiny
1t is exGuisitely stitched all
around, embroidered on the face with the
owner-to-be's Initials and long loop of
baby ribbon attached to the point of the