The morning times., 1896-05-10
SUMMER CRADLES.
Piazza Girl Has Bright Cord for Her
Snug Hammock.

The hammock girl of 1896 has taken the
delightfully."- practical form OF a pretty
Industrious young woman. With cord and
needle, She makes her own hammock swings
1T and lies in il. Perhaps, she invites you
to occupy 1t also.
Ii you would like to become q hammock
girl yourself, and are willing TO win your
spurs yourself, get some cortland tie.
Select quantity OF heavy cotton cord
from a shop that gives you a great assort-
ment. Take alook at the hammocks on your
way to the cord shop, and you will have an
idea of the size cord you want. IL it is as
big as your thickest hairpin, it will be the
kind you want.
Select it in three or four colors and be
sure that you can replace your ball when it
is used up. This is an occupation for your
gray green days of spring, and 1t takes a lot
of material. Knitting up the raveIled sleeve
OF time isn't comparison to the endless
ness OF the task you have before you
unless you are industrious and like pretty
work.
STRETCHING THE HAMMOCK.
Find a space in your boudoir, or upon your
piazza, wherever you are going to work. 1t
must be spot six feet long and three feet
wide. An unused doorway is just the thing
II you have one, and you can tie, sitting
upon q step-ladder, like the tapestry artists
or the fresco girls.
Fasten small pegs round he entire bound
ary OF your hammock space They must
be strong and tall enough TO hold the cord
when IL gets unruly, as cord viii. Start the
hammock by running a cord around the out
side OF the pegs. Now run a cord dia gonalIy
from corner to corner. Next tie a one peg
and carry the cord to the other end in q
straight line. Tie at the next peg and
repeat. Keep on until the whole space
lies full OF cords that make squares as
they cross each other. When your whole
inside space is covered and made into
squares, then comes your nice work.
Get from some where a large open-eyed
needle. Thread with pretty Colored cord
dIrTerent from the two colors with which
you have stretched the hammock, and tie
ut the crossings nf the cords. Make the knot
a firm one and cut off the ends, lea wing little
tufts sticking up. These ma ke the hammock
pretticr because of the bright colOrs.
1t will take you three afternoons to tie,
II you work easily, and more If you like to
take your time at the hammock business.
When 1t is done, run a whip OF supple, strong
wood into each end OF the hammock a nd tie
it fast in many places. Your summer lOung-
ing-piace is now ready for its strings.
The strings consist ofsnine stout pieces
of white cord tied to each end OF the
hammock. These cords are brought TO-
gether, knotted in a big hook, and the
hammock is ready for stringing 10 tree
or piazza hook. That is a pretty way to
do it. But there are others.
AN OPEN MESH.
One very picturesque young woman, whose
ideal is a Towering branch and a ham
mock of her own, makes mesh OF the
cord. This is the way she does il: When
Sue has stretched the cord evenly from
40 lid
10 side In basket fashion, braiding the
cords up and down as they pass over each
other. The pegs are placed very near to
gether, and the cords make little squares,
not over an inch large, even smaller. IhS
gives delightfully."- easy, meshy hammock
The heavy cord running around the ham
mock is either many cords over and over
each other, ny is a very heavy weave Of
cotton twine as large as half one OF
your little fingers.
The old quitting frame is u royal thing
for a hammock. which can be made
into n bee" like the quilting bee. The
entire hammock is made in day. Very
economical young women gather together
all their cord and make IL into q heavy
rope by twisting 1T, and many are rip
ping out their old macrame work, now
faded and out of style. to get the strong,
heavy stuff they want.
The spreading of hammock is thing
that needs little study a tiny steel rod
can be used. instead of the wooden stick.
1t has the advantage of being invisible.
and it will not bend as easily as the wood
One OF these is placed at both head and
foot and a cushion is fitted to the head
and tied. This gives the comfortable grand
fathers hammock that is liked by every
member of the family. Girls arc fond OF
piiing the hammock with fancy cushions,
and giving it an air of gay ease not seen
with the stiffened-out pnlowcd hammock,
though the latter is more comfortable.
The hammock valance is heavy. knot
ted fringe sc we'd upon the edge OF a ham,
mock 1t can he as deep as one wants to
buy. 1t adds prettiness to the hammock.
and is easy to put on. Those who want
to make every portion of the hammock can
knot the fringe and tie it along each edge
of their improvised summer luxury.
The canvas hammock is the easiest to
make. Get for it two yards of canvas
forty inches wide. Sew q deep hem in
both ends OF the canvas and punch holes
along the hem. Buttonhoic the holes. and
through these run the cords for GaStcn'nS.
up the hammock. The magic nine holes
will be enough. Fasten the cords 10 an
iron hook and hang the canvas hammock.
Run curved piece Of wood whip from
the forest will do. through the hem head
ana IOOt. anu supply "a great man pihDNs-
The canvas hammock is great favorite
with owners OF summer cutJages. II makes
an extra bed. Swung upon the piazza. IN
the broad hallway. in the guest room, it
accommodates another summer visitor. 1t
is warmer than the cord hammock, aud
when fitted with comfurtables and pill
lows is better liked as a summer sleeping
place than cot or the dreaded three-in-
a-bed OF summer memory.
There is a style OF hammock called the
ssroyally socable." 1t is four feet wide,
seven feet long and is like Daisy Bells
bicycle. built for two" The knotting OF
the royally sociabie is the same. The hang
ing is different. The cords that are knotted
in the ends are divided into two groups,
each group being tied separately upon the
hook. This gives a broader swing TO the
hammock and allows it to lie flatter.
The sticks in the ends are double ones and
the cushions are broader. 1t is all lts
name claims for 1t. aud with broad piazza
or an ideal spreading tree IL easily De-
comes the family favorite.
In making a hammock Tor yourSeli you
can select your own colOrs. house oil req
and brown. brick and stone, can be ma tened
in the hammock. The tints of parlor cur
tains, the hucs of the piazza chairs can all
he reproduced. If double cords are USED
throughout to give strength. the under set
of cords can be of one shade and the upper
of another to give the colors wanted. Many
variations of knot and style can also be
suopested by an ingenious mind.