The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-03-25
Make Tasks Pleasant.

Make Tasks Pleasant.
There are SO many steps to be taken
about a house, there is so much to he
done, particularly where there are to he
children, it is not right that the whole
burden should fall upon the mothers
shoulders. Let the children assist in all
things that are not beyond their strength,
and while they are doing so they are
learning to be useful, to be in their turn
good housekeepers, and, above all, they
are making lighter the mothers work,
and she will be less tired and more cheer.
full when evening comes.
A plan, and an excellent one in getting
children to assist willingly, is to make
them like to do it. There is only one
way to do this, and that is by making
1t seem not like work. but like play. 1t
is very much the same method they have
IN the kindergarten, where SO many use
ful and beautiful things are taught BY
means of play. One little girl of 8 years
dusts a room very nicely, but she plays
while doing it. She puts on her mothers
dress, gathers her hair on the top of her
mead, makes a cap of all old piece of
lace and puts on Il long apron. Now
she is a housemaid and comes to her mis-
tress for orders, to be told that the bed
room should be busted. This she does
very nicely and forgets she is working,
One day she was asked to hem a kitch-
EN- towel in order to have her begin to
learn the use of the needle She was
reading when the request was made. and
Gid not care to do it. Not caring to force
her, knowing she would not do it well
ana nothing would be gained, she was
told, Lets suppose you are a dressmak-
er and prepared to do some sewing" I'm
mediately the idea pleased her and she
answered: "Wait till dress up." She
dressed up as lady, tied a pair of scis-
sors about her waist, attached a min.
cushion. to her belt, brought out her lit
tie sewing basket and was ready to be-
GIN. Ut course she was asked questions
about the price and talked to as a Gus
toner would be. It took time and "a
tience, but the object was accomplished
ana ana she was very happy while taking the
little sewing lesson.-Good Housekeeping
Homo Dressmaking.
1t is mOOted question with economi-
cal mothers whether it pays best to have
gowns and frocks made in the house or
whether the expense of having dress
maker by the day does not in the end
amount to more than if the work was
gwen out: This depends entirely, a wom-
an OF experience tells u.s. on whether the
dressma ker finds the work to be done
planned out and everything ready for her
experimental fingers. As rule half her
time is spent in getting ready for her
work. The sewing machine requires to
be cleaned and oiled, gowns that are to
be altered need ripping and basting and
pressing, buttons and hooks and eyes are
missing when most needed and so on.
LII short, it is system that is needed, sys-
tenn and forethought, and with these
handmaidens, it does pay to have clothes
made at home. They are then made
more bccomingly, fit better, and, as ey-
eryone knows, they are more durable.
Preparations should be made, however.
before the dressmaker comes, not after
ward. The dresses to be altered should
be ripped brushed or washed and
pressed. New garments should have
requisite Innings, trimmings and all other
accessories. The sewing room should be
well stocked with needles. pins, tapes,
hooks and eyes, both black and white;
sharp scissors. large and small; machine
needles, etc. Some member of the house
hold should be delegated to the seamstress
as an assistant. There is no need for
skilled labor to sew on hooks and ewes.
make buttonholes or do unimportan
work. If the small details are all at
tended to beforehand the home dress
ma ker is not only an economy but pleas
ure. -"