Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-12-01
THE MENDING-BAsKET.


She's d charming little witch,
And she docs fancy sutcn ,,.
On a crazy patchwork cushion that Is the
envy OF her mother:
But II would make you smile
To behold the wondrois style
In which she stitched a patch upon the
Chicago News
II must be admitted that the poor
mending basket liz the special dread o:
many a house Keeper. and yet there arr
many women who thoroughly ertoy ina
peculiarly congruous coinpiuatoh,
rainy day and the mendins-basket Wn:
| the two should go together as they DO y
easily understood. When the mcnding u
once attacked, every one Is glad TO pm,
II through The rainy or SNOWY Gay !.
neither can madam go abroad with COM
| fort. so II becomes Just the time lot r.
pairing.
Do many of the young people OF the
| mendiug of stockings aud inserting OF a
patch used to he with the women OF the
household I'm the days that are past
We remember hearing an enthusiastic
cousin cxciaim-and this was years ago:
"Oh. mother. You never I'm your HE saw
anything like old Aunt e. darnins
Why. Grandma LIS isn't Ia be- montione.
beside H. for all we always Thought
erandma's darning was such a wonder
But Aunt C.'s was like embroidery
II was tact that the old auntie's Won
derful darning was like the very weaNi,t,
of the stocking. 40 almost impcrceptib'e
was the repairing, when IL was Zone
but the secret of all that Skin was IN
fact that mere children were once ;aiigai
the secrets of perfect recdleWork- as
witness the astonishing samplers now
preserved as heirlooms In many iami-
lies. Would We have the sampler BACK
or the afternoon stint? On. no.
was often too great restraint 10 I'M
pose upon little. active. play-loving cut
dren. But we have seen the children ol
a household taught TO sew in way I"
make the lessons attractive and pleasant
and every girl should surely know how
to repair her clothing and keep j i'll pre-
seutabie order as she grows old enough
families. where there are mother ana
daughters or CONS, who can anord I"
discard stockings. socks, and other ar
ticles of wearing apparel as soon as tney
begin TO show signs OF wear. The wcas-
ing. in-and-out stitch that constitutes
darning Is very easily and neatly done.
with a little care and caution as 10 even
ness and the precision with which one
stitch must go over and the other under,
when i, comes To crossing the first line oi
stitches. There are one or TWO thinS'
suggested by. experience that 1t may De
well to set down here. Men and boys
usually have underwear that u pays To
repair. and we have no doubt that many
a little witch" if set TO putting
would do il in way 10 make you
smile this. too. where fancy work -
done to perfection. But where patch Is
to be put in underwear either tights or
vests. it is an excellent way to take the
best and least-worn portion OF an OF"
undervcst. and neatly insert ~ Place
the piece that is To be inserted directly
over the worn part and run It on Thei,
cut out the Worn part. leaving a raw
narrow edge of perhaps an inch on Dotn
sides. Next "catsfoot these raw cages:
the one inside. the other outside. ana
You have no hard seam. no unsiShtiy
darn. but only rather artisticaliy M
serted piece of perfectly whole material.
stitched to the garment. Just as IN u
fancy crazy quilt. the little pieces are
catsfooted together. ,.r
Then. again. 1t sometimes becomes dii-
fcult to know how best and most neatly
to fasten The edges OF embroidery or 10
cut the embroidery straight up at Tue
end of "A collar and buttonhole II along
the edge. This makes firm and perfect,
iy neat edge. When nightdresses must
have new Hamburg put on. it often is
,hard to run the edges out of sight. as
has been done with the original trim
ming. but any embroidered edge can be
nicely finished in the way just described
II a single little rent appears In a line.
expensive handkerchief. do not attempt
to darn it: this makes the mending 100
apparent. Simply draw the edges toEeth-
er, pairing them little. il fraycd: then
catch them together firmly over and
over" A handkerchief will not last long
after il begins to go. but Il little. rent
repaired in the way described would SIM
ply pass as a crease in the ironing. and
the delicate bit of cambria muslin would
stand few more wsshings. 1t is. of
course the washing that wears out hne
handkerchiefs-the reason why many Ia
dies prefer to iaunder them themselves.
Where piece of nice lace is to be re-
paired. the torn edges can be nearly dis
guiscd by running a thread across from
oen figure to another. then buttonholing
1t with precision; SO putting in. here and
there. a neat strong line. scarcely as
tingushable from the threads of lace:
Lace also, can be very skillfnlly Joined
at the edges. where used for sleeves. by
tapping the edges and daruing across and
across. occasionally making a buttonhoie
stitch by way of making it firm.
Take time to show the young maidens
these things. slipshod. untidy ward
robe is a disgrace to anyone calling her.
self lady. and the man who must run
to the tailor or hire a member to keep
his clothes in repair must feel that
very important part of his wife's home
instruction is sadly wanting. The mend
ing that is such a bugbear in many we'll
ordered homes is. after ALL an easily ac-
complished duty. ii only ''thc way to do
It" is rightly Observation-Disclosures
Work.