South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-09

This Pretty Gift May be
Made if Pocketbook is
Very Slender.

The boudOir wastebasket is a gift
that will be most acceptable TO the
dainty girl and also a gift the like of
which she Will not receive a half dOZ-
en- upon Christmas morning. 1t can
be made, too. at comparatively little
expense, particularly if materials are
used from the home store Of scraps.
The first requisite is OF course, the
foundation or the basket" This
basket may be made from heavy
cardboard, from wood Cif there is a
little lad or a big lad at home who
has the carpentering "bee'D, or the
basket may be of straw or wicker. OF
course, q new basket is always prefer
able but if the pOcketbOok is particu
larly slender, an old basket may be SO
completely disguised by its new cover
ing that il will never be detected.
\ square basket is best for the pur-
pose, but a round basket may be util-
lied if there is no square one avail
able The boudOir basket is usually
covered with fabric. This particular
one is TO be covered with both silk
and lace. The better the lace and silk
the handsomer, of course, the basket.
If the foundation is to be made Of
heavy cardboard the shape of the
basket and the size must be decided
upon. Then proceed to cut a pattern
this pattern upon the cardboard and
cut from it four sides. a bottom for
the basket is cut from the same card
board. after first having cut a bottom
from paper to get the exact size.
The bottom and four sides are then
bound together with strips of adhe-
sive fabric or paper tape, or laced to-
gether with tapes that must have
carefully flattened knots and ends. If
there is any difficulty in preventing
the basket from cOllapsing, place sew
eral layers of the cardboard (cut them
of a size to fit inside the bottom Of the
basket in the bottom Of the basket
SO that they will hold the sides out A
quarter or half an inch of cardboard
formed by several thicknesses of
thin cardboard used for the basket,
will serve 10 hold the sides Of basket
in place. The same paper pattern
that was used for the sides is then
used for the cutting of the silk and
lace. Four sides of silk are cut and
four sides of the lace. These are then
basted in twOs, a piece of silk being
basted to a piece of lace. The basket,
you See is really to be of lace stretch
( ed over a color. Each silk-lined piece
of lace is then basted or pasted with
| fabric paste to the side Of the basket.
A ribbon binding, the color Of the silk
| lining, is then used TO cover the raw
edges of the seams and TO make the
! basket still more ornamental On the
| front of the basket is placed a large
satin bow, Ourspread and tackled, to
match the color of the silk under the
| lace. ribbon binding is also placed
about the top of the basket. 1t is
hardly practical to line the inside of
the basket, as the lining would be-
come too easily sOiled, which would
mean constant ripping and launder-
ing.
Silk that is faded or which has been
used in an old frock can easily be
used to go under the lace of the bas-
All-over lace is used. This may be
new or old, expensive or inexpensive.
! The discarded Nottingham lace cur
| tain. which drapery is mercifully dis
Ieppearing from the windows Of our
houses may here find a use, if no
| handsOmer or prettier lace is avail
able. Either white, cream or ecru
lace may be used for the basket. Ecru
and cream will soil less easily and are
really more artistic. White lace may
| be dipped in tea for the purpose.
The color scheme of the bOudOir
for which the basket is intended
should be observed, and the silk un-
/ der the lace of the basket be of the
same shade.
If fabric paste is used, it should be
used only on the edges, so that there
Will be no danger of its dostorting the
visible silk. If the basket be of wick
er the fabric can be basted to its
sides. but if the basket be of heavy
| cardboard or wood, the paste may
! have TO be used. An excellent fabric
paste is made as follows:
one cup whole wheat flour.
! One cup cold water.
| Add two cups of boiling water.
Boil five minutes
! one teaspoon of powdered alum
\ dissolved in water
Place in covered jar
| Strain through cheesecloth.
This paste will keep fresh 10 DAYS.
Apply very lightly, not to the fab
rio but to the article which the fabric
/ is TO cover.