The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-05-17
THE ECONOMICAL
STITCH IN TINE

To the thrifty housewife no homely
economy which the needle may accom-
piIsh il despised. "a stitch in time
saves nine," Is an appreciated proverb.
and through the aid of the tiny spike
with its kindly, waiting eye, she can
do such wonders with worn household
goods that the change seems enchant-
ment.
This indefatigabIe cobbler in the home
circle realizes that TO be caught nap
ping is to give Time. the enemy Of
things material. all the chance it wants
for the leak of pennies. So that darn
ing and putting on buttons at vacant
places is done systematically; every piece
in the weeks wash being looked over be-
fore the articles are put away In their
respective places
Old sheets which have passed the stage
of usefulness are torn In half. the more
solid outsides Joined together for the
center, and the thin parts, once the
middle. trimmed away and rehemmed for
outsides. This brings seam down the
middle of the sheet, but since the prin-
cess who felt the roseleaf through a
dozen mattresses Is no more. the seam
must be endured.
You can't imagine" says one dear
old home fairy, how much longer this
cobbling makes q sheet last 1t Is al
most like new in variability. and Is
.,..x,,, ,h. d;xa ereeable harshness which
q new sheet has"
This is q double reason for the max
ing over Of sheets that have become
worn in the middle. where is confined
all the wear and tear OF bed linen.
This wise old lady, who is maiden
aunt, by the way. also discourses learn
edly on the subject Of worn towels, old
| blankets, table cloths. etc. II the towels
are thin in the center, the good part
may be cut away and made into wash
cloths, silver polishers or what not; II
At the ends, cut off the split portion
and hem the towels, setting them apart
for occasional use
I'm sickness" she declared, there's
nOInlnR 80 COHlIoEldDlc as bhho eSAN
fresh towels which may be thrown aside
after once using. And besides making
them out of the larger towels, the good
part of the discarded table cloths may
also be used. Indeed. II old table cloth.
are of fne damask their uses in the sici
room are endless, and in the case alons
OF the new baby, whose swaddling thing:
should be Of softest material. bis
hemmed portions are invaluable for frs
diapers and bath and crib sheets.
| When II comes to blankets. the nader
aunt 10 really profound in ways anc
means Of doing them over. II the blanke
is good enough she says merely to taxi
bits from an older one, patch the hole,
and rehem the ends. which. with Ions
use. split up in ways dangerous t,
blanket health. If there are little holes
ravel out some of the edge for darnint
wool and mend them with a coars'
needle. These darns show but little, ant
you feel good says the maiden aunt
to think you don't have to pay s. Just ye
for a new pair.
There are other ways of fixing up oil
blankets, so that their lives may be pro
Ilonged. One is to double those worl
lthreadbare over and quilt them 70
nursery-crib summer use. These ais
serve for the warm bed pieces, whicl
should be put over all mattresses unde
the sheet. As to new blankets, a rib
bon binding of the ends before any us
of them. is an excellent and simple pre-
caution against the end-splitting whic
Is bound to come in time.
Bordered winter hangings which hav
/. become moth-eaten or old-fashioned ca
be raG!antly reincarnated as table Gov
ers. lounge spreads, etc. A bachelor glr
with a country barn for a studio wa
Igiven a set of four in old-time chenille
!, These had dull red centers and deep re
and blue borders; and even II the cen
tiers had not been hopelessly dilapidate
such family drapery,'' as the girl pu
J 1t. would never have done for a studio
So the deep borders of two of the cur
tains were torn of and sewed togethe
flor a big table cover. For the moth hole