Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-30
aw roHo or rHr RAG BAG

Dear Sisters: Pessinaists may deny that women have inventive genius, but no one who reads this letter could ever doubt their ingenuity in making old things over into new.
 Did you ever hear of little girls frock, charming, dainty white linen frock such as draws longing eyes toward the windows of selected and unspeakably high priced shops made out of a soiled and worn window shade, with frayed hems and accumulated grimness of fng- er-prints, iron rust, stains from rain and insects and even blood stains from cut fingers? Wouldn't any ordinary person shake her head in despair over such an object and consign 1t to the rubbish pile? Not so this clever lady possessed of sufficient imagination to see in 1t the soft, white glossy linen from which she could fashion the much-desired garment for her daughter. If only we all pos sessed the necessary imagination to glimpse the possibilities in the means at handi Instead, most of us would shrug shoulders f1opelessly over their apparent inadequacy, while others lack the perse- verance to push through their ideas. Imagination and perseverance, are foundation stones of achievement, we can all cultivate them. That Is the req son am going to write this letter. You may. have some old curtain you can use or a substitute in the shape of an old piece of cloth that is available in your rag-bag.
 She took that battered remnant of a l shade and soaked 1t several hours in warm, soapy water, till 1t was reduced to sticky, dirty pulp. Then she trans ferred it to a kettle of warm water in | which good quantity of borax had been dissolved. Slowly 1t came to boil. and l a suspicion of whiteness began to appear. She removed it, still dripping with the soapy water, and hung it on the line to remain in the sun and air for the rest of 1 the day. As a result of this first boiling | and bleaching, only the blood-stains and l iron rust, remained, with a slight streak 1 ing from the water.
 This process of boiling and bleaching
 was repeated twice, and the goods look ed less and less like a shade, and more
 and more like a respectable piece of ltn- en-. Then 1t hung out all night in the ] dew and the next day the sun beat down upon it for the final whitening, until ev- cry stain had vanished; after which il
 was rinsed and dried >and ironed, and behold, the old shade had become a piece of goods fit to adorn the small daughter.
 i With her shears she fashioned two | piece frock slightly shaped in at the waist, with the fullness held loosely ir
 place by a belt-the daintiest garment 1 imaginable.
 l To avoid the awkward opening dowr the back, she left the shoulder seami ] open, so that the frocks could be slipped | on over ths head of the small wearer Those seams were the basis of the trim ing scheme The clever lady buttonholet them their entire length and continued
 this finish around the bottom of thu sleeve Buttons and buttonholes closed the shoulder seams and the pearly sheer of the former added a desired touch o | brightness.
 The little round neck was also button
 holed, and then a tiny floral transfer de j sign was worked out beneath in eyelet
 and satin stitch to give dainty yok
 effect.
 Just this toueh of hand embroidery. il
 itself, would have cost several dollar
 in the shop The clever lady paid oni!
 few cents for the transfer pattern an
 floss From a leftover piece of the win
 dow shade, she next made a pair o
 boomers to wear beneath the shor
 skirt. thus obviating the necessity Of
 petticoat, and when the metamorphosi was complete, the dainty frock showed n trace of it's humble origin.
 [! HILLSIDE