Summer
CHAPTER VII.
MIDSUMMER EVE.
IN the minds of most of us, midsummer is associated with dry, dusty roads, parched vegetation, the shrill cry of the locust,[A] the shriller notes of the mosquitoes, and the hum of myriads of other insects; but, girls, midsummer does not come at this time: astronomy fixes the date at June 21st, the longest day of the year, when the leaves are still glossy green with the fresh sap circulating through their veins, giving them that healthy, juicy look so refreshing to the eye, and the heat of the sun has not yet dried to a white powder the firm country roads over which we delight to wander.
Ages ago the Pagans used to celebrate the day with rejoicing, because old Sol’s bright face had broken loose from the clouds of winter, and the rain and mists of spring. They symbolized the revolution of the season by rolling great wooden wheels down the hill-sides; sometimes attaching straw to the outer circle and setting fire to it at night, making a miniature midnight sun as it dashed down the steep incline.
The people also believed that ill-luck rolled away from them with the fiery wheel, and to this day you will see Fortune or Misfortune represented as travelling, like an acrobat at a circus, upon a wheel.
Midsummer-eve Party.
“Ye vertue of a rare cole that is to be found at Midsummer Eve under ye root of plantane and of mugwort Ye effects whereof are wonderful Whosoever weareth or beareth ye same about with them shall be freed from ye plague lightning and all ills”
All the elves, brownies, and fays were supposed to be on hand at midsummer night, and it is this old superstition that Shakespeare has so beautifully illustrated in his “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
It was on midsummer eve that the supposed invisible seeds of the fern could be gathered which rendered the fortunate possessor invisible whenever he chose to carry them about with him. Among other strange and some quite pretty superstitions, there is a tradition that a coal, found attached to the roots of the mugwort or plantain on midsummer eve, will keep away misfortune and insure good luck to the finder.
The girls of to-day who, although advanced enough to discard the superstitious element, can appreciate the poetic ideas symbolized by these ancient rites, may take hints for the entertainment of themselves and friends from the old belief in the mysteries and charms of midsummer eve.
Games can be invented, and pretty keepsakes and souvenirs exchanged upon this night, that will translate ancient paganism into modern good feeling and fellowship.
The New Fern-leaf Game.
Some one who has charge of the games shows to the assembled girls and boys a fern-leaf, and explains to them the legend connected with it, and the power of the seed to render the possessor invisible. Next she blindfolds them all; then, choosing one from among them, she removes the bandage from the player’s eyes without allowing the others to know who has been selected to be the bearer of the magic fern. After giving the fern-leaf into the keeping of the chosen one, she places the latter in the centre of a ring formed by the rest of the players, who take hold of hands and circle round; then, still holding hands, they forward to the centre and return; letting go hands, they forward again, this time the fern-bearer joins in the ranks. Once more the ring is formed and they circle round, singing these lines:
Round goes the wheel,
Round goes the year,
For woe or for weal,
Midsummer is here.
To the one who finds
The seeds of the fern,
Misfortune and evil
To good luck will turn.
At the word “turn,” each player seizes another and cries out, “fern, fern!” at the same time removing the handkerchief from the eyes.
Magic Plantain.
To the one who really has captured the magic fern a pretty card or silk badge, bearing a pictured fern and some appropriate motto, is given, as a token that the entire company wish all possible good luck to the possessor.
The Plantain Test.
To test fortune in this way, fill a large pan or bowl with clean dry sand; provide as many plantain-plants as there are players, and to the roots of all but one tie, with a narrow ribbon, a bonbon which contains within its wrapper a verse indicating that the wrong plant has been chosen. To the one reserved from the rest attach a small piece of coal, or charcoal, wrapped in a bonbon paper which also encloses a verse describing the magic powers of the coal. Place all of the plants in the sand, making them look as though growing there. All this should be prepared before the party assembles, that no one may know to which plant the coal is fastened.
When the appointed time arrives, explain to the company that to the root of one of the plants in the bowl is fastened a coal which, according to old superstition, will secure to the finder perfect health for life. Then let each person in turn pull from the sand one of the plants. The one who finds the coal should be heartily congratulated, as she is supposed to have gained the good will of fortune and to be exempt from all the ills that flesh is heir to. The plantain is not difficult to secure, as it grows in almost every grass-plot, much to the annoyance of those who take pride in their lawns. Should the name be unfamiliar to some of our readers, the accompanying illustration will help them recognize the weed.
A pretty charm for the watch-chain can be made of the coal which is to bring the finder such good luck,[B] by having it cut to a proper size and shape, and a gold or silver band put around it. This will make it a souvenir, carrying out the old idea that the magic coal should be worn upon the person to bring the coveted good fortune.
Rhymes to be enclosed in the paper with the magic coal:
Where my roots are intertwined
Lo, the magic coal you find.
Buried deep beneath the sand,
Waiting for your favored hand,
I have held it free from harm;
Take, and wear the mystic charm.
From the lightning’s deadly stroke,
From the fire it may invoke,
From all illness, pain, and strife,
May it guard thee safe through life.
Rhymes to be enclosed in bonbons tied to the roots of plantains which do not bring good luck:
Though ye seek, ye seek in vain
Fortune’s favor thus to gain,
For I bring to you no coal
To write your name on Fortune’s roll.
—————
Pity ’tis you thought it best
To pick out me from all the rest,
For no root of mine comes near
The coal that brings good fortune here.
—————
Chance capricious, captures choice;
Fickle Fortune favors few;
When deaf to love, or reason’s voice,
What makes you think she’ll favor you?
—————
I am no messenger of fate,
You find this out, alas! too late;
I bring no magic coal with me,
From pains and ills to set you free.
Any bright girl can scribble off little jingles of this sort that will do very well for the plantain test, or appropriate quotations may be selected for the purpose.
Fortune’s Wheel.
Just where Fortune will fail each member of the company present is discovered in the following game:
The entire party forms into a circle, standing about two feet apart; then a wheel or hoop is started around the inside of the ring, and kept going by each one giving it a gentle push with the hand, sending it to the person next in the circle. As the wheel goes around the players sing these lines, pronouncing a word as each player touches the wheel, as if counting out.
Fortune’s wheel we speed along
The while we sing our mystic song.
Bring happiness, fame, power, and wealth,
True love, long life, good friends, and health,
Success in music, poetry, art,
And with it all a merry heart
When the wheel drops at the feet of anyone as a gift of Fortune is being sung, or if they fail to strike it as it passes, or, striking, they send it into the centre of the ring instead of to their next neighbor, it denotes that Fortune will withhold that special gift from them, and they must leave the circle, for good luck has deserted them.
The game continues until only one player remains, and this person, who has succeeded in keeping the wheel moving, is Fortune’s favorite, and will possess all the gifts the mythical Goddess can bestow.
Starfish Portière
CHAPTER VIII.
SEA-SIDE COTTAGE DECORATION.
SIMPLY to enter a house is enough to start some people to planning how it can, might, or should be decorated. The love of beauty seems to be inherent in the feminine character, and it is the nature of most girls to make their surroundings as beautiful as circumstances will permit. Those who have taste and ability for decoration can see no barren or homely room without being seized with the desire to banish its uncomeliness, and substitute grace and beauty in its stead.
The ordinary cottage at the sea-shore is a boon to such natures, for it is peculiarly well adapted to amateur decoration. Its ceiled walls offer plain, even, flat tinted surfaces for any kind of ornamentation, and the absence of plaster makes it possible to drive nails wherever it is desirable to have them.
Diagram of Ring.
During a summer spent in one of these cottages on the coast of Maine, its many possibilities in the way of decoration were revealed, and personal experience has demonstrated that even the plainest of these temporary abiding-places is capable of being greatly beautified in a short time, and with materials usually close at hand, being obtainable from the fishermen and from the sea itself.
Looping for Curtains.
The windows first claim our attention in any house and our little cottage is no exception to the rule. With, or without, the regulation shades, windows should always be draped; the formality of their straight lines and angles can be subdued in no other way.
Light, airy curtains are suitable for summer, and the prettiest, most graceful window-drapery imaginable can be made of ordinary fish-net. An oar for a pole; rings made of rope (Fig. 39); the looping formed of a rope tied in a sailor’s knot; and a wooden hoop, such as is used to attach the sail to the mast on a sail-boat (Fig. 40) are all that are necessary for the completion of this nautical curtain. Small rings screwed into the oar, with corresponding hooks in the window-frame just above the window, will hold the oar securely in place. The looping should hang from a hook fastened in the wall near the window. The illustration given here will aid the imagination in picturing the effect of a window treated in this simple manner. Another pretty curtain may be made of unbleached cotton, with bands of blue at top and bottom covered with the ever-decorative fish-net.
Gray linen curtains, with strips of the net set in as insertion at top and bottom, will also be found extremely pretty and serviceable; or they may be composed of strips of linen and net, of equal width, running the length of the curtain. Made up in either way the effect is excellent.
Sea-side Cottage Window.
Diagram of Tying Knot.
Fastening End of Rope.
From window-drapery we will turn to that suitable for the door-ways. Portières, in a room where the prevailing tints are gray and light wood-color, should not present too violent a contrast to those subdued tones. A curtain of wood-brown, neither too dark nor too light, will give the needed strength and decision, without destroying the harmonious coloring. One can be quickly and easily made of brown canton flannel and decorated with dried starfish, as shown in the illustration of the starfish portière. The starfish are soft enough to admit of being sewed to the curtain, and they should be placed with the underside out, as that is much prettier than the back, showing as it does two shades of color. A heavy rope with a knot at each end, stretched taut across the door-way and held in place with two hooks, will answer for a pole, and the drapery can be hung from it with iron rings. If the rope is very heavy the ends will have to be parted into strands before the knots can be tied. Figs. 41 and 42 show the manner of tying the knot and fastening the end of a moderately heavy rope.
Diagram of Book-shelves.
Book-shelves made of half of a flat-bottomed row-boat is not only an appropriate piece of furniture for a cottage by the sea, but also a very useful one. The fact of its shape allowing it to occupy a corner makes it a welcome addition to the furnishing, since there are so few things adapted to fill that angle. Fig. 43 shows half of boat with cleats nailed on to hold the shelves, which must be made to fit the boat. The shelves, when resting on the cleats, are secure enough, and need not be fastened in any other way. If the book-shelves, when finished, are painted black, unvarnished, they will have the appearance of being ebonized.
The evidence of a womanly presence in the shape of a dainty work-basket always gives a home-like look to a room, and when this useful trifle happens to be prettily designed it contributes not a little to the decorations. The standing work-basket represented here is manufactured of a crab-net, with the handle removed, fastened to a tripod stand.
Row-boat Book-shelves.
Diagram of Crab-net Work-basket.
Crab-net Work-basket.
The tripod may be made of bamboo, or any kind of straight sticks about the length of a walking-cane. Upon one of the sticks two notches must be cut; one exactly in the centre, and the other at one side just below (see Fig. 44). The second stick needs but one notch, which should match the upper one on the first stick (Fig. 45). The third stick has no notches.
Diagram of Hat-rack.
To fasten them together, Fig. 45 must be laid across Fig. 44 as in Fig. 46, and the two fastened together with screws. The third stick must then be placed across the others, fitting in the two upper notches; this must be secured with two screws, one passing through each of the other sticks (Fig. 47).
The stand when finished should be painted black, and the crab-net, which has previously been gilded, fastened in place by tying it on to each stick with a cord and tassel made of rope and gilded. Notches cut in the sticks, about three inches from the top, will afford a resting-place for the cord and keep it from slipping.
Hat-Rack.
The hat-rack, which our drawing represents, makes an excellent and convenient hall-decoration. The materials used in its construction are a small mirror, which can be procured at any country store; four boards, whose length and breadth depend upon the size of the mirror; two oars, with one-third of each handle sawed off; one dozen large-sized nails, or small spikes, and a piece of rope about twelve feet long. The frame is made by nailing the boards together as shown in illustration, placing the end-boards on top. The opening left in the centre should be one inch smaller than the mirror. When eight of the spikes have been driven into the frame at regular distances the mirror must be fastened on the back with strips of leather or sail-cloth, as shown in diagram (Fig. 48). The diagram also shows how the oars are held in place and the rope attached. The knot in which the rope is tied is called a true-lover’s knot, and can readily be fashioned by studying the diagram. Small nails driven through the rope where it crosses the back of the oar will keep the loops from slipping out of place. The remaining four spikes are to suspend the hat-rack from, and must be driven into the wall so that two will hold the top loop, and the others the extreme upper corners of the side loops.
The frame and oars may be painted black and the spikes and ropes gilded, or the whole will look well painted yellow or brown.
A handsome screen can be made in the following manner: Procure a nice, firm clothes-horse, saw off the legs close to the bottom cross-piece, then cover the whole neatly, on both sides, with dark green cambric. Next tack smoothly on one side of each fold light-brown wrapping-paper, which comes quite wide, and may be bought by the yard. For the border use dark-green canton flannel cut in strips eight inches wide. Tack this around each fold of the screen with gimp-tacks, and paste the inside edges smoothly over the paper.
The decorations of the screen shown in the illustration are composed entirely of products of the sea.
Two panels are shown. One is decorated with sea-weed, dried starfish, and shells. Sea-weed and shells also are used on the other, but a group of horseshoe crabs take the place of the starfish.
Sea-weed of various kinds suitable for this use can be found along the coast, and they may be gathered and dried in this way. Loosen the sea-weed from whatever it is attached to, and while still in the water slip a piece of stiff paper beneath it and lift it out. Quite a number can be carried on the same paper, but they should be taken home as soon as possible and placed in a tub of fresh water. The tub will give the larger kinds room to spread out, when a smaller vessel would cramp and rumple them. On sheets of paper, of the kind used for the screen, carefully lift each sea-weed out of the water, and with a small camel-hair brush straighten the parts that are too much folded, and separate those that lie too closely together. Should a plant be very much crumpled when taken out, quickly replace it in the water and try again.
Marine Screen.
Horseshoe Crab Bag.
When they have all been satisfactorily spread on the paper and have become partially dry, they must be pressed by laying the paper which holds the sea-weed on a piece of blotting-paper or folded newspaper, and over it a piece of linen or fine cotton cloth; then over that another piece of blotting-, or news-paper; then again the paper with sea-weed, and so on; when all are finished the entire heap should be placed between two boards with a moderately heavy weight on top. When the sea-weed is quite dry—which it will be in three or four days—it will be found that some varieties will cling closely to the paper on which they have been spread, while others can readily be removed. Do not try to separate the first-mentioned kind from the paper, but with sharp scissors neatly trim off the edges around the weed; the paper underneath being the same as that of the screen on which it is to be pasted, it will not show. The other sea-weed can be taken from the paper and fastened to the screen with mucilage.
Before commencing the decoration some idea of the design, or the effect to be produced, should be decided upon; then with deft fingers the articles used can be glued in place. When the glue is dry the whole must be given a coat of white varnish. This will help to hold things in place, and will also keep the sea-weed from chipping off.
An odd little bag for holding fancy work is made of two large horseshoe crab shells, with a satin bag fastened between them and tied at the top with a bow of ribbon. The main part of the bag can be of cambric the color of the satin, cut to fit the shells, the puff showing at the sides being of the satin.
Vase.
Candlestick.
A pretty little vase can be made of the shells of three sea-urchins, of graduating sizes, placed one upon another, the smallest on top. The small hole in the bottom of the largest one should be filled up with damp plaster-of-Paris—which will harden very quickly. The other two shells must have the small holes enlarged to the size of the one at the top; they can then be joined together with the plaster, and the vase be used for flowers or vines. A sea-urchin and good-sized starfish make the prettiest kind of a candlestick, and the addition of a brass-headed tack on every point but one of the starfish gives it a nice finish and furnishes feet for it to stand on; the point left without a foot forms the handle by which it may be carried. The tacks should be stuck into the fish first, and then the sea-urchin fastened on with plaster-of-Paris. Not more than ten minutes are consumed in making a candlestick of this kind, and it will be found to be quite as useful as it is pretty and unique.
The walls of the cottage can be decorated in many ways with the beautiful ornaments the sea furnishes. Over one of the doors in the cottage alluded to at the beginning of this chapter there was an ornamentation that looked exactly like wood-carving, but was only a group of starfish arranged and tacked on the wall in a decorative form. The fish being nearly the exact color of the background, the deception was almost perfect.
If the walls of a room are divided off into panels, and each panel decorated in the manner described for the screen, the effect will be most exquisite.
On entering such a room one might almost imagine oneself to be a mermaid, and this a lovely chamber beneath the sea.
So much can be done by one’s own hands it depends greatly, if not entirely, upon the taste or time one is willing to devote to it what this sea-side habitation shall be; whether the little cottage shall be in harmony with its surroundings, seemingly a part of the place, or whether it shall be only a cheap frame-structure, looking as though it belonged in a country town and had been carried to the coast in a capricious gale of wind, with decorations, if it has any, inappropriate and unsuited to the sea-shore.
How to Dry Starfish.
Collect the most perfect specimens of all sizes, wash them in fresh water, and then spread on a board in a dry place (not in the sun) and leave them undisturbed for a few days, or until thoroughly dried.
How to Polish Shells.
Wash your shells in clean, fresh water; procure a small quantity of muriatic acid and have in readiness two-thirds as much water as acid. Place the shells in a basin, pour the water upon them, then the acid; let them remain a few minutes, then take them out and wash again in clear water. Rub each shell with a soft woollen cloth. A fine enamelled surface can be given by rubbing them with a little oil and finely powdered pumice-stone, and then with a chamois-skin.
To bleach fresh-water shells to a snowy whiteness, wash them perfectly clean and then put them in a jar containing a solution of chloride of lime, place the vessel in the sun, and, when the shells are sufficiently bleached, remove and wash them in clear water. Polish them in the manner before described.
CHAPTER IX.
A GIRL’S FOURTH OF JULY.
DECORATIONS are seen here, there, and everywhere. How beautifully the flags and streamers look as they wave in the breeze. All the houses and streets are gay with bunting. We listen with a thrill of patriotic excitement to the national airs played by bands of music as the different parades pass our doors.
The spirit of independence fills the very air we breathe. Whiz! zip! bang! go the firearms. The noise is enchanting and the smell of powder delightful.
This is our grand national holiday, the glorious Fourth, when all the United States grows enthusiastic, and in various appropriate ways manifests its patriotism.
The Fourth of July Party.
The celebration, commencing in the early morn and lasting until late in the evening, gives ample time for fireworks, games, and illuminations. And the girls can take active part in, and enjoy these martial festivities, help to decorate the house and grounds, and in the evening do their part toward the illumination. Then there are the beautiful daylight fireworks to be sent off, and games to be played; all adding to the enjoyment and making up their celebration of Independence Day.
Although
Interior Decoration
for the Fourth of July has not been considered as necessary as the decoration for the outside of the house, still it is appropriate and used to some extent, especially when the house is thrown open to guests. Then, with a little thought and care the home may be decked and adorned in the most attractive manner.
If you chance to be the happy possessor of the portrait of some revolutionary ancestor, let this form the centre of your decorations.
Bring forward any relics of the colonial times and make them hold a prominent place, for all such things are historical and of great interest, though of course they are not essential. Strips of bunting, cheese-cloth, or tissue-paper, in red and white and blue are necessary, and must do their part in adding to the gayety of the scene. These can be arranged in festoons, and made into wreaths, stars etc., to be used as ornaments on the wall.
There is nothing, perhaps, more appropriate for decoration than flags, though it requires some ingenuity to decorate with our American flag on account of the blue being in one corner. However we will try. Take two flags without staffs and baste them together as in Fig. 49, bringing the blues side by side; pleat up the top of each to the centre and you will have Fig. 50 with the stripes at the bottom running from end to end.
Now take two more flags reversed, the stripes being at the top the stars at the base, and pleat them in the centre, it gives the same idea in another form. For this style of adornment use the flags which may be had at any dry-goods store; they come by the bolt, cost but a few cents each, and are much softer and fold better than the more expensive glazed ones. Other modes of draping the stars-and-stripes will suggest themselves: place the “colors” in different positions until some good design is found, and you will enjoy it all the more for having made the combination yourself.
Fig. 49
Fig. 50
Tiny flags fastened to the chandeliers, and pinned in groups on the curtains give to the room quite a holiday appearance. This is for the daylight. In the evening we will have
In-door Illumination,
which can be made very brilliant by simply using a number of lighted candles.
Should you desire to have it more elaborate, the words Liberty and Independence can be printed on the windows by cutting the letters forming the words from thick paper and gumming them to the window-panes, so when the room is lighted they will show plainly from the outside.
You may also make of tissue-paper a Liberty-bell, Goddess of Liberty, American Eagle, and flags. Gum these on the edges and fasten them to the windows; place a bright light behind them and the tints of the paper will shine out in all their brilliancy. The Goddess of Liberty’s face, the feathers on the eagle, and the lettering on the bell must all be drawn with a paint-brush and ink or black paint.
In making any or all of these, it will be of great assistance if you secure a picture of the object to copy from.
Having provided for the inside of the house it now behooves us to turn our attention to
Out-of-door Decoration
consisting principally of flags raised on poles, hung from windows, and disposed in numerous and various ways.
The many devices representative of our country may be used with good effect. Thus, a large United States shield can be made of colored paper or inexpensive cloth tacked on a piece of card-board, cut in the desired shape, and the shield suspended from the window flat against the house, as a picture is hung on the wall. Other emblems can be manufactured in the same way.
Small trees or tall bushes covered all over from top to bottom with flags and streamers look beautiful, and all the gayer, when the wind blows, causing them to wave and flutter.
Fasten the flags and streamers on the tree with string.
Some girls think that the
Illumination in the Open Air
is best of all, for then they can give their fancy free play, and create all sorts of odd and novel designs.
The bright-colored Chinese lanterns are very decorative. Suppose we begin with these. Fasten securely here and there, on the lawn, large paper Japanese umbrellas in upright positions. This is accomplished by binding the handles of the umbrellas securely to poles which have been sharpened at one end, and planting the pointed end of the poles firmly in the ground.
From every other rib of the umbrella suspend a lighted Chinese lantern by a wire long enough to prevent any danger of setting the little canopy on fire. The effect produced is both novel and pretty.
A popular method of arranging the lanterns is stringing them on wires, stretched from house to house, or from tree to tree, so forming, as it were, a fringe of lights.
Again, they may be placed at intervals on the ground, fastened to trees or hung on the piazza, some in groups of twos or threes, others singly, these being of many odd shapes and sizes. Piazzas are very good sites for the display of colored umbrellas, which may hang, inverted, from the ceiling, with a tiny lighted Chinese lantern suspended from each rib. Let me repeat, be careful not to have the wires so short that the light is in dangerous proximity to the umbrella.
Another pleasing illumination is to make a large flag of colored-paper with strong pieces of tape pasted along both top and bottom, the ends of the tape extending beyond the flag. Tie the tape to two trees, poles, or pillars of the porch, and place a light back of the flag, to bring out the colors clearly and distinctly.
Illuminated tents are made by placing poles in the fashion of Fig. 51, and using large flags, low-priced colored cloth or strong paper as a covering, Fig. 52. The corners are tied down to pegs in the ground, and, when two or three candles are set in the tent, the effect is very pleasing.
All young people delight in the noise and excitement of
Fireworks,
and here are some pyrotechnics which any girl can easily make. They are daylight fireworks, and most of them may be sent off from a balcony or window, and all with no danger of fire or burns.
One of the simplest to try is the
Parachute.
Parachutes.
Cut a piece of tissue-paper five inches square, twist each corner and tie with a piece of thread eight inches long, Fig. 53; wrap a small pebble in a piece of paper and tie the four pieces of thread securely to the pebble, Fig. 54. This makes a light airy little parachute, which, when sent out from the window, will, with a favorable wind, sail up and off over the house-tops. Make a number of parachutes in different colors and send them off one after another in succession. Next we will have what we call
Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts
fashioned of bright-colored tissue-paper. Cut the paper in pieces four inches wide and eight inches long. Then cut each piece into strips reaching about one-third of the length of the piece of paper (Fig. 55), pinch the uncut end of the paper together and twist it tightly so that it will not become undone (Fig. 56). Open the window and throw these out a few at a time. They will turn heavy end down and dart off with the fringed end fluttering. Now and then they will waver a moment in one spot, and then dart off in another direction; so they go whirling, zigzagging and bowing as if they were alive.
Something different from these are the comical little
Whirls,
Whirls.
made by cutting circular pieces of writing- or common wrapping-paper into simple spiral forms (Fig. 57). The centre of the spirals are weighted by small pieces of wood, or other not too heavy substance gummed on the paper.
When a number of these are freed in mid-air the weight will draw the spirals out, and present a curious sight, as with serpentine motion they all come wriggling and twisting toward the ground (Fig. 58). In these paper fire-works, we know of nothing prettier than the
Winged Fancies,
The Bird.
consisting of birds and butterflies.
The birds may be cut out of wrapping-paper, measuring seven and a half inches long and ten inches from tip to tip of the wings (Fig. 59), a burnt match stuck in and out of the neck, will give the bird sufficient weight. When tossed from a height these paper swallows fly and skim through the air in the most delightful birdlike fashion.
Both birds and butterflies are folded through the centre lengthwise, then unfolded and straightened out, this helps to give them form and they fly better.
The patterns here given are possibly not as graceful in shape as could be made, but the writer drew the patterns from the best fliers among an experimental lot of winged fancies, having found them better than others that could boast of more beauty.
Butterflies are made of bright colored tissue-paper cut from the pattern (Fig. 60), and have short pieces of broom-straws as weights. These also should be lightly thrown from a height, when they will flutter and fly downward, sometimes settling on a tree or bush as if seeking the sweets of flowers, and appearing very bright and pretty as they float hither and thither on the air.
The Butterfly.
A ring of the ever-twirling
Pin-wheels
Pin-wheel.
is gay and attractive, just the thing for the lawn on the Fourth of July. To manufacture one, select a nice firm barrel-hoop, and nail it securely on one end of a clothes-pole or broom-stick (Fig. 61), sharpen the other end of the pole to a point; if the hoop seems inclined to split when nailing, first bore holes with a gimlet or burn them with a red-hot nail or wire for the nails to pass through.
Cover the barrel-hoop several inches deep with straw, lay the straw on and tie it down with string.
Prepare a number of pin-wheels by cutting squares of red and white and blue paper, fold them twice diagonally through the centre and cut the folds up within a short distance of the middle. Turn over every other point to meet the centre, pierce the four points and the centre with a pin, then fasten the pin firmly to the end of a stick. The pin must be left long enough to allow the paper to turn easily.
Stick the straw wreath full of pin-wheels, then plant the pole securely in the ground and you will have a ring of Fourth of July pin-wheels which will look pretty all day long.
Be sure to place the wreath facing the breeze, so the pin-wheels may be kept in constant motion. Reserve the
Bombs
until the last. They are simple in construction, but quite startling when they go off.
Fasten together two very stiff flat pieces of steel (Fig. 62), those sold for the back of dress-skirts work well, and use a strong string many yards long to tie them with. Bring up the four ends of the steels and tie them with a slip knot (Fig. 63), in order that it may easily fly open. Place the cage thus formed in the centre of a square piece of tissue-paper.
Now cut strips of different colored tissue-paper, four inches long, and twist each piece at one end.
Put these in the centre of the cage and bring up the four corners of the square of paper, allowing the string to come out of the top. Twist the corners together and close up the small openings by folding over the edges of the paper. This makes a bomb somewhat resembling a common torpedo enlarged to many times its original size.
Pass the string through a screw-eye which has been screwed in the end of a flag-pole or broomstick, and place the pole out of the window. Then drop the end of the string down to the lawn below. Fasten one end of the pole in the window by binding it firmly to a strong, heavy chair, or secure it in any other way most convenient so there will not be the slightest danger of its falling.
Everything being ready, descend to the lawn, and pull the string so the bomb will rise slowly up to the pole.
When it is within a short distance of the screw-eye, give the twine a sudden sharp jerk which will cause the bomb to come in contact with the pole with sufficient force to untie the slip-knot, the elastic-metal ribs will fly back causing the bomb to burst and fill the air with bright shreds, flying, gliding, and darting everywhere in the most eccentric manner, making the air brilliant with floating colors.
Let your Fourth of July
Lawn Party
partake of the patriotic traditions, and as far as possible help to celebrate our Nation’s birthday in an appropriate manner.
Paper fire-works may form part of the entertainment, it being optional with the hostess whether they come before or after the games, or are interspersed between them.
The party opens with the signing of the
Declaration of Independence.
To each guest is given a brown-paper bag, and when all have assembled on the lawn, the hostess steps forward facing the company, and asks all to kindly keep quiet and listen for a few moments while she reads or repeats their Declaration of Independence, she then reads:
We girls are, and of right should be, free and independent of all boys’ sports, having resources and amusements befitting the celebration of the Fourth of July, independent of all those belonging exclusively to boys.
Then follows the signing of the same, by each in turn writing her name beneath the declaration. This accomplished, the hostess gives the signal and each guest fills her bag with air, by holding it close to her mouth, gathering it tightly around, and blowing into it, then grasping it firmly in the right hand, being careful not to let any air escape.
At another signal, all simultaneously bring their hands forcibly and quickly together, striking the paper bags with the left hand, which bursts the bags and causes a report almost equal to that of pistols.
All the bags exploding at one time, gives a salute worthy of the name and creates much merriment.
The salute may be varied by bursting the bags in quick succession, so that it will sound something like a volley of musketry.
This introduction is followed by games to be played on the lawn.
For the new game of
Toss,
make nine disks of card-board, painted or covered with paper, red and white and blue, three of each color.
Place in the centre of the lawn a fancy waste-basket, and let each player in turn stand at a distance of six feet from the basket. It is better to have the station marked by a stone or stick, at the place designated.
If played by sides, two stations, one on either side of the basket will be necessary.
The object of the game is to throw the disks into the basket, and they are valued according to color; red counts one, white two, and blue three.
If played by sides, each side should play five rounds, ninety being the highest possible tally for any one player.
This is an easy and pleasant game, and may be played with or without sides. The hostess keeps account, and at the end of the game gives a knot of red, white, and blue ribbons as a prize to the one having the highest score.
We hardly recognize our old friends in the new and gigantic
Fourth of July Jackstraws.
These are all in holiday attire, and so much larger than any we have seen that they are even more attractive, and afford greater amusement than those which we have hitherto enjoyed.
It does not take long to make them. Cover a number of light slender sticks, three or four feet long, with paper or cloth, some red, some white, and others blue. The colors count respectively, red one, white two, and blue three. Provide another longer stick with a hook in one end to be used in taking the jackstraws from the pile.
Stand the sticks up so as to meet at the top, and spread out like a tent at the bottom. Each player then takes the hook in turn and tries to remove a jackstraw, without shaking or throwing down any of the others. The one scoring the highest, wins the game and is entitled to the prize.
Progressive games seem to be very popular, and deservedly so, as they possess an interest peculiarly their own.
Here is a new and novel one, called
Progressive Mining.
It is played with flower-pots filled with sand or loose earth, called mines. A small flag on a slender staff is placed upright in the centre of each flower-pot (Fig. 64). The staff should be stuck down in the sand only just far enough to keep it steady in its position. Each player in turn removes a little sand from the mine with a stick called a wand, taking great care not to upset the flag; for the one causing the flag to fall loses the game. The number of mines needed will depend upon the number of persons playing, as one flower-pot is required for every two players.
Each one taking part in the game, is provided with a wand. Slender bamboo canes make excellent wands, and may be decorated with red, white and blue ribbons, tied on the handles. Should the canes be difficult to procure, then any kind of light slender stick will serve the purpose.
The hostess should prepare blank envelopes, each containing a ribbon badge, or score sheet, of different colors, two of each; these are all numbered, the figures being painted or pasted on the ribbons to designate the place to be taken, thus two reds are marked 1, meaning that they are to occupy the first or prize mine. The blues are marked 2, showing that they take the second mine, and so on. The last or lowest place is called the booby mine. Each badge should have a small pocket attached (Fig. 65), for holding stamps; these are cut in any desired form from gold and silver paper, which has previously been covered with mucilage on the under side, like a common postage-stamp.
The hostess passes around the envelopes, each guest takes one, and upon opening it discovers where and with whom she is to play.
The preliminaries being settled, and all having taken their places, the hostess starts the game by ringing a little bell.
When one of the players at the prize mine upsets the flag, the other calls out prize, and if the flags have not already fallen in the other mines, the couples play as quickly as possible until all the flags are down.
The winner at the prize mine fastens a gold stamp on her ribbon badge, while the loser at the booby mine, ornaments hers with silver seal.
The game is now rearranged, the winner at the prize mine remains at her station, and the loser goes down to the booby mine, while all those winning at the other mines move up, each one respectively to the next higher mine, for it is only at the prize mine where the loser moves her place and the victor remains stationary.
When these details are settled, the flag-staffs are again planted in the flower-pots and the signal given for a new game.
The player with the largest number of gold stamps on her score-sheet, receives the victor’s prize, and the one having the most silver stamps is entitled to the booby prize.
The prizes are given when the game is ended. They should consist of some pretty little article made by the hostess herself, and, if practicable, appropriate to the day, such as a delicate satin sachet in the form of a Liberty bell, with the lettering painted on it.
A pretty pin-cushion, with a cover made of a miniature silken flag, or a dainty pen-wiper in the shape of Liberty’s cap. Other more expensive gifts are not in good taste.
The booby prize should be something grotesque or comical.
As the mothers and sisters of 1776 took a full share in the hardships and trials of the Revolution, and actively assisted in gaining our independence, it is eminently fit and proper that American girls should show their appreciation of such bravery and heroism by assisting in the annual celebration of our famous Independence Day.
Fourth of July seems heretofore to have been considered altogether too exclusively a boy’s holiday, and it is with a hope of stimulating a renewed activity, and awakening in the heart of every girl in the United States a sense of proprietary interest in the day, that we suggest new methods of celebrating our national holiday.
CHAPTER X.
PRINTING FROM NATURE’S TYPES.
LAST summer we made some lovely impressions of flowers, leaves, and sprays; then we tried landscapes and all sorts of beautiful designs.
It is really delightful and fascinating work. You are led on and on, always with a fancy to try something else to see how it will come out, and seldom, if ever, is it a disappointment or failure, a new interest being felt with every fresh print made. Moreover, you are sure of having your picture original and the only one of its kind, for as no two flowers or leaves are precisely alike, so no print can be an exact copy of another. And then it takes only a few moments for the work which could not be accomplished in thrice the time should a drawing be made of the same design.
Let me tell you how to make an “Impression Album” a book of printed flowers and leaves. You who have houseplants will find it a delightful winter recreation, a novel pleasure, and you can enjoy the pretty work even more during your summer vacation, with wild flowers at your command.
Making Prints.
Pink Oxalis.
The “prints” are taken from the natural flowers or leaves themselves. Girls who have no knowledge at all of drawing or of printing can with little trouble make these Impression Albums, and students of botany will find the work supplies valuable memoranda of leaves and plants, as the print preserves details of the form, fibre and veining of foliage and petal such as no drawing or photograph can. The printing can be made wholly accurate, giving all the minutiæ of construction.
Smilax.
The tools required to make these print-pictures are simple, and consist of a piece of glass, a palette-knife or table-knife and some printers’ ink which comes in small tin boxes and can be procured at any stationery store, and a pad made of a ball of cotton tied in a piece of soft silk or satin.
Evergreen Moss.
The printers’ pad used by the writer for spreading the ink, was manufactured of the satin lining taken from a gentleman’s old hat, and answered the purpose admirably, being a good size, measuring nearly four inches in diameter. The album itself may be a common blank-book, with every other leaf cut out, in order to make room for the prints, which are on pieces of blank unruled paper of uniform size, and small enough to fit in the album and leave a margin all around the piece inserted, so that the book when opened may be neat and attractive. Having all your tools at hand, select the leaves you wish to print. These must be free from dust or dew and perfectly fresh.
Skeleton Geranium Leaves.
First, with your knife, place a small quantity of printers’ ink on the piece of glass and smooth it as evenly as possible over the surface. Then press the printers’ pad down lightly, lifting, and again pressing, until the ink is evenly distributed on the pad; next, select a leaf and place it face, or right side, downward on a piece of folded newspaper; press the inked pad down on the under side of the leaf, which is now, of course, lying upward, repeating the operation until the leaf is sufficiently covered with ink. Carefully place the leaf, inked side down, on the centre of the piece of paper you have previously cut for the album; over this lay a piece of common yellow wrapping-paper, or any paper that is not too thick or stiff, and rub the finger gently all over the covered leaf. Remove the outside paper and very carefully take up the leaf. You will find an exact impress of the natural green leaf showing every one of the delicate fibres.
The picture is now ready to be pasted in the album, with a thin, delicate paste, touching only the corners. It is a good plan to write under each leaf the name of the plant or tree from which it was taken, with the date, and such facts as you would like to recall. Very valuable botanical collections can thus be made. Flowers are more difficult to print than leaves, owing to less “relief” in the films; still they make charming pictures when successfully treated, sometimes having the appearance of photographs of flowers with all the lights and shadows.
A Winter Landscape.
Printed from Nature’s Type.
When printing flowers, proceed in the same manner as with the leaves. Sweet peas, roses, daisies, wild carrot, clover, and verbenas, all make beautiful impressions which look like photographs. Grasses of various kinds also print well.
In making a spray, it is best to have a definite idea of the form you desire it to take. If possible secure as a copy a natural spray of the kind you wish to print. Then first print all the leaves in the positions they are to occupy, and connect them by drawing in the branch with pen and India-ink.
Maple Leaves.
Printed from Nature’s Type.
The Winter Landscape is printed from dried twigs, grasses, and little leafless plants, so arranged as to resemble trees and shrubbery.
Only have a little confidence and you can make etchings from nature. Should you not understand drawing or composition, do not be discouraged; obtain a picture to copy, and then hunt up little plants and soft twigs as nearly as possible corresponding in shape and character to the trees in the copy; in this way you can produce very creditable landscapes.
Botanical impressions maybe used for “fancy work” by being printed on satin, and the decorated satin made up as though it were painted or embroidered; patches for silk quilts have been prettily decorated by this process. The printings also make beautiful patterns for outline work, much truer to nature than those made in any other manner and afford infinite variety for “borders” and “corners.” Even satin dresses can be beautifully ornamented with impressions of leaves instead of the “hand painting” so long in use. You can, of course, see that should several colors of printers’ ink be used, beautiful combinations and pleasing variety would be obtained, and that probably some unique and novel decorations would be secured.
Letter-paper ornamented with a delicate design printed from nature’s types is very dainty and pretty, and in many other forms can these simple and beautiful decorations be used.
Then bring leaves and blossoms from the woods or door-yard, and half an hour may be delightfully spent in printing “impressions” which will teach a lesson in botany, while the great variety of leaf forms, difference in texture, fibre, veining and finish cannot fail to attract your attention and call forth your admiration.
Corn Roast.
CHAPTER XI.
PICNICS, BURGOOS AND CORN-ROASTS.
TRACES of foreign ancestors are apparent occasionally in most of us, true Americans though we be. It is perhaps a spice of gypsy blood in our veins that sets our pulses throbbing with pleasant excitement when, seated in an old hay-wagon, we go bumping and thumping down the road prepared for a delightful holiday.
With camp-kettle swinging beneath, and coffee-pot stowed safely away within the wagon, do we not feel able to provide as savory dishes for our picnic dinner as any concocted by the gypsies themselves? Surely no coffee is ever so delicious as that cooked over the camp-fire, albeit it tastes somewhat smoky when prepared by hands inexperienced in the art of out-door cooking; but if the fish we broil is a little burned, and the baked potatoes rather hard in the middle, who cares? Hearty, healthy appetites, which the early morning drive through the fresh, exhilarating air has developed, laugh at such trifles and dinner is voted a success in spite of sundry mistakes and mishaps in its preparation.
There are picnics and picnics. When one drives out in a fine carriage to meet a fine company, and partake of a fine lunch prepared by fine servants, is one kind.
When one goes with a large party, on a boat, and takes a lunch of sandwiches, cake, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, etc., which is spread on the grass at the landing and eaten as quickly as possible, is another kind; but the picnic most enjoyed by young people who are not afraid of a little work, which is only play to them, is the one where the raw materials for the dinner are taken and the cooking, or most of it, is done, gypsy fashion, by the picnickers themselves.
A pleasant innovation in the ordinary routine of a picnic is
A Burgoo.
Thirty or forty years ago the men of Kentucky, in celebration of a holiday, would get up what they called a burgoo. In character it was very much like the clam-bake of to-day, but instead of chowder, or baked clams, the company prepared and partook of a soup or stew made of almost everything edible. Early in the morning the party would meet at the appointed place and decide what each should contribute toward the making of this most delectable stew.
Those who were fond of hunting would go forth in search of birds, squirrels, rabbits, and game of all kinds, with which the woods were filled. Some caught fish, and others provided fowl, pork, vegetables, and condiments.
As the ingredients were brought in, those who had charge of the cooking prepared and dropped them into an immense pot which, half full of water, was suspended over a roaring fire.
When everything of which the stew was composed was cooked to shreds, the burgoo was pronounced done, and was served in tin cups, and eaten with shell spoons, made by splitting a stick and wedging a mussel-shell in the opening.
That this was a most appetizing feast I know from an old gentleman who has frequently attended the burgoos and partaken of the stew. Of course at a picnic composed of girls and boys, it would not do to depend upon the game which might be shot and the fish which might be caught, for the dinner, but the burgoo should be adapted to the ways and means of the party, and each member should provide something for the stew. The following recipe will make enough for fifteen or twenty persons.
Burgoo Stew.
Two pounds of salt pork, the same of lean beef; two good-sized chickens, or fowls of any kind; two quarts of oysters, the same of clams; twelve potatoes, four turnips, one onion, two quarts of tomatoes, and any other vegetables which may be obtainable. Make a bouquet of parsley, celery, and a very little bay-leaf, thyme and hyssop, tied together with thread.
Put the beef, fowl, pork, oysters, clams and a handful of salt in a large iron kettle, three-quarters full of water; skim it before it begins to boil hard, and add the other ingredients; keep the kettle covered and boil until the bones fall from the meat. Serve hot with crackers. Wild game and fish may also be added to the recipe. When a burgoo is decided upon, it is best to prepare a light lunch to be eaten about eleven o’clock, and have the heartier meal at four or five in the afternoon, as it requires some time for the stew to cook.
Our illustration shows four ways of suspending the kettle over the fire. While the girls are preparing the ingredients for the stew, the boys will build a fire in some such fashion as is shown upon [page 135], and put the kettle on. The best way to boil coffee is to make or build a kind of little stove of stones and mud, and set the coffee-pot on top, as shown in Fig. 66; this will prevent the smoky taste it is apt to have when placed directly on the fire.
A Corn-roast.
During the season when green corn is plentiful, there is no better way of having a real jolly time than by getting up a corn-roast. It is not as elaborate an affair as the burgoo. Some green corn, a long pole sharpened at one end, for each member of the party and a large fire built in some open space where there will be no danger of causing conflagration makes us ready for the corn-roast.
Several summers ago a gay party of friends from New York and vicinity took possession of and occupied for a few months a little cottage at a place on the coast of Maine called Ocean Point.
Toward the end of August, when all places of interest had been explored, when the stock of shells, starfish, and such like treasures had grown beyond the accommodation of an ordinary trunk, and the minds of the sojourners were beginning to be filled with thoughts of a speedy return home, green corn, for the first time that summer, made its appearance. This was hailed with delight, and a farewell lark, in the form of a corn-roast, was promptly proposed and almost as promptly carried into execution.
The place selected on which to build the fire was a large rock jutting out into a little cove called “Grimes Cove.” Here the party met about three o’clock in the afternoon, each member bringing only such dishes as were considered necessary for his or her own use. It is needless to say that the supply was not very plentiful, many limiting themselves to a cup and spoon; still as the supper was to consist merely of roasted corn, bread and coffee, these answered every purpose.
Not only was the corn roasted on the ends of the long poles, but bread was toasted, and in true American fashion it was eaten piping hot. One of the gentlemen, much to the amusement of the rest of the party, produced a piece of breakfast bacon, which he fastened on to the end of his pole and toasted over the glowing embers, declaring that it was better cooked in that way than in any other.
Yes, corn-roasts are great fun, and they can be held almost any place where a large fire can be safely built. It is best to allow the fire to burn down until it is a glowing pile of coals; then sticking the sharp end of a pole into an ear of corn (Fig. 67), and standing as far from the fire as the length of the pole will permit, it can be held close to the hot embers until thoroughly cooked; then with butter and salt this roasted corn is excellent eating.
Enough corn should be provided to allow several ears to each member of the party, as mishaps are liable to occur, and the tempting ear of corn may be devoured by the flames, instead of the person for whom it was intended.
The poles, about six feet in length, should be as light as possible, for if too heavy they will tire the hands and arms of those holding them.
White Clover Design.
CHAPTER XII.
BOTANY AS APPLIED TO ART.
THERE is a book of most lovely designs open to everyone whose eyes are open to see.
Grasses, leaves, blossoms, and even buds and seed-vessels supply material for beautiful patterns.
We need not look far for suggestions. Truly “that is best which lieth nearest; shape from that thy work of art.”
At your very doorway the wonders of botany may be studied. Carefully inspect the tree blossoms in the early spring; the maple, willow, birch, any in fact which happen to be convenient, and you will find suggestions of rare designs.
Clover, plantain, pepper-grass, dandelions, vines and twigs, offer ideas which can be adapted to ornamental art.
A love of nature will quicken and stimulate the faculties; take the flowers and plants for instructors, and they will teach and guide you.
Though there cannot be found an exact duplicate of any blossom or leaf, still these may be conventionalized by arranging them in all sorts of symmetrical designs.
There is no mystery about the matter, for all the designs are conceived upon the most simple of geometric laws. We are now following in the steps of the old masters, and an unlimited field of new combinations opens before us.
When making designs for this chapter, the writer did not select the objects she thought would be most decorative, but anything which chanced to fall in the way; and what she has done you can do, provided, of course, that you have ordinary skill with the pencil.
The Peony Leaf.
Suppose you do not know how to draw at all! Even then you can design. Take the first thing you see, which in this case happens to be a peony leaf (Fig. 68). That is, assuming that you are seated by the side of the writer.
| Fig. 68. | Fig. 69. |
Fig. 70.
Now watch! We will pull it apart thus (Fig. 69). Next with a pair of scissors, a knife, or fingers snip off the stems, and group the leaves in any way we chose. We will try this combination (Fig. 70). If you do not understand drawing, we must fasten the leaves down upon a piece of paper as they are arranged, and trace around them, following their edges with a pencil until the outline is complete (Fig. 70). By simply repeating this figure at regular intervals we have a very pretty border design and one that is truly original, for the writer had no more idea than you, what was to be the result of this experiment. In order to make the pattern exact, draw lines as in Fig. 71, for a guide; then draw the figure according to the foundation lines (Fig. 72). When finished, erase the lines and the design stands a conventionalized peony leaf, Fig. 73. By making a tracing of the first pattern, you can repeat it any number of times. It requires no great or peculiar genius to design well, and it is a mistaken, old-fashioned idea to suppose because you never have done any original work in art that you never can. Do not slavishly follow other people, but believe that there is implanted in you the same elements that belong to those whose designs you admire, then commence and design for yourself. That you may have a start in your new art, we will try something else, a vegetable this time, for here comes the green-grocery man with a basket full of as quaint decorations as are ever painted with bamboo-handled brush by the Japanese.
A Bunch of Turnips.
Bunch of Turnips
Fig. 75.
Take the first bunch of vegetables on the top of the basket. What are they? turnips? Well that requires a little skill as a draughtsman, but we will sketch this one and you can copy it (Fig. 74). Now repeat it (Fig. 75), or place the bunches in a row and you will have another border design. After a few experiments you will see that anything will make a decoration even the humble kitchen vegetables.
Decorative Lines.
Figs. 76 and 77 are simply graceful curves, such as anyone can make with a pen or pencil, and may be used in many ways: cross them and they form Fig. 78, use this as half the design, duplicating it for the other half and it gives Fig. 79. We now have graceful and beautiful foundation lines on which any vine or flower may be placed as ornamentation. We will select the rose, allowing the lines to form the stems and using as ornament the bud, flower and seed-vessels, remembering that one side must be an exact duplicate of the other (see Fig. 80).
With these curves invent new designs by placing them together in different ways, and choose for decoration anything which may strike your fancy.
Plant Cross-section Designs.
Have you ever noticed how curiously some leaves are curled before opening? Watch them as they commence to expand and grow, and you will be delighted with the great variety and unique designs formed by the folding and rolling of these leaf-buds.
Cut a bud square across in the centre with a sharp knife, and this will show the nicety of arrangment of the young leaves. The leaf-bud of the sage (Fig. 81), rosemary (Fig. 82), apricot (Fig. 83), and still another variety of pattern (Fig. 84), are all singular natural designs.
The petals of flower-buds are also folded in many ways, affording odd designs; if cut in like manner as the leaves, the cross-sections will be as beautiful. Fig. 85, the lilac bud, and the oleander (Fig. 86), give some idea of these odd designs. Submit all kinds of buds to the test by cutting them in halves, and carefully examining the two parts, observe how nicely and orderly the leaves are folded together. In this way you will find many natural ornamental patterns.
Nor must we neglect the seed-vessels; when these in their turn are cut open, they present excellent designs. Fig. 87 is a cross-section of the seed-vessel of the harebell. Other seeds will furnish queer forms and figures to be obtained in no other way.
Flower Sprays.
The common white clover with its trefoil leaf is very pretty, and if a few sprays are placed together in a graceful manner it is surprising how readily they lend themselves to decoration. Experiment with these, gather a few blossoms and leaves, group them on the centre of a piece of paper, and make an outline of the group; then trace it off in order to repeat the copy at equal intervals from the central figure (see illustration, [page 138]); this makes a very simple and yet beautiful design for embroidery, needle-work, or wall-paper pattern. In the same manner try grasses and different kinds of flowers.
Conventional designs can also be formed by simply inclosing a natural spray in a geometrical figure. Fig. 88 is a circle, but a square, triangle, diamond, oval, or any geometrical figure may take the place of the circle.
Changing the Color
of a natural object gives still another style of ornamental art. A spray of flowers and leaves in one color on a background of different tint is an example. The spray may be brown on a yellow background, or a dull blue on white background, either way it will be conventionalized. So you see that by merely making natural objects all in one tint, you can have a great variety of designs suitable for china, embroidery, wall paper, and many other decorations. It is instructive to examine the panels, screens, or painted china of the Japanese. There is a freedom and crispness about their ornamental art, which is very attractive.
The method the Japanese frequently employ is to diminish the size of the fruit or flowers while increasing the size of the leaves, and vice-versa; in this way they invent designs without losing the character of the object they copy, and it is really a very simple, yet effective method.
Suppose you try and see what you can make with it. The next time you have an opportunity, notice how the Oriental artists carry out this idea in their decorations, and it will help you in making your designs.
Burs.
The tenacious little burs found clinging to your dress after a country walk, when grouped together are not without beauty. Fig. 89 is formed of four of these burs placed at right angles making an ornament, and when the ornament is repeated at regular intervals as in Fig. 90, it forms a border design.
Seeds with downy or feathery tails are well adapted for decorations; three grouped together (Fig. 91), is a design of itself, which may also be re-duplicated (Fig. 92). The horse-chestnut or buckeye is decorative, and makes an odd design (Fig. 93). Also the seed-vessel of the Velvet-leaf or Abutilon avicennæ (Figs. 94 and 95).
The Water-Lily.
In the illustration of the water-lily, the writer has conventionalized it by curving the stem around the flower and duplicating the same, always making the stem meet the next lily, then inclosing the flowers in two straight lines, so forming a water-lily border. Now, girls, you can realize how very simple it is to apply botany to art, and make for yourselves new and original designs.
The knowledge of plants is not only interesting but useful in connection with art, in selecting and determining appropriate designs for wood-carving, hammered brass, or any kind of ornamentation or decoration. The cross-section of some trees will furnish very good designs and the differently formed roots of plants and flowers will aid you in ornamental art.
So we find that Nature offers us exquisite designs, in many shapes and forms, and we have only to stretch out our hand and take what we want.
“Beauty doth truly inhabit everywhere,” for “it is mind alone that is beautiful, and in perceiving beauty, we only contemplate the shadow of our own affections.”
CHAPTER XIII.
DOOR-STEP PARTY AND QUIET GAMES FOR HOT WEATHER.
IN the State of Kentucky, in one of whose towns the writer’s early childhood was spent, the summers are long, and frequently very hot spells occur when even in the early morning hours there is no refreshing coolness in the air. As the sun rises higher and higher in the heavens, its rays grow fiercer and fiercer, until by afternoon, the heat is so intense that few persons care to venture out of doors, unless compelled by business or necessity to do so.
At dusk, however, after the heat of the day is spent, and the air, although not cool, is a degree or two less hot, the population of the town makes itself visible. Ladies and children clad in the thinnest of white and light colored muslin gowns, emerge from the houses to sit upon piazza and door-step, and there welcome the husband, father, and brothers of the family upon their return from business; that business which is never neglected no matter what the thermometer may register. After tea the door-steps are once more taken possession of, and to enter the house again until ready to retire for the night, is not to be thought of. Friends and neighbors making social calls are received and entertained informally upon the door-steps, and sometimes when the party becomes too large for the steps to accommodate, chairs are placed upon the pavement immediately in front of the door, and no one feels, while occupying one of these seats, that the position is at all public or conspicuous.
Hatless and bonnetless as all of the ladies and children are, the warmth of the evenings making all head coverings and extra wraps unnecessary and uncomfortable, the streets present a gay and fête-like appearance seldom seen in our eastern towns.
At least this is as it was when, as one of the band of merry children, I played “Oats-peas-beans” and “Come Philanders,” upon the sidewalk, and I do not think these customs have changed much since then.
Later, when I and my young friends had outgrown the “ring-around-arosy” games, we used to gather upon the door-step, and there chatter away about the day’s doings, or whatever interested us at the time. When tired of talking, we would amuse ourselves by playing quiet games or telling stories. Sometimes the thoughtful mother of our young hostess would add to our enjoyment by serving some light refreshment, such as ice-cream or fruit. The greatest treat, and the one most appreciated, was when we were invited to partake of a great crisp frozen water-melon, whose blood-red core, sweet as sugar and cold as ice, quickly melted away between the rosy lips of the little guests. We were not always thus favored, however; the refreshments were ever a pleasant surprise, but the pleasure of our evening was not marred by their absence.
The remembrance of what very pleasant times we used to have at these impromptu little parties, urges me to devote some pages of this book to the description of a door-step party, that by acting upon the suggestion, others may enjoy them even as did that group of little Kentucky girls.
Now is just the time for a door-step party; now when the beauty of the evening lures us from the lighted parlor to the shadowy piazza whose coolness is so attractive after the long, hot summer day. Here soft breezes fan our cheeks, and here, perhaps, the moonlight filtering through vine and trellis, is carpeting the floor with lacy shadows, and with its soft mysterious light is casting a glamour over all familiar things.
It is a modest little fête, this door-step party, a simple way of entertaining one’s friends of a summer evening when the heat will not permit of the exertion of active games. The delightful out-door surroundings give it a novel charm and make it entirely different from the frolics usually indulged in during the winter season.
Because the entertainment is not noisy it need not be the less enjoyable, and a party of bright, merry girls will derive plenty of amusement and fun from the quiet games of a door-step party. The following will give an idea of what games are suitable for an occasion of this kind.
Five Minutes’ Conversation
is not exactly a game, although there are rules which must be obeyed in order to make it interesting.
A programme with small pencil attached, like the one shown in Fig. 97, should be given to each guest upon her arrival. The engagements for five minutes’ conversation are made by putting your name down on your friend’s card opposite the time chosen for your conversation with her.
Five minutes only are allowed for one conversation.
Two or more consecutive engagements with one person are not allowable. When engagements are made and programmes filled, the hostess, or anyone willing to be time-keeper, must ring a bell giving notice that the conversation is to begin.
At the end of five minutes the bell is to be rung again, when all talking must instantly cease, the exchange of positions be quickly made, and a new conversation be commenced.
The time-keeper should be strictly attentive to her duties, for the bell must be rung regularly at the end of every five minutes.
The hour allotted to this new mode of conversation will pass very quickly, and cannot become in the least tiresome, as the time spent in talking to any one person is so very short.
Blind-man’s Singing-school.
One of the party must be blindfolded to take the part of teacher. The class composed of the rest of the players should sit in a line facing her.
The teacher informs her scholars that they will begin the lesson by singing the scales. Then the head girl, or the one at the top of the line, sings ah! and the next, ah! a little higher or lower, and so it goes down the line; each one in turn uttering ah! in any key or note she please; in a high shrill voice, or the deepest tone a girlish throat is capable of. The teacher should listen attentively, and when she thinks she recognizes a voice she must command the class to stop while she makes some criticism on the manner in which the note is sung, at the same time calling the singer by name.
When one of the players is named correctly, she must be blindfolded and become teacher, while the former teacher takes her place in the class.
A general exchange of seats is made before the singing lesson recommences, that the voices may not be guessed by the direction from which they come. To give variety to this game the second teacher may direct the class to sing a song, selecting some well-known nursery rhyme; then, beginning at the top of the line as before, each player must sing the word which comes to her to supply. It is the privilege of each teacher to direct the class to sing whatever she may choose, either song or exercise.
A Game of Noted Men,
is played in this way: The hostess begins the game by saying, I know a celebrated poet; the first part of his name is very black, and the last is an elevation. Whoever gives the right name, which is Coleridge (coal, ridge), in her turn describes the name of some noted person. She may choose Shakespeare and say, I give the name of a noted author and poet; the first part is something people are apt to do when they are cold, the last is a weapon of warfare.
There are quite a number of names which will do nicely for this game; a few of them are—
- Wordsworth—words, worth.
- Cornwall—corn, wall.
- Howitt—how, it.
- Milman—mill, man.
- Shelley—shell, lea.
- Washington—washing, ton.
- Fillmore—fill, more.
- Longfellow—long, fellow.
When giving a name to be guessed, the profession of the man, whether poet, author, statesman, or soldier, must be given, but nothing else should be told about him.
What will You Take to the Picnic?
can be played very nicely while the party are enjoying some light refreshments.
The hostess alone should be in the secret, and these directions are addressed only to her.
Commence the game by announcing that you propose to give a picnic, that it depends upon what your guests will bring for lunch whether they will be allowed to attend, and that each one must furnish two articles of food. Then ask the person nearest you, What will you take to the picnic? If the name of neither of the articles she mentions commences with the initial letter of her Christian name or surname tell her she cannot go, and put the question to the next person, asking each in turn, What will you take to the picnic?
For example, we will suppose that the name of one of the party is Susan Davis, and she says she will take crackers and lemons, she cannot go, as neither of her names commence with C or L; but if she proposes to take salmon and doughnuts, she will be doubly welcome, since S and D are both her initials. Should she say sugar and cream, she could go for one of her names commences with S.
Continue to put the question to each player until all, or nearly all, have discovered why their proposed contribution to the lunch secures them a welcome, or debars them from attending the picnic.
Assumed Characters.
In this game some well-known novelist is selected—Dickens, for instance—and each player chooses one of his characters to personate, telling no one her choice. Then one of the players relates the life as though it were her own, and portrays with voice and gesture the character she has assumed. Of course no names must be mentioned.
The person who first guesses what character is being personated has the privilege of deciding who shall be the next to tell her story.
The game of Assumed Characters will prove to be very entertaining if each player does her part and makes her narrative as amusing and interesting as possible.
Shadow Verbs.
A white sheet is fastened tightly across a French window, or doorway opening upon the piazza, and a large lamp set behind it.
The company separates into two parties; one enters the house, while the other remains seated upon the piazza facing the suspended sheet.
The outside party chooses a verb which the others are to guess and perform. When their decision is made they call the leader of the inside party and say, “The verb we have chosen rhymes with rake,” or whatever it may rhyme with. The leader then joins her followers and consults with them what the first guess shall be. It is best to take the verbs which rhyme with the noun given in alphabetical order. Bake would come first for rake, and if it is decided that they shall act this, several of the party step before the lamp, which casts their shadows on the sheet and, without speaking, go through the motions of making and baking bread. If the guess is right (that is if to bake was the verb chosen) the spectators clap their hands; if wrong, they cry, No, no.
When they hear the no, no, the actors retire and arrange what to do next. Make, quake, take, wake are all acted in turn, until the clap of approval announces that they have been successful in guessing the verb. Then the actors take the seats vacated by the spectators, who in their turn enter the house to become shadows and act the verbs chosen by the other party, and the game goes on as before. A little ingenuity on the part of the players in producing funny and absurd shadows makes the whole thing very laughable and causes great amusement.
There are an unlimited number of games that may be played, but the object of this chapter is not so much to describe the games as it is to illustrate those that are appropriate to the quiet and delightful entertainment known as a door-step party.
CHAPTER XIV.
HOW TO MAKE A HAMMOCK.
UNDERNEATH the spreading branches of the cool, shady tree swings our hammock.
Through the intertwining boughs the golden sunlight is sifted in bright little dashes on the leafy foliage below. Lying ensconced in its lacy meshes idly listening to the hum of the busy bumble-bees at work among the red clover, or gazing up through the leafy canopy to the blue heavens where now and then fleecy white clouds float softly past, or watching a flight of birds skim o’er the distant horizon, who would not be lulled by the harmony of the summer day! A delightful languor steals over us and we unconsciously drift into the land of dreams where perfect rest is found. We awaken refreshed, to again gently swing back and forth and vaguely wonder who could have first thought of this most delightful invention. It is said that we owe the luxury to the Athenian, General Alcibiades, who, in 415 B.C. first made the swinging bed. The word hammock is taken from hamacas or hamac, an Indian word which Columbus relates as being used by the Indians to signify a hanging bed composed of netting. What these uncivilized red men made with their rude implements, we ought to be able with our modern facilities to accomplish very easily and quickly.
Home-made Comforts.
Mesh-sticks..
It is not difficult to make a hammock; anyone can soon knit one that is strong and comfortable, and it should not cost more than fifty cents. The materials required will be one hammock-needle about nine inches long (this can be whittled out of hickory or ash, or purchased for ten cents); two iron rings two and one-half inches in diameter, which will cost about five cents each; two mesh-sticks or fids, one twenty inches long and eight inches wide bevelled on both edges (Fig. 98): the other nine inches long and two and one-half inches wide, bevelled on the long edge (Fig. 99); these you can easily make yourself from any kind of wood.
| Fig. 100.—Hammock Needle. | Fig. 101.—The Loop. | Fig. 102.—Small Fid and Loop. |
One pound of Macremé cord number twenty-four, or hammock twine of the same number, which can be had for less than thirty cents; colored cord comes five cents extra.
Wind the cord in balls, as it is then more convenient to handle, and begin making your hammock. First, thread the needle by taking it in the left hand and using the thumb to hold the end of the cord in place, while looping it over the tongue (Fig. 100); pass the cord down under the needle to the opposite side and catch it over the tongue; repeat this until the needle is full.
Fig. 106.—Meshes.
Next, make a loop of a piece of cord two yards long and fasten this to any suitable place (Fig. 101)—a door-knob will do very well; then tie the cord on your needle three inches from the end to this loop. Place the small fid under the cord, the bevelled edge close to the loop (Fig. 102). With your thumb on the cord to hold it in place while you pass the needle around the fid, and with its point toward you, pass it through the loop from the top, bringing it over the fid, so forming the first half of the knot (Fig. 103). Pull this taut, holding it in place with your thumb while throwing the cord over your hand, which forms the loop as in (Fig. 104). Then pass the needle from under through the loops, drawing it tight to fasten the knot. Hold it in place with your thumb, and repeat the operation for the next knot. Fig. 105 shows a number of these knots finished. A is a loosened knot, making plain its construction. B, in Figs. 103, 104, and 105, is the cord running to the needle, and D is the fid. When thirty meshes are finished shove them off the fid (Fig. 106), as this number will make the hammock sufficiently wide.
Fig. 107.—Commencing the Second Row.
Commence the next row by again placing the fid under the cord, and take up the first mesh, drawing it close to the fid; hold it in place with your thumb while throwing the cord over your hand; pass the needle on the left hand-side of the mesh from under through the loop thrown over your hand (Fig. 107); pull this tight and you will have tied the common knitting-knot; proceed in like manner with all the loops in rotation until the row is finished. When it is necessary to thread or fill your needle, tie the ends of the cord with the fisherman’s knot shown in Fig. 108, which cannot slip when properly tightened. Wrap each end of the cord from the knot securely to the main cord with strong thread to give a neat appearance to the hammock.
Fig. 108.—Fisherman’s Knot.
Continue knitting until thirty rows are finished.
Then use the large fid, knitting one row on the short side first, next one on the long side. This accomplished, knit the meshes to the ring by passing the needle through it from the top, knitting them to the ring in rotation as if they were on the mesh-stick or fid (Fig. 109). When finished tie the string securely to the ring, and one end of your hammock is finished.
On the Ring.
Cut the loop on which the first row was knitted, and draw it through the knots. Tie the end of the cord on your needle to the same piece used in fastening the end of the first needleful to the loop (Fig. 110), and knit the long meshes to the other ring as described. This completed, the hammock is finished.
To swing it, secure two pieces of strong rope and fasten them firmly to the iron rings, the length of the rope depending upon the space between the two points from which you wish it to hang. These should be if possible twelve or fifteen feet apart and at least ten feet high, to give your hammock sufficient room to swing freely.
This suspended bed will furnish a welcome retreat when the weather is too warm to admit of games, walks, or other amusements. Then, with some favorite book, or if even reading is too much of an exertion, simply to lie indolently in the hammock is a comfort, so restful and quiet that the time quickly passes, and we are made better and brighter for our short, passive repose.
Very decorative nets, and useful ones of many kinds, including fish-nets and minnow-seines, are made with the same stitch as that used in the hammock. The size of the mesh is regulated by the circumference of the fid, and the twine used is fine or coarse, according to the style of net desired.
Barrel Hammock.
When in the Catskills last summer the writer saw for the first time a hammock made of a barrel. It was painted red and looked very cheery and inviting hanging under the green boughs; the two colors, being complementary, harmonized beautifully.
This hammock was made of a piece of strong rope twenty feet long threaded in and out of barrel staves, and was substantial and durable. The construction of such a hammock is very simple. Remove the top and bottom hoops and nails from a firm, clean barrel. Then before taking off the remaining hoops draw a pencil-line around both ends of the barrel, being careful to have the marking three inches from and parallel to the edges; this is for a guide when making the two holes in each end of all the staves. Bore the holes with a five-eighth of an inch augur or a red-hot poker, using the pencil-line as a centre; leave an equal margin on both sides of the staves, and at the same time enough space in the centre to preclude all danger of breakage.
Fasten the staves together by threading the rope through the hole from the out side of the first stave, then across the inside of the stave down through the other hole (see illustration). Continue threading until one side is finished, then in like manner thread the other side. Knock off the remaining hoops and the staves will appear as shown at bottom of illustration. Tie the two ends of the rope together and fasten loops of rope on both ends; these should be of sufficient length to conveniently swing the hammock. When threading the staves let the rope be loose enough to leave a space of an inch or so between each stave when the barrel is spread out in the form of a hammock.
In this way you can have a serviceable hammock, the cost of which will be about twenty-five cents and a little labor.
Grandmamma’s Dolls.
CHAPTER XV.
(FOR LITTLE GIRLS.)
CORN-HUSK AND FLOWER DOLLS.
Head Commenced.
NO such beautiful dolls as delight the hearts of the children of to-day, ever peeped forth from the Christmas-stockings of our grandmothers or great-grandmothers when they were little girls. In those times there were not, as there are now, thousands of people doing nothing but making toys for the entertainment and pleasure of the little ones, and the motherly little hearts were fain to content themselves with lavishing unlimited affection and care upon a rag, wooden, or corn-husk baby, made and dressed at home. Since then almost every child tired of, and surfeited with handsome and expensive toys, has been glad at times to get grandma to make for her a real old-fashioned dollie which might be hugged in rapturous moments of affection without fear of dislocating some of its numerous joints, or putting out of order its speaking or crying apparatus; and might in times of forgetfulness be dropped on the floor and suffer no injury thereby. Such a doll is just the kind to adopt for the summer. The fine French doll with its delicate wax or china face, silky hair, and dainty toilets, is more suited to the elegances of the parlor than to the wear and tear of out-door life, and everyone knows that summer holidays spent in the country are far too precious to be wasted taking care of anyone’s complexion, let alone a doll’s; so it is best to leave the city doll in her city home, safe out of harm’s way, and manufacture, from materials to be found in the country, one more suited to country surroundings.
The Corn Husk.
Corn-husks, corn-cobs, and ordinary garden flowers can be made into dolls which, although not quite so pretty nor so shapely as those produced from more costly material, yet possess a charm of their own which the children are not slow to perceive.
Little Indian girls, to whom store babies are unknown, make the most complete and durable corn-husk dolls, and the following directions tell just how to construct them:
Provide yourself with the husks of several large ears of corn, and from among them select the soft white ones which grow closest to the ear. Place the stiff ends of two husks together, fold a long, soft husk in a lengthwise strip, and wind it around the ends so placed as in Fig. 111. Select the softest and widest husk you can find, fold it across the centre and place a piece of strong thread through it (as in Fig. 112), draw it in, tie it securely (Fig. 113), place it entirely over the husks you have wound, then bring it down smoothly and tie with thread underneath (Fig. 114); this will form the head and neck. To make the arms, divide the husks below the neck in two equal parts, fold together two or more husks and insert them in the division (Fig. 115). Hold the arms in place with one hand, while with the other you fold alternately over each shoulder several layers of husks, allowing them to extend down the front and back. When the little form seems plump enough, use your best husks for the topmost layers and wrap the waist with strong thread, tying it securely (Fig. 116). Next divide the husks below the waist and make the legs by neatly wrapping each portion with thread, trimming them off evenly at the feet. Finally, twist the arms once or twice, tie, and trim them off at the hands. The features can be drawn on the face with pen and ink, or may be formed of small thorns from the rose-bush. Fig. 117 shows the doll complete, minus its costume, which may be of almost any style or material, from the pretty robe of a civilized lady to the more scanty garments of its originator, the Indian. The doll is represented in full Indian costume in Fig. 118. The war-paint and tomahawk are not necessary here, as he is smoking a pipe of peace. His apparel is composed of one garment, which is cut from a broad, soft corn-husk, after the pattern given in Fig. 119. A narrow strip of husk tied about his waist forms the belt.
| Corn-husk Tied. | Head and Arms. | Head Finished. |
His head-dress is made of small chicken feathers stuck at regular intervals into a strip of husk. The corn-silk hair is placed on his head, and on top of that one end of the head-dress is fastened with a thorn.
| Head, Arms, and Body. | Finished Doll. |
A small twig is used for the stem of his pipe, and two rose-bush thorns form the bowl. Instead of using a thorn for his mouth, a round hole is punched in the face and the stem of the pipe inserted.
| A Real Indian Doll. | The Indian’s Dress. |
Mary Jane.
Here is another way of making a doll which is very easy and simple. First find a young ear of corn, one on which the silk has not turned brown; then with a crab-apple for a head and a leaf of the corn to dress her with, you have your material. Cut off squarely that end of the ear where the husks are puckered, to join the stalk, and carefully take the silk from the other end, disturbing as little as possible the closely wrapped husks.
Roll part of the leaf (as indicated in Fig. 120) for the arms, then with a small twig fasten the head to the arms; stick the other end of the twig into the small end of the corn-cob, and the doll is ready for dressing. Her bonnet is made of the leaf just where it joins the stalk (Fig. 121), and is fastened to her head with a thorn. Before adjusting the bonnet, however, the silk must be placed on the head to form the hair.
| Material and Parts of Doll. | Mary Jane. |
Make the scarf of part of the leaf (Fig. 122), fold it around the shoulders, and secure it with thorns.
The features also are made of thorns.
When her toilet is complete, you can but acknowledge that this rosy-cheeked little maid, peeping from beneath her poke-bonnet, is very cunning indeed.
Flower Dolls.
The flower lady with the baby is made of a yellow gourd flower; the small gourd attached, which has just begun to form, serves for her head; a green gourd leaf is used for her shawl, and her bonnet is made of a smaller leaf folded to fit her head. The baby is a white gourd bud, with a cap made of a leaf. A small twig stuck through part of the lady’s shawl, through the baby, and into the lady doll, holds the child in place and makes it appear as though clasped in the mother’s arms.
The features of both dolls are scratched on with a pin and then inked. To make the lady stand erect, a small twig is stuck into the heart of the flower, and the other end into the top of a small paste-board-box lid.
The other flower doll is made of the common garden flowers. The underskirt is a petunia; a Canterbury-bell forms the over-skirt and waist; small twigs, or broom-straws stuck through buds of the phlox, are the arms, and the head is a daisy with the petals cut off to look like a bonnet. The features are made with pen and ink on the yellow centre. A reversed daisy forms the parasol.
If the flowers named are not at hand, those of a similar shape will answer just as well.
Gaily dressed little ladies can be made of the brilliantly tinted hollyhocks, and many other flowers can also be transformed into these pretty though perishable dolls.
CHAPTER XVI.
HOW TO MAKE A FAN.
“That graceful toy whose moving play
With gentle gales relieves the sultry day.”
Butterfly Fan.
A FAN is only a pretty trifle, yet it has been made rather an important one. To manage a fan gracefully was some time ago considered very essential by fair dames of society, and in the dainty hand of many a famous beauty it has played a conspicuous part. Queen Elizabeth regarded it with so much favor that she was called the “Patron of Fans,” and she made a rule that no present save a fan should be accepted by English queens from their subjects.
Although held in such high esteem, it is only since the influx of any and every thing Japanese that we have had fans in such profusion, and have discovered how effective they are when used for decorative purposes.
Diagram of One-half of Butterfly Fan
Folded Fans.
A brilliantly tinted fan is of equal value in giving just the right touch of color to a costume or the decorations of a room, and this chapter will show how the girls can make the fans themselves, and have for use or for the adornment of their rooms those of various shapes, sizes, and colors. The first fan represented here is made in the form of a butterfly. The principal articles necessary for its manufacture are a strip of smooth, brown wrapping-paper, stiff enough to keep its folds, and two sticks for handles. The ribbon which, in the illustration, ties the handles together looks pretty, but is not indispensable; an elastic band, or one made of narrow ribbon, slipped over the sticks will do as well.
The paper must be twenty-eight inches long and five and one-half inches wide. In order to fold it evenly it should be ruled across with lines one-half inch apart, as shown in diagram of butterfly ([page 179]). When the paper is prepared the pattern can be copied from the diagram, which is half of the butterfly. By counting the lines and using them as guides for obtaining the proportions, an exact reproduction of this pattern can be made. The outlines being drawn, the paper must be plaited, one fold on top of another, until twenty-seven plaits have been laid. Smoothing out the paper again, the butterfly should be painted with water-colors in flat, even tints.
The lower part of diagram is the body of the insect and is of a light-brown color, also the space just below the head, which is surrounded by a strip of black.
Handle.
The head and eyes are black, the eyes having a half-circle of white to separate them from the head. The main part of the wings are a brownish purple, next to which comes a border of very dark purple with light-blue spots. The outer border is light yellow. When the paint is quite dry the extra paper at the top of the butterfly is to be cut away. Again the fan must be plaited in the folds already formed, and the plaits fastened together at one end with a strong needle and thread, as shown in diagram (Fig. 123). Fig. 124 shows the shape of the handles, two of which are required; they should be about nine inches long, one-third of an inch wide, and one-eighth of an inch thick. A handle must be glued to the last fold at each end of the fan (see Fig. 125). The fan should be kept closed until the glue is dry, when it may be opened and used at pleasure.
Our next sketch is that of the Mikado fan, and represents a Japanese lady who, with her fan held aloft, is making a bowing salutation.
This fan is made of the same paper as that used for the butterfly, and is cut the same width; there are, however, twenty-nine plaits instead of twenty-seven, as in the other. The diagram gives the pattern in two parts, and the colors it is to be painted; the face and hands should be of a flesh-tint and the features done with black in outline. The directions for putting together the butterfly apply as well to the Mikado fan.
Pattern of Mikado Fan.
The third illustration shows a fan made in the shape of a daisy. Diagram on [page 183] shows a section of the pattern.
Daisy Fan.
White paper should be used, and it must be laid in thirty-four plaits, which will give the flower fifteen whole and two half petals, the half petals being at each end.
The tinted part of pattern indicates where it is painted yellow to form the centre of the daisy.
For a plain round fan no pattern is needed. It is made simply of a strip of paper, of the width used for the other fans, and has about thirty plaits. When fans of this kind are made of colored paper in solid tints they are very pretty. Pieces of bright, figured wall-paper left from papering a room can be utilized, and quite effective fans be made of them to use for decoration.
Pattern for Daisy Fan.
Another style of fan is represented in our last illustration. It is made of twenty slats of cardboard cut after pattern Fig. 126. These slats are joined together at the top and centre with narrow ribbon passed through the slits cut for it, as shown in Fig. 127. Over the ribbon where it passes through the top slits, on the wrong side of the fan, square pieces of paper are pasted, which hold the ribbon down securely at these points. The paper is pasted only at each end of the ribbon in the middle row. It is best to leave one end of this ribbon loose until the fan is joined at the bottom; then opening the fan, and drawing the ribbon until it fits the fan smoothly, it can be cut the right length and the loose end fastened down. A ribbon is also used to hold the slats together at the bottom; a bow at each side keeps them in place (see Fig. 128). When a large fan for decoration is desired, the slats should be about eighteen inches long, two and a half inches wide at the top, and one and a half inch wide at the bottom. The fan may be larger still, in which case it can be used as a screen to set before an empty fire-place. For this purpose the slats have to be two feet long, four inches wide at the top, and two and a half inches wide at the bottom.
Construction of Cardboard Fan.
The proportions of the slats for a small hand-fan are eight and a half inches long, one and a half inch wide at the top, and one inch wide at the bottom. The large fans should be made of heavier cardboard or pasteboard than that used for smaller ones.
Cardboard Fan
Colored cardboard, which can be bought at almost any stationer’s, is the best to use, but the slats of ordinary white cardboard may be covered with colored paper if more convenient.
These fans may be varied to suit the taste of the girls who make them. Instead of a solid color, one can be made with alternate slats of red and white, blue and yellow, or any other colors that harmonize. Another may show all the tints of the rainbow, and for use on the Fourth of July one might display the red, white, and blue.
Some will look especially handsome if prettily painted. A dark-red fan with a branch of dogwood-blossoms painted across it makes a charming wall decoration, as does also one of light blue with pine-branch and cone painted in brown or black.
A gilt fan lightens up a dusky corner beautifully; it can be curved around to fit the place, and catching and reflecting the light at all angles, as it does, it is quite effective.
