Two Pieces of Crêpe Paper Stitched Together and Ruffled, to Make a Fancy Electric-Light Shade
The body of the shade is made of a piece of paper about 5-1/2 in. wide and 3-1/2 ft. long. The width will vary with the length of the globe to be covered, and it is best to have it full, as the edge can be trimmed even with the lower end of the globe afterward. Another piece of the same color is cut 2-1/2 in. wide and of the same length. This piece makes the ruffle.
The smaller piece is placed on the larger centrally, and both are stitched together with a running stitch, using a needle and cotton thread. A plain running stitch is also made 1/4 in. from one edge of the larger strip. The material is gathered along both threads. This operation makes the material shrink in length. Wrap it around the globe, pulling the threads taut so that the ends of the paper will just meet. Tie the threads and clip off the extending ends. If the paper extends beyond the end of the globe, trim it off with the shears. Ruffle the two edges of the narrow strip and the lower edge of the larger one. This operation is simply stretching the edge of the crêpe to cause it to stand out.—Contributed by Jas. A. Hart, Philadelphia, Pa.
Renewing the Markings on Graduates
Graduates that have been in use a long time, especially for measuring alkalies, become unreadable. The graduations are easily restored in the following manner: Moisten a small piece of absorbent cotton with a solution of white shellac, cut in alcohol. Rub this well into all the etched parts and allow to dry for about two minutes, then rub in a fine whiting or litharge with an old toothbrush. If red is desired, use rouge; if black is preferred, use lampblack or powdered graphite. When dry, wipe off the excess pigment with a cloth moistened in alcohol.—Contributed by A. C. Norris, Rockford, Ill.
Repairing a Broken Ball-Clasp Purse
Having occasion to repair a purse of the ordinary ball-clasp kind where one of the stems was broken off and lost, I first had some trouble in finding a way to repair it. I started to take off the remaining stem in an attempt to replace the locking device with another kind, and in bending it down toward the opposite side, I happened to close the purse and found that it locked just as well as if there had been two balls on it. I have since repaired two other purses in the same manner and found that they worked well.
The idea is to bend the remaining clasp over until it is low enough to come in contact with and to spring over the other side, thus giving the same snap and holding qualities as before.—Contributed by W. C. Loy, Rochester, Ind.