A Black Hat
The very best way to clean a black hat, whether it be chip, mohair, or tagel, real or imitation, is to make some rather strong tea, and, after brushing all dust from the hat, apply this with a small brush. Saturate the hat thoroughly, and when dry it will be as perfect in colour and appearance as when first bought.
If you want the hat to be stiff, add half a teaspoonful of liquid gum to the tea, and mix well before applying. The hat will then keep its stiffness, but will not have a glossy appearance.
Real Lace
Real lace should never be washed, but can be cleaned in the following way. Put it between layers of tissue paper well sprinkled with calcined magnesia, place between the leaves of a book, and under a heavy weight for three days. Then shake the powder out and the lace will be perfectly clean.
Small Pieces from the Whole Ham
The economy of buying a whole ham at once instead of a pound or a slice is apparent to every housewife who studies her weekly bills. The initial cost is less—many trips to the store are saved and the housewife has the chance of using all of the ham—trimmings, skin, bone, etc., etc.