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WHAT A GIRL CAN
MAKE AND DO

New Ideas

for

Work

and

Play

What

A Girl Can Make And Do

BY

Lina Beard

and

Adelia B. Beard

New York

Charles Scribner’s

Sons

1902

Copyright, 1902, by

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS

Published, October, 1902

TROW DIRECTORY

PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY

NEW YORK

PREFACE

This new century, bringing with it the strong, healthy, independent, athletic American girl, makes a demand for new opportunities for the exercise of both mind and body. Resourcefulness and a wish to do things for one’s self are American traits strongly developed in the girls as well as in the boys; and, keeping step with their brothers, our girls are walking steadily onward, with new hopes and new ambitions in work and play, and are reaping new rewards.

This book is the result of the authors’ earnest desire to be of some assistance to their young friends by encouraging them in their wish to do things for themselves, and by pointing out some directions in which they may gratify this ambition. Within its covers are suggestions for a wide variety of things, useful, instructive, and entertaining, which a girl may make and do, with wholesome and genuine pleasure. The ideas that are worked out are essentially those of the authors, and are not, as is often the case, derived from other books. The drawings, too, are all original, as in “The American Girl’s Handy Book,” to which this is a companion volume.

In conclusion the authors wish to express their sincere thanks to the Delineator and the Woman’s Home Companion, whose prompt and generous courtesy, in returning such original drawings and material as were used in their respective magazines, has greatly facilitated the preparation of this work and added to its interest.

Flushing, June 16, 1902.

CONTENTS

WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE

PART I
WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE

Fig. 9.—The Girl at the Bench.

CHAPTER I
WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE WITH HAMMER
AND SAW

This is an age when girls go to college and engage in athletic sports; when they have their manual training, as boys do and are learning to use their hands, as never before, in all sorts of skilful work. The deftness of their fingers is utilized not alone in embroidery, or what was once considered girl’s work, but in the manufacture of many useful, artistic, and beautiful objects once thought beyond their reach. Our girls no longer resort to the scissors to sharpen a lead-pencil or to their brother’s chisel to pull out tacks; they are beginning to know and appreciate the value of tools and are becoming proficient in their use.

If you are one of these modern girls, girls of the twentieth century, who like to use both brains and hands, a little workshop stocked with a few good tools and material for carpentry work will give you many hours of pure enjoyment. The tool-chest, denied to girls of the past generation, is yours for the asking; the manual training in the public schools has given to many of you the advantage of learning the use of saw, plane, and hammer, and your physical culture has produced the strength and energy for this active work.

The Workshop

Just a room, any room, that will afford sufficient light for your work, that is all you need for a beginning. Having the room you have a place for your first tool, if it is necessary to collect them one at a time, and it is much better to do that than to buy a cheap tool-chest. When you have one tool make a place for it and keep it in its place. A hammer, a saw, a hatchet, a sharp knife, a screw-driver, a gimlet, and a rule are the first tools you will need. The writer once made a very good mantel-board, cleated at the ends with rounded corners, which has stood the heating and drying process of many winters over an open fire, without warping, and her tools were simply a hatchet, a meat-saw, and a pocket knife. Of course, the work would have been much easier and more enjoyable had she possessed the proper tools, but this example serves to show how few tools are absolutely necessary. A plane, a chisel, and an auger-bit and brace will be needed later; after that a gouge, a try-square, and a file. These you may collect by degrees as your work grows more ambitious and you feel the need of them. Hooks, nails, tacks, and screws can be bought as required.

Have a hook for your saw and hang it up, lay your plane on its side, make a rack for your small tools something like Fig. 1, and have a box for your shavings. A shelf on which to keep your boxes of tacks and other small articles is indispensable; each of these boxes should be labelled and kept in its place; in fact, to get the full enjoyment from your workshop you must keep it in order and the tools just where you may always expect to find them.

What the Tools are for and How to Use Them

The Hammer.—A carpenter’s hammer is what you want, not a tack hammer, and it should be of medium weight. You are to use it in driving nails, in hammering things into place and in various ways not injurious to the hammer. The manner in which you hold this tool will make all the difference in the way you drive a nail. The hammer should be taken by the end of the handle and the head brought down squarely on the nail-head, otherwise the nail will slant to one side or perhaps bend.

Fig. 1.

The Saw.—The panel-saw is best suited to ordinary work, one having about ten teeth to the inch. Finer saws make a smoother cut, and you will probably find use for several, but one is enough to begin with. The saw is used for cutting large pieces of wood and for cutting across grain, and special saws serve for special purposes, such as sawing of curves and cutting out keyholes. With pencil and rule draw the line you wish your saw to follow. Stand above your work so that you may see the pencil line; hold the saw firmly in the right hand and with the left grasp the board, allowing your thumb to rest on the saw, above the teeth. This is to help guide the saw and to prevent cutting your hand. Take light, short strokes at first, then longer ones, using a little more force, and keep your saw at right angles with the board. If your material is large and heavy place it across two wooden horses, if light or small it is best to use a mitre-box.

The Hatchet.—You will find a good medium-sized hatchet with a sharp edge very useful, for cutting away or trimming, but it must be used with care, for to chop too vigorously will frequently split the wood. See that your hatchet does not follow the grain of the wood unless the grain runs in the direction you wish your cut to take.

The Knife.—Not a dainty pearl-handled pocket-knife but a strong, well-made, sharp-bladed jack-knife, large enough for all kinds of whittling. The knife is for fine cutting that cannot be done with the hatchet, and when one learns to whittle out various small articles much has been accomplished.

The Screw-driver.—It has been said that the feminine mind cannot grasp the difference between a screw-driver, a cork-screw, and a gimlet, and it remains with you to prove the contrary. A poor screw-driver is one of the most exasperating of poor tools, and a trial to one’s patience and temper; besides, it is of little use attempting to “make it do,” for it seldom will do. The edge is usually shaped like Fig. 2, and it slides and slips out of the groove of the screw until it has turned and worn down its edges and made the screw useless. Fig. 3 shows the proper shape for a screw-driver. The use of the tool is, of course, to put in and take out screws, and it is well to have two sizes, one for large, the other for small screws. Remember that in putting in a screw you turn it to the right, and to the left in taking it out.

Fig. 2 Fig. 3.

The Gimlet.—A medium-sized gimlet will answer your purpose. Use it for boring small holes and for starting holes for screws and large nails.

The Rule.—A rule is indispensable for measuring and laying out your work. A two-foot steel rule is the most useful, as it can be used both for measuring and ruling straight lines. A light folding rule is easier to handle in taking measurements, but you can make the other answer both purposes.

In taking measurements be as accurate as possible, and go over them several times to make sure they are correct. In ruling a line use the bevelled edge of the rule, hold it firmly in place with your left hand, and with a soft pencil in your right draw a line close to the edge of the rule. The wide, rather flat carpenter’s pencils are the best to use, but any soft lead-pencil will answer.

The Plane.—There are several kinds of planes, but the smoothing-plane will probably be all you will need, as you will not be likely to attempt to handle unplaned wood and will need the smoothing-plane only for finishing and smoothing off.

In using the plane hold it back of the iron (or blade) with your right hand, place your left on the stock (or wood) at the other end to help guide it, and push it forward as far as you can conveniently reach, bring it back, tipping it away from you in so doing, and take another stroke.

The farther the edge of the iron projects through the stock the deeper will be the cut and the thicker the shaving. To regulate this, tap on the stock at the forward end and loosen the iron, then adjust it to suit your work and fix it in place by driving down the wedge, which holds it, with a few light taps.

The Chisel.—This tool has a bevelled edge and is used for paring off the wood.

Unless you are quite careful there is danger of cutting your left hand in using the chisel, and it is best not to try to hold the work, but to fasten it in the vice; your left hand placed on the tool will steady and control it.

Fig. 4 Fig. 5.

Auger-bit and Brace.—For drilling large holes the auger-bit and brace are necessary. The bit resembles a gimlet in its spiral edge, but is not wedge-shaped, and the hole it makes is of unvarying size. You may have several bits for large or smaller holes. The brace is a handle which fits on the top of the bit, and makes it quite easy to manage.

The Gouge.—There are several kinds of gouges, the difference being in the shape of the blade; their curves vary from the shallow curve, Fig. 4, to the deeper one, Fig. 5. One with a moderate curve will prove the most useful. As the name suggests, the gouge is for gouging out the wood where it is necessary to make a groove, but be careful not to press too hard on the tool at first, as one is apt to make too deep a cut, and do not put your left hand in front of the blade.

Fig. 6.

The Try-square.—The square is a metal strip which forms an exact right angle and is used to test one’s work and keep it “square”; it is also used for ruling square corners. Fig. 6 shows its use in squaring off the end of a board. Figs. 7 and 8 show how the try-square will fit on an edge that is perfectly square and will not fit an imperfect one.

Fig. 7.

Fig. 8.

The File.—This tool is not indispensable, but is useful for smoothing off rounding edges and rough corners. Files for metal and those for wood differ, and should not be used indiscriminately. Rub the file back and forth over the surface to be smoothed, but do not press on it too heavily. If you are to use metal in your work a metal file is necessary. For wood a slightly curved surface is best.

The Carpenter’s Bench

When you can attain to a regular carpenter’s bench you will indeed be happy, but until then use a strong kitchen table that sits firmly on the floor or, better still, is fastened so that it cannot move. Have a carpenter add sides (a, Fig. 9), and a vice (b, Fig. 9). See page 2. You can hardly get along without a vice, for it is impossible to hold some of the work firmly enough without it.

The Horses

Fig. 10.

These wooden horses are convenient for holding boards when they are to be sawed, and for lifting work from the floor. You should have two of them, like Fig. 10, made by the carpenter.

The Mitre-box

This very useful contrivance is simply three pieces of narrow boards put together in the form of a box, having two sides and a bottom, but no ends or top. Eighteen inches is a suitable length, and its height should be no greater than the width of your saw. The mitre-box is used for holding the wood and guiding the saw at any angle. In the sides of the box are slits running from top to bottom, some passing diagonally, some at right angles through the boards. Any carpenter can make you a mitre-box; do not attempt one yourself, for to be of use it must be accurately made in every particular.

Choosing the Wood

It is well to know a little about what kind of wood to select when you are buying your material, for if you wish to make a durable article, one that will last long enough to pay for the making, you should not use wood that will warp and in a little while spoil your piece of work.

The heart-wood is always the best: this consists of boards cut from the heart, or centre, of the tree; they are harder, dryer than others, and less likely to warp or twist. The sap-wood, which is the part nearer the surface, contains so much sap it is difficult to season and will generally warp.

Select the boards yourself if possible, and see that they are planed equally on both sides and have square edges. Do not take a cracked board, a board with knot-holes or loose knots, or one that seems damp or musty, and be sure, if you can, that all your wood is well-seasoned.

Soft woods are best for your purpose at first, and while pine is very good, white-wood is better, and is easily worked.

What to Make

The Dressing-Table.

And now that all is ready and the workshop well stocked, what shall we make? What shall we not make, rather? Suppose we begin with a few simple pieces of furniture suitable for a summer cottage, a log-camp, or a play-house. We will use boxes, clothes-horses, or anything of the kind that will make a good foundation for the article and save extra work. When you feel that you can construct a piece of furniture without such helps, do so by all means, but at first do not scorn the humble box and barrel, they are excellent things to practise on.

We will start with

A Dressing-Table

Since the writer made one herself for her room in a log-house in the mountains of Pennsylvania, she is quite sure it can be done with very little practice in carpentry or cabinet-making.

Fig. 11.

Fig. 12.

The dressing-table is made of two pine shelves, two cigar-boxes, two small brackets, and an ordinary mirror. For the large shelf choose a board about twelve inches wide or wider, if you have one, measure the space your dressing-table is to occupy, mark the size on the board with a pencil, using your try-square to make your line at right angles with the edge of your board, and saw off the board at the ruled line. If the room is neither plastered nor ceiled and the uprights are left uncovered, let the large shelf reach across from one upright to the next, and make the smaller shelf just long and wide enough to fit in between. Saw out your supporting braces after the pattern given in Fig. 11, with the grain of the wood running up and down, making six in all; two for the large shelf, two for the small shelf, and two for the little side-brackets. Draw a line at each end of your shelf where the brace is to be fastened, and on this line bore two holes entirely through the board. With screws long enough to reach through the shelf and into the braces fasten the shelf and braces together, Fig. 12. Bore a hole near the bottom edge of each brace, as in Fig. 13, and directly over each brace screw into the top of the shelf, as near the edge as possible, a screw-eye, Fig. 14. Cover both shelves with pretty cretonne, putting a ruffle on the large shelf and drawing the material neatly over the edges of the smaller one.

Fig. 13.

On each end of the large shelf tack a cigar-box, which you have previously painted white. These boxes are for holding brushes and combs. Screw strong hooks into the uprights at the proper distance from the floor, then hook your large shelf on by the screw-eyes at the top, and screw the braces to the uprights through the holes at their lower corners. The upper shelf, not being so heavy, needs only the hooks and screw-eyes to support it, and screws at the bottom of the braces are unnecessary. Hang this only a little way above the other shelf. Make the small brackets of thinner wood and let them be square, of a size to fit the uprights. One brace for each bracket is all that is necessary, and the braces must, of course, be smaller than

Fig. 14. those used for the shelves. Paint the brackets white like the side boxes; enamel paint is the best to use, as it gives a hard, smooth surface. Only the hooks and screw-eyes are required to hold the brackets. Hang the mirror with its bottom edge resting on the top shelf, as shown in the illustration.

The Washstand.

A Wash-stand

to go with the toilet table is constructed on the same principle; the shelf used for this, however, must be wider in order to hold the wash-basin. If cutting a round hole in the shelf, like Fig. 15, is too difficult, do not attempt it, but leave the surface plain and place your bowl on top.

Make your braces quite strong and screw them to the wall. Make side-brackets, as for the dressing-table, and cover them and the shelf with white enamel cloth. Cut the edge of this in points, turn it over and tack to the edge of the shelf with white-headed tacks. The illustration will give you an idea of the appearance of this wash-stand. For

The Towel-rack

use two broom-sticks, cut one shorter than the other, and paint them white. Fasten them together with strong cord, leaving a six-inch space between, and hang them over the

Fig. 15. wash-stand as shown in the illustration. Though the top stick is shorter than the other, both must be long enough to reach across and rest against the two uprights of the wall. This allows space at the back and gives plenty of room for the towels.

Portable Corner Clothes-Press

A Portable Corner Clothes-press

Use two folds of an ordinary, large-sized clothes-horse for the frame of your clothes-press. Make two three-cornered shelves with back edges at perfect right angles and measuring half the length of the cross-pieces of the frame. These shelves are to rest on the cross-pieces, therefore you must saw off the corners at the back in order to make it fit, Fig. 16. Across the outer edge of the top shelf nail securely a strip of wood three inches wide, having its top edge on a level with the top of the shelf, Fig. 17. Into this strip, as well as into the top cross-pieces, screw clothes-hooks, placing them about eight inches apart. With short wire-nails, or screws if you wish your press to be very strong, fasten the top shelf on the upper cross-pieces and the other shelf on the middle cross-pieces of the frame. Paint the shelves and the inside of the frame white, and over the outside tack flowered cretonne or chintz, remembering to have the right side of the material turned inward. Fasten a brass or galvanized iron rod to the top of the two front uprights and from this hang a curtain of the same material. To fit the holders, or fastenings, for the curtain rod it will be necessary to cut notches in the inner corners of the uprights, Fig. 18, otherwise they will not be at the proper angle to hold the rod. To prevent dust from settling upon the clothing, tack a three-cornered piece of cretonne over the top of the frame. The shoe-box shown in the illustration is not a part of the clothes press, but is a convenient addition.

Fig. 16.

Fig. 17

Fig. 18.

A Five O’clock Tea-Table

A Five O’clock Tea-Table.

Make this of an oblong box with square ends and of a convenient height when set on end.

Cover the box neatly with matting or burlap, then make four shelves long enough to reach across the sides of the box and about nine inches wide. Round off the corners of the shelves as in Fig. 19 and make one brace for each shelf. To each side of the box at varying heights fasten with screws two narrow strips of wood or cleats, two inches apart, Fig. 20. Screw the braces to the shelves and paint all to match the color of the covering used on the box; then rest the back edge of the shelf on the cleats prepared for it and screw the brace to the box and the shelf to the cleats, Fig. 21. Thus securely fastened the shelf becomes immovable and there is not the slightest danger of its slipping or tipping. The illustration shows how the shelves are placed. This little tea-table is especially suited to the piazza, which, from your workshop, you may fit up for a place to entertain your friends most delightfully.

Fig. 19.

Fig. 21.

Fig. 20.

A Piazza Flower-stand

will make a charming feature of your summer parlor, for flowers are always needed to give the finishing touch in beautifying the inside or the outside of a home.

Piazza Flower-Stand.

For the frame of the flower-stand use one fold of the ever-useful clothes-horse. Make twelve three-cornered braces, cutting them out like Fig. 22, four measuring seven inches on their edges, four nine inches, and four twelve inches or as long as the width of the board will allow. Saw out four shelves which will reach exactly across the frame, two of them nine inches and two eleven inches wide. Screw the smaller braces to the narrow shelves, the larger ones to the widest, making sure the back edges of shelf and brace are on an exact line; fitting them in your try-square will assure you of that. To give additional strength to the frame, measure the distance from the bottom edge of the lower cross-piece, where it joins the upright, diagonally across to the other upright within one inch of the floor (Fig. 23), then take two narrow boards, say three inches wide and one inch thick, and saw them the required length. Lay your frame down flat, place first one diagonal in position, then the other, and make a pencil line across the upper and lower corners showing where they must be taken off in order to fit inside the frame. A mitre-box is very useful here, for by its aid you can saw your boards

Fig. 22. at the required angle without difficulty. Lacking that, be careful to have your edges straight. Place the diagonals in position in the frame and mark the width of each on the surface of the other where they cross. Between these two lines, on the edges of the boards, draw a line which will divide the edge exactly in half. Saw along the oblique lines down to the line on the edge, then with a chisel pare down to the edge lines, thus “halving” your boards, Fig. 24.

Fig. 23.

Cross your diagonals at the halving and with long wire nails, driven from the outside of the frame, nail them in place, Fig. 25. Now fit the largest braces on the front and back of each upright with edges resting on the floor as in Fig. 26, and screw them on with screws near the top as shown by C and D, Fig. 26. Have the outside edges of the braces on a line with the outside

Fig. 24. edges of the uprights; this will leave a space of about an inch on the inside of the uprights. The braces will hold the frame in an upright position, but in order to support any weight it must be further strengthened by adding a platform to which the braces may be screwed. Make the platform of a size to fit inside the uprights and reach across from end to end of the braces. Two

Fig. 25. or more boards will be required to give sufficient width, and it will be necessary to stay them by putting on three cleats across the under side, as in Fig. 27. These cleats must be of equal width and thickness and, as in all cleats, the grain of the wood must run lengthwise. Cut notches at each end, as shown in the diagram, to fit the projecting uprights, then fit the platform into the frame, and screw the braces on to its edges, Fig. 28. You have now a firm foundation and may add your shelves. The widest shelves are to go across the frame on either side on a line with the top of the lower cross-piece, the narrower

Fig. 26. shelves on a line with the top of the middle cross-piece. Fasten these in place with screws at the lower end of each brace, and with hooks in the uprights, and screw-eyes at the top of the shelves, as in the shelves for the dressing-stand, Fig. 14.

Instead of four you now have two very broad shelves, running directly

Fig. 27. through the frame. Take measurements of these shelves and make a shallow box, about seven inches deep, to fit each shelf. To prevent the boxes springing at the seams from dampness, get a strip of tin three inches wide, bend it through the middle lengthwise, and tack it over the seams, as in Fig. 29. Paint the entire frame and the outside and edges of the boxes dark green, and then varnish them. Of course the paint must be quite dry before the varnish is applied.

Fig. 28.

Put a layer of charcoal in each box, then a layer of sand, and over all a thicker layer of good soil. Fill your boxes with flowering plants and hanging vines, and use the lower platform for potted plants. From the top cross-piece a small hanging basket may be hung, adding its beauty and sweetness to the rest.

Fig. 29.

The illustration will give an idea of the appearance of the flower-stand, though much of the beautiful, luxuriant growth of plant and vine had to be omitted in the drawing so that the construction of the stand might be distinctly shown.

Hooded Chair Made of Packing-Box.

Hooded Chair Made of Packing-Box.

A Hooded Chair Made of a Packing-box

You must select with care the box for this rather unique piece of furniture, for you will want it to be durable. If you prefer you may make it altogether of new material after the same pattern, but a box for the foundation will simplify the work. When standing on end your box should measure about five feet six inches in height, eighteen inches in depth, and twenty inches in width. Nail two cleats, each thirteen inches long, in an upright position on each side and at the back of the box, as shown by the letters E, F, G, H in Fig. 30, placing the front ones, E, one inch back from the edge as in diagram. Fig. 30 gives one side and the back of the box. Across and resting on the top of these upright cleats nail the cleats I and J. Lay the box on its side and draw a curve like Fig. 31, starting the line four inches from the top and ending it two feet from the bottom. The curve at its greatest fulness should take in half the width of the side. Draw a curve exactly like the first on the other side of the box; saw carefully along the lines, following them as closely as possible, and then take off the remaining rough edges with a chisel.

Fig. 30. Nail a strip of wood four inches wide across the front at the top to finish the hood, Fig. 32. Box in the lower front up to the top of the cleats and there make a seat to fit in the chair and rest on the cleats, Fig. 32. You will notice that in the seat, near the forward corners, are two holes; these are for the adjustment of the rest, which gives additional comfort to the chair, and upon which one may stretch one’s self out luxuriantly. Two boards, three feet four inches long, will be required for the rest, which should be just wide enough to fit easily inside the chair, resting on the seat. Cleat the rest at each end and in the middle, as in Fig. 33, putting the end cleats on the edges of the boards and the middle one underneath. Round the corners and smooth them off with knife or chisel.

Fig. 31.

Fig. 32.

Fig. 33.

Measure the distance from the top of the seat to the floor and make the end-piece (Fig. 34) for the foot of the rest exactly that height, for the foot must be on a level with the other end when adjusted. Screw the end-piece to the rest with screws passing through the top of the boards into the top edge of the end-piece, and put braces at the corners to keep it secure, Fig. 35. Bore holes three-quarters of an inch in diameter at the upper corners of the rest, making them one inch from the cleat and two inches from the side edges of the boards, Fig. 33. Place this end of the rest on the seat of the chair, allowing it to lap about four inches, and through the holes just made mark corresponding places for the holes in the seat. Make

Fig. 34. or buy wooden pegs like Fig. 36, and slip them through the holes in rest and seat when you wish to adjust the rest. The ordinary wooden easel peg is about what you want for this purpose.

Fig. 36. Fig. 35.

Pad the sides and back of the chair with cotton batting, using only enough tacks to hold it in place, then cover the chair inside and out, except the seat, with pretty cretonne, making a box-plaited ruffle for the front, as shown in the illustration. Pad the top of the rest up nearly to the holes in the end, and cover it with the cretonne. Use an old feather pillow for the seat cushion, and another (smaller) for an extra one at the back, and cover them also with cretonne.

CHAPTER II
POSSIBILITIES OF AN EASTER EGG

Throughout the entire United States Easter eggs are very popular, and the practice of coloring them is increasing rather than diminishing. The stores are full of all sorts of novelties in real or simulated eggs; some valued at very large sums have been manufactured in London, but Uncle Sam does not raise such costly varieties. The real fun is in coloring one’s own eggs, and if the eggs can be transformed into something else, the sport will be doubled. To turn an egg into

A Frog That Will Swim

in the water is a new idea, and one which will furnish no end of diversion. Cut stiff paper in the shape of Fig. 37. Make a

Fig. 37. small hole on one side of an egg (Fig. 38, B) and a tiny hole at one end (A), remove the contents by shaking the egg and blowing in at the end A. Then fit the shell on a stand made of a paper box with a hole cut in it just large enough to hold the egg firmly, and pour some melted wax in at the hole B, using great care to keep the egg steady, that the weight may fall exactly in the centre and make a perfect balance.

Paste paper over each hole and fit the frog (Fig. 37) on the egg, keeping the side of the egg with the covered opening B for the top, forming the back of the frog. Remove the paper frog and cover the slashes cut in the back with melted sealing-wax, while hot adjust it on the egg, pressing the slashes against the shell

Fig. 38. before the wax hardens and holding them in place until they adhere. When perfectly dry paint the frog mottled green on the back and a yellowish white underneath in oil colors (Fig. 39). Try to recall the coloring of a real frog and make this one as lifelike as possible. Pour water in a large basin and stir it around to produce a current. The paint having dried, place the frog on the top of the water

Fig. 39. and watch it swim. If you would like to race these queer Easter eggs, make two or three frogs and start them all swimming at the same time.

Should oil paints not be at hand, use stiff brown paper, preferably glazed, for Fig. 37. Make a hole at each end of the egg-shell and remove the contents. Drop some shot in the shell and glue paper over each opening; then fasten the paper frog, with the hole in its back (Fig. 37), securely on the egg. Wait until it is perfectly dry before placing the little animal on the water, where it will look very comical and lifelike, even though it is not green in color.

At break of day on Easter morn the sun dances for joy, says the old legend, and if you would prove it, arise early and watch the reflection of the sun as it plays hide-and-seek on the surface of the clear water which you have placed in a tin basin where it can catch the first rays from the “King of Day.” A breath of air will cause the water to move, and with the motion comes the dance, as the sun sparkles and glides here and there, glittering and laughing in its joyous play. The legend is a pretty one and its meaning deeper than appears on the surface.

Fig. 40.

Fig. 41.

Fig. 42.

Fig. 43.

Beside enabling one to see the sun dance, being up early gives time, before breakfast, to help decorate the table as a pleasant surprise to the family. One of the most attractive ornaments is the white dove with its snowy wings spread wide, while it floats and sways in mid-air as if it were really flying slowly and softly through the room. It is easily made. Take a pure white egg, and empty the contents; then cut from writing paper the wing (Fig. 40), head (Fig. 41), and tail (Fig. 42). Pin each in turn on a fresh, smooth piece of cotton wadding and cut the raw cotton out along the lines of the pattern. Make two wings of the cotton wadding, and cut two wing-bones (Fig. 43) from stiff paper; open each cotton wing along the upper edge about a quarter of an inch in depth, according to dotted line O O (Fig. 40), insert a paper bone in each opening and gum it sparingly here and there. Smooth up the edges of the cotton wings, covering the bones entirely; then gum the wings to the sides of the egg according to the dotted line on one end. Fasten the tail in place and, last of all, the head; open the neck a little and paste each side of the open edge on the egg. Bend the wings out, as if the bird were flying.

Fig. 44.

To float the dove in the air, make a knot in a piece of fine thread and with a needle run the thread through a small square of white court-plaster; pull the knot up tight to the plaster, unthread the needle, and with the court-plaster over the knot, dampen it and gum the thread down tight on the back of the dove, something as a leather sucker is stuck on a brick; it will soon dry. In the morning suspend the dove over the centre of the table (Fig. 44) by tying the end of the thread on the chandelier. Let it be about ten inches above the dishes. If you can handle pen and ink very lightly, the bird’s eyes and mouth may be carefully marked, although this is not absolutely necessary, as the effect is almost the same without the features being emphasized.

Fig. 45.

Fig. 46.

One of the minor sports now gladly participated in by the girls, is top-spinning, and the amount of fun they derive from the whirling playthings is only equalled by their skill in the game. All kinds of tops are welcomed and experimented with but the queerest is the

Spinning Egg

Easter top (Fig. 45) made of a hard-boiled egg colored red, with a disk of stiff red paper (Fig. 46) fitted and glued on with sealing-wax. When twirled by the fingers the toy will whiz around almost equal to a peg top. Try it, and try also

Fig. 47.

The Kaleidoscope,

for an egg-shell containing a kaleidoscope is a still greater novelty. In preparing this it is better to blow the egg first, then, by puncturing holes, as in Fig. 47, each end of the shell can be removed evenly. Care must be taken to thoroughly rinse and dry the shell, as any moisture from the egg will dim and blur the glasses, which should be kept perfectly clear. Fasten with mucilage three strips of glass, two inches long and one-half inch wide, to a piece of black paper, as in Fig. 48. The dark paper left between the light strips will allow the two end-pieces of glass to be brought together, thus forming a triangle, which is held in place by pasting the paper extending beyond the edge of the last strip of glass over on the edge of the first piece of glass. Fasten triangular pieces of glass, like Fig. 49, to the ends, in the following manner:

Fig. 48.

Fig. 49.

Fig. 50.

Fig. 51.

Cut from paper, not too stiff, a circle one inch in diameter, out of the centre of which cut a triangle of even proportion, just a trifle smaller than the glass, see Fig. 50. Paste the triangular glass, Fig. 49, over the triangular hole in the paper circle, Fig. 50, then fit this paper-framed glass to one end of the cylindrical triangle, and, folding the paper down smoothly, fasten with mucilage, to hold it firmly in place. Put several small pieces of differently colored glass into the kaleidoscope and close the other end in the same way as the first. When this part of the work is finished, slide it carefully into the shell, and over each end paste a piece of bright-colored paper with a triangular hole in

Fig. 52. the centre, as shown in Fig. 51. A half-yard of colored ribbon of the same shade as the paper, tied around the egg, forms a loop to hang it up by, and also enhances its appearance (Fig. 52). In connection with the egg another emblem frequently found in the shops is the

Easter Hare

Why this little animal is associated with Easter eggs no one seems to be able to tell. There are several legends which explain the connection, each one different from the others. This is the prettiest:

"Scarcely had the Winter King left on his way to Northland when the young Prince, Spring, passed along, bringing with him delicate flowers and wild birds. The flowers charmed his senses with their exquisite perfume, and the birds entertained and delighted him with their sweet songs; but Spring was lonely and sighed for the children of the earth, for whom he had brought these fair gifts. Thinking, perchance, they did not know of his coming, he concluded to send them tidings, when suddenly a little hare appeared, and immediately the Prince decided that the swift-footed animal should be his messenger. The little hare, however, begged hard to be spared, as he stood in terror of the dreadful shot-gun, which had killed so many of his brothers. But Spring, smiling said: ‘You shall be the bearer of gifts to the people, then they will not harm you,’ and the hare, calmed but hardly convinced, consented to do the will of the Prince.

"Then Spring wove a dainty willow-basket and filled it with pretty colored eggs, which the birds gave him, and this he handed to the hare to give to the people, with many sweet messages from Spring.

“Taking the basket in his mouth, the hare trotted off rapidly toward the nearest village. When he reached there, however, fearing the grown people, he delivered the messages to the children and gave them all the pretty eggs.”

A delightful little legend, isn’t it? And Spring must have been well pleased with the hare for choosing to deliver his messages to the children, for on this day it is the young people who first know of the coming of Spring.

Hares Made of Eggs

The Easter hares shown in Fig. 53 are made of eggs. Goose eggs are the best to use—they are so much larger than hen’s eggs.

Blow the egg if you desire to keep the little hare; if you wish later to eat it, boil the egg hard.

Take two little tufts of cotton, roll and pinch them in shape for the ears, then two more tufts for the forefeet; fasten ears and feet to the shell with gum arabic, in the position shown in Fig. 53. Remember, the small end of the egg is the hare’s head; on this end, below the ears, draw with pen and ink the eyes, nose and mouth, using Fig. 53 as a guide.

Fig. 53.

If you make two hares, place them together on a fresh, green leaf of lettuce, and they will look very natural.

Did Palmer Cox have in mind an egg when he drew the picture of one of his famous Brownies? This queer little character certainly suggested one so forcibly that it was impossible to resist trying the experiment of making his likeness from an egg, and

Fig. 54.

The Brownie

shows the result, see illustration.

Prepare the shell of a goose egg as for the Easter hare, and follow the directions given for blowing the egg. Fig. 54 is the Brownie’s face. Trace this on tracing-paper, turn the other side and rub a soft lead-pencil all over the back until that side of the paper is covered with lead, taking care not to tear it in doing so. Place the face on the shell, the printed side out, and holding it steady, go over the lines with a pencil. This will reproduce the face on the shell, then with pen and black ink strengthen the drawing. The small end of the shell is the head and the face must be drawn well up on it.

The Brownie.

Make the Brownie’s costume, cap and all, of brown material. An old brown stocking will be just the thing to use. Fig. 55 is the pattern of the cap; the dotted lines on the edges show where the seam is to be taken, and the dotted line running from side to side shows where the cap is to be turned up. Fig. 56 is the back and Fig. 57 half of the front of the jacket. Fig. 58 is the pattern of half of the trousers, which are made in two pieces cut exactly alike.

Fig. 55.

Fig. 56.

Make two little rolls of unbleached cotton, two inches long, for the arms. Fig. 59 shows how the muslin is turned up on one edge and then rolled. Fig. 60 gives the roll stitched and complete. When the jacket is made, slip the arms into sleeves and fasten at top of sleeve. Make the legs just as you did the arms, but use black cloth for them instead of white. Finish the trousers and sew in the legs at the dotted lines.

When the costume is complete cut a disk of soft muslin like Fig. 61, and slip through it, at the centre, a needle threaded with strong linen thread. A long darning needle will be the best. Pass the needle through the hole in the large end of the shell and up through the hole at the top. Draw the disk of muslin down to the large knot in the end of the thread, then bring it up close to the egg as in Fig. 62 and paste the muslin on the shell.

Fig. 57.

Fig. 58.

Fig. 59.

Fig. 60.

Fig. 61.

Fig. 62.

Dress the Brownie in his clothes; first his trousers, then his jacket; fasten them here and there with glue; run the needle which you have passed through the shell up through the little cap and out at its point on top. Slide the cap down on his head and glue in place.

Let the thread be long enough to hold while you dance the Brownie on the floor.

Eggs can also be turned into

Fruits, Vegetables, Opera Glasses, and Dishes

How would you like great, luscious purple plums, watermelons and fine radishes for breakfast? We can manage to have them, and at the same time may be served mammoth acorns—not the kind gathered for cups and saucers, but quite different. These are as large as eggs and either all brown or green in color. They taste something like hard-boiled eggs, and, what is more strange, the plums, watermelons and radishes all have a similar flavor. To prepare them, color some eggs, make the eggs all of solid hues,—a few rich purple, several red, others brown or light green, one or two dark green. When the eggs are boiled hard and of the desired shade change them into the vegetables and fruits. Begin by making

Fig. 63.

Fig. 64.

Fig. 65.

Fig. 66.

The Radish

Gum a number of crisp tissue-paper leaves cut from Fig. 63 on the big end of the red eggs. Fold each leaf lengthwise through the centre, according to the dotted line (Fig. 63); then slip a hatpin or the back of the blade of a table-knife tight up in the fold and, holding the leaf in place with the right hand, gradually push it up together on the blade with the left hand; this gives the leaf a natural crimped appearance (Fig. 64). Take a small piece of raw cotton and dip it in the dye, or, better still, color it with a little crushed red crayon; then pull the cotton into the form of Fig. 65. Fasten this red point on the small end of the egg and the egg will be a radish (Fig. 66). Use a dark green egg to make the baby

Fig. 67.

Watermelon[Watermelon]

Mark uneven, lengthwise bands around it with a soft lead-pencil and fasten in the stem with sealing-wax. Bore a hole in the large end of the melon, making the opening big enough to admit the end of a small curved twig which must form the stem; put on enough sealing-wax to secure firmness (Fig. 67). Convert the purple egg into

Fig. 68.

A Plum

by fastening it on a natural twig in the same way you stuck the melon on its stem. Gum two green tissue-paper leaves to the branch for foliage (Fig. 68).

The funny big