Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/127

FANCY WORK.

Hanging Vases—Wineglasses with the stems broken off make very pretty hanging ornaments to hold a few flowers. The following is a novel way to drill holes for wires to hang them by. Cover the edge of the glass with putty or stiff clay to the depth of more than an inch, through this make or bore a hole with a piece of thick wire or a gimlet till the surface of the glass is exposed at just where you want to pierce it. You will require three holes at equal distances from each other, so bore through the putty at three places. Into these tiny holes pour melted lead. It must be done very carefully, and unless the glass is of extraordinary thickness, it will melt and drop out in a circle the same size as the portion laid bare. Then take off the rim of putty, fasten the wires through and you have a hanging vase. which otherwise would have been use- less. The best cut glass does the best sometimes blown glass flys. A pane of glass can be bored in the same way if necessary.

To Frost Glass.—Make a saturated solution of alum in water and apply to the glass. It may be coloured by adding some dye to it, but the colour is very apt to fade. Epsom salts soaked in beer also makes a very good frosting for glass.

To Utilise an Old Piece of Coral—Dissolve two pounds of alum in as much hot water as will cover the coral and then suspend the latter in it for 12 hours or till crystals form on it. Dry in the air. For a very large piece of coral more alum will be required.

Perfume Jars.—Select a high jar with a secure cover. A fancy jar will be best if for a drawing room, or a common earthenware one can be used and put into a fancy flower pot. Roses, scented verbena leaves, or any highly perfumed flowers can be used. Strip off the leaves and put them into the jar and nearly cover them with spirits of wine and add a teaspoonful of cloves. Cover closely for a week and then place in the room on a high shelf without the cover. Gardenias are too powerful, also magnolias and all flowers that have a sickly or overpowering scent.

Table or Dinner Mats.—Use Macramè twine and a strong steel crochet hook. Make a chain of 20 stitches, join in a ring and work round it with single crochet in the second row, pick up only the back stitch or thread. Every second row add a few stitches to keep the mat flat. Turn the work every row and work on till the right size. They can be lined with Turkey twill or any stuff you have.

Baby's Jacket—Materials required, one ounce of Shetland wool and a bone hook, No. 12. Make a chain of 88 stitches^* one treble, one chain, miss one, repeat from ^* There should be 44 holes in this row, which forms the neck. Second row: begin every row with two chain, work a treble in the first hole^* one chain, two trebles in the next hole, two treble into the next, repeat from ^* Third row: The remainder is done in picots, thus, two treble, one chain, two treble, all into the same holes. There must be 22