Sewing on Buttons. — ^When sewing buttons on children's clothes where there will be much strain on the button, the danger of tearing the cloth out will be greatly lessened by putting a small button directly under the larger outside button. This applies, of course, only to buttons with holes through them. To Keep Boys and Girls at Home. — An excellent and well- tried recipe for keeping boys and girls out of mischief in the long winter evenings is to give them something suitable and interesting to do. Set them to making scrap-books. If there are two or three children, let each one take a subject, and see what and how much he can collect upon that for his book. For example, we have what we call an "Animal MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 83 Scrap-Book," in which is i)asted every fact, incident, and anecdote we can find relating to animals. We have a dog department, a horse department, etc. It is a valuable book for purposes of illustration or reference. Burlap Mats. — A handsome and inexpensive mat for the floor may be made of burlap worked in cross-stitch with different-colored worsteds. Use for it the odds and ends left from other fancy work. Work a few stitches of one color and then of another, just as the colors happen to come, and the effect is like that of a Persian pattern. Jf one cares to spend so much time on it, a center-piece and border add much to the beauty of it. The mat may be lined with a piece of carpet, or with matting or new ticking, and the edge finished with worsted fringe or with flannel cut in scallops. Something Warm for Supper. — When cold weather comes on it is pleasant to have something warm for supper ; and there are many things so easy to get that a tired woman will not object to preparing them. Oyster and clam soup come first ; then baked potatoes, with milk gravy ; warmed potatoes ; fried or broiled potatoes ; milk toast ; canned sal- mon, heated in the can before opening ; this is an advan- tage, as the oil will readily drain off, and the pieces of fish keep their shape better. Table Covers. — Simple and tasteful table covers for bed- rooms may be made of pale blue Canton flannel, trimmed with antique lace, or with velvet ribbon feather-stitched on, and finished with fringe made of blue split zephyr or Shet- land wool. Table covers made of blocks of cretonne are very handsome. If two or three persons wish to make them, they can buy the materials to better advantage. Let each one get several kinds of cretonne, a quarter of a yard of each kind ; then they can arrange to have each block different. Stitch the blocks on to a lining made of un- bleached cotton or of colored cambric. Then, where the 84 HOUSEHOLD HINTS. blocks are joined, sew on narrow braid, which can be bought at any furniture store, or use narrow black \elvet, worked in fancy stitches, or common black dress braid, feather- stitched with canary-colored silk. When cutting out the blocks, if a little care is exercised in placing the pattern on the cloth, strips will be left with a suitable figure which can be sewed together to make a lambrequin. Have the strips about five inches wide. One thing should be thought of when beginning to do fancy work, and that is, if you have not time to do it well, do not undertake it ; it can not be slighted or hurried over without entirely spoiling the effect. In making the spread, unless the blocks are exactly square, and the edges . not stretched, your spread will not hang well on the table.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Sewing on Buttons. — ^When sewing buttons on children's clothes where there will be much strain on the button, the danger of tearing the cloth out will be greatly lessened by putting a small button directly under the larger outside button. This applies, of course, only to buttons with holes through them. To Keep Boys and Girls at Home. — An excellent and welltried recipe for keeping boys and girls out of mischief in the long winter evenings is to give them something suitable and interesting to do. Set them to making scrap-books. If there are two or three children, let each one take a subject, and see what and how much he can collect upon that for his book. For example, we have what we call an "Animal Scrap-Book," in which is pasted every fact, incident, and anecdote we can find relating to animals. We have a dog department, a horse department, etc. It is a valuable book for purposes of illustration or reference. Burlap Mats. — A handsome and inexpensive mat for the floor may be made of burlap worked in cross-stitch with different-colored worsteds. Use for it the odds and ends left from other fancy work. Work a few stitches of one color and then of another, just as the colors happen to come, and the effect is like that of a Persian pattern. Jf one cares to spend so much time on it, a center-piece and border add much to the beauty of it. The mat may be lined with a piece of carpet, or with matting or new ticking, and the edge finished with worsted fringe or with flannel cut in scallops. Something Warm for Supper. — When cold weather comes on it is pleasant to have something warm for supper ; and there are many things so easy to get that a tired woman will not object to preparing them. Oyster and clam soup come first ; then baked potatoes, with milk gravy ; warmed potatoes ; fried or broiled potatoes ; milk toast ; canned salmon, heated in the can before opening ; this is an advantage, as the oil will readily drain off, and the pieces of fish keep their shape better. Table Covers. — Simple and tasteful table covers for bedrooms may be made of pale blue Canton flannel, trimmed with antique lace, or with velvet ribbon feather-stitched on, and finished with fringe made of blue split zephyr or Shetland wool. Table covers made of blocks of cretonne are very handsome. If two or three persons wish to make them, they can buy the materials to better advantage. Let each one get several kinds of cretonne, a quarter of a yard of each kind ; then they can arrange to have each block different. Stitch the blocks on to a lining made of unbleached cotton or of colored cambric. Then, where the blocks are joined, sew on narrow braid, which can be bought at any furniture store, or use narrow black \elvet, worked in fancy stitches, or common black dress braid, featherstitched with canary-colored silk. When cutting out the blocks, if a little care is exercised in placing the pattern on the cloth, strips will be left with a suitable figure which can be sewed together to make a lambrequin. Have the strips about five inches wide. One thing should be thought of when beginning to do fancy work, and that is, if you have not time to do it well, do not undertake it ; it can not be slighted or hurried over without entirely spoiling the effect. In making the spread, unless the blocks are exactly square, and the edges . not stretched, your spread will not hang well on the table.

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