Flour and Fruit Molds. — To take a
mold for flower or fruit, mix some very fine
plaster of Paris in a bowl with water, to the
thickness of cream. Pour it lightly over
leaf, or fruit, or bud✪ Flour and Fruit Molds, which it is well to
place for the purpose on a glass slab. In
about ten minutes the plaster will be hard-
ened sufi&ciently to lift it from the slab.
Pare away with a penknife any plaster that
may have run over. I^et the mold stay in
the sun, having removed the leaf or bud,
until it has hardened. In twenty-four
hours it will be ready for a coat of varnish,
which must be very thin indeed.
' ' To take the mold of such a flower as a
fuchsia or an unopened bud, oil it, pour
your thick plaster into a paper form, and
allow the bud to sink on its side in the
plaster. Let it sink only to the centre line,
leaving one-half exposed." This we are
told by a teacher of experience. " Lift the
mold out of the plaster before it is set too
hard, scrape the rim smooth, and with the
point of a penknife make two little cavities,
one at the stem end, the other at the point
where the four sepals of the calix fold, and
carefully brush away any little particles of
plaster ; place this half of the mold back in
the paper form, and paint the rim, the hol-
low, and the little cavities with sweet oil ;
place the bud again in the cast, and pour
enough plaster over the exposed part to fill
the paper form."
In order to take a wax mold from this,
dip it into cold water, and pour melted wax
into one-half; fit the other half to it, turn it
upside down, slowly, and hold in your hand
till it has hardened. On removing the
mold you will have the perfect bud. If
you were able before the plaster became too
firm, to bore a little hole in the mold at the
stem end, you can slip the wire stem through
before the wax hardens.
Proceed in the same manner to make
molds for fruit, using your judgment accord-
ing to shape and size.
Wax flowers and fruits are very salable at
fairs and bazaars, and the lady who knows
how to make them well is alwa3^s sure of
presenting her favorite table with something
which will make a fine display, and bring in
a good profit when disposed of.
Phantom Leaves.
Phantom or skeleton leaves are the
ghostly remnants of the leaves that have
waved on the trees in summer. They are
troublesome to prepare, but are very pretty
when finished. Gather the leaves when
they are perfect, and then lay them in a
large jar, filled with water. Leave them
there until they decay, when the fleshy part
of the leaves can be easily detached from
the framework. The translucent, thread-
like form of this delicate veined work is
very beautiful. Having loosened the green
part, bleach the remainder by infusion in a
strong solution of soda✪ Phantom Leaves. When quite white,
bouquets or wreaths may be made of differ-
ent leaves in combination, which may be
arranged on a dark background, or set
under glass.
Autumn Leaves and Ferns.
Happy hours may be passed in gathering
and pressing ferns and autumn leaves, with
which to adorn the house when winter has
made desolate the fields without.
Never have too many of these in one
apartment, for ornament should always be
subordinate, and no room should be smoth-
ered with either growing plants, or pressed
leaves and ferns. ✪ Autumn Leaves and Ferns
Page 108 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Flour and Fruit Molds. — To take a mold for flower or fruit, mix some very fine plaster of Paris in a bowl with water, to the thickness of cream. Pour it lightly over leaf, or fruit, or bud, which it is well to place for the purpose on a glass slab. In about ten minutes the plaster will be hardened sufficiently to lift it from the slab. Pare away with a penknife any plaster that may have run over. I^et the mold stay in the sun, having removed the leaf or bud, until it has hardened. In twenty-four hours it will be ready for a coat of varnish, which must be very thin indeed.
' ' To take the mold of such a flower as a fuchsia or an unopened bud, oil it, pour your thick plaster into a paper form, and allow the bud to sink on its side in the plaster. Let it sink only to the centre line, leaving one-half exposed." This we are told by a teacher of experience. " Lift the mold out of the plaster before it is set too hard, scrape the rim smooth, and with the point of a penknife make two little cavities, one at the stem end, the other at the point where the four sepals of the calix fold, and carefully brush away any little particles of plaster ; place this half of the mold back in the paper form, and paint the rim, the hollow, and the little cavities with sweet oil ; place the bud again in the cast, and pour enough plaster over the exposed part to fill the paper form."
In order to take a wax mold from this, dip it into cold water, and pour melted wax into one-half; fit the other half to it, turn it upside down, slowly, and hold in your hand till it has hardened. On removing the mold you will have the perfect bud. If you were able before the plaster became too firm, to bore a little hole in the mold at the
stem end, you can slip the wire stem through before the wax hardens.
Proceed in the same manner to make molds for fruit, using your judgment according to shape and size.
Wax flowers and fruits are very salable at fairs and bazaars, and the lady who knows how to make them well is always sure of presenting her favorite table with something which will make a fine display, and bring in a good profit when disposed of.
Phantom Leaves.
Phantom or skeleton leaves are the ghostly remnants of the leaves that have waved on the trees in summer. They are troublesome to prepare, but are very pretty when finished. Gather the leaves when they are perfect, and then lay them in a large jar, filled with water. Leave them there until they decay, when the fleshy part of the leaves can be easily detached from the framework. The translucent, threadlike form of this delicate veined work is very beautiful. Having loosened the green part, bleach the remainder by infusion in a strong solution of soda. When quite white, bouquets or wreaths may be made of different leaves in combination, which may be arranged on a dark background, or set under glass.
Autumn Leaves and Ferns.
Happy hours may be passed in gathering and pressing ferns and autumn leaves, with which to adorn the house when winter has made desolate the fields without.
Never have too many of these in one apartment, for ornament should always be subordinate, and no room should be smothered with either growing plants, or pressed leaves and ferns.
Records on this page
Flour and Fruit MoldsPhantom LeavesAutumn Leaves and Ferns