HINTS AND IDEAS

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 274, 19 November 1927, Page 24

HINTS AND IDEAS

A TRAVEL TIDY.

Whatever type of holiday appeals to] you most, there are certain things which vou always need to put among your belongings for use away from home. A travel case is well worth the trouble of making, and you will find it a useful companion on week-end visits, picnics or country walks. The ideal case carries your linen towel, soap, face flannel and smelling salts in the largest pockets, and powder puff, comb, mirror, scissors and needle and thread in the smaller ones.

The gayest of cases are made inexpensively from floral pattened chintz with] a plain backgrounds lining is of oil silk in a shade to match the predominant note of the chintz.

To commence work you will need a piece of material about 24 inches long by lOi in width, and some odd scraps foi small pocket. This allows for turning, [so that you have oil silk exactly 10 inches wide by 23 inches long—the size of the finished case.

Turn in your material neatly over th oil silk and now turn up 7 inches from one end and bind down the sides to form a pocket, continuing your binding all th way round. For your other pockets strip of self-lined chintz, about 7 inche across by one and a-half deep, will accom modate your comb when turned in. and sewn on to the top of the pocket, yo'i have already made —be careful that yoa do not catch the stitches through—and a pocket across the width of the case, 3J inches deep, beneath the comb slip, will secrete your mirror and puff cosily! if you stitch a dividing line down the, middle.

This leaves room for your needle book, with cottons (wound on cards) and scissors. Make a narrow strip across below the other pockets, through which to slip the scissors, and one, slightly wider, fori the needle book.

| Your case is now 1C inches long—a length which allows for a 2-inch flap as a safeguard. Make a little tab and sew on the flap to fasten down with a press stud, and the case is finished. I

CHILD'S SIMPLE FROCK. This frock for a small person is embroidered in two-ply wool, 5n soft colours, or in ' a coarse embroidery cotton or silk. The frock may be made of spun silk, a good china silk, or cotton voile. If a silk is used, the embroidery may b£ in the wool, which is very effective on silks, or in the silk; if a cotton voile

makes the frock, the embroidery may be in either the wool or cotton. A detail of the embroidery design is shown. .The stalks are done in stem stitch, the leaves in satin the powers in a loose satin stitch. The hem of the dress, the edge of the collars and cuffs, are sewn with buttonholing, or a loose whipping stitch, in a colour to match the embroidered flowers. ■.

CHARMING CAMERA CASE.

I have seen a great number of dainty and charming articles made out of leather, states a writer in an Australian exchange, but,, until the other day, I never came across a suede leather camera case! This one was extremely 'chic," and was made of velvet Persian suede leather. It was beautifully lined with moire silk to make it strong. The pattern was obtained by laying the camera flat on a piece of leather, and marking out the outline with white chalk. The camera was then turned on its side (without moving the leather), and the side pieces marked out, turning each side over until .the whole pattern was traced out on to the leather.

Before cutting out the leather a piece was marked out for the flap. Next two slits were made for the carrying straps, which, by the way, were made of thongs of the leather plaited together. These were then inserted through the slits. The lining was tacked* all round the edges, the inoire silk only being turned in, not the leather. The carrying straps were attached to the silk, and an extra strengthening piece of silk sewn neatly on to the places where the sewing showed.

The case wa'- fastened together with stitches of strong thread the same colour as the leather, and the flap kept down UL- place with the largest kind of press button (those that are used for mantles) instead of the customary buckles and' straps.