RED CROSS WORK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 20 May 1915, Page 8

RED CROSS WORK.

SOM33 HINTS A&D, SUGGESTIONS: - 4i- rt°ent^Pl^® ls:: 9 f - *^S Australasian publishes ttte£i;bll6wing useful hints to Jtted Cross : Slippers ar^ieeded for the wounded men directlyHhey begin1 to get about ithe wards^ and they can be made easily i &nd ffty inexpensively of strips of , j.-fiannel or any Woollen material. Cut i.the. strips as long as possible, and join them neatly. Ihey should be about, naif an inch m width. Plait three strands into long strips, keeping the plaits as flat as possibje. Cut out a pattern of a man's slipper in orown paper (this can easily be done from any s6tt slipper), but be sure you make it a good large size. On this pattern lay your plaited flannel, sewing the edges together until you have made a firm fabric m the correct shape. You can make the slippers with heels or without; probably the latter would be more i useful, llseiul soles can be bought for a few pence per pair, biit here again j take care to get a large size. Sew your "uppers" on to the soles, and you.will ~have made a" useful contribution to many of the special hospitals. .Not only should the wounded men be thought <q£< by us ail, but those who are actually on the field of battle. Very often the .-regiments are sent out with only one shirt to each man, and a consignment of fresh shirts sent to the colonel of a regiment would carry an immense amount of comfort, to the men This was actually asked for by a .colonel.the other day, who was distressed because he had.to take his men abroad with only one, shirt apiece The first: essential in making; <shirts is: to get a good pattern;; It-may, seem late in the day to make this remarks but aiter -seeing the shirts and other garments which have been sent in during the last few days to one organisation alone, it seems that even yet there are ■ kindly .workers who have not realised that, there are several places from which they can get a complete set of excellent patterns at a nominal price. There is not the least necessity for all the work to be done "by hand," as some fastidious people will insist upon: but thare is need that it should be done strongly and neatly. All nighti; shirts should have pockets in them and if a handkerchief can be put into each go much the better. Roller bandages must be rolled tightly, or they will all have to be re-rolled by the nurses. Two people can roll them very tautly and evenly by threading themvin ■and/o.iit of the back bars '?• A, aiV' 3' loWBr encl Dei»g held tightly, whilst the upper end is rolled. Bandages should always have the sel, vedge .stripped off before they are rolled. If sent in-with/the selvedges' left on they have to be unrolled, .stripped ana re-rolled by some of the helpers at the store depots. It is better to make the "helpless case" shirts with vapes to tie rather than with buttons. .Ins great need urges for procuring' good material, cutting it out by reliable patterns, and insisting upon strong, well-finished work. Unfortunately the fascination of numbers only often proves a lure, and the temptation to send up ouantities militates aepunst- quality. This is a mistake at all times, but it .is simply suicidal where either campaigning or service hospital work is contemplated; indeed, a garment made of shoddy material, and skimpish in the makinsr, is worse than useless m the true and literal sense of the word Let, then, "solid value" be the watchword of everyone.