Ladies' Columns

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 4752, 28 September 1935, Page 7

Ladies' Columns

GETTING READY FOR THE WARM! DAYS. i Never have sports clothes been; more practical, more workmanlike, and above all, simpler td make, than those for this coming spring and summer. To be chic on the courts this year you must be severely simple. Belts will be very important, not only for sports clothes, but for day and evening wear* The newest and most exciting ones are of gilded or silvered leather embossed so that they look like metal six inches wide. They fit smoothly and fasten with a huge plaque as big as your hand. Another is simply a tin strip embossed with' flowers. Praise is due to a wide, white pique, covered buckle worn with a black taffeta evening gown. From a well known house comes jewel studded belts with jewels used like nails; while another house issues the belts studded with gold nails, a la early Roman. Altogether, belts have become highly, decorative, and are not to be taken lightly. One of the most difficult dress prob: lems is arranging a really neat, attractive, yet cool, outfit for the office during the warm days soon to come; Luckily enough, linen has come back to the rescue and now is obtainable in an amazing range of colours and patterns, and is crease resisting, so the business girl can have really no doubts regarding the right material for office clothes.

Talking of colours, among the varied shades seen in the new collections is a decidedly new group—one might call them sun-tones. One of these series runs the gamut of amber, brass and gold. The amber is the same, as seen so often worn in beads. A charming colour for gold brown hair and a fair skin. The amber shades vary from red through cloudy amber to wheat cream.

Another range of colours uses rich browns in a decidedly tortoiseshell effect. Occasionally a mottled effect is obtained by the use of sequins in two tones, or by using very shiny brown satin trimmed with gold.

BEAUTY. LET YOUR SKIN BREATHE. You may not have tumbled to the very important fact that your skin needs to breathe by day as well as by night, so it is advisable to occasionally give your face a thoroughly good cleansing and then leave it in its natural state before applying any lotion or powder. If you have a back garden, go and lounge there for a while without your war paint—if you live in the country, then don your most sensible shoes and go for a tramp across the fields with your head held high and not a scrap of powder on your nose. If it is a rainy day, put on your mackintosh and let Nature give you the most precious of all beauty sprays. Usually we are all so busy earning our living that we have not time for beauty lore; but just once- in a while try the tonic of a walk in the rain. Don't be afraid to give your face a rest from the powder puff, it will be all the better for it It is also important, for the sake of your good looks and your physical fitness, to let your body get ventilation, as well as your face. Fortunately we are wearing less underclothing than our mothers did, and most of us go in for a little sunbathing when the weather is warm enough and opportunity offers. Try a little sunbathing at home. If you have a secluded back garden, go and lie in it, in your bath ing suit, or walk about your bedroom with as little as possible on—dp your morning exercises with your body unhampered by clothes. You will find it a very lovely and invigorating experience.

GENERAL. CLEANING FURS. Even if you give your furs regular attention they won't keep clean for ever. When they are really soiled you

can clean them successfully at home, working in the following ways: Ermine, or other white furs: Flour, cornmeal, starch and magnesia are all good for cleaning white furs. Us« whichever is most convenient. Having selected your cleaning medium, put it into a bowl or dish and heat it in the oven. "When it is quite warm, put the fur, lining side down, on a sheet of clean paper, cover oughly with the cleaner, and rub it well into every part If you can spare the time, leave the cleaner on the fur all night. Should the fur be inclined to be greasy, dip your hands from time to time in methylated spirits while rubbing the cleaner in. After cleaning the fur you have to get rid of every trace of the cleaning medium. To do this, put the fur, lining side upwards this time, on a. pillow covered with a clean cloth and beat it lightly with a thin cane.

Then take the fur out of doors, beat it lightly again—on the lining side, of course and then shake and brush the fur until no more powder will come out. If you have done the work carefully, your fur should look like new.

Dark furs: These are cleaned in the same way as white furs, but bran or silver sand is used in place of flour, cornmeal or magnesia. Furs can be successfully repaired at home by anyone with a reasonable amount of patie*ice.

Should a piece of fur be worn, cut this away and fit a new piece in its place. Cut only with a sharp penknife and on the skin side only. Never cut furs with scissors.

When you put the new piece in, be sure the hair is lying the same way as the rest of the fur.

To join up the patch, use a line needle and overcast the seams; be careful not to tear the skin.

Don't pull the stiches tight or the fur will pucker. While you are .stitching keep the hair pushed down so that it will not get caught in the thread.

When a fur collar gets shabby, as it often does along the neck line, unpick the lining, cut away the worn part with a sharp knife, and reline. This makes the collar a little smaller but it is easier than fitting in a new piece. While cutting, be, sure to keep the collar its original shape. When sitching the collar back on the coat, hold the fur back from your needle with a piece of stiff card.

USEFUL RECIPES. FRUIT CAKE WITH COFFEE. . Four eggs, 1 lb sugar, 1 lb butter, 1 cup golden syrup, 3 cups flour, 1 cup strong coffee, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 tablespoons warm water, 1 teaspoon each of allspice and cinnamon, i teaspoon ground cloves, 1 lb each of currants and sultanas, i lb candied lemon peel, a pinch of salt. Cream the butter and sugar, dissolve the soda in the water. Warm the coffee and syrup and mix them. Add the eggs, one at a time, to ' the creamed butter and sugar; beat well, then add the Byrup and coffee; next the soda in water, then the . flour with salt and spices mixed in, and lastly the fruit. Mix all well, put into well greased medium sized cake tins, and bake from two and a half to three hours. SEVILLE ORANGE JAM. Cut the Seville oranges into very thin slices, using peel and pulp together. Remove any seeds To each 1 lb of peel and pulp allow 3 pints of wated. Cover and allow to stand for 24 hours. Bring to the boil and boil until the skins are quite soft. Allow to stand for another 24 hours, then weigh it. To each pound of pulp and liquid allow 1* lb sugar. Bring the pulp boiling hot and stir into it the hot sugar. Stir until dissolved, then boil steadily for 1 hour or until the jam is clear and will jell. Bottle while hot and seal when cold.