WOMEN'S NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 224, 21 August 1935, Page 13

WOMEN'S NOTES.

NEEDLEWORK

(By Miss Mary Tallis.)

An oil-silk dressing table set. —Here is something brand new. A modern dressing-table set in oil-silk. it is a very practical idea because oil silk protects polished wood from stains and can’t come to harm itself. For a walnut dressing table our designer chose oil-silk in natural colour, a clear sunny tint, rather like amber glass. The pads and flat Ixnvs she made in

“gilt” oil-silk. There are fifteen lovely modern colours to choose from in this attractive material, including “gilt” and silver. You can stitch oil-silk by hand or machine, like a woven fabric, and with occasional sponging it keeps its glossy freshness indefinitely. For a dressing-table, make either a wide long runner, according to the size you require ; or, if you prefer, a four piece set of runner, centre mat and two side mats. The materials needed for this arc 1 yd. oil silk, .‘Win. wide in natural colour; J yd. of the same in “gilt”; a reel of sewing cotton matching the natural oil-silk.

To make the set. —Cut out one piece natural oil-silk 34Jin. long by 9in. wide for the runner; a piece lGin. by oJin. for the centre mat; and two pieces each Tin. square for the side mats. With pencil and ruler, mark out strips on the gilt oil silk lin. wide, plus Jin. turnings, and cut them out for the applique bands. To make two flat bows, trace the design you wish on white paper, cut this out to serve as pattern, lay twice on your oil-silk and draw round with a hard pencil. Cut out the bows, allowing narrow turnings beyond the pencil lines. Turn in edges. Tack bands and bows in position, like this: On runner, hand along centre, with flat how, united by two short bands, crossing centre 3J in. from edge of runner. On centre mat: Hand composed of two short hands (each 4;lin. long) united by flat how. On side mats: Two hands each T.J-in. in from edge, crossing each other in one corner. To hind the edges ol the set. out out strips of gilt oil-silk, J-in wide, fold them in half, and machine stitch without turnings (they won’t frav). HEALTH.

Acquiring Avoirdupois.—Weight can lie increased by the building up of muscle, hone and fat; hut fat is the only one of these three that is easily

acquired hv the girl or woman leading an ordinary every-day sort of life. In any case, the acquisition of bone and muscle is limited to the growing age. After twenty-one you cannot add one muscle fibre to those which you already possess. You can solidify and strengthen those you have, hut you cannot grow more. So you must concentrate on fat, which you can grow, if you are wanting added avoirdupios. The obvious way of acquiring fat is by dieting. A gradual increase of fats, sugar and starches, is therefore indicated. But you must select the proper kinds and quantities with discretion. and with equal discretion work them into your dietary, otherwise you will upset your metabolic processes. So go carefully and gradually, for you have to set up a physiological adaptation. Here is a list of some fat-making foods: Olive oil (the best only;, butter, cream, nuts (especially almonds, peanuts, coconuts and walnuts—their fat value is in this order), bacon, pork, goose, beef (especially its fat), lamb, suet, eggs, cheese. Milk, too, is very valuable. So is honey. The best fruits for the would-be fatter are (in this order) bananas, prunes, figs, pears, apples, grapes, plums and apricots. Here are the names of the vegetables which furnish the largest supplies of starches and sugars (which you may remember, arc two of your immediate essentials): Lima beans, pens, sweet potatoes, potatoes, artichokes, onions, carrots, turnips. Fish that will help you are: Fresh herrings (especially good), salmon, mackerel, sardines, eels, halibut. And last, but by no means least —water. COOKING. Butter Cream Sandwich.—Break two large eggs into a mixing basin, add 2 oz castor sugar and whisk them together. Then stand the basin over a j pan of hot water and whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is very thick and creamy and free from dark streaks. Care must he taken not to overheat it or the mixture will curdle. When ready, remove the basin from the hot water and contine to whisk the mixture for a minute, then gradually sift in 2oz flour, folding it in lightly, and adding IJoz butter (melt-j cd hut not hot) alternately. Turn the sponge mixture into buttered sandwich tins, spreading it over them evenly, and bake the cakes for about 10 minutes. until they are light and spongy. Then turn them on to a sheet of paper sprinkled with sugar and let them cool.

To make the butter cream for the

filling and butter icing.—Buh soz icing sugar through a hair sieve. Put 2J ox butter into a basin with about half the sugar aiid heat them until they are soft and creamy. Then add the remainder of the sugar and continue to beat the mixture until soft. Then 1 stir in sufficient coffee essence to flavI our the butter cream (about f-2 des- | sertspoonsful). Spread one &f the | cakes with some of this filling and I sandwich the two together, saving the remainder of the butter cream for decorating the top of the cake. To make the water icing: Buh lOoz icing sugar thriTtigh a hair sieve and mix n to a coating consistency with about 2 tablespoonstul of moderately liot water. adding also some vanilla essence, to flavour. Place the cake on a cake lack with a dish below and pour the water icing over jt, coating it evenly. Leave it until the icing is set. To decorate the cake: Beat up the remainder of the coffee butter cream and use it to decorate the cake, forcing it through an icing hag with a small “bent rose” icing tube affixed. KNITTING. A Beaded Belt.—Materials: 1 hall macrame twine, size 10, cream ; 128 jet heads. Crochet hook, size 13. Thread 126 beads on the twine and make 119 ch. Bow 1 : 1 tr. into fourth eh. from hook * miss 2 ch., ltr. (push a head close to hook), 1 ch. to secure bead, 1 tr. into the next ch. : miss 2 ch., 1 tr.. 1 ch., 1 tr. into the next eh. ltepeut from * ending row with miss 2 clt., 2 tr. on last 2 cn. Bow 2: 3 ch., * tr. stand for the first tr. —1 tr., 1 ch., 1 tr. on second tr. (working into both threads of previous row) * miss 2, 1 tr., 1 ch., 1 tr in next st. Bepeat from *, ending row with 1 tr. on last st. Bow 3: 3 ch., 1 tr. on second tr., * miss 2, 1 tr., 1 ch.. 1 tr. on third st. Miss 2, 1 tr., 1 bead, 1 tr. on next st. Bep. from *, ending row with 2 tr. on the last 2 sts. Bow 4: Bep. row 2. Bow 5: 3 ch.. 1 tr. on second tr., * miss 2, 1 tr., 1 bead, 1 ch., 1 tr. on the next st.. miss 2, 1 tr., 1 eh., 1 tr. on the next st. Bep. from * ending row with 2 tr. on the last 2 sts. Bep. rows 2. 3 and 2 once more. Continue working along the short end of the belt. Make 2 d.c. into the corner st., 2 d.c. into each space 8 times, 2 d.c. into the corner st.. 1 d.c. into each of the commencing ch., 2 d.c. into the next corner st., 2 d.c. into each space at other short end,* 2 d.c. into hist corner st., 1 d.c. into 11 ch., miss 1 ch., rep. from * to end. For fastening make 130 ch.