The Wendy Hut

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3492, 30 October 1926, Page 12

The Wendy Hut

From Wendy’s Armchair Children dear, I wonder if any ot you can advise me about a little domestic problem? You see, it’s like this: link and Biliikins, having lived in perfect peace and harmony for many months, have started teasing each other once more. Never a day goes past without Biliikins laughing at Tink and chaffing her about what he calls her ‘importance.’ Be tells her she thinks herself a sort of uncrowned Queen, and that her head is getting turned with all the ‘flattery’ she receives from her Humans. Ho doesn’t mean it, of course, but Tink pretends to think he docs. Then she gives him a rap over the knuckles —not actually you know, but she kind of ‘hits back’ and tells him is pretty conceited himself about his precious Billy Boys’ Brigade. So between the two I have quite a lively time, trying to keep thorn quiet while I attend to the Wendy Hut stories, and poems, and recipes, and dressmaking hints —and so on.

Just to show you how provoking Tink can be when she likes, here is some ‘poetry’ she wrote the other day and stuck in a prominent place on tno mantelpiece in Villa.kins. Of course I wasn’t a bit surprised when the Billikins ‘got his own back’ and \vrotc a ‘poem’ about her. ‘Here s Tink’s effort; A GOlihlN J'OTt SAM. Hoes anyone want a Goblin —a fat little Goblin gay ? ‘Cause we’ll lend you our fat Goblin he’s usually in the way. He’s in the Hut and out of it; you never know’ Where he’ll be. So if you’d like a Goblin man, you’d better apply to me. Tou’vc heard all about our Gobltu — our fat little Goblin gay? His home, you know —that’s when he’s in—is ‘Villkins’ down the way. Ho gets in scrapes and out again; you never know what he’ll do. He worries us and flurries us; but

p’raps he'll be good with you. What do you think of our Goblin — our fat little Goblin gay? Do you think he stands a chance to win a word*of praise some day ? Think if he came to live with you, you could teach him to behave? For when he’s with us ho acts like a wild man in a cave. Who’d like to borrow a Goblin—a fat little Goblin gay? You’d like to have him —and you?— ” nnd you?. You only have to say And I'll pack him up and label him, and send him off by mail. If nobody wants to borrow him — that Gobin’s man's for sale. Another day I'll tell you what the Billikins wrote in reply to that. In the. meantime, if you can tell me how to keep these two little teases in order, I’ll be very much obliged. Love from Wendy.

My Lucky Day The day when it’s my Lucky Day iA. little Dairy comes, She guides ray hand in writing an’ She helps me do my sums. She pops the dates into my head, She loves geographic She knows the Rivers and the Towns, And whispers them to me. But when it’s not my Lucky Day Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh my. My pen keeps spilling little blots However hard I try. The dates all come the wrong way round: The sums are never right, And names of Rivers, Capes and Towns Have simply taken flight. So every morning when 1 wake I very firmly say—- “ Dear Little Fairy come and bring A Lucky Day to-day.” An’ ‘cause I know how much she loves To see a little Flower, I pick one from my garden, an’ I stick it In a jar. .1 stand the jar upon my desk

I wait. Then p’raps I see —- A Darling Fairy running with ,A Ducky Day for mo. And when the Day is over an’ I'm off to have some fun, I know I nnisn’t leave until A kindly deed Jve done. 1 take the flower from out the jar, An' most politely say—- “ Accept this little 'Thank you’ for Another Lucky Day.’ 1 W. M. M. Wendy’s Little Dressmakers

My clear Children, A letter came to the Hut the other day, asking for instructions how to make a "dress like Wendy wears,” and also one like Tlnkerbcil’s. Can't you imagine the excited measuring and planning that’s been going on ever since. And, here’s the result or all the work—to show you how you can dress just like Tink and Wendy :f yoif want to. Wendy generally wears a frock made in two parts: a plain white lawn bodice, with a gathered skirt of patterned material stitched on, and a little sleeveless jumper in some darker colour over the top. The bodice is cut like Dia, B; open out, sew up the side-seams, bind the neckedge, make little turn-back cuffs on the sleeves, and sew on a little round collar. (Perhaps you’ve a collar you could use for a pattern? if not, you must practice the shape in paper first of all, so as to get a good fit.) The skirt should be about a yard-and-a-half wide, and as long as from your waist to your knees; give it a twoinch hem, sew up the back seem, gather round the top, ana sew It on to the bodice, tacking it on carefully first, so as to got the gathers nice and even. Now for the little overjumper:—Measure across your chest and cut a. double piece of stuff about two inches wider than this width, and reaching from your shoulders to just below your waist. Fold the stuff in half lengthways and widthways, and cut as shown in Dia. A. Open out: bind the neck and arm-holes, hem round the bottom, sew up the sides, and the jumper is finished, except for its little belt which should match the skirt. Dia. C shows the underneath part of the frock and the picture shows what the completed garment looks like when it’s being worn. Tink’s Dress Although Tink has a rather more elaborate dress for parties and festivities, the frock she generally wears is just like the one in the picture; so if you want to maVc address like it, you must first fashion a little green cotton bodice, cut like Dia. D. Have it about as long as from your shoulders to your waist. When it is cut, open out and bind the neck, armholes and scalloped border neatly with strips of material cut on the cross. The skirt is made of thin white or palest pink material; it should be fairly full, and as long as from your waist to your knees. When it’s hemmed, gather the upper edge, and sew it on to a tiny camisole top, as shown in Dia. E—this top is very simply made of a strip of material about six inches deep to go round your body under your arms, and the shoulderstraps are made of ribbon. Put on the skirt, and then put on the green bodice. Get someone to tack the bodice to the skirt here and there; then you can sow it on firmly afterwards. Wendy's Dressmaker.

The Billy Boys’ Workshop A CUI'BOAItD FROM A I‘ACKJTS’ G-OASE A very useful cupboard, like the one shown in Fig. 1., can be made from an ordinary packing case of suitable size. Remove the lid from the case and take out all odd nails, etc. Now remove all the outside battens except those at the bottom, as shown in Fig. 1., and line the interior of the case with wall-paper, which is easily stuck )in place with flour paste. Separate j strips of paper should be cut for tn*j jsides, top and bottom of the case, j and ail joins must be turned over | neatly at the corners, j Now cover the outside of the case I with wall-paper, or similar material: ior you can plane it up, stain ana varnish it, if you prefer. Turn the lid of the case outside in and cut off the ends of the battens to ■allow it to fit closely against the case. Hinge the lid to the side of the case (Fig - . ,1) with ordinary Tee or crossgarnet hinges about six inches long—these will cost only a few pence at the ironmongers'. Fine and cover the lid to correspond with the rest of the case. Next make a. latch. This can be done quite well, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, by nailing a strip of wood (A) inside the'cupboard on the left side, and fixing a block of wood of the same thickness to the inside of the door, as shown in Fig. 3. Drill a hole, about one inch in diameter, right through the door and through the centre of this block at a distance of four inches from Ihe edge of the door. Put a pjece of broomhandle (C. Fig 2.) through the hole, and cut off the ends so that it will he ouoeiglith of an incli 'longer than the lliicltness of the door and the block. When the piece of broomhandle is in place, screw a latch (B. Fig 2.) to the inside end, and on the outside screw a shaped handle (D. Fig. 2.). Whoa the handle is turned, the latch is lifted above block :A, and the door opens. The latch must he about three and a half inches from the centre of the broomhandle to the outer end. Wendy’s Little Cooks CHOCOLATE JAM In a little country inn tucked away amongst the Italian hills, Yolanda was making* chocolate jam for the visitors. She liad several laryo bars

of chocolate, which she grated and then mixed with different jams. First she pressed some home-made plum jam through a sieve; then she sprinkled in a few spoonsful of chocolate, and mixed the whole together till she obtained a smooth, thick mass. She did the same with greengage jam, and cherry jam; then she put the different mixtures in pretty little saucers —just sufficient for on* person—and placed the chocolate jam on the breakfast table for the visitors to eat with their rolls or toast. As a special treat, she wmnld sometimes mix chocolate with honey, and this was eaten with strips of bread dried in the oven till they were crisp and brittle. Just try Yolanda's jam one morning.