OF INTEREST OF WOMEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 30 September 1933, Page 9

OF INTEREST OF WOMEN

BLACK SATIN SUITS

SOME MEW BERETS

There are whispers from Paris that, within the next two or three months, every smart woman will be wearing black again. It seems to go in cycles, this craze for black, but few of us grumble when the fashion becomes due for there is nothing 'quite so chic as the black frock, and nothing more trim and serviceable than the black coat and skirt. Some form of relief is to be introduced with it, but whether white or one of the pastel shades will be chosen has not yet been decided. There are women who sigh for the return of that exquisite shade of pale pink which was invariably allied with black a season or two ago, and we shall sec very shortly whether or no that will share the honours with, perhaps, a pale tone of turquoise.

TRIM USEFULNESS Paris is already sponsoring black, mostly in the form of satin suits. The smart Frenchwoman is very fond of a trim coat and skirt because of its use-

fulness for all kinds of occasions, and she is wearing with it just now the loveliest of blouses. This does not mean that the blouse has suddenly become elaborate. The opposite is the case, in fact. But the material of which it is made is chosen with great care, the cut is perfect, and the workmanship as exquisite as anything a Paris workroom’can turn out.

Angel skin in a soft ivory tone was the choice of one Parisienne, whose satin suit was worn with a little white flower-petal toque. Headgear of this type is growing in popularity, which is not surprising when one. realises that not only is it a charming crown to the head but that it is more comfortable as well as more becoming than a creation of angles and hard lines. Embossed crepe with a dull surface, lace, and pastel-tinted chiffons are other blouse materials which are in favour. There seems to be little demand for satin or any other shingsurfaced fabric.

With the black coat and skirt a large hat is as smart as a small one, and a woman just back from Paris was impressed by the number of wide-brim-med straws being worn. They were more or less untrimmed—only a bow, a flower, or a circlet of ribbon round the crown being permitted—but the straw was of the very finest and the line of crown and brim carefully adjusted.

SOFTER LINES

The new berets are trimmed, and are being made from a host of light materials as well as from straw. They still roam to the right side of the head and are worn well to the front, and a jewelled clip may be fixed anywhere as though it had been flung on to the hat and allowed to remain where it fell. On a little blue silk beret the clip lay flat in the centre at the top. On a black straw one it was adjusted so that it shone against wavy hair on the left of the head. There are still berets made almost melon shape, in sections, but they all have much softer lines and can be draped, as it were, on the head to suit the individual wearer. Much more material is used for them than has been the case lately, and there are folds to be adjusted which means that they can be pulled about until they are really becoming. New coats are worthy of notice now. The slip-on, unlined crepe coat is still first favourite, but there are some amusing models for holiday wear made of very shiny satin and a ribbed silk pique. One does not predict a very long life for them—they take the place in one’s wardrobe that the gay cretonne coat did a season or two ago—but they have their uses and they provide the element of novelty which

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some women demand. They are almost straight in regard to shape, with a narrow collar, and a stitched belt at the waist. Sometimes patch pockets give an ornamental touch to the two fronts, but the idea seems to have been to create a workmanlike effect and very little decoration has been allowed so far. With a crepe do chine dress a three-quarter coat of this type, made of turquoise satin, was worn, and with a brown frock there was a coat of hip length made of natural colour linen. Little boleros, to wear with a crepe dress out of doors, arc other new fashion items. Pale green, beige, canary yellow, and grey are included in the range of colours in which these boleros are being made. —Diana Dane.

BANISH YOUR BLACKHEADS

Frequent steaming is now recognised as an old-fashioned way of treating blackheads, and should never be. indulged in more than once a fortnight. Having taken a steaming, press out all the blackheads you can without making the skin sore. Use a sulphur soap whenever you wash, and work up a good lather. A rubber nailbrush may be used once a day on badly affected

skin, rubbing gently. After a, wash, always rinse in cold water' to close the pores, and then spray on some astringent lotion and let it dry on. At night work in a little sulphur ointment.

COMFORT FOR * BRIDGE PLAYERS

Bridge has beconie so much a part of the life of so many women that it is not surprising to find inventors devising gadgets for making the pastime even more pleasant than it ordinarily is. To save players the trouble of shuffling and dealing there is now on the market a wonderful table that does all this for them. The pack of cards is slipped into a drawer that slides out to receive it. As this is pushed back into place, a machine is started and thirteen cards apiece are dealt round the table. This feat accomplished, the machine ceases activity and the drawer automatically becomes ready to receive the second pack for distribution. If you want to amuse the company, you can uncover the machinery by lifting up the table-top, so disclosing the little electric gadget at work. The table is of the folding type, and if a drink should be upset upon it, there will he no need for worry, since it is proof against liquids of ail kinds, and is washable. Folding card-tables have as a class, improved themselves and their con-

struction marvellously of late. At one time they had a bad habit of giving away at a push. Now they possess a clever, self-locking device which makes the legs absolutely rigid at their juncture with the top. There is no ugly leg-support. This is rendered unnecessary through the fitting of small levers which function at slight pressure. Devotees of bridge who tear that in country lodgings they may lack a suitable card-tabic can easily include one of these fiat folding tables amongst their luggage. Even China is mindful of the bridge craze at home. At one of the shops which imports Oriental goods, I found a set of delightful little trays in Canton enamel, with the diamond, spado, heart and club respectively in black — in the centre of each. Everyone can sit at cards in an arm-chair nowadays, for seats specially designed to give support to the player’s arms without interfering with free play to them when dealing, are now to be had. Incidentally, the chair arms do not project enough to take up undue room round a small table. I have seen the cushions for bridge chairs shaped in the form of the four card symbols. But one can play quite a good game without this being necessary !—M.H.

PROTECTION FROM MOSQUITOES

To protect your face and neck from mosquitoes sift a little camomile powder into your face powder. The feet and legs should be dusted, before putting on stockings, with the following protective powder. Sift half an ounce of powdered camomile flowers into half an ounce of rice powder. Add ten grains of ammonia and five grains of starch powder. Oil of lavender, oil of citronella, or lembenol, all help to keep mosquitoes and gnats away. If you get bitten, bi-carbonate of soda, or sal volatile, applied at once, will reduce inflammation and soothe irritation. Follow cither of these treatments by dabbing on a little onion juice and allowing it to dry on. Apply colourless iodine to any bite that appears to be poisoned.

DEVILLED MUSHROOMS AS A SAVOURY For three people,•: allow six large mushrooms, two ounces butter, two teaspoonsful French mustard, one teaspoonful English mustard, one teaspoonful lemon juice, one dessertspoonful sweet Mango chutney. Wash and dry the mushrooms, removing skins and stalks. Make a paste with the butter, mustard, lemon-juice and chutney—the chutney may need chopping finely. Spread the mushrooms with this mixture, put them in a baking dish, sprinkle with salt and a little cayenne, coat with fine breadcrumbs, pour melted butter over each, and cook in a hot oven for fifteen to twenty minutes. Prepare some round of buttered toast, put a ■mushroom on each, arrange in an entree dish, and garnish with watercress.

KITCHEN CORNER

TESTED RECIPES

Dried Apricot Marmalade

Two pounds of dried apricots, four quarts of water, 71b of sugar, 2oz of sweet almonds, and the juice of two lemons. Wash the apricots well in lukewarm water. Put them in a bowl, pour over the water, and leave them to soak for 24 hours. Then put them in a preserving pan with the water and lemon juice, and boil gently until the fruit is tender. Blanch the almonds, cut them in small pieces, add them to the fruit, also the sugar, and boil till it sets when tested—about threequarters of an hour. Remove any scum. Then preserve into jars; seal down when cold.

Swiss Fondue

Take the whites of four eggs, beat them lightly and then add the yolks, mixing them in well. Add a quarter of a pound of grated cheese, one ounce of creamed butter, salt and popper. Put the mixture in a saucepan and cook it very slowly, stirring all the time, and when you have a smooth thick cream remove it from the fire. Have ready some pieces of hot buttered toast, pour over the cheese mixture and serve very hot. There should be enough fondue

to cover and hide all the pieces of toast.

Cheese Canapes

Take a sufficient number of thin water-biscuits or neatly trimmed pieces of crisp toast-and spread them with the following mixture: One tablespoon of cheese, 1 tablespoon butter. Mash together so well that you have a very smooth paste. Add an equal quantity of finely shredded lettuce, season with pepper and keep in a cool place until ready for use.

Cheese Squares

Chop finely a slice of lean cooked ham and mix it with the same quantity of grated cheese. Add a dash of sauce and put mixture into square dry biscuits in sandwich fashion. Garnish with sprigs of parsley.

Cheese Biscuits

First fry a rasher of streaky bacon until it is very crisp. Let it get quite

cold and then chop it finely and mix it with an ounce of grated cheese, salt and pepper, and enough cream to make a thick smooth paste. Work this together and use the mixture to make a sandwich, filling between very thin dry biscuits.

Marmite Scones

Three cupfuls self-raising brown flour, or white and brown mixed. Rub in one dessertspoonful butter. Dissolve one heaped teaspoonful marmite in one cupful milk. Add. to flour, mix and roil more thinly than ordinary scones. Bake until crisp.

Olive and Caper Toasts

Spread some anchovy sauce on small rounds of fried bread. Chop twelve olives and one teaspoon capers very finely. Mix them well together, adding half a teaspoon of sauce; sprinkle thickly on top of the toasts. These can be eaten hot or cold; if hot they must be put in the oven for ten minutes.

Devilled Cheese Crackers

One cup diced moist cheese, one teaspoon mustard, two teaspoons sauce, one tablespoon butter, one tablespoon vinegar, quarter-teaspoon salt, quar-ter-teaspoon cayenne. Beat the cheese with the seasonings and flavourings until light and creamy, spread on toasted crackers. This will spread about four dozen crackers.

Cheese and Celery Biscuits

Two ounce’s cheese pastry (see below), half gill thick cream, Aoz grated cheese, finely chopped celery, salt, pepper and cayenne. Roll out pastry, prick and cut into small biscuits. Bake in a moderate oven, then cool. Mix together all the other ingredients and whisk slightly. Pile neatly on top of biscuits. This mixture is nice spread on plain water biscuits.

Queen Cakes

Have ready Alb flour, Alb sugar, 6oz butter, Alb currants, A teaspoon baking powder, 4 eggs, and a little salt. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the yolks of the eggs, sift in the flour and baking powder, then add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs and the currants. Put into buttered patty tins, only half full though, and bake for from 15 to 25 minutes.

Rhubarb Tart

Make it on a flat open tart dish instead of in a pie. Cook the rhubarb, reduce its juice to very little, add ginger-juice, put it in its cooked pastry, strew chopped almonds over it with a very thin sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg, and bake it fifteen minutes in a hot oven.

HOUSEHOLD HINTS THINGS USEFUL TO KNOW To Remove Ink Stains If you upset ink on a linen tablecloth, let the stain remain until it is dry. Then rub it all over with a goodsized mashed-up tomato. Leave it on the cloth,- and have the tablecloth washed in the ordinary way. The

cloth will look as good as new when it is “done up” again.

Stains on Stockings

Stains on stockings should be removed at once before the stockings are washed. Thawpit is excellent for removing grease, oil, or tar stains. Moisten a muslin pad with a little of this preparation. Place stained part over a piece of clean blotting-paper. Press the stain with the moistened pad so that the grease is forced on to the blotting-paper. Have clean, dry blot-ting-paper at each application.

To Make an Egg Garnish

Boil an egg hard and separate the yolk from the white. Rub the yolk through a wire sieve and use it for sprinkling over various savoury wishes. Chop the white or cut it in fancyshaped pieces.

To Clean Cut-Glass

Cut-glass articles should be washed in strong soda, water moderately warm and afterwards rinsed in clear, cold water. Allow the glass to drain for a while, and then*dry with a clean teatowel. Brush with a soft- brush and some prepared chalk, taking care to get well into the various cavities. Finally polish with a clean glass cloth.

GENERAL

Stains on nickel may be removed by rubbing the places with a rag dipped in ammonia. Then polish with a leather, and after a while the nickel will be quite bright.

To clean white enamel furniture, remove all dirty marks with a flannel dipped in methylated spirit. Then wash at once with tepid water, to which has been added a little fine oatmeal. Never use soap or soda.

A cheap knife-powder may be made from coffee-grounds dried well in the oven and mixed with a little bicarbonate of soda.

If tea stains in a tablecloth are rubbed with the blue bag and then boiled, the boiling removes both stain and blue.

Fill up your saucepans with hot water and put them on the stove immediately after using, so that they practically clean themselves while you have your meal.

A spoonful of vinegar added to the water in which a’fowl is boiled will make it much more tender.

Nails and hooks on which damp towels and kitchen cloths are hung should be enamelled white to prevent them from rusting.

A quick way of threading a needle when darning is to draw the two ends of a short length of cotton through the eye of the needle, then slip the wool through the loop. When the thread is pulled through the eye the wool will come with it. This method is useful when the needle is slender and the wool thick.

The yolk of an egg rubbed into the scalp cleanses the hair. Rinse afterwards with tepid water in which a little borax has been dissolved.