A NOVEL PRESENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16098, 11 December 1915, Page 6 (Supplement)

A NOVEL P RESENT.

— « . ' . -.'.:;.-■ Abb yon on the look-out for a novel'-and' inexpensive - Christmas -present for a very specialfriend ! ■ If so, you should certainly follow •' my . example- make-*'., cretonne ' waste-paper basket, remarks an i- English writer. v ~ -lii'■^""; Mine cost me . the modest : sura of eighteen-pence, which certainly isn't a lot, especially as I've seen some that were very much like it (only not" as .nice !) 'in the shops for eight-and-eleven * .-.;':, These are the materials you will require for making the basket: 4-yard, of smallflowered cretonne, 4-yard of sateen to correspond in colour, 4 yards of ribbon. And that's all, except for. your own bit of ingenuity and time, which no one can buy . for yon. - And now for * the tnaking. - First -take, two or three cardboard box.tops, and with ; a pencil draw, upon one of them the shape of : the side /of the ' basket—which looks rather like a spade with a rounded top, and, using this for a pattern, cut out seven others exactly the same size' (I made mine Tin across '\ the bottom part, by lOin up.. to 1 the highest part of the rounded .top). Then cut two squares of cardboard, ; measuring the length Of the bottom of the j'" spade" upon each of the four sides (say, : j 7 by 7, as mine was), and, having finished I j this proceed to cut out the cretonne and' j sateen to the s same shaped/leaving { a half : 1 inch for turning. -Now cover four "spades" 5 I with cretonne and four with sateen, thus making the Outer sides of the basket of I the flowered" material, and the inner of plain. - I chose a pretty, small rose pattern • upon;a/black ground for my basket, and made the lining of old rose sateen, •.biut," I ot course, the colouringls simply a matter M for your own - taste. You | can ' cover . the .[cardboard with the. material by .sewing I it across the two sides, ; and drawing it .'! together, so that.the edges fit smoothly, but this takes a long. time. For my part, ; j being in a hurry, 1 I used a bottle of » gum, } and stuck the : edges': down 'instead It ; :really"does just as :L - well, and takes ; " the time. _ | When this is finished, r join a cretonne I " spade'* ?^^to/a/plain' one, by whipping them together along • the edges with , very small stitches, and about two inches from J the top, stitch in a half-yard of ribbon for ' each side, and then continue joining until ? v it is finished.:' ; When this is done,you will have four, "spades" with one side of i. cretonne and : -~ one of ; plain sateen, and /with one "! ribbon streamer attached to ; each side. ". / ". r -. . < Then cover'the square for the bottom in > the same manner, carefully whip the - four "spades" to it, one along each side, . andyour basket it', finished! >