INGENIOUS NOVELTIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18571, 1 December 1923, Page 6 (Supplement)

INGENIOUS NOVELTIES.

Now is the time to begin making all those fascinating but useful little Christmas gifts' which ultimately not only effect a tremendous saving in money and anxiety to the giver, but which also are so much more keenly appreciated than the conventional card or the hurriedly bought and often futile trifle. s/~ A rose of 1 silk with a little powder puff stitched to the 'back of it makes a dainty gift. You can buy the rose or make it by 'cutting for each petal an oblong of auk on the cross, fold it to bring the shorter cut edges together, double the folded edge towards you and well stretch the folded top edge bringing the sides down to trie lower cut edges. Gather the raw edges and sew each petal, to a circle of buckram. Add a silk-covered wire stalk and a silk-covered buckram leaf. Then affix the powder puff. Bag tops are cheaper new. The prettiest bags can be made from scraps,, a circle of jazz silk edged with circles of crochet and finished with fringe or monkey fur,' strips of * ribbon, ruched silk, scraps of suede, or dyed washleather from old gloves. To a girl who has an old-world bouffant frock a Victorian posy is an* acceptable gift. Cut a circle of buckram and edge it with a frill of gold lace. Then all over, the buckram sew tiny puckered bits of different coloured silks to look as much like tiny flowers as possible. In the centre put a larger flower or a cluster of crystal or coloured beads. Fix hat wire to the back of the flower and round the wire wind narrow ribbon, leaving three or four long loops and ends to dangle. A little posy like this might have a strip of silk gathered and stitched to its edges at the back , The other edge made to draw up to make a receptacle for tiny hanky or powder puff. Get bone or metal ' casement curtain rings end double crochet over each in coloured raffia or embroidery silk. Then stitch them together either as table mats to form a girdle Or to make one of the many other pretty novelties for which these rings can bo utilised. If each ring is covered in a different colour a charming effect is gained. This is a good way of using up oddments of jumper silk. A variation of the silk-covered dresshanger is an enamelled hanger. Wooden coatdiangers look delightful if carefully enamelled. The cheap ones are sometimes rather roughly finished off, so it is best to wash and sandpaper them before starting to paint- them A new idea is to cut notches (before painting) in the wooden hanger, about two inches end. The loops 'sewn to a skirt-petersham fit into these i notches so that coal, and skirt can hang i together, or tiny brass hooks might be screwed on the under-side of the hanger to -hold the skirt.