ARTIFICAL LEAVES AND FRUIT FOR DECORATIVE PURPOSES.

Observer, Volume 9, Issue 530, 16 February 1889, Page 4

ARTIFICAL LEAVES AND FRUIT FOR DECORATIVE PURPOSES.

To make leaves first cut a pattern from a natural leaf ; now for every leaf cut two out of muslin or Cambric ; lay a piece of wire down the centre of the leaf and paste the two together. Put a cloth over them, and with a hot iron press them until dry. When the leaves are prepared, colour them by painting with sealing-wax" dissolved in alcohol : have the mixture just thin enough to spread well, using a brash such as is used for oilpainting.

Leaves may also be made of very thin calf -skin : soak in warm water until soft, then cut the leaves out and vein them with some shaip pointed article ; as they begin to dry bend them in shape ; when dry glue on apiece of covered wire for astern; now varnish the leaves with shellac, and they are ready to be decorated ; for this you may use oil paints or the bronze paints.

Leaves may be made by using scraps of velvet. Cut out the leaves, glue them on cambric and vein them with stitches of floss or embroidery silk.

For fruit, some of the small gourds, when dried thoroughly, do very nicely ; the prettiest gourds for this work are the gooseberry, lemon, orange, onion, pear and apple ; these are easily painted or gilded.

There are also many seed pods, burrs and cones that may be made of use. I have seen pine cones gilded and used as tassels. Acorns and nuts are pretty used in clusters or as tassels or as a iringe ; to fasten the acorns to a cord, first remove the nut, now with an awl make a hole through the cup where the stem was, now put the end of the cord through the hole, dip the bottom of the nut into some thick paste or hot glue and press the nut into the cup and let it dry.