USEFUL HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3654, 27 December 1879, Page 4

USEFUL HINTS.

To Wash Tussore Dres3es. — Wash it very clean in soft water with plenty of yellow soap, value no soda or washinj-powder ; rinse in hard water, shako it oat an<\ hang on a clothes line for a short time. While still vory damp roll it tightly np in a cloth and let it bo for en hour, then iron on tho wrong side with a not iron. If it gets dry, and is damped ns clothes usually are it is spoiled, as orery spot of water shows when ironed ; in that caso Mthor wash it again or dip it in water. jtnle for Yenlilating Bedrooms. — A simple device it within the reach of everyone having mn ordinary window in his room, by which frrah outer air omi be ad milted in small quantity with such an upward current as will prevent its being felt us an injurious draft by the inmates. It is particularly adapted to ■teeping rooniß when the weather is too cold to admit of an open window. Thus, Btart both top and bottom sashes o£ the window lalC an inch, "which la not quite enough to dear the rebated or Btop-bcada at top or 'bottom, but which leaves un opening of an inch betweon the meeting rails, through which a current enters, bat diverted upward bj the glow as it Bhould be, 10 as not to fall directly to the floor, as its coolness might otherwise induce it to do. It thuj becomes •well mixed with the air of the room without feeing felt as a draft. A Pretty Window Transparency.— To make a pretty window tauwparency, one novel and inexpeniiTe, follow the§e directions :— Take a

BmnUVround, tbin, wooden plate and scrape tho centre with a penknife, so that, on hold- . ing it up to the <light,-it seems almost tramparent. Then dash half across' the in jer part of the plato a coating of blue paint, and in tbo centre draw a ship with sails outspread, which muet'ba coloured brown. When held up to the light it has tho appearance of a ship on the. ocean -seenan tho twilight, for the light shining through the contvo, which has been fci aped, looks like tho glimmer in the sky from a departed sun, and brings into raliei the vessel's form. A hole is bored on tho edge above and a blue ribbon inserted, by which tho plate miay be suspended o^ci- a window, or • elsewhere, as may teem > convenient. Sometimes thefe.little pliUes ore used as menu cards, having (ho name* of flic guests inscribed on the upper portion. Diey arc taken away and suspended afterwards as mementos ol'tho occasion.