HOME ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16330, 20 January 1921, Page 9

HOME ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION.

[Contributed.)

It is very gratifying to the editors of this column to find so many H.E.A. members taking an interest in its work. We have much pleasure in publishing the following communications from them :

“ Easv and Effective.”—l have washed all my blankets ibis year by the method recommended in the following recipe which was given to me by a friend. The results are so excellent

that I am passing it on to your readers. Cold water method of washing blankets: For four blankets, dissolve lOoz of son]) and 4 heaped tablespoonfuls of borax by placing them in a saucepa.u with about a gallon of cold water and bringing slowly to the boil. Half till a tub of < old water, and mix in contents of saucepan. .Mix thoroughly. Put in four blankets, leave

tjll next day, occasionally turning so that water runs through and dirt out. Rinse well in at least five waters, all cold. To the last rinsing water add blue. Hang in ’be sun. The wetter iho blankets are hung out the better will l*e their colour Shake before quite dry to make soft and fluffy.

“ A Useful Wrinkle.’!—l believe that many women, since the Thriit Exhibition ol last year, have, like myself, made all their own household soap. Mv butcher supplies me with a cheap l line of caul fat, but when first J startl’d making soap T found that in rendering down this fat it lost so much in weight that ii was almost as cheap to buv suet. A friend recommended me

to put the fat through the mincer before rendering it down, and by employing this method I find that 1 get about lib more in every dozen, pounds.

“ Mother.” — One of my little girls scratched our draw ing-room paper with

a toy comb in such a way as to make the whole room look unsightly. A friend who was present asked me to bring lier an extra piece of the wall paper if I bad it. and when T brought it she. took one of the children’s paintbrushes and wetted it just enough to get the brush full of colour. h itli this brush she then painted the scratched surfaces, and as the colour was the exact shade of the original they soon became invisible. My friend told me that an oid dealer in wall paper had told her of this method. “ Primary School Teacher.”—Won’t

vou publish this anecdote, which I saw in a little Australian paper, in the H.E.A. column? In a class of small children the teacher desired, by illustration, to define the word fa vou rij She said: ‘‘Weil, (Children, if there was someone you loved more than anyone else in the wolld, and wished always to keep with you. wliat would

>u sav she was—what name would you vc her?” A small boy held up his

hand, and when told to answer, promptly replied, “My mother.” “ Justice.” Your column is always very sympathetic towards the noble work mothers do in the world. M ould you like- to print in it the following little panegyric on fathers which T sawin an oid paper the other day:—“ We happened in a house the other day, and over the parlour door yw the legend,

worked in letters of red, ‘ What is Home without a Mother?’ Across the door was another brief. ‘ God bless our Home.’ Now , what’s the matter with

‘ God bless our Father?’ Ho gets up early, lights the fire, boils an egg, and wipes off the dew of’the lawn with his boots while many a mother is sleeping. He produces the weeWy allow-

ance for the grocer, the milkman, the butcher and the baker, and his little pile is badly worn before bo lias been home an hour. If there is a noise during the night father is the one who is expected to go downstairs, find the burglar, and capture or put him to flight. 4 What h home without a mother?’ Yes, that’s all right; but ‘ What is borne without a father?’ Ten chances to one it is a boardinghouse. Father, here’s to yon. You’re got, your faults—you may have lots of them—but we owe you a lot. and we’ll miss you when you’re gone.”

“ Another Busy Mother.”—T was so delighted with a Busy Mother’s paper in the last, publication of our HE.A. column. I think what she says about simple, healthful, educational p-lay for • •hildren is just splendid. During the Christmas holidays 1 have been so disgusted by the amount of money wasted on absolutely useless toys for children that I am going to ask you to publish in the next H.E.A. column the following paper:— Do Children like the Useful Gift, by May Belle Brooks.—” The average child receives so manv toys that he soon becomes surfeited with play things and unappreciative of those he has. Many persons make the mistake of thinking

that nothing but toys will appeal to tho youngsters, but the fact is that, they arc highly pleased over some useful gift that is all their own and something they can use themseves, understand, and not have some one else use for them. Anything intended for their individual use will be sure to find favour, if it is nothing more than a small cup and saucer. An inexpensive luncheon serviette for children may be quickly made of cotton crepon fringed and initialled. It will wash easily, requires iiu ironing, and is so cheap that the Joss of one js not a. calamity. Serviette

practical, and if dyed a favourite

colour will help to reform any little person who is careless about folding his serviette after meals. Ono might not suppose that a towel would be a

suitable gift, for a. child, but after witnessing the pride one so ven-v ear-old took in a small linen towel, every bit his own. even to the initial, with a crocheted edge in his favourite colour, I unhesitatingly recommend it. Whenever that particular towel was on his rack in the bathroom \vc noticed that after each use it was folded neatly and hung so that the embroidery showed to the best advantage, and we never had to pick that towel off the floor. I have observed that boys nke pretty things as well as girls until somebody teases the sentiment out of them. A delightful quilt for a young child’s room is made of unbleached calico squares bordered with turkey red trimmings or any other colour. On twenty-six of the squares embroider in n running stitch a letter of the alphabet, and on the alternating ones some simple rhymes. This will take some time to make, bub it is a gift that would be handed down to future generations. Have you ever thought to give a little girl a set of doll patterns? Most pattern agencies now provide a full outfit m sizes to fib

several dolls. They \ furnish excellent X>ractice work tbab may later save the young lady from many errors in making her own garments. Don’t give a child n pair of stockings or some such necessity without embellishing the gift in some manner. Two w omen were buying gifts for a little fellow the other day, and one suggested stockings as he always needed them. ' Oh, don’t get him stockings!’ begged the younger woman. ‘ Get him something useful if

you like, but a little fancy. T remember T got a pair of shoes one birthday and I was so angry. I knew' I’d get them anyhow and it didn’t seem fair to pawn them off on me as a birthday present.’ 4 Well.” said .the older woman, 4 I’ll get the stockings, hub I'll put a simple toy and some pennies in tho toe of each.’ That solution made a great hit with the small boy, and the stockings were lifted above ordinary stockings, because thev were instrumental m furnishing n surprise. Nothing makes a little maiden feel so grown up and capable as an apron that ties around the waist. A large pocket adds immensely to that feeling.”