Ladies Column

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17074, 30 August 1917, Page 3

Ladies Column

A HOME-MADE RAINCOAT

Long coats and raincoats are expensive, things to buy ready-made, and although they are among the necessities rather than the luxuries' of a wardrobe, a girl generally begrudges the mone^ spent on them because they are not among the delicate and pretty things of the toilette that court admiration. For the price she pays for a raincoat or a cloth overcoat she could buy a charming one-piece frock or a smart costume —things that appeal very much more strongly to her taste than top-coats ■and wet-weather garb.

A suggestion wov' i offering, therefore, is that a r;irl should be industrious enough to make for herself a nice raincoat or wrapcoat, as in. this way she will save money, the home-made coat naturally comes far less expensive than the bought ready-to-wear one. Even if the latter is fairly cheap, the material will probably be inferior, and the advantage, therefore, of horn© work is that you can choose your own material and you can select your owi* pattern, as well, which is another advantage, to say nothing of the choice of colour, for over and over again it happens that », ready-made coat may be

of precisely the right pattern required, but the colour or material is wrong, or the colour may be light and the pattern wrong.

Ail these difficulties are conquered by home-work.

There is no need for;.the.;wet weather outfit to be anything but becoming, for coats to-day are essentially, smart, and a raincoat need not necessarily be made of mackintosh. There is quite a large assortment of proofed cloth materials to choose from, and these are so lightweight and in some cases so daintily coloured, that coats made of them need not be worn only on wet days, but are pretty and smart enough to be worn as light wrap-coats cr dust-coats, and this is a point that appeals to many girls who- want to reduce their wardrobes as much as possible and make use of combined garments. The rain-coat illustrated is of a kind that, if carried out in proofed cloth, might serve the dual purpose of an ordinary wrap-coat as well; or if the design were developed in nap-cloth *or other thick cloth, the coat could serve the essential purpose of a warm top-coat without thought for its rainproof qualities. The quantity of 52-54ineh stuff required to make it is five yards. This should be doubled, partly lengthwise and partly" widthwise, and the pattern pieces, seyon in all, disposed oh it as illustrated -'in- the diagram. The pattern pieces include half the seamless back of coat, one front, one yoke-sleeve, the collar, one cuff, one pocket, and half the belt. Price of pattern 6£d. As the yoke is seamless, the straight edge of pattern must be laid to a fold, and for the same reason the back of coat must be laid to a fold and also the belt.

The collar is a nice fold-over one and the cuffs are deep.; The pockets, which should be lined, are sewn to the coat fronts and buttoned-to the belt, and button and buttonhole fastenings are aranged down the front of the coat.

A COMFORTABLE HOUSE-DRESS

It is surprising how great a difference in effect is created by even half an inch, more or less, in the length, of a skirt, :he width of a hat, and so on. The modern skirt, with its all-rounq shortness, is calculated, more than anything else in satoriai mattei's to give an effect, of youth to the wearer, and takes, aparently, years off a woman's age; whereas the long sk^'rt adds, in effect, to her years.

The short skirt,as now worn, is quite child-like- in appearance, and nothing in the way of bodices approaches it 'or its youth-giving power, so far as appearance goes.

In regard to millinery, it is the sailor hat that is he most youthful-looking of all styles^ —the round, wide-brimmed sailor that, like the short skirt, is quite child-like in its effect.

When a sailor or other wide-brimmed hat is too small in circumference j^size can be given to it by adding a pleating of ribbon or chiffon to the. brim. An extra half-inch all round/ yielded by the pleating, will make the hat very much more important-looking. A' velvet hat, again, may be widened in outline by having an edging of fur.

As regards the widening of a princess dress that has become too tight, an excellent plan is to insert a panel in front and let this lie of lacey-looking material. edged, perhaps, to match the colour of the dress. Buttons can be added, to simulate the effect of the panel being buttoned to the fronts. Very pretty changes, again, can be runs; in dresses by means of sleeveless tunics of thin material, to be worn at times and discarded n - others, and also by a variation of neckwear.

A pretty design h.c a house-dress is shown in the accompanying illustration, the iden beinrc a comnlete princess dress with the addition of a sleeveless tnnic, nleated at each side and run through the centre-front with a rihhnn <=ash. iied in a. h-isr how at the left side Tt is optional whether the tunio is also held to the fgurp nt the hnek, or :f the sash T>°?ses under it nnd the 1i?iolc han^s sac-fashion. The "hnttonholes'" in the tnnir thrnnsrh whioh the zpsh passes ?.re emphasised, hy fancy stitch-

ing and the effect is altogether very pretty. Fancy stitching also trims the £ ? •,, le tunic > and at the neck is a soft frill of muslin. , This frock would look well in velve|een or cashmere, and is a pretty style tor the woman who likes ease in dress.

It is suitable, also, ior mixed materials, the tunic being of one material and the under-dress of another—or the sleeves might correspond with the tunic.

TO OBTAIN PATTERNS.

Patterns of all the designs appearing in. this column, week by week can be _obtamed by sending stamps, vaJue /d, for every pattern retired (coat, skirt, blouse, one-piece gown etc), t» Miss Ida Meller, Care of lhe ditor. The envelope should be marked "Patterns."

SAVING WASTE IN THE KITCHEN

liA shilling saved is a;/shilling arned," should be the maxim of the would-be economical housewife. All her careful buying and other economical methods will be of no avail if she permits waste to occur in her home The stoppage of wastage should be her first step m learning how to make-the most of a moderate income, and she will probably find, in studying the subject, that the greatest waste is in the trifles that are thrown away. The average garbage pail contains much that might have been turned to useful account. A spoonful or two of this and that left over are nothing much in themselves,,perhaps, but might have been mingled together into a delicious whole;.. Every scrap that is useful should be saved', not thrown away. It the Steak or roast Ibeof is very fat why not save the grease for cooking purposes instead of disposing of it in the garbage pail? The English housekeeper should learn the French method of cooking "en casserole" in order to i.se up trifles to advantage. The casserole, a s most women know, is a brawn earthenware dish with a cover, and in this all kinds of appetising concoctions are cooked. That spoonful of vegetables or savoury, those shabby little ends of steak, those "scrappy" left-overs of beef, the little bit of mince remaining from lunch', the half-cupful of rice from last night's curry—all may ~o into the casserole with a little stock, pepper and salt, and a dash of sauce, perhaps, and when the dish comes out of the oven something very good is the result of the mixture. Even tough little pieces of steak, and ho on, if chopped up and added to the casserole, may prove quite tempting. All fat, except lr.:ub or mutton fat, should go into a pot on the back of the'stove and remain to simmer gently. When it has simmered a few hours or so,'and all the fat is liquid, the latter should be strained through a close-ly-woven bit of clean lawn to remove the residue. The remaining fat should be allowed to stand until hard. This clarified fat is much nicer than lard and saves tbe expense of the latter. When bacon has been fried for breakfast or other meals, the: fat should oe poured off at once into a cup, and may, when cold and hard, be used on plain bread or toast instead of butter. Many children are very fond of "dripping" toast or bread and dripping, and the latter is considered very nourishing for them, and is certainly very appetising.

SHADE FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT,

To modify the too brilliant stream :of light that falls from an electric lamp that has a porcelain globe, it is a good idea to make a shallow bag of the thin- '• nest silk, or chiffon, in very pale flesh colour or ivory, i..ount it on a wire hoop, that will fit the lower part of the porcelain shade, and draw the bottom together, finishing it with a Chinese tassel. Any diaphanous material *s equally good for making this shade, which protects sensitive eyes from glare.

A TEA HINT

Before using tea, spread it on a sheet of brown paper and place it in a warm but1 not hot oven, leaving it there for ten or fifteen minutes. By so doing the tea, it is sa.id, will go-much farther, and the.flavour will be much improved. Tea from the teapot should be saved, and when there is i> sufficient quantity boiling water should be poured over ;t, and when this has cooled, the tea can be used for wiping hard-wood floors. This is an old English idea.

BEAUTY HELPS

A beauty expert says: "If you wish to make your longer-tips more tapering, soften them with warm water or olive oil, and then massage them with a long, slow stroke, beginning at the wrist and proceeding to the finger-tips. Then take each finger separately between the thumb or -orefinger of the other band, pinch the finger-tips gently at the sides, and at the same time draw the linger out from the grip. A good bleach ior the hands," she continues, " is made with one ounce each of lemon juice, honey and perfume of any chosen kind. If your hands have a, congested, swollen appearance, form the habit -if holding the hands up as much as possible instead of down at the sides. This will relieve the blood-vessols."

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

God has not given us vast learning to solve all the problems, or unfailing wis-

dom to direct all the wanderings of our brothers' lives; but He lias given fco every one of us the power to be spiritual and by our spirituality to lift and enlarge and enlighten the lives we touch. —Phillips Brooks.

SAVOURY SAUSAGES

GOLDEN SAUSAGES

Ingredients: Pork sausages Beaten-up egg Breadcrumbs Fat for frying. After boiling the sausages drain them well, and let them cool. Next pull away the skins, and roll the sausages separately in grated breadcrumbs, then brush over with tkj beaten egg, and roll again in the crumbs. Heat the fat in a trying pan. When a faint smoke ri&es put in the sausages, a few at.a time, and fry to a golden, brawn. There should be sufficient fat to cover the sausages. When done, drain them well on to a piece of paper, and arrange on a very aot dish.. You will find sausages cooked in this way excellent when cold, and far nicer than when cooked in their skins.

SAUSAGE SHAPE.

Ingredients: Jib. of pork sausages Milk or stock Brown crumbs Seasoning, salt, and pepper 2oz. of white breadcrumbs 2 ta'olespoonfuis of 1 an ham 1 teaspoonfui of chopped parsley. Remove the skins from the sausages, and to the meat add the ham chopped very finely, breadcrumbs, with a little chopped parsley and sweet 'ierbs snd pepper and^salt to taste. JMx «r 11 together, arid moisten with a littie milk' or stock. Grease a pudding basin, and sprinkle rather thickly with i'.e crushed brown crumbs. Press the sausage mixture into the basin, put greased p..per vvm the top, and bake for abj.it threequarters of an hour, standing the basin in a shallow baking-tin containing a little water. Serve on a hot dish, with gravy or sauce poured round.

SA USAGE TOAD 11, THE HOLE

Ingredients: £lb. of 6eef sausages £ pint of milk * Pinch of salt 1 egg 1 tablespoonful of flour.

Peel-the sausages, and if large ones cut them in half, and place in a wengreased baking-tin. Make a batter with the four, egg, and milk, and after beating it well pour it over the sausages taking care that none of these project above the batter. Bake in a good oven for half an hour, and serve very hot with nice gravy.

SAUSAGES IN GRAVY.

Ingredients. lib. of best pork saicsages A little good gravy or tomato sauce Fried potatoes. '

Boil the sausages for ten minutes, peel them, and cut into slices.

Heat the sauce or tl:e gravy (slightly thickened), and lay in the slices of sausage, heating gently for about ten minutes. Do not let them boil hard in the gravy. Take : out the slices and arrange them in a very hot dish, pouring over the gravy or sauce. Have ready some rounds of potatoes fried crisply, and place these round the dish as a garnish. . ■

This is an excellent way of preparing beef as well as pork sausages.