Notes For Women

Wairarapa Daily Times, 30 June 1928, Page 6

Notes For Women

Fashions, Hints and Recipes.

When Sweets Stick. Toffees and boiled sweets have an annoying trick of sticking together, 'but if a little castor sugar is sprinkled among them, it will prevent this occurrence. After being sprinkled they skould be well shaken together, and, of course, it is hardly necessary to add that they should be kept in air-tight tins or bottles. * * * • For the Removal of Ink. A most effective ' remedy for ink stains on white linen, cotton or calico articles is to cover the mark thickly with mustard which has been mixed with water. Allow it to i>ermeate the stain, then boil the article, after which you will find that all trace of the trouble has disappeared. For silk or woollen articles an excellent remedy is to soak the stain for 24 hours 'in tomato juice. • * • * * / A Time-saving Hint. However good children may be, they will fall and cut large holes in their sto'ckings. A quick way to mend these is to cut a piece of black net - larger than the hole and stitch it neatly on to the wrong side of the stocking under’ the hole, after which, darn the hole as usual. The net gives a firm support, and you will find the little extra trouble involved well worth while.

2. In preparing a fabric for hemstitching, do all the tacking in a silk that exactly matches the material. It will be practically impossible to withdraw the -whole of the tackings and a contrasting colour is bound to show up badly. 3. On tlie return of a length of skirt material from the pleaters, be sure to machine-stitch the top edge firmly before withdrawing it from its paper wrapping. Only thus will you secure a neat even effect in the finished skirt. 4. Whon you have cut out your jumper, run a stout thread all round the neck before trying it on, so that you will not be likely to stretch it out of shape. Tie the ends of the thread to the size that you wish the neck to be. 5. When working on tweed or other thick material, do not attempt to stitch up the hem without having first machined a silk Prussian binding to the edge. The other side of tho binding can then be felled invisibly with loose stitches. 6. When taking a seam from the sewing machine, leave "ufiieient ends of cotton to allow for tying. Each tuck also should be securely tied at the back to avoid risk of becoming loose at the ends. * * * • Good Wash Leathers. A really first-class quality wash leather is not a cheap thing to buy, and merits proper treatment. Every time it lias been used it should be washed in warm soapy water; then when most of the moisture has been squeezed out, the leather should bo placed loosely in a glass jar until next needed. A simple plan; but to follow it regularly means that you will infinitely prolong tho life of the chamois-leather, and keep it beautifully soft as long as it lasts. * * * * A Housewife’s Hands.

A Milk Test. If you are not satisfied as to the purity of the milk you are obtaining apply the following test. Dip a clean needle into the milk, which will, if it is pure, adhere to the needle. If, on the other hand, the milk has been diluted, .the needle will be quite clean when you take it out. * * » «* To Remove Grease. It is so easy to spill grease on one’s clothes, but it can be just as easily removed by placing a piece of blotting paper over the spot- and then ironing with a rather hot iron. The heat from the iron dissolves the grease, which then bceomes absorbed by the blotting paper. REMOVAL OF STAINS. Ink Stains. ’ If they, occur oh white material, dip the stained portions in cold water, cove,r with a layer of salt, squeeze some lemon juice over them, and leave for a couple of hours: rinse well, wash in the ordinary way, and boil for a few minutes. This treatment should remove every trace of the stain. Ink stains on coloured material cannot well be treated at home, as it needs expert dyeing knowledge to adapt the stainremover to the particular colour to be treated. • * -■ • •

Eor a woman who docs ail ilie work of a house, including that which is commonly called “rough,” to have wellkept hands free from roughness and redness is not easy. It can, however, be done if she is willing to give just a little time and trouble to looking after her hands. The first thing to remember is to wear gloves for all dirty worlq—grqtc-cleaning, blackleading, cleaning boots, brass and silver. Some yomen can wear loose housemaid’s gloves for dusting and polishing, and rubber gloves for washing up and peeling fruit and vegetables; others cannot. If you are one of those who cannot wash up in gloves, use a mop as much as possible instead of a dishcloth, and do not steep the hands in hot soda water. Keep the finger nails short, as they will not then be so easily soiled and broken, and as soon as you have finished a job which has stained the hands, rub them with a slice of freshly cut lemon; Save all tho lemon rinds you can, and dig the nails deeply into tho juicy pulp which adheres to the rind. The lemon will remove stains and whiten the hands. Use rain-water if it is obtainable for washing clothes, and if your water is hard soften it, when washing the hands, by soaking in it a little bag of oatmeal. After you have had the hands much in water massage them with olive oil or lycerine. When the hands are very dirty, rub them with olive oil before washing them. Every day, when your dirty work is over] wash the t hands carefully in warm—not hot —Water, using a good superfatted toilet soap. Dry them carefully wdih a soft towel, pressing down the skin at the base of the nails, and rub them over with lemon. Keep the nails well and use an orange stick for a simple manicure every day. Use a good cold cream or cucumber and glycerine lotion every night.

Tea Stains. , Soak the stained portion in lukewarm water to which powdered borax has been added—a teaspoonful to a pint of water, leave a few hours, rinse well, wash the part with a good soap and Tinse.. The stain should by this time be quite faint and will disappear next time the cloth is washed. Dissolve the borax in a little very hot * water first and cool down to tepid. Be sure the cloth is very thoroughly dried if it is not going to tho laundry for some days. In the case of small embroidered or lace-trimmed mats, often washed at home, boil them in a rather strong soap-flakes lather a few minutes after the borax treatment until perfectly dean. • * * * , Coffee. v . . ' Soak the stained part in boiling pressing and moving it about with a spoon; rinse Well in warm ryater. As soon gs possible wash with good soap in the ordinary way, and boil a few minutes, by which tijne the Xain should bp quite gone. « « • • ’ (Cocoa and Chocolate!. ■Soak-the stained part in cold water, rinse, wash well with soap and hot water, and boil a few minutes until gtain is gono, • * * • » i’ruit Stains. Stretch the stained part over a small basin and pour boiling water through slowly, repeating the treatment until the stain is nearly gone; ordinary washing, after should remove the last traces of it. • * * • “Buttery” Stains. French chalk thickly powered on the stain and renewed as often as it looks greasy, will often quite remove small . grease stains from a delicate crepe de chine or georgette frock. When the stain is nearly put, cover it with a new layer of chalk and leave a few hours. After this is brushed .out, there will probably not be any mark left. Be certain no other portion of the frock acts near the stain or the greasy chalk. ° . / * * Candle Urease Stains. These may be removed by placing the. damaged material between thick blotting paper, and pressing with a jiiot iron. The blotting paper absorbs 4he grease, ' and this method works with all thick fabrics, such as serge.

To Clean a Cloth Coat. . First brush the coat to remove all loose dust, then remove any stains or marks by means of potrob—applied on a clean cloth. Petrol should never be used in a room in which there is a fire or light, It is safest to use it in the open air. One way to clean the coat is to take a clean clothes brush, dip lightly into petrol, then brush the garment well all over. A clean cloth, used with petrol in the same way as the brush, would bo quite effective. Another method is to sponge over the coat with diluted liquid ammonia. In each case, hang the coat in, the open air to dry, then press well with a warm iron, putting a square of material between tho iron and the material. Then brush the coat again, to bring up tho surface of the cloth.

• • • « Return of the Blouse. A noteworthy feature of present fashions is the return to favour of the blouse. Jumpers of all kind 3 are still very popular, but many women have never lost their affection for the more feminine blouse. If it is in white, cream or a pale shade it gives a delightful air of freshness to a sombre suit. The majority of bloases are worn outside the skirt, but an attempt has been made to introduce the belt and to tuck tho blouse once more inside the skirt. For morning wear plain, well-tailored shirts in Japshan silk or heavy-weight crepe do chine in cream or white are the favourites. For smarter afternoon wear more elaborate models in crepe de chine, washing satin and georgette are seen in shades of pale grey, biscuit, beige, match or flesh pink, black, navy, etc., to form a pleasant contrast with the suit with which they are worn.

Dressmaking Hints. Here are some useful hints that may help the home dressmaker to achieve better results: — 1. Be careful to use only the best steel .pins when pinning your material to the paper pattern. Coarse, clumsy pins tear fine fabrics and leave marks that cannot afterwards bo removed.