MOTHER'S COLUMN.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 37, 10 September 1892, Page 916

MOTHER'S COLUMN.

PILLOW FOR BABY.

1 wonder if any mothers know of the convenience of the oblong pillow (says a lady writer) I had never seen them till 1 went to India, where their utility at once appealed to ray sense of the fitness of things. Before possessing the pillow I would lay my ‘ Beta Baba ' (the Hindustani for boy baby) down never so carefully, expecting the little fellow to lie as placed ; but upon removing my hand he would immediately turn, getaing himself in an uncomfortable position and would soon awaken. He needed a substitute for mother’s arm when very young, and. w hen older, a protection to keep him from falling off the bed or against the sides of the crib, both of which were to be found in the ‘ takiza.’

I deem these little pillows invaluable as a means of keeping baby in place. The direciuns for making them are : Cut of white muslin two circular pieces, two inches in diameter, and a strip from fifteen to eighteen inches long and ten broad. Fold one side to the other and sew in a seam. Then gather one end upon the circular piece previously prepared. After filling this • sack ' with feathers, cotton or lamb's wool, gather the open end and whip it on the other circular piece, and your pillow is complete. The cases may be made plain or trimmed with 3’alenciennes or Torchon lace. A bow of ribbon on one end adds to the efiect. One end must, of necessity, be left open and finished with a draw string, to allow the putting in and removing of the pillow. Many nurses make use of two of these pillows, placing one in front of the other at the back of the ‘ wee one.'

A PLAY-BOX FOR CHILDREN.

A CORRESPONDENT, in a mother's paper says : ‘ 33’e have a very unique arrangement for children which can be easily made at home. I called it “Jeanette's Play Box,” for number one, and number two will soon be old enough to use it. Mine was made by a handy friend at very little expense. The box is four feet square, eighteen inches deep, both sides and flooring nude of planed and sand papered white pine. The outside of the box is shellacked and the interior lined with a cheesecloth comforter, cut to fit and tack into place. 33’hen baby was small soft pillows were kept in the box. and were removed when she was old enough to sit alone. Soon she began to try to stand up, holding herself steady by the sides, and when a little over a year old could walk all round the box. By this time the pads were removed, for we found that more fun—especially noise —could be had without them. 33’ith the aid of castors underneath, the box could be rolled anywhere, and by its use we went through a cold winter without any coughs or colds. It is by far the best baby tender I have ever seen or heard of. I have since seen a large box cut down for the same purpose.’

LOVE AND SPRING.

BY MRS M. A. KIDDER

I would pluck you. Little violets, Sweet with perfume— Bright with dew, <Jne by one, Oh ! purple jewels, For my love. Hath need of you !

She would wear you On her bosom.

And your praises She would sing. In a voice as sweet As blackbirds’

Dainty songs of Love and spring

In the spring-time, Little violets. September’s doorway Opens wide ; Then my love will Dote on flowers, In her beauty And her pride !

They will blush U pon her bodice, They will nestle In her hair, Red and white, And pink and yellow— She, herself. The flower most fair !

Yet, she loves you. Little violets, Of all blossoms Far the best ; And she sighs 33’hen you are missing From your hidden 33’oodland nest.

For nry love, like you, Is modest— And nry love. Like you, is shy ; And the balm Of her few kisses Seems imbued with Your faint sigh .'

You are heralds. Little violets,

And the promise That you bring, Is fulfilled, as

Daylight lengthens, In the birth of

Love and spring

APPRECIATION

The Rev. Doctor Cuyler was seventy years old a few days ago, and received gratifying tokens of regard from many friends. The drawing room and study were fragrant with roses and flowers, and were a bower of beauty. It occurred to someone to bring a faithful servant who had been knitted by interest, association and affection with the life of the household through years of tender and trusting service, up to the drawing-room to see the evidences of the loving remembrance in which the good man was held. She examined the gifts with great interest, and expressed her delight in these ginwing words to Mrs Cnyler : • I tell you, ma'am, the doctor couldn't have had more flowers sent to him if he was dead !’

ALL ABOUT THE HOUSE.

HOUSE CLEANING HINTS.

33 hen furniture simply needs re-varnishing, wash it; first wash it with strong soda water to remove every particle of grease, then apply the varnish. If it is badly scratched, the old varnish should be removed. To do this, wash it with spirits of ammonia, which will soften it, then scrape it off wash the wood with clear water and rinse it with vinegar’ Rub it smooth with sandpaper. I use No. for the purpose. 33’hen it is smooth apply a coat of No 1. varnish ; let it dry, then rub the gloss off with a bunch of cuiled hair remove every particle of dust with a clean cloth, and finish with a coat of cabinet flowing varnish. No matter how badly the furniture was scratched, it will now look like new, and at trifling expense. To oil a floor, mix thoroughly four quarts of raw linseed oil, two quarts of spirits of turpentine and one pint of best ‘coach Japan.' The floor should be perfectly clean when the mixture is applied. Here is a very good recipe for kalsomine : Procure fifteen pounds of Paris white, one half pound of good white glue and one-fourth pound of powdered Castile soap. Dissolve the glue in warm water, mix it with the Paris white, stir in the soap and thin to the proper consistency with cold’ water. The mixture should be stirred until perfectly smooth.

KITCHEN WRINKLES.

Kerosene will take iron rust and fruit stains from almost every kind of goods without injuring the fabric in the least Pour a little kerosene in a dish and wash the soiled place in it as if it were water. The spots must be washed in the kerosene before they have been put into soap and water or it will do no good. ’

3 egetables should be boiled in soft water because hard water toughens them. 33’hen cooking keep the tea-kettle boiling, then, if meat or vegetables need more water it can be added without stopping the cooking process.

Try baking soda to remove grease spots from tbe kitchen floor. Moisten the soda and rub it on the grease spots with a cloth.

TWO CURES FOR RHEUMATISM

Break a hole in the end of a fresh egg, empty the con tents into a bottle, then fill the shell full of each of the following ingredients Spirits turpentine, strong vinegar and spirits of camphor. Add the shell half full of spirits of ammonia.

Take equal parts of eggs, spirits of turpentine, and white wme vinegar Shake thoroughly, and cork tightly Especially good for sprains and rheumatism. For outward application only.

USEFUL FANCY WORK.

SHOPPING-BAG.

Man 3 women start out shopping with the exclamation. ‘ I do wish I had a pretty shopping-bag !’ and many of those a tew miles out ot town, wonder what is the correct thin-' in that line. The most of us have material at hand, if we only knew it, and how to adapt it to our wants. That half breadth ot black, brown, or green silk, old or new, that you have been saving, will do nicely, or the piece of plush any shade that you chance to have. Cut the outside eight and one-haif inches wide, and two feet long. Tack a lining of soft silesia or sateen to the wrong side to hold it firmly in place. Now, if you can embroider, mark on a piece of ean vas some design in cross-stitch, or even an outline of a bunch of oxalis, or a monogram, and baste it firmly on the trout of the half length, and do it in a contrasting silk, as old grold on black, or silver on blue. Now null out the threads of canvas, and you have your design. If the bag is to be of plush, the decoration may be a band ot embroidery, or a pretty crochet insertion, three inches or more in width, ot contrasting or harmonizing silk, or that band ot iridescent trimming that you had on a dress once Fold the length ot plush in the middle, forming a bag one toot in length. The double of this is the bottom. Decorate diagonally across the bottom, the whole way around or on one side only, or two inches from the double ed«e • baste, and sew the insertion on firmly. If it is put all the' w_ay around, the side seams must be sewn first, as far no as the middle of the bag. The silk to line the top may be of the shade of the bag, but is more often the shade of the decoration. Sew the five inch strip of lining firmly to the top in a seam, and turn over neatly and fell down on the sateen.

< >n the inside of the front side, sew firmly to the sateen a square pocket of the silk, feather-stitching the hem on the outside. The hem of this pocket should be at least four inches from the top of the bag, and may have a piece of elastic run in its hem to hold it together when the bag is drawn up, or it may be adjusted with a bit of the narrowest ribbon. The side seams of the bag should be closed to within four inches of the top, and the linino-silk neatly finished to the sides of these slits. Two rows of machine stitching should be put around the top of the bag, a half inch apart, the lower one just meeting tbe bottom of the side openings. Between these stitchings a pretty drawingribbon may be run, so that two ends of ribbon will come out at each side, and these four ends may be closed with a fanciful bow. The handle after it is finished, should let the bag fall easily to the side from the arm, but not to the knee. . The pocket is for tbe card case, car fare, or portemonnaie, to avoid the awkward rummaging among sundries in the bag for them, that is often so annoying.

WANDERINC THOUGHTS.

Artists who ‘receive’ in their studios have some trying experiences. An English paper mentions an instance The painter was talking with a fair visitor about one of his pictures, and hoped that he was making a decided impression. ‘ Yes,’ she said, •it is charming—charming ! But oh, Mr ritz Madder, what a delightful room this would be fora dance, with the musicians in the gallery, and all the easels and pictures and things cleared away.*