Felt Toys

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 79, Issue 5, 15 November 1949, Page 501

Felt Toys

/COLOURFUL “cuddly” animals, realistic or decorative, small or large, are quickly and easily made and are a universal favourite with children and almost equally popular with adults. Felt from old hats or new art felt is a fabric from which almost any soft toy can be made cheaply. This article by Eirene E. Unwin, Rural Sociologist, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin, deals mostly with the making of felt animals, but other materials can be used successfully for most of them. Patterns for a number of toys are given, but for people who would rather use original designs directions for drawing them are included.

■CVEN the person without artistic pretensions should not be afraid of attempting to draw her own patterns. A great deal of enjoyment can be had from it and some delightful and original results produced, and the satisfaction and pride of achievement are justifiably much greater from creating a new animal than from copying one from someone else. However, anyone but an experienced toy maker would be well advised to make up some of .'the tested patterns given before attempting to draw, her own. That is the only way to be sure of . producing . not '■ only a good drawing but a drawing of a good toy, for not all animal . drawings will make up into good toys. Only experience in the. craft of toy making and a careful study, of the make-up of tested patterns will bring ability to judge a drawing and to know whether it will. make a good toy. Similarly, only careful ..observation of real animals or good. illustrations of them can teach whether a drawing for a toy will make up into a good animal.

Unfortunately, too . many of the commercial I 'soft-toy patterns on the market make up into extremely poor and

unattractive animals. Animal toys, or indeed any toys for children, should not be grotesque or ugly. Distorted they may be if the distortion is pleasant and there is some reason for it. Colours and decoration may be quite unrealistic but still be pleasant to look at and attractive to children. Human-looking eyes and smiling mouths can add a great deal to the appearance of a toy, though the animal on which it is based may have a . very unsmiling expression in real life.

If a round, cuddly toy is wanted for little children, the choice should be a round, cuddly creature like a duck or chicken or sitting rabbit. No attempt should be made to make a dog cuddly by shortening its legs to mere buttons and turning its head into a shapeless ball with eyes. Older children appreciate more-complicated animals, such as elephants, bears, dogs, and . horses, with longer legs and other realistic details. Only adults appreciate complete caricatures of animals suitable as mascots, and even these need not be ugly. . . Materials • Felt is probably the best and cheapest all-purpose material for soft toys. Discarded felt hats may be steamed over the spout of a boiling kettle, stretched, and pressed reasonably flat. Art felt may be bought by the yard or in small . squares at any large draper’s shop and usually provides a better choice of colours than hat felt.

Woven materials may be used instead of felt, and the rag-bag may contain something suitable. They must be strong and closely woven, as there is considerable’ strain on them at the seams . and the stuffing must not be able to be seen through them or to leak out. Velveteen, woollen coating and suiting, firm dress fabrics, gingham, other strong cottons, plain or fairly plain furnishing fabrics, and strong fur fabrics are all suitable. Thick towelling is quite good, but gets dirty very quickly with use.

Suede, kid, or chamois leather may be used for paws and other details. American cloth can be used for washable toys, but it is not so cuddly as an ordinary woven material.

Cured lambskins or sheepskins with the wool on them make delightful woolly animals, but they are harder to work and this is really a craft on its own, though for anyone who has cured skins and knows how to handle them the toy-making directions given would be useful. Fur also needs special treatment, but the results can be very good if it is handled properly. Stuffing Clean teased sheep’s wool is probably the best all-purpose stuffing; it is light and springy and easy to obtain in most country districts. For people not so fortunate as to have wool available grey flock is probably the next best; it is obtainable cheaply from an upholsterer. Kapok is excellent for small animals, though difficult to get new at present. Old woollen garments cut up very small, scraps and ends of knitting wool, or wool waste from the mills are fairly good substitutes for raw fleece wool. Other stuffing materials, in order of preference, are: Fine wood-straw or shavings (springy, light, and washable; it should be rolled into small balls for use); wood shavings from a carpenter’s shop (suitable only for really large toys) ; white cotton wadding (better than grey flock for light-coloured toys covered with loosely- material); and cotton waste from factories. If a white or light-coloured felt has been used and the stuffing is dark or messy, the opening should have a piece of white cloth tacked round to prevent the outside of the animal from being discoloured while the stuffing is being inserted. This covering should be retained until just before the opening is sewn up. Flat Toys Very simply made from quite small pieces of felt, flat toys may be trimmed

with gingham or other bright cotton materials. A child can make them just as a toy; an adult can turn them into a kettle holder or needle book. Very simple animal shapes should be used and are not difficult to make up, being based on circles and straight lines. Before drawing a new animal, study a realistic drawing or a photograph

and try to reduce it to these two basic geometric forms. Once the right proportions and relationships have been obtained and drawn with compass and ruler the rest of the details to make up a simplified form of the whole animal come easily. For all animals illustrated except the elephant and giraffe the centre of the chest circle is lower than that of the hind quarters circle. The simplest order for drawing is: Chest circle; back line up to hindquarters circle; line for angle of neck; head circles; leg lines; filling out and expression lines. An advantage of these “circle animals” is that their shapes are easily stuffed and look well in material. Too many details and awkward corners are avoided. To make a flat toy cut two pieces, a back and a front, and oversew, machine, or running stitch them together along the animal’s back. Embroider a face and possibly details of the paws. To make them slightly padded (as for a kettle holder) cut four thicknesses, sew them together in two pairs, and stuff them a little before sewing all four together along the back. The two parts of a standing-up tail may be left separate except at the tip to form a loop for hanging up.

Strip-type Solid Toys

The same or similar patterns may be used for the strip type of solid toys if the animals have short legs, thickness being given by joining the two halves together with a strip at least IJin. wide running right round them. To calculate the length of. the strip, measure carefully round, the side-view pattern with a . tape measure and add | in. for joining. The strip should be joined under the animal where the stitches will show least. Tack the two sides to the strip so that they match exactly; if the strip stretches unevenly or the sides do not match,, the animal will be crooked and will not stand up properly. Using matching or contrasting thread, sew the seams firmly with stab stitch, oversewing, or blanket stitch. The seams are on the right side, and the two ends of the strip are joined last of all.

When a short length of seam remains to be sewn stuff the toy. Push the stuffing well into the furthest corners first and do the body last. Finally, complete the seams and join the ends of the strip. Embroider or applique a face, and add ears and any other simple trimmings desired. If the animals have ears that stand up, these should be sewn in with the strip. A red tongue improves a dog, especially if his mouth is slightly open. However, do not put on too many trimmings, as the very simple shapes do not warrant it. If the strip is sewn in a little from the edge of the side pieces, the extra seam allowance can be snipped to form a fringe—for example, down the backs of the legs and along the tail of a shaggy dog, or for a horse’s mane. Shaggy ears can also be effective on a spaniel, but stand-up ears are best for most animals. '

Strip-type toys are best 4 to 6in. long (with a Ilin, strip) and should not be longer than 12in. (with a 4in. strip). They are so simple that if they are made too big they become uninteresting.

Four-legged Gusset Toys Though they represent the most advanced stage of soft-toy animal patterns most four-legged gusset toys are not really difficult to make. Several of those illustrated were drawn by a mother from pictures in her children’s story books. A side and a front view are needed. Animals with long, slender legs may be made up in this way, but the legs of even the smallest animals should not be narrower than Jin. or they cannot be stuffed, so the slender effect should be obtained by making the legs longer,, not narrower.

When the desired side view has been drawn, add a uniform increase all round to allow for the rounded shape of the body when it is stuffed—Jin. for animals up to 6in. . long, Jin. for those 6 to 15in. long, and for bigger ones still about fin. Then cut the increased side view in duplicate.

Next draw the underbody. Fold a piece of paper and lay a side piece on it so that a line from the tail to the breastbone lies on the fold. Draw the outline of the lower part of the body on the paper and cut it out, still folded. Open it out, and if it seems too wide compared with the width of the side piece, refold it and hollow, the line along the fold. The underbody may be cut out in one piece or two, but if the fold line has : been curved, a long dart must be machined into a one-piece underbody to give this curve, so it is just as simple and more economical of felt to make it in two. The centre seam helps a little to pull in the legs of trie animal, though sometimes a seam up the centre of the chest is undesirable. For smaller animals with long legs, the front and back legs of the underbody may be separated also if it is necessary to economise with felt; this necessitates a short cross-seam under the animal, but it can be inconspicuous. Camel and giraffe patterns are made like this.

Finally draw the head gusset. First measure the required length along the head of the side piece from just at the back of the head, over the forehead, and round the nose to just under the chin. Mark off this length along the fold of a piece of paper wide enough to make the gusset. Mark off also the points of the profile where the width of the gusset will change —for example, the top of the head, the forehead, the eye, and the tip of the nose. To measure the width at these points correctly it is necessary to have or to draw a front view of the animal. The effect can be improved surprisingly if the varying widths of the face gusset are in proportion and true to life. Half the width is marked on the folded paper at each point. Lines the

correct length can be drawn at right angles to the fold to make this easier, and .then the ends of the lines joined up to form the outline of half the gusset, which is cut out of the stillfolded paper so that both sides are alike. The points may be rounded off and any necessary adjustments made. The pattern of the gusset is better cut a little too wide than too narrow, as it is easy to snip any extra off the felt when making up. ' '

Ears, tail, and the soles of the feet are cut separately. Only large animals or small animals with large feet need separate soles. Great care should be taken to have the ears a realistic shape and in the right position. A horse can be changed to a donkey by altering its ears and tail and omitting the mane. The toy maker who expects to make her own patterns at any time should collect good illustrations of animals, especially front and side views, as it is surprisingly difficult to remember what a dog’s ears or what a cat’s eyes are like at the-moment when they are to be made. The ears, eyes, and outline can make all the difference between a well-designed and a badly designed toy. When the pattern pieces have been completed they are best mounted - on light cardboard, labelled carefully, and marked with any guiding lines such as positions of eyes and ears. Also mark on each the numbers of pieces of felt to be cut from it, which . are normally two side pieces, one underbody (or two half underbodies), two ears, one head gusset, and sometimes one tail and four soles of feet. Some of the patterns given do not conform to this plan, but they are clearly marked. It is a good idea to mark on the side piece the total number of pattern pieces for the whole animal and to label each piece with the name of the animal, as this helps ensure that the pattern is complete and correct

every time it is used. All the pieces for each animal should be kept together in one clearly-labelled envelope. Stitches Nearly all the seams in a felt toy can be made to lie flat, and for this fine oversewing is the best stitch. Hold the two pieces of felt wrong sides together and make the stitches about l/10in. apart and about l/10in. from the edge. Matching or contrasting embroidery thread or buttonhole twist may be used, depending on whether the seam is to be inconspicuous or emphasised. . Shiny silks which fray easily should not be used, and preferably neither should stranded cottons. Use a thicker thread for the bigger toys. • If the animal has been made in a bright, decorative colour; the stitching may be decorative too, and for this blanket stitch in a contrasting bright colour is suitable. As it uses up more seam allowance, it makes the legs of the animals smaller and more difficult to stuff, so it should not be used indiscriminately. If blanket stitch is planned, a good gin. seam allowance may be left when cutting out. A really big animal should have a wider seam allowance for blanket stitch, but it is doubtful whether the ridgy seam is as satisfactory as the flat, overcast one.

Felt may be machined on the wrong side if a jin. seam allowance has been left when cutting out. The outline for the machining should be carefully drawn on to the material, as it is most important that the line of machining be exact or a poorly shaped animal will result. A fairly fine stitch should be used and each seam fitted carefully and pinned beforehand. However, it is much more difficult to sew intricate shapes well on a machine, and small animals in particular are better hand sewn on the right side. The seam allowance of a machined toy should be clipped with the points of sharp scissors at all the inward

corners almost up to the line of machining, and inward curves should be snipped in several places. If this is not done, the shape will be spoiled when the animal is turned inside out.

A space should be left in the seam for stuffing the animal, preferably underneath, where the stitches sewing it up will not show, or along the back, especially if the animal is to have a saddle or cover over its back when it is complete.

. The ear of a small animal is usually sewn in with the seam between the head gusset and the side of the head. For this short distance the seam is sewn with stab stitch. Ears usually look best: if folded double at the base, with the fold backward.

Wiring and Stuffing

Small animals with short legs need no wiring, but an animal with long legs, whether they be thin like a giraffe’s or thick like an elephant’s, must have wire or papier mache supports, or with use the legs will soften and bend. Wire is best for the slimlegged animals, and papier mache cylinders for thick ones.

Fine hat wire may be used, doubled and twisted —one piece for all four legs, and perhaps for head and tail too —or thicker wire (No. 20 galvanised) when two separate pieces are necessary, each bent into a hoop. Single fine wire is sufficient for quite small animals. If the legs are to be made so that children may bend them (to make the animal sit down, for instant), electric flex is excellent as the support. It should be the fairly thick one-cord type, which can be bent easily but will hold its shape well however it is arranged. It is also good for long tails.

The correct way to bend the wires is illustrated in the preceding columns. In each case the loop at the end should be padded with a small piece of stuffing tied in place with cotton. The wires should be long enough to go well up into the body of the animal so that stuffing may be put in all round them.

Papier mache cylinders for elephants’, legs are made as follows: Take a rectangular piece of strong paper, paste it well all over, and roll it round . a thick knitting needle until the cylinder is thick enough to be firm. Slip out the needle (this is easier if it has been lightly greased beforehand) and leave the cylinder in a warm place to dry. Cut off pieces long enough to reach from the sole of the foot well up into the body, using a razor blade rather than scissors, as these would squash the roll. Before use stuff the middle of the cylinder firmly. To avoid unnecessary mess when stuffing a toy lay a cotton cloth or newspaper over the table and sit close .to it. Pull the stuffing into pieces the size of a marble and push each firmly into place before adding the next. Begin with the parts furthest from the opening, and if leg supports are being used, stuff the head and neck before the legs. To get the stuffing well into corners push it down with a stuffing stick; a blunt-pointed wooden meat skewer or pencil, a paste brush handle, and a strong, fairly thick knitting needle will make three good stuffing sticks of different sizes. Each narrow part must be filled completely before moving on, because it is not possible to force more in later without straining the seams. To form a well-shaped forehead keep one finger or thumb flat across the face, usually just below the eyes, while stuffing; especially with dogs this helps to give the typical profile. In all cases it is better to hold the casing in the hand while stuffing it, for holding it on the table tends to produce a flattened, shapeless toy. Remember the shape of the animal, and if necessary have a picture to follow, for much of the good shape of the * limbs depends on careful moulding during stuffing. If the wire support goes into the head and tail, it must be put in before stuffing is begun and the padding pushed in all round it. To keep it in position in the legs use four strong safety pins, passing one through the sole of each foot and into the padded loop at the end of the wire support from , the outside. Stuff carefully all round the wire right up each leg. Do not remove the pins until the wire is completely covered with , stuffing. .

Papier mache cylinders cannot be held in this way, and each must be held down carefully by hand, pressed right against the sole of the animal’s

foot and retained in the middle of the leg, while the stuffing is being put round it. At the tops of the legs put plenty of stuffing on the outsides, or when the toy is handled the stuffing tends to wear loose and flabby so that the legs become wobbly. Stuff the back legs after the forelegs, and finally the body. If the animal has a tail, this should be stuffed before the legs; a kangaroo’s tail should have a wire support.

Do not stuff the toy so much that it is hard, but let it be gently firm when pressed, without loose places. Too hard a toy is not cuddly; too soft a one rapidly loses its shape with use and becomes uninteresting.

When stuffing is completed, hold the toy between the knees, opening uppermost, and begin sewing it up in ladder stitch, or with oversewing if this was used for the rest of the seams. Use a long, strong darning needle and very strong matching cotton, double or even in four thicknesses. After the first stitch or two pull the thread very tight. As the sewing advances push in small extra pieces of stuffing so that the animal is quite firm at the seam yet the worker is not troubled with pieces of the stuffing working out and getting in the way while she sews. Finish off with two or three firm blanket or buttonhole stitches, run the needle through the animal somewhere, pull the thread tight, and cut it off close. The end will disappear back into the toy if the thread has been pulled sufficiently tight.

Finishing When the animal has been stuffed

and sewn up it is by no means finished, though the biggest part of the work has been completed. Carefullydone finishing details make all the difference between an attractive, satisfactory toy and one that is unrealistic or ugly. : Legs

First, the legs must be braced and drawn in close to the body if the animal is to stand on them, so that even with use the legs will remain firm and will not sag outward. There are two ways of bracing the legs, the first being better for felt and the second for cloth animals. For either, strong thread and a long, strong needle are necessary; a curved upholsterer’s needle may be an advantage for big animals.

For felt toys: Take a stitch, through the underside of the body, a little way from where it joins the leg, and fasten the thread firmly. Put the needle into the leg opposite where it comes out from the body and take a long stitch through the underside of the leg. Pull the thread very tightly and take a long stitch through the underbody again. Repeat several times. Stitch through the leg one way, then one back the other way through the underbody, pulling the thread very tight all the time, so that the leg is held firm and close at right angles to the body. Repeat for the other three legs. On small animals it may be necessary only to sew, from leg to leg rather than from underbody to leg. . ' The baby camel, which has a very narrow underbody, was stitched like this.

For cloth-covered animals: Bend the leg in at right angles to the body, making a little crease on the inside where the two join. Slipstitch this fold into place, taking up as big a tuck as possible. If necessary, sew it twice, taking up a still deeper tuck the second time. All the stitches should be small and tight and the end finished off firmly. Repeat for the other

three legs. Any other part of the animal may be braced in the same way —for example, to hold a head, tail, or wing firm. Eyes Glass eyes for toy animals cannot be bought readily now, and in any case embroidered or appliqued eyes are better on toys for small children, as they do not come off so easily and are less harmful if swallowed. For furfabric animals glass or button eyes look more realistic, but for felt and cloth animals felt applique eyes can be very satisfactory. Cut a small circular or eye-shaped piece of felt in yellow, orange, or blue for the iris, and a small section in brown or black for the pupil. Sew the dark piece on top of the coloured piece and sew the whole eye in position with tiny overcasting stitches. A little spot of white made on the pupil with embroidery cotton gives a highlight and improves the look of the eye.

If long eyelashes are wanted for a deer, horse, or similar animal, cut an eye-shaped piece of dark felt and sew it round the edge into position. Then with sharp-pointed scissors cut along it Jin. from the lower edge for the lower

lid. For the lashes snip the upper lid into a fringe, radiating the-cuts carefully. If the eyes are large, it may be necessary to sew a small piece of coloured felt under the lashes for an eyeball, but the fringy lash usually is sufficiently suggestive by itself. For quite small animals embroidered eyes are probably best. Satin stitch should be used, one colour for the iris and a dark colour or black on top for the pupil. Again a white spot in each pupil adds a highlight and gives the eyes a sparkle. If the animal has both eyes on the front of its face, for example, a cat, monkey, bear, and some dogs, the two eyes should be made alike, not a right and a left, or it will appear to squint, If the eyes are placed on the sides of the head (as in a horse, deer, elephant, rabbit, and most dogs and birds), a right and a left eye may be made, both looking up, down, or forward. Before the eyes are sewn into position hollows may be made in the animal’s head by what is known as “needle modelling” to give a more

realistic eye socket. Really thorough needle modelling is not easy,, but for the more advanced toys it is worth while. First study the placing of the eyes carefully; an animal can be spoiled by having its eyes in the wrong place, and again pictures ana S? tc r h ,J s ht sh Sl I<l on the this nf h th To model for eyes on are en right th?ouX the head from one eve socket to g the other and by °^eey e th^ Ttieht the desired hollows 11^ h e se ‘jfVVes are on the front of the face, the stitches should be taken right through from the eye socket to a point at the base of the back of the head; the hollow formed a t the back of the head is not really wanted, but with care does not show mU ch. The thread used should be strong, and several stitches should be taken and the thread pulled tight enough to make the hollows just right. On small animals with embroidered eyes sufficient hollow can often be made with the: embroidery thread, especially on those with eyes on the sides of their heads.

Mouths and Noses: Sometimes the modelling can be extended to the mouth as well as to the eyes. The illustration shows how a smiling cat’s face may be made with stitches from the mouth to the eyes and back again. A little practice with this sort of thing should enable the toy maker to create delightful expressions on her animals, but the toys should smile, if possible, and not look fierce or sad. Making the corners of the mouth turn up helps the smile. Even if the animal’s mouth tends to droop like a rabbit’s, the very tips should turn up or the effect will not please a child. Both sides of the mouth should be exactly alike or the expression will be sarcastic. Holding a face up to a mirror helps to check whether both sides have been made alike.

Mouths may be embroidered or appliqued. Shapes for several different animals are illustrated. A dog looks well with an open mouth and a lolling tongue; the mouth is drawn open, a shaped mouth gusset sewn in similarly to the head gusset, and a red tongue added. Ears Whatever material the toy may have been made of, felt is almost always suitable for ears, as it stands up well. Several typical ears are shown. A horse’s ear is folded edges to middle before being sewn in. Dogs usually have theirs folded in halves, double edges forward, and put in with the head gusset. Cats’ ears are not put in the head gusset seam but are sewn directly to the head, or through a slit cut for them, along a curve. The worker’s thumb may give the right curve if the ear is bent round it. Elephants’ ears are sewn facing forward and then folded back and caught with a few invisible stitches.

If the ears are big and are to be very stiff, they should be cut double and perhaps even given a stiff interlining. Seam allowances will be necessary and the two or three thicknesses must .be machined, right sides together, all round the outside edge except across the base. Then the seam allowances are clipped and the ear turned right side out before being sewn into place. A white rabbit may be given a pink lining to its ear in this way. Sometimes a felt front or back will give sufficient stiffening without an interlining.

For felt animals only, ears not put in with the head gusset seam may be pushed through shaped cuts in the sides of the head and stitched firmly on the inside before the head is sewn up. The worker must be very sure of the correct pattern line, as normally ears should not be put on until the animal has been stuffed or they may turn out to be in the wrong place. However, with small felt animals the stuffing usually does not alter the shape sufficiently for there to be any danger of the ears being wrong if they are put in before or while the head is being sewn up. Ears put through cuts in the head may be sloped forward or backward. An extra seam allowance is necessary on the base of the ear piece, and this is shown on some of the pattern pieces. Cloth-

covered animals should not have cuts made for the ears or the edges of the cuts may fray. Whiskers Though they may be embroidered on, whiskers are more realistic if they are made to stick out. Bristles from a house-painter’s brush are excellent — white ones if possible, but if not, black or brown. To fasten them firmly, select 3,4, or 5 long ones, lay them unevenly together, fold the whole bunch in halves, and oversew them at the fold to one side of the face. Then bend the whiskers close against the toy, slant them upward to give a happy look, and oversew them again over the double fold. Repeat with more sets of whiskers on both sides of the face. A cat or lion should have the bases of the whiskers arranged in a definite pattern on either side of the face. If white whiskers are sewn

with dark thread, an effective little dark dot is made at the base of each group. If paint brush bristles are unobtainable, a few stiff hairs from the tail of a horse or cow would do. Horns and Tusks For small children’s toys horns supported with wire are not advisable, but the experienced toy maker making realistic animals for older children may want to experiment in this way. Such horns should be covered, and some circular-woven or knitted braids out of which the core can be pulled make excellent coverings for wire horns and antlers. On toys for younger children rolled felt or kid makes very satisfactory

horns and tusks. Cut the material as long as required but several times wider and tapering to a point at each end. Roll it up tightly and hem it along its length. Sew it to or through the head in the required position. Tusks are pointed at only one end. Tails Fringed at one end beforehand, rolled felt may also be used for a tail, but the imaginative toy maker will not be at a loss to invent tails. The squirrels in the photograph at the head of this article have tails of stiff, single-core electric flex, one covered with fur and the other with lambs’ fleece, and these can be bent into any desired shape. All trimmings, and especially tails, should be sewn on very firmly into a seam, if possible, or through a cut made in the felt for them, as children usually pick their toys up by these “handles.”

To withstand such treatment, which is quite normal and must be expected, the toys and their trimmings must be made strong. ■ • • Manes, Fringes, and other Finishing Touches Making and fringing an extra seam allowance were explained earlier in this article. Manes may also be made from scraps of fur or fleece sewn on after the animal has been stuffed, or from lengths of wool or other threads knotted along the top of the neck, as for the fringe on a scarf. Real feathers are not satisfactory, as they break and look shabby too quickly. Animals with spotted coats should have their spots added after they have been made and stuffed. Those of the baby giraffe in the photograph were put on with indian ink, but many other ways may be devised —a leather animal may be marked with a ‘ hot poker, a spotted fabric may be used, and embroidery, stencilling, or applique are all suitable.

For fanciful animals such as a pink elephant or a purple horse the fancifulness may be increased with embroidery .which is not in the least realistic, but , such embroidery '. • should not be used on . animals of a realistic colour and shape. Use stitches that will wear well, put them on after the animal has been finished in other respects, do not put on too much, and make the embroidery follow the lines of the animal. Much amusement can be had from the skilful application of such decoration, but it must not be overdone. Variation in Detail Finally, variation may be introduced when making up standard patterns by such additions as clothes, harness, hats held on with elastic, pockets and handkerchiefs, and school bags. The elephant in the photograph is green with a scrap of red cotton print sewn on as a saddle. The horse has felt harness and wool reins. The kangaroo has a pouch with a baby kangaroo attached by a long string to the' inside of it. The donkey has felt paniers, and these are popular for carrying' marbles or even the two kittens also shown in the photograph. A dog should have a collar and perhaps a lead. A kitten or a lamb may have a ribbon and a bell. A rabbit could have a small orange-coloured felt carrot sewn to his paws or his mouth. A giraffe may have a. piece of greenery, in his mouth, or a monkey may be holding a’half-peeled banana. If the toymaker takes time to add these

: finishing details, she adds greatly to the enjoyment obtainable from the ■ toys by the children, and she can , vary a standard pattern endlessly. i Still another way of varying ’ patf terns ‘is to make up the animals in , families. Big horse and baby horse, ; big. squirrel and baby squirrel are , . shown in the photograph. Mother ; duck and her ducklings are popular. Mother, father, and baby . giraffe ■ would make a fine family, and mother, ; father, and baby bear with a Goldilocks would please all lovers of the fairy story immensely.

WHEN forks and spoons become tarnished and the housewife has no soda handy for the electrolytic cleaning method (described in the “Journal”. for November, 1948), another simple and cheaper method is to put , the silver in a large aluminium saucepan with a small piece of ordinary soap, cover it with hot water, and bring it .to the boil; continue boiling until the silver is quite clean, then . pour off the soapy water and rinse the silver in clean hot water before drying it. If this is done, immediately after a meal, the hot soapy water may be used for the washing up. This method causes very little blackening of the aluminium, . and the saucepan can be brightened again by ■&.

Toymaking is an art that gives great joy both to the maker and to the ultimate owner of the toys. It is cheap and fascinating and well worth studying so that it may be done successfully.

References “Toy-making,” by Mabel Early, - “How to Do It” Series No. 34, Studio Publications, London and New York. “Make Your own Soft Toys,” by Ruby Evans, Lutterworth Press, London and Redhill. ■ “Dressed Soft Toys,” by Edith Moody; “Felt Toys,” by E. Machrie and I. P. Roseman; “Rag-bag Toys,” and “The Making of Soft Toys,” Dryad Press, Leicester.

y A Quick and Easy Method of Cleaning Table Silverware

stewing fruit in it, which does not harm the fruit or the pot. The longer the soapy water is boiled in the saucepan, the greater the blackening of the aluminium, but it is not necessary to ■ boil the silver for long to clean it. If too much water is put in the saucepan, and especially if too large a piece of soap is added as well, when it boils the soapy water is very likely to boil over. To avoid this a large saucepan should be used so that the silver will lie fairly flat in it and the saucepan does not have to be nearly filled to cover the silver. The saucepan must be aluminium. —EIRENE E. UNWIN, . Rural Sociologist, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin.

Heading photograph by Campbell Photography