Part 2
The second apron is also Italian, but this one is more suitable for needlework or knitting, when one’s frock is apt to pick up pieces of thread or fluff from the wool. It is easily made from a piece of white alpaca, 22 inches long by 27 inches wide. A straight piece of material is used, and the edges are scalloped in three inch wide scallops. Down both sides and along the bottom there is embroidered in white silk, a design of leaves, with a centre flower worked in Richelieu openwork, and the effect of this on the alpaca is really very beautiful.
At the top the apron is narrowed by means of three groups of honeycomb or diamond smocking, terminating in points. A tiny pocket on the right hand side has also a little smocking at the base to correspond. This pocket is made from a 6 inch square of the material and is fastened to the apron by means of feather-stitching.
The band consists of a piece of alpaca, one yard long and about an inch wide. This band is stitched all around by machine.
A Pleated Work Apron.
[Illustration: A PLEATED APRON.]
Last of all comes the little odd apron, but I should not be at all surprised if many of you did not prefer it to either of the others.
For this, one yard of zephyr is needed in a pretty check or plaid design, and a quarter of a yard of plain zephyr to match or tone in colour. One of the many that I have made was of white zephyr, with a plaid design of pale blue and brown. To go with this I chose a plain chocolate brown, and it really looked exceedingly pretty when finished.
From the yard of check material cut a strip three inches wide along the selvedge. Then from the remaining piece, cut a strip six inches wide on the width of the material. This will leave a piece 27 inches wide and 30 long. Most zephyrs run 30 inches wide in the single width.
Lay the material flat on the table and turn down a narrow hem, where the selvedge has been cut off, also making a hem the selvedge side as well. Then take two corners of the square and join them together to form a mitre, being very careful to match the design of the material. This forms a pocket, which is useful for holding anything. Next cut the plain material into three strips of 3 inches each, and join into one long piece. Then the 6 inch piece of checked zephyr should be cut into two pieces, each measuring 3 inches wide, and also joined into one long strip.
This leaves you with one long strip of plain, one middle-sized piece of check, and one shorter strip of check.
Take the short piece of check, which measures just a yard long, and cut off a piece of plain one inch shorter. Lay the plain material on top of the check, and tack them together with a line of thread down the centre. Fold the check material over the plain to form a narrow border either side, and stitch with machine. Leave one end of this band rough, and the other end round off, continuing the little border the same as the sides.
From the 60-inch strip of check, cut off a yard length, and the same from the plain, proceeding exactly as before, only finishing off one end quite straight. This makes the shoulder straps and band of the apron, and should leave two strips of material, one check measuring 24 inches and one plain measuring 18 inches. This latter cut into two strips one-and-a-half inches wide, and join into one strip again. Turn down either side of this strip to make a band, and sew along the top edge of the pocket, slanting each end to make a pretty finish.
When this is done, take a stitch with a needle through the centre of the pocket and the apron, and this prevents it from gaping.
Take the top of the apron next and lay in twelve half inch tucks, six going one way and six the reverse, but both facing in towards the centre of the apron. Before doing this, turn down the rough edge to make a neat heading. Sew on the two straps at either end of the top. From the remaining piece of zephyr, cut a strip one-and-a-half inches wide and the length of the top of the apron bib. Turn in each side and both ends, and stitch across the bib top to cover the straps.
To finish the apron, work a buttonhole in the rounded end of one of the strings, and sew a button on the other strap. Then take an iron and pleat the whole apron from top to bottom in half-inch pleats, using the stitched pleats of the bib as a guide.
When wearing the apron the straps should go over the shoulders and cross at the back, and come round the waist and button in the centre front.
The description of this apron may sound a little difficult, but it is really simplicity itself, and very quickly made, besides being very inexpensive.
Hardanger and Cross-Stitch
Edited by FLORA KLICKMANN
This shows some handsome Hardanger patterns, also Natural Designs in Cross-stitch for Violets, Cyclamen, Creeping Jenny, Nasturtiums, Daisies, Roses, Fern, Daffodils, Clover, Cherries, and Wild Birds. The book is uniform in style and price with “Needlework Economies,” and issued by the same publishers.
Utilizing Partly-Worn Garments.
Garments are often discarded as being of no use, just because they are worn in certain parts, whereas a little thought and careful cutting will often transform them into something quite useful. It is often possible, for instance, to make garments for the little ones by using the least worn portions of larger sized clothes. Partly worn woollen vests can be admirably re-made into babies’ pants.
To make these take the old vest and cut along the line A B, shown on the little diagram. This cuts away the most worn part of the garment. Curve out at the bottom, along the lines C D and E F.
The stitches required in the little garments are very simple. Join by seaming together the edges from D to E. Turn down a fold of about ½-inch round the curved portions, and herringbone or machine-stitch. At the top, turn down a hem of 1 inch, and stitch in the same way. Make two eyelet holes in the back of this, and insert a draw-string. A cosy little garment for baby is the result.
[Illustration: The original garment and what it eventually becomes. The lines and lettering show where the cutting is done.]
A Use for Old Stockings.
A delightfully warm pair of bloomers for a little girl of 5 or 6 can be made from the legs of winter stockings, the feet of which are too worn for further mending. Two pairs are needed. First cut off the legs just above the darns on the heel, then cut up the back seam and lay them open. Now lay your pattern on, and you will probably find that you can just cut the four pieces, bearing in mind that the stocking will stretch, so can be cut considerably narrower than ordinary material. When the seams are machined up (once stitching is quite sufficient), and a hem, wide enough for elastic to be run in, made at the waist and bottom of the legs, you have as comfortable and cosy a garment as you could wish for. If the legs of the stockings are hardly wide enough for your pattern, corners can easily be cut from the ankle or front of the foot, and joined on to each piece. This sounds very lumpy, but the seams can be machined quite narrow (you find they don’t fray out at all), and being of wool are perfectly soft, and will not be noticed in the wearing.
Grandma was cutting out new garments from old, and her little grand-daughter was an interested spectator.
“Grandma,” remarked Mollie, “You do cut and contrive, don’t you?”
“No,” said Grandma, “first I contrive, and then I cut.”
Collars for Cold Days.
Furs are a very expensive item at the best of times, and increasingly so just now. Yet some additional warmth at the throat and neck is very necessary in the cold weather. The difficulty is admirably settled in the collars here shown. Besides being warmer, they are a change from an ordinary scarf, and with a careful choice of colour, can give a very stylish finish to any coat.
A Collar with very little shaping.
This nicely fitting collar is worked in plain knitting with very little shaping, and is afterwards given a fur-like appearance by means of a Teazle Brush.
Materials required.
3 oz. Teazle Wool. Two No. 8 Celluloid Knitting Needles. A large button mould. Two or three dress-fasteners.
This Collar should be worked at a tension to produce about 6 stitches and 12 rows to the inch.
Cast on 45 stitches.
Work 8 rows in plain knitting.
* _9th Row._—K 5, turn.
_10th Row._—K 5.
[Illustration: A COLLAR WITH LITTLE SHAPING.]
[Illustration: A SAILOR-SHAPED COLLAR.]
_11th Row._—K 5, lift up the stitch before the next and knit it together with the next stitch (thereby preventing a hole), K 4, turn.
_12th Row._—K 10.
_13th Row._—K 10, lift up the stitch before the next and knit it together with the next stitch, K 4, turn.
_14th Row._—K 15.
Continue in this manner, knitting in 5 extra stitches every alternate row, until all the 45 stitches are on one row again *.
Knit without shaping until the shortest side measures 9 inches.
Finish at the wide edge, then repeat from * to * once.
Knit 9 rows without shaping, then repeat again from * to *.
Knit 9 inches without shaping. Repeat from * to * once more.
Knit 8 rows without shaping. Cast off.
The Button.
Cast on 3 stitches.
Knitting plain, increase once at the beginning of each row until 15 stitches are on the needle.
Knit 6 rows without shaping. Then decrease once at the beginning of each row until only 3 stitches remain. Cast off.
Raise the surface of each piece lightly with a Teazle Brush, until a fluffy effect is obtained.
[Sidenote: To Save the Cost of Fur.]
Cover the button-mould with the small round of knitting and sew it on the right front. Sew dress-fasteners in place on to each front.
If required the collar can be lined with silk or sateen.
A Pretty Sailor Collar.
This sailor shaped collar is a stylish addition to any coat, while at the same time giving the extra warmth so necessary during cold winter days. Worked in plain knitting the shaping will be found quite easy to follow.
Materials required.
3½ oz. Teazle Wool. Two No. 8 Celluloid Knitting Needles. A large button mould. Two or three dress-fasteners.
This Collar should be worked at a tension to produce about 6 stitches and 12 rows to the inch.
Commencing along the lower edge at the back of the collar, cast on 126 stitches.
Knitting plain, decrease once at the beginning and end of every 12th row until 4 stitches have been decreased at each side (leaving 118 stitches in the row).
Then increase once at the beginning and end of every 14th row until two increasings have been made at each side, making 122 stitches on the needle, and 76 rows (6½ inches) from the commencement.
The stitches now require to be divided for the neck opening as follows:—K 42, cast off 38, K 42. On the last 42 stitches, continue for the first shoulder piece as follows:—On the outside edge continue increasing once every 14th row, while at the neck edge, decreasing once every 2nd row until 6 stitches are decreased, then once every following 12th row until 3 more stitches have been decreased.
Knit back to the neck edge then, continuing to decrease once (at the neck) in every 12th row, shape for the front and shoulder as follows:—Knit to within 5 stitches of the shoulder edge, turn and knit back.
Knit to within 5 stitches from the end of the previous row (_i.e._, 10 stitches from the shoulder edge), turn and knit back.
* Knit to within 5 stitches of the end of the last row, turn and knit back. Repeat from * until only 5 stitches remain in the last short row.
In the next row the stitches require to be all knitted into one row again, but to prevent little holes from appearing at the turnings of the short rows a loop from the row below should be lifted up and knitted together with the next stitch above the turning.
Knit 8 rows without shaping. Cast off.
Join up the wool again at the neck where the 42 stitches were left, then work the second shoulder on these stitches to correspond with the first.
The Button.
Cast on 3 stitches.
Knitting plain, increase once at the beginning of each row until 15 stitches are on the needle.
Knit 6 rows without shaping. Then decrease once at the beginning of each row until only 3 stitches remain. Cast off.
Raise the surface of each piece lightly with a Teazle brush until a fluffy effect is obtained. Cover the button mould with the small round of knitting and sew it on the right front. Sew dress-fasteners in place on each front.
If required the collar can be lined with silk or sateen.
To Freshen a Last Season’s Jersey.
It is always the neck and wrist edges that show the first signs of wear on a knitted sports coat or jersey, and often a garment is discarded as done for just because these parts are shabby or out-of-date.
Have you ever thought of knitting an entirely fresh set of collar and cuffs to replace the soiled parts, or to be added to a collarless jersey or coat? The existing collar and cuffs can quite easily be cut away and the raw edges neatly buttonholed with wool before sewing on the new set.
[Illustration]
You will probably not be successful in getting wool the exact colour of your jersey, so it will be best to use a striking contrast, such as purple on a pale blue jersey, or emerald green on a white one; or if you already have two colours in the jersey, or it is of a specially brightly-hued tint, black makes a pleasing contrast. And this year
## particularly contrasts of colour are very much in vogue, so that your
re-modelled jersey will be quite fashionable.
Here is a practical little set that you will find quite easy to make.
The Collar.
This is of the ever-popular sailor shape that will be quite easily adapted to most garments.
“Sirdar” Sports Wool has been used for the making on No. 9 bone needles; or a 5-ply “Sirdar” Scotch Fingering would work up at a similar tension. Three ounces of wool will be sufficient for the set.
Abbreviations Used.
K = knit; P = purl; N = narrow (k two st together); st = stitch or stitches.
Commence from the back edge and cast on 78 st.
K 17 rows plain.
_18th Row._—K 8, P to 8 st from the end of the row, K 8.
_19th Row._—Knit plain.
Repeat the 18th and 19th rows twice.
_24th Row._—K 8, P 4, * K 6, P 6, repeat from * 3 times, K 6, P 4, K 8.
_25th Row_—K 12, * P 6, K 6, repeat from * 3 times, P 6, K 12.
Repeat the 24th and 25th rows once.
_28th Row._—K 8, P 10, * K 6, P 6, repeat from * twice, K 6, P 10, K 8.
_29th Row._—K 18, * P 6, K 6, repeat from * twice, P 6, K 18.
Repeat the 28th and 29th rows once.
Repeat from the 24th row once, and then from the 24th to the 27th row once. This completes the pattern.
K 24 rows a plain and a purl row [Sidenote: Other Ways of Renovating.]
alternately, always working the 8 border st plain in _every_ row.
Now to divide for the neck: K 34, and slip these st on to a safety-pin. Cast off 14 st for the centre of the neck, and on the remaining 34 st knit up the left front of the collar thus: Work 10 rows a plain and a purl row alternately, knitting the 2nd and 3rd st together of every row turned from the neck edge, and continuing the 8 plain border st.
Continue shaping in this way, decreasing also at the border side by purling the 10th and 11th st together of every 4th row turned from the border edge.
When you have worked off all but the 8 border st continue in plain knitting, decreasing from the neck edge only, until only 3 st remain.
Reverse the directions for the right side of collar.
Now pick up all the loops from the neck edge and K 6 plain rows.
The Cuffs.
Cast on 50 st.
K 13 rows plain.
_14th Row._—K 6, P to 6 st from the end of the row, K 6.
_15th Row._—Plain.
Repeat the 14th and 15th rows once.
_18th Row._—K 6, P 4, K 6, P 6, K 6, P 6, K 6, P 4, K 6.
_19th Row._—K 10, P 6, K 6, P 6, K 6, P 6, K 10.
Repeat the 18th and 19th rows once.
_22nd Row._—K 6, P 10, K 6, P 6, K 6, P 10, K 6.
_23rd Row._—K 16, P 6, K 6, P 6, K 16.
Repeat the 22nd and 23rd rows once.
Repeat from the 16th row to the 19th row once. This completes the pattern.
K 16 rows a plain and a purl row alternately, working the 6 border st plain in _every_ row.
K 6 plain rows, cast off.
For a Collarless Coat.
Another simple way of freshening the neck of a collarless jersey coat is to work a strip of plain knitting 4 inches wide and 12 inches long, and stretch it along the neck edge. Cuffs can be worked to correspond.
A pretty striped effect for this style of finish can be arrived at by using two different shades of wool, and working first four rows of one and then four rows of the other.
The Modern Knitting Book
Edited by FLORA KLICKMANN
If you are interested in knitting, this is the book you should possess. It includes a number of directions for garments for men and women’s wear, and some delightful patterns for the little ones, to say nothing of the designs in fancy knitting for household use. The volume is uniform with this series, and issued by the same publishers.
The Use and Abuse of Gloves.
Never be tempted to throw away a pair of gloves, however old. That is, until you have decided on their utter uselessness. Because a glove has holey fingers, or a badly torn thumb, or a split palm, it does not signify that it is of no use except for house-work.
Our illustration will show what can be done with gloves that are “nearly hopeless” to most people.
To Mend a Glove worn Between the Fingers.
The first part to go is, as a rule, between the fingers. This more especially is the case with washing gloves, which have a tendency to shrink, and wash-leathers, unless splice-seamed, will _always_ do this.
As the fingers shrink, the space between splits, and it cannot be sewn up because it would make the hand too tight and the fingers too short.
To remedy this, take a reel of strong thread and a small fur needle (three-sided needle) and make a fine net-work between the two fingers.
[Illustration: SHOWING THE LATTICE-WORK BETWEEN THE FINGERS, AND ALSO HOW TO APPLY A NEW THUMB.]
Button-hole the edge of the split as you form the lattice. Insert your needle in the edge of the hole and make one button-hole stitch; then take your needle into the other side of the hole with another button-hole stitch. Then two button-hole stitches, and take your needle up to the top edge of the hole, near where you began.
This forms bars about 1/16-inch apart, and with two button-hole stitches in between.
This completed, turn the glove and do the same thing across from side to side, knotting the thread each time it crosses the under-threads. By this means, a tiny net-work is made.
This net-work is elastic, and will wear and wash into shape and last as long as the glove itself.
Making a Neat Patch.
Next to the fingers, the thumb is the worst problem.
I find that opening carriage doors has an unfortunate knack of splitting a glove, where the thumb joins the palm.
If there is plenty of room, this split can be neatly joined up, but the better plan is to patch it with a tiny piece of an old glove.
[Sidenote: Taking Care of Your Gloves.]
Tack the patch in, and then with fine silk the colour of the glove, button-hole around the edge of the tear, taking up the under-skin as well. This keeps it firm and neat, and the patch may be cut away underneath, just leaving a small margin for stretch.
Adding a New Thumb.
If the top of the thumb wears out, and is unpatchable, an entirely new one can be put in with very little trouble. I have an old piece of chamois leather, which I keep for this very thing, and it answers the purpose beautifully.
Cut out the torn thumb _carefully_, retaining the shape as much as possible. Split up the seam and lay it flat on the piece of leather or kid which you are using to mend the glove.
Cut around the pattern, leaving a tiny margin, as your sewing is not as fine as that done by an expert.
Then tack the new thumb into the glove around the base.
Button-hole this carefully in, and lastly button-hole the seam up the thumb and across the top. This will be found _quite_ easy.
For coloured kid gloves, I buy scraps of kid from the boot maker, and you can procure quite a nice sized piece for a small sum, large enough to cut any size thumb and to leave a good few scraps for patching.
Always remember in putting on gloves to proceed slowly, pulling on the fingers first and half the palm next, and the thumb last.
Be as careful in taking off as in putting on, and pull each finger and thumb into shape.
[Illustration: A Patchwork Cloth made with “pieces” machined together and finished with some narrow insertion.]
A Knitted Hat.
Materials Required.
For the hat illustrated a buckram shape was used with the brim slightly curled all round, and deeper at the back than the front, and having a tall crown; 1 ounce of purple wool, and 3 ounces of white 4-ply “Beehive” Scotch Fingering; five No. 14 long steel knitting-needles. The fifth needle is only required for the brim where there are too many stitches for three needles.
Hat shapes alter, of course, from time to time, but the general principles remain the same, and by a little adaptation, this can be made to suit any shape of the “sailor” class.
[Illustration: The Hat is white, and the Flower Pattern is worked in purple.]
Directions.
Commence by casting on 2 st on each of three needles. Knit 1st row plain.