Anyone of a handy disposition can make mascots that will bring luck to
him or herself, as well as to countless friends. In addition, they may
be made for selling at bazaars or even for profit in shops.
_HORSESHOES._--As a rule, it is best in this case to obtain a supply of
old and worn horseshoes--any local farrier will be glad to sell them
for a penny or two apiece--and to make them presentable. First, knock
off the rust, and then wash them if necessary. It is not a bad plan to
beg some old nails from the farrier, to slip one or two in the holes,
here and there of each shoe, and to twist them round with pliers so
that they cannot fall out. Then give the shoes a coat of paint--either
aluminum or stove-black. When dry, thread a strip of ribbon of your
lucky color through a hole on either side of the shoe, so that the shoe
can be easily hung up. But, please do be careful to arrange the ribbon
so that the shoe can only be hung tips upwards.
Failing a supply of worn shoes, the best idea is to cut horseshoes from
a sheet of thick cardboard. There is an illustration on p. 6 which
will give you an idea of the correct shape to aim at. When the shoes
are cut, paint them with black or silver ink, and tie with ribbon, as
already suggested.
_SWASTIKAS._--Large swastikas are best cut out of thick cardboard, as
suggested in the previous paragraph for horseshoes, but small ones,
suitable for wearing, are not difficult to cut out of sheet metal, if
a triangular file is at hand for cleaning up the corners and edges.
When worn, Swastikas are usually hung diamond-wise. Therefore, it is
necessary to drill a small hole in one of the corners of the shape. A
coat of gold paint or transparent lacquer will add to the appearance of
the finish.
_SCARABS._--When scarabs are to be made, the shape with the closed
wings will be found much the simpler to construct. They can be made out
of large oval buttons. If the buttons are flat, it is advisable to give
them a domed surface by applying a suitable layer of plastic wood. This
is a putty-like substance which dries rapidly and which can be moulded
to the required shape with the fingers. When the plastic wood is dry
and hard, smooth the surface with fine glass-paper and ornament it with
oil paints. A dull light blue serves best for the groundwork, and the
pattern can be added with a small brush, using grey or black paint. In
this way, some very realistic scarabs can be made easily.
_CADUCEUS OR STAFF OF MERCURY._--This lucky device is very difficult to
make in the form of a model. However, the same purpose can be served
by a picture. Draw the outline in pencil (see p. 9), give it a wash of
silver color and line in the pattern with India ink. A picture, made in
this way, about twelve inches high, on a white card, would look very
attractive when framed.
_ARROWHEADS._--Those of us who have an eye for geology will have no
difficulty in picking up flints, shaped like arrowheads (see p. 8),
along the sides of country roads. Failing these, we can get some slips
of granite, and, with hammer and chisel, shape them as shown on the
page mentioned. The next thing is to obtain some gilt wire, and to make
slings to support the arrowheads. These can then be hung up or worn,
according to their size.
_TETS._--These mallet-shaped mascots can be made readily by cutting
small strips of wood to serve as handles, and then moulding the heads
in plastic wood. When the latter has dried hard, all the surfaces are
coated with some bright colored paint, and, after that, additional
bands of color are added to serve as ornamentation (see p. 8).
_BLACK CATS AND OTHER DOLL MASCOTS._--Any woman or girl who is good at
needlework can make cats and doll-shaped mascots fairly readily. The
first thing is to cut a paper pattern of the parts, using newspaper
for the purpose. Usually, it is advisable to make the pattern in no
more than two parts; one for the left side, the other for the right,
or one for the front, the other for the back, according to the way the
creature is to be executed. If this is done, it must be recognized that
each part should be considerably larger than the animal is to appear,
since although the pattern looks as though it need only serve for the
front or back, or sides, it really has to supply the width as well.
When the paper pattern has been suitably shaped, cut out the stuff to
agree with it, allowing an edging for turning in. Use black velvet or
black fur cloth, unless some color is desired. Then, place the two
pieces together, face to face, stitch round most of the edges; follow
by turning the outside in and stuff the interior through the gap of
stitches. Old but soft rags do for the stuffing. When nice and evenly
plump, stitch up the gap, taking care to fold in the seams.
The last stage is to ornament the creature and form its features.
Buttons serve for eyes, stitches of red wool or silk make the mouth and
nose, and whiskers are supplied by hairs taken from a broom. A band of
ribbon, tied in a bow, round the neck, completes the mascot.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Minor punctuation and printer errors repaired.
Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as
possible, including inconsistent hyphenation, obsolete and variant
spellings and other inconsistencies. Where intent was unclear, possible
errors were left as printed.
In some otherwise alphabetical lists, individual words are out of
alphabetical order. These are left as printed. Likewise, some
lettered lists have letters missing or out of order. These were left as
printed.