AN ARMFUL OF SHAVINGS AND WHAT TO DO WITH THEM
DO you love to go into a carpenter-shop, with its sweet-smelling woods
and fascinating tangle of white and rose-tinted shavings, and to watch
the carpenter guide his plane along the edge of a board, shaving off so
evenly and smoothly the long curls which look almost as natural as the
ringlets of a little girl? I am sure that many times you have tucked the
ends of the shavings under your hat and scampered off with the curls
streaming out behind or bobbing up and down delightfully at the sides.
It is great fun, yet there is still more entertainment to be found in
these pretty shavings.
Gather an armful, then, choosing the most perfect ones, not too thin,
with firm, smooth edges, and you shall weave them into
A Pretty, Soft Little Basket
like the illustration.
[Illustration: The soft little basket made of shavings.]
[Illustration: Fig. 36--Directly across the centre draw a straight
line.]
[Illustration: Fig. 37--So that the upper edge of B will touch the
dividing line of A.]
Pine-shavings are the best to use, as they are less brittle than those
of harder woods. Select a number and put them to soak in cold water to
make them soft and pliable. Then, lifting out those of an even width,
place them before you on a lap-board or table, and after passing them
between your fingers several times to take the curl out, cut eight
pieces eleven inches long. Directly across the centre of two of the
strips draw a straight line, as in Fig. 36. Place one of these strips,
A, flat on the table and lay the other, B, across it so that the upper
edge of B will touch the dividing line of A and the mark on B will be on
a line with right-hand edge of A, Fig. 37. Under A slide another strip,
C, Fig. 38. Over B and under C slide the strip D, Fig. 39. Over D and
under A pass the strip E, Fig. 40. Under E, over B and under C weave the
strip F, Fig. 41. Under E, over B, and under C weave the strip G, Fig.
42. Over F, under D, over A, and under G weave the strip H, Fig. 43.
This forms a square for the bottom of the basket.
[Illustration: Fig. 38.--Under A slide the strip C.]
[Illustration: Fig. 39.--Over B and under C slip the strip D.]
[Illustration: Fig. 40.--Over D and under A pass E.]
[Illustration: Fig. 41.--Under E, over B and under C weave F.]
Bend up the ends and
Weave the Sides
with longer, narrower shavings which you can make by cutting lengthwise
through the middle of several wide shavings.
[Illustration: Fig. 42.--Under E, over B and under C weave G.]
[Illustration: Fig. 43.--This forms the bottom of the basket.]
If you find any difficulty in keeping in place the part you have woven,
pin it to the board or table with several pins, as in Fig. 44. Bring the
sides up close to the edges of the bottom, then start your weaver at D,
on the inside of the basket (Fig. 44).
[Illustration: Fig. 44.--Bend up the ends now and weave the sides.]
Weave all the way around, turning the corners sharply, until the weaver
meets the first end; lap it over this, cut it off and tuck the last end
under H. Start the next weaver at C, weave it around and tuck under E.
Weave five weavers around the sides of the basket, beginning each time
in a new place that the joints may not all come together, then bend the
upright shavings over the edge of the top weaver, tucking the ends of
each under the third weaver, one inside, the next outside, as they may
come inside or outside the basket (Fig. 45).
[Illustration: Fig. 45--Bend the upright shavings over the top edge.]
Bind the Edge
with two binders the width of the side weavers. Hold one inside, one
outside, and whip them on over and over, taking the stitches with a
narrow strip of shaving as shown in Fig. 46.
[Illustration: Fig. 46.--Bind the edge with two binders.]
Cut two strips the width of your side weavers for
The Handle,
making one twelve inches and the other eleven inches long. One inch from
each end cut notches, as in Fig. 47. Slide the end of the short strip
under the second weaver on one side of the basket and pull it up until
the points catch on the weaver, then tuck the end under the lower weaver
(see illustrations).
[Illustration: Fig. 47.--Notch the ends like this.]
Loop the handle diagonally over the basket and fasten the other end on
the second weaver on the side. Secure the ends of the long strip on the
third weaver, allowing it to cross the other side of the handle at the
top, then bind the two pieces together at the middle by wrapping with a
shaving of the same width over and over. Split this wrapper at the last
end and tuck the two ends in at the sides. Fig. 48 shows the under part
of the handle with one end of the wrapper tucked in.
[Illustration: Fig. 48.--Tuck the two ends in at the sides.]
You can make table-mats, charming little handkerchief-cases, and a
number of other things of the dainty shavings, all on the same principle
as that of the basket.
[Illustration: The handkerchief case.]
To make
The Handkerchief-Case,
weave a square, measuring eight inches, of the narrow shavings, just as
you did for the bottom of the basket. These shavings must be twelve
inches long and you will probably need about thirty-two pieces. When the
square is finished tuck in the ends, as around the edge of the basket,
then bend in three of the corners to meet at the middle and catch with
needle and thread. Sew a quarter of a yard of bright ribbon where the
corners join and another quarter of a yard on the loose corner. (See
illustration.) Put your handkerchiefs in the little pocket, bring up the
loose point, and tie the ribbon in a pretty bow.