GRASS DRESS AND GRASS HEAD-DRESS
LOOK at the little girl in the photograph who is wearing her new grass
dress made of the wavy hair-grass and playing that she is a wood-nymph.
She feels very proud and is greatly pleased with her pretty costume.
[Illustration: Fig.67 - Bring the long end of string across front of
second bunch and form loop A.]
[Illustration: Fig.68 - First loop, A, on front of grass and string
passed around back of grass forming second loop, B.]
[Illustration: Fig.69 - String brought forward again and slipped
through first loop, A.]
Almost any kind of long, slender grasses can be used for a dress of
this kind, but you must gather an armful or more. It takes a good deal
of material, for the fringe must be close and thick. [Illustration:
She is greatly pleased with her pretty grass costume.]
Divide the grass into bunches, each bunch about as thick as your thumb,
and have the heads of all the grasses together at one end of the bunch,
and the stem ends together at the other end.
[Illustration: Fig.70 - Use a strong string for tying the grass fringe.]
Tie a strong string around the stem ends of one bunch. Hold this tied
bunch under your left arm, stem ends to the front, and take up another
bunch (Fig. 70). Bring the long end of the string across the front of
the second bunch and form a loop (A, Fig. 67). Hold the loop while you
pass the string around the back of the bunch (Fig. 68), then slide the
end through the loop A, Fig. 69. Draw this loop-fastening very tight
and it will hold. Now place the second bunch under your arm with the
first bunch, and make a loop-fastening around the third bunch. Keep
on adding bunches of grass in this way, always drawing the last bunch
close to the one before it, and holding them all together under your
arm as in the photograph (Fig. 70). In this picture the grass bunches
are purposely left far apart that you may see exactly how to make the
fringe.
[Illustration: Fig.71 - Bristle-spiked Cyperus grass used for
head-dress. See photograph.]
The grass dress will be finished when you have made a strip of fringe
long enough to reach around your waist, for the skirt--it needs no
waist--is really only a fringe of grasses to be worn over a light
summer dress.
Grass Head-Dress
The grass head-dress to be worn with the wood-nymph skirt is quite as
wild-looking, but is simply a band of grasses, with bunches of the
bristle-spiked cyperus grass (Fig. 71) hanging downward on each end.
The band goes across over the top of the head, and the grass side
ornaments fall over the ears.
Wear the grass costume and carry a light branch of green leaves in
each hand when you give your next outdoor fancy dance, or take part in
outdoor tableaux where you could represent either a wood-nymph or the
spirit of the grasses.
_PART III_
GREEN LEAVES