For the New Perambulator.
There is one thing that dolly absolutely _must_ have before you take
her out to see her friends, and that is a new pram-cover. You had
almost forgotten that, hadn’t you? Just think how you would feel
to have her dressed in her best for visiting, and sitting in that
beautiful perambulator that Uncle gave you, and no nice cover to match!
Wouldn’t you feel dreadful?
Here is a pram-cover that you can make. This has been worked on pale
pink sateen, with shaded green for the leaves and stems, and dark
crimson for the rosebuds. Use a shaded green No. 8 “Star Sylko,”
crimson, No. 8, and plain green thread, No. 5, the same shade as the
darkest part of the shaded thread, for the lines around. Perhaps these
colours won’t go quite nicely with dolly’s pram and outdoor clothes. In
that case you must decide on some other shades.
This pram-cover measures 10 inches long by 7½ inches wide, then another
2 inches has been added to the length, and 2 inches to the width for
the hem. You may find you need your cover larger or smaller than this
one, but whatever size you have, don’t forget to allow extra for a nice
hem. Tack the hem down all round, but do not hem it: the stitches on
the outside line keep it in place.
[Illustration]
Having tacked your hem, you have now to get the design transferred to
your pram-cover. Just look at the outline design. This is just the size
you will want. Now take a piece of tracing paper, and go carefully over
the outline of the leaf wreath. Don’t trouble about the bud at present.
Next turn the paper over and run over the back of the design with a
fairly soft lead pencil—the outlines will show through the transparent
paper. Turn it over again and lay it on your cover, taking care to
get it nicely in the centre. Keep it firm and follow every line with
a slightly harder pencil, marking it firmly and evenly. When you take
your paper up you will find the leaves transferred to your pram-cover.
The buds are transferred to each corner in the same way, putting them
whichever way up you want them.
[Illustration: AN OUTLINE DESIGN. ACTUAL SIZE.]
All you have to do now is to work over the design in the outline stitch
described on page 58. Work the leaves and stems in the shaded green,
the rosebuds in crimson, and the border lines in plain dark green. You
can then take out the tacking threads.
[Illustration]
Dolly will be highly pleased to have such a nice cover to her
perambulator. She does like to be stylish, doesn’t she?
[Illustration: This pretty Bedspread is made of cream canvas
embroidered in white and blue.]
A Bedspread for Victoria.
I wonder whether you have made the bedspread, shown on page 61, with
the doll’s bed outfit. I daresay you have, and perhaps the patchwork
quilt too. But of course you will not want all your doll-children’s
beds to look quite the same, so how about a bedspread with a fringe to
it for Victoria’s bed? You usually dress her in blue, don’t you, to
match her eyes, so you had better work the bedspread in blue. No, I
know she does not go to sleep with her eyes open, but she has lovely
fair hair, and pink roses in her cheeks; and a cream bedspread, worked
in blue, is what she needs to set her off properly.
The bedspread is worked in coarse cream Hardanger Canvas. The little
detail of the stitch shows you the actual size of the canvas. If you
use a finer canvas than this—as of course you can if you like—then you
will have to take your stitches over more threads to get your design
the same size as the one shown here.
The shade of blue that will suit Victoria beautifully is No. 709 in
Ardern’s “Star Sylko,” size 5, and you could use this for the work on
your bedspread; and you will also want some white “Star Sylko,” size 5,
for the satin stitch. For sewing the fringe cream linen thread can be
used.
If you have not yet learnt to work the stitches used in making this
bedspread, the best plan would be to take an odd piece of canvas and
practise on that first.
[Illustration]
Satin Stitch.
We will start with the white outlines of the border. This is worked in
satin stitch—a very simple stitch, but it needs to be worked evenly,
and the thread must not be pulled too tightly. Do not make a knot to
start the work, leave a piece of thread at the back, and put the needle
through this piece before you work the second stitch. Start by putting
the needle up through a hole of the canvas, miss 1 hole, put the
needle into the next hole; put the needle through the next hole on a
line with the first, and go on working stitches like this in a straight
line.
If you do this in the right way, the stitches on the right side will be
straight, and on the wrong side they will slant a little.
[Illustration: This little square shows the stitches clearly.]
The corners of this piece of work are done in an easy way, look
carefully at the illustration, and I think you will see what to do. The
2 stitches on each side and the centre stitch are all worked into the
same hole on the inside of the corner.
Outlines of Border.
Now if you can do satin stitch, the bedspread can be started.
Leave 12 holes around outside the satin stitch line. Work 50 stitches
across both ends, 84 stitches on each side—not counting the 3 extra
stitches at corners. Leave 14 holes on the side and work a line of
stitches across to the other side, on both ends of work. Leave 14
holes, counting towards the centre from side, and work a second line on
each side between the ones worked at each end.
To divide this into squares, leave 14 holes, and work rows of satin
stitch between the 2 lines.
Centre of Squares.
Thread your needle with blue, and put it up through the corner hole,
miss 2 holes, counting towards the centre, put the needle in the next
hole, put the needle up through the third hole in a straight line from
end of first stitch, then into same hole as the end of first stitch;
work another straight stitch on the other side.
Work 3 more stitches like the first 3. Do 3 more corners in the same
way, and join these corners with 4 stitches, these stitches make the
square in the centre.
The fringe looks difficult, but it is easier than it looks.
Count 3 lines of thread from the satin stitch, this will leave 2 holes,
draw out the next two lines of thread from across the canvas; this
leaves a narrow piece of the canvas with threads one way only.
On page 30 you will see how to do the Serpentine Hem-stitching. This is
the stitch that is used for the edge of this bedspread, only that here
you have no hem. You just do the work on both sides of the threads.
Then pull away the threads at the edge, outside the second row of
stitches, and you will get your fringe.
The Two Dollies.
I always dress the Princess Clare
In white with pale blue bows;
She is a most well-mannered doll,
And careful where she goes.
She never soils her muslin dress,
Or makes her slippers in a mess.
But Lady Maude is always getting
Some ugly-looking tear;
Or else her hat has had a wetting
And isn’t fit to wear!
And though I give her lovely sashes,
She gets them spoilt with muddy splashes!
A doll who acts so carelessly
Will have to wear a sack!
With just a piece of string to tie
A sash behind her back!
You cannot let her wear pink silk
When she upsets her bread and milk!
But Princess Clare goes out to tea,
And often has a treat;
You know wherever she may be
She will be clean and neat.
A child like this is quite a treasure,
To take her out is such a pleasure!