For Dolly’s Cottage Window.
LITTLE casement curtains are quite the best kind for the doll’s cottage
windows, and on this page is shown a very pretty one that you will
probably like to make. This is of dark green sateen, and the work on
it is done in light green and pink “Brighteye.” It looks very nice in
the picture, but it looks a great deal prettier when you can see the
colours just as they are. And isn’t the way the little circles are
entwined just sweet? Are you thinking that you couldn’t manage it?
Well don’t think it any more, because you can, if you just follow this
little talk carefully.
The stitch on this little curtain is called chain stitch. It is worked
from right to left, or to be really nearer the mark—from top to bottom.
To make it, bring your needle up from underneath, leaving a little end
at the back. Hold the thread down with the left thumb, and, putting
the needle back where you brought it up, take up a few threads of the
material with the needle. Pull the thread through, but not too tightly,
repeat the stitch. One little picture shows you chain stitch being
worked.
[Illustration: THE LITTLE GREEN CURTAIN.]
[Illustration: WORKING THE CHAIN-STITCH.]
[Illustration]
For this curtain, a piece of sateen, 5 inches long by 4½ inches wide,
is needed. Turn a narrow hem on all four sides, and tack it. The top
edge must be hemmed with tiny stitches, but the other three sides
need not be hemmed, as the chain stitches will keep the hems down.
This chain stitch can now be worked over the hems, on the right side.
Now measure in 1 inch from the left side of chain stitch, and work
another row in the same way. Between these two straight rows come the
interwoven circles. To get these circles even, cut out a piece of
cardboard the same size as the top of your thimble, and draw little
circles round it on the sateen, allowing each circle to overlap the
last one just a little bit. Now each little round touches the next
one at two points. At one of these points it goes under, and at the
other, over the next round. You will easily see what I mean by looking
carefully at this little curtain. When the circles are all finished,
they look like a chain, with one pink and one green link alternately.
The only other thing to do is to sew the rings to the top of the
curtain, for putting your curtain rod through. You will want one just
like it for the other side of the window, and in making this, be sure
and get your circles on the opposite side of the curtain, so as to make
them a perfect pair.
Carpets and Hearthrugs.
The worst of having a house papered and painted a fresh colour is that
it means getting all the furnishings to match, and carpets, hearthrugs,
curtains, etc., are expensive items, if you have to buy them. But one
must have a change in the doll’s cottage sometimes, so suppose, to-day,
you learn how to make a pretty carpet and hearthrug for it.
You can make your carpet and rug of whatever shades you like, and it
would be best to choose colours that will go nicely with your wall
paper. For instance, if the sitting-room of your doll’s cottage is
going to have a paper with pink roses and green leaves on the wall, you
had better decide to have pink and green for your carpet and rug. If
you have yellow walls, a carpet in a lovely shade of brown, and just
a little yellow in it would be delightful. Of course, if the doll’s
cottage has white or cream walls, you can choose whatever colours you
like for the floor.
[Illustration: THE IN-AND-OUT PATTERN FOR A RUG.]
The In-and-Out Pattern.
Let us make this little rug first, as this is a particularly easy
pattern. Cream Congress Canvas has been used for this, and on page
78 there is a picture of a little bit worked on canvas, that you may
see which way the stitches go. This rug measures 4 inches long by 2½
inches wide when finished, but it does not matter at all what size you
make it. This has been worked in Baldwin & Walker’s Ladyship 3-ply
Fingering, pink and green. This is a lovely soft wool to use.
Commence by turning the canvas in all round and tack it. Run the pink
wool up a little way at the back of the canvas, leave a loop at the
end, then start the first row between 2nd and 3rd threads from the
left side, * pass the pink wool under 1 thread of canvas; then over 6
threads and under 2 threads 6 times, now over 6 threads and under 1 at
end of canvas, leave a loop at end, and start the next row between the
next two threads of canvas. *
Work four more rows from * to *.
[Illustration: THE TWISTED AND DARNED PATTERN.]
_6th Row._—Pass the pink wool under 1 thread, over 2 threads, under 2
threads, over 6 threads 6 times; now under 2 threads, over 2 threads,
under 1 thread. Work 4 more rows like this. Repeat from 1st row to
10th row until the work is the right width.
Turn the canvas round and work the green wool across the canvas left
between the pink wool.
[Illustration: THE IN-AND-OUT PATTERN.]
_1st Row._—Start between the 3rd and 4th threads from the top and the
6th and 7th threads from the side.* Pass the green wool over 6 threads
and under 4 threads twice, then over 6 threads, slip thread on to next
hole at the back of the canvas. Work 2 more rows like this from *.
_4th Row._—Start the 4th row in the same hole as the 1st pink stitch of
group ends. Pass the green wool over 5 threads, then under 4 threads
and over 6 threads three times, now over 6 threads, slip the thread at
back to the next hole for next row.
Work 2 more rows like this. Oversew the 2 threads at the end of the
rows with green wool, and twist the wool over the single thread at the
end of the fringe loops.
If there is any difficulty in counting the threads when working the
green across, look at the back of the work.
Repeat the 6 rows until all the canvas between the pink threads is
covered.
The Twisted and Darned Pattern.
If you want to use the design for a carpet you can make it larger and
square-shaped, or here is another design that is thicker, and will
therefore be softer and nicer for the dolls’ feet.
[Illustration: THE TWISTED AND DARNED CARPET PATTERN.]
This twisted pattern is also shown in the shape for a rug, which
measures 5 inches long by 3 inches wide, but it can be made whatever
size and shape you like. It has also been worked on Congress Canvas,
with Baldwin & Walker’s Ladyship 3-ply Fingering. The colours used are
light green for the twisted pattern, heliotrope for the star in the
middle, and dark green for the darning. With this carpet a paper with
pansies or violets would look very pretty.
Here again little samples of the stitches have been worked on canvas,
that you may see clearly how they are done.
[Illustration: THE DETAIL FOR WORKING THE DIAGONAL PATTERN.]
The twisted pattern is worked in satin stitch over 4 threads of canvas.
You will see this stitch is described on page 71, and if you look at
the pattern carefully, you will get the twist over and under quite
right. To make the corners, work the stitches over 3, then 2, and 1
thread, then over the middle, work the other side of corner over 1, 2,
and 3 threads, finish over 4 threads into the same hole as the last
stitch, over 4 threads on the other side of the corner. Look at the
pattern on the canvas as you work this out, that will also show how
many stitches to do, and the way they are arranged.
[Illustration: A HEARTHRUG IN THE DIAGONAL DESIGN.]
For the star in the centre, work from corner to corner twice, crossing
the thread in the centre, then another stitch from the centre hole
on the top to the centre hole at opposite end, and another across the
centre.
The canvas between the twisted pattern is darned, that is, pass the
thread over 2 threads of canvas and under 2 threads—this also is
plainly shewn on the coarse canvas.
[Illustration: Fading light.]
Work blanket stitch into every hole around the edge.
A square carpet of this design, with a small rug of the In-and-Out
pattern, would look very well, but you would have to use the same
colours for both, of course. The carpet could be fastened to the
cottage floor with small drawing pins.
The Diagonal Pattern.
Here is still another kind of rug that you can make. It is also worked
in Baldwin & Walker’s 3-ply Ladyship Fingering on Congress Canvas, and
the colours that have been used are pale blue, grey, and violet. A row
is worked in each colour until the rug is large enough. This little
hearthrug shown measures 4 inches by 2 inches, but you can make it as
large as you like.
The rug is worked in satin stitch for the 1st row, the stitches are
upright, over 4 threads, but each fresh stitch is started one thread
lower, and of course finishes one thread lower. The next row is worked
across, also over 4 threads, each stitch is started one thread farther
back than the one before, and finished in the same hole as one of the
stitches of the row before.
If you look at the two little specimens that have been worked, I don’t
think you will have any trouble over this. You will notice that when
you come to the edge, and want to finish off straight, you have to take
your stitches over 4 threads, 3 threads, 2 threads, and then 1 thread.
The edge of the rug is worked in blanket stitch.
The Ostrich and the Silkworm.
_This Poem was written over a hundred years ago._
One morning an ostrich, returning with glee
From laying her eggs in the sand,
Trotted under the boughs of a mulberry tree,
Where a silkworm was weaving her band.
“Good day,” said the worm, wishing much to be heard,
“Any news in the papers, my dear?”
“Who’s there—is it you, my good friend?” said the bird;
“Why, no, not a line that I hear.
“Except—yes, I met with one comical thing
(Design’d, I suppose, for a skit),
An account of a feather I brush’d from my wing,
Because it was ruffled and split.
“And a cone of old silk you had dropt to the ground
(Choice articles both, I confess),
That one of those great human creatures had found,
And made somehow into a dress;
“And when it was finish’d (you wouldn’t suppose
Such queer, unaccountable pride),
The creature imagin’d because of its clothes
’Twas better than any beside.
“It walked to and fro for its fellows to see,
And turn’d up its nose at the crowd,
As if it forgot, little cousin, that we
Had really best right to be proud.”
“He! he! why, you don’t tell me so,” said the worm;
“Ha! ha!” said the bird, “but I do;
But I keep you from dinner; good day to you, ma’am;
Mind—I don’t tell the story for true.”