136 
Huckaback toweling is a delightful material to darn on as 
the weave is loose and the needle can be run on the surface, 
catching up every other group of threads. This method 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
April, 1911 
two groups of threads makes the surface of interest. Our 
illustration shows ivory huckaback with 
three shades of delft blue. 
stitches of 
A departure from darning 
Linen blotters and all kinds of little things can be ornamented by darning 
of darning can be done very rapidly. Huckaback has be- 
come so popular for darning uses that it can now be obtained 
in soft pastel shades for men’s waistcoats, and écru, gray, 
and pale green as well as ivory are seen at fancy needle- 
work stores. It is not necessary to have a design, for the 
fact of varying the length of the stitch by skipping one or 
is allowable, as featherboning and cross stitch look well 
with it. 
Exquisite bits of coloring, original designs and a variety 
of uses make darning one of the most effective needle crafts, 
requiring little time and skill, but a good deal of artistic 
perception to gain the desired results. 
Big Fir Tees of the Northwest 
(AmOMGWGAN HE fir trees of the Pacific Northwest occa- 
sionally attain such proportions, especially 
in the territory near Puget Sound, that 
the stumps after the trees have been cut 
down are employed for novel purposes. 
In some portions of Washington one can 
see these huge stumps, which have been 
hollowed out and actually made into temporary homes for 
settlers. To make a 
stump house, it is 
only necessary to 
remove the mate- 
rial from the in- 
fertOnyer le aay, ine 
enough to form 
walls of suitable 
thickness. Then a 
roof of boards or 
shingles is put over 
thes stopl Gl) =the 
stump, holes are cut 
AOA, 
for windows and 
doors, and the 
dwelling is practi- 
cally ready for oc- 
cupation. A number 
of these stumps 
have been used by 
settlers on what are 
called logged-oft 
lands, until they 
have been enabled 
Stump of fir tree in Washington which shelters a family of five 
to construct larger and more convenient dwellings. After 
the stump home has been vacated, it is turned into a stable 
for the horses, or sometimes into an inclosure for chick- . 
ens or hogs. 
Next to the big tree of California, or sequoia as it is 
termed by the scientists, the fir as found in Washington 
and Oregon has the largest diameter of any tree in America, 
and probably in the world. Some have been cut down 
which actually meas- 
ured 15 ~feecumaua 
diameter a ttle 
point where the in- 
cision was made. 
As they decay very 
rapidly alter jawe 
timber has been re- 
moved, usually the 
interior can be hol- 
lowed out with little 
dificulty. Some- 
times they are used 
for dancing plat- 
forms. Another 
custom is to turn 
the big stumps into 
playgrounds for the 
children, who reach 
the top by pieces of 
wood nailed against 
the sides or by lad- 
ders, the latter be- 
ing easier of use. 
