1014. 
a'HlS RURAL NEW-VORKER 
003 
Art in Rags. 
The old-fashioned women made carpet- 
rag rugs from motives of economy, con¬ 
sidering them only as makeshifts, and, 
indeed, they could hardly have been mis¬ 
taken for anything else. Modern women 
make them, some because “cottage rugs” 
are the fad at present; others because 
they admire the soft colorings and crisp 
daintiness of tioor coverings that may go 
to the laundry as often as the bed linen 
and come forth as unspoiled. The latter 
sorts of women demand art before econ¬ 
omy, usually buying the colors they re¬ 
quire and tearing up new cloth to be 
woven into rugs; while the economical 
woman throws her old rags into some 
sort of apology for a rug and sits down 
to endure it. 
Now, why may not each sort of woman 
have what she desires, even though art, 
economy and popularity joined issues? 
Certainly with the accumulation of half- 
worn garments in every home there can 
be no excuse for purchasing material 
to tear into strips, especially as repeated 
washings have lent to the old goods a 
softness of coloring that is ever essen¬ 
tial to art in any form. Equally un¬ 
reasonable is it for the woman to whom 
economy is a necessity to endure crudely 
colored lloor coverings, for even though 
made of rags the rugs may be in soft, 
harmonious shades and designs, suitable 
for any room in the house. 
For the room whose color-scheme is 
brown, let me suggest a rug in brown 
shading to white. The centre may be of 
mottled brown and white, with an inch¬ 
wide border of pure white marking the 
beginning of the outer border of plain, 
clear brown in a darker shade. For a 
bedroom a rug of lavender and gray made 
after the same style, with perhaps a final 
narrow border of black. Or another in 
shaded blacks and steel grays. Which, 
think you, would appeal first to the eye 
of the beholder—the economy or the ar¬ 
tistic beauty of the floor coverings? 
Then to whichever class of women 
you belong, if you are about to evolve 
rugs begin by carefully sorting the crude 
materials, both as to color and fabric. 
Keep black and colored hosiery separate, 
there being nothing better for borders, 
the black in stockings being particularly 
soft and pliable. There is seldom too 
much white, as when not wanted in the 
natural this can so easily be dyed to help 
along any preferred color scheme. 
A favorite method of dyeing produces 
a shaded effect. Sew and tie t he rags 
into skeins loosely. Then wind wide 
strips of cloth around the skeins very 
tightly, tying three or four inches apart. 
When dyed the places where the skein 
was tied will have absorbed little or none 
of the dye, while the untied portion will 
show the full depth of color, producing 
when woven, a shaded or mottled effect 
that is very pleasing. A similar effect 
is produced by cutting striped bed-tick¬ 
ing across the stripe; one bed-tick pro¬ 
ducing sufficient material to make the 
body of a small rug. There should be a 
narrow border of white, with a wider 
border of blue of the same shade. 
The cutting and sewing of the rags 
need not be the irksome task it is usually 
considered. If you are so fortunate as 
to have friends engaged in the same task 
why not have a carpet-rag “bee,” and 
make a jollification of it? Or little fin¬ 
gers may be brought into requisition, and 
much fun be gotten out of what will be 
indeed a great assistance. Even the sew¬ 
ing machine may be brought into service 
in the sewing. Tear sheets, pillow slips, 
etc., into large pieces having straight 
edges. Then lap one edge over the other, 
allowing the left-hand edge to project 
about three-eighths inches beyond the 
righthaud edge; stitch across the ends 
twice, making a fiat seam. There will 
be no loose edges if you stitch close to 
each edge. This will give you a tube of 
cloth which may be cut in one continu¬ 
ous strip, by beginning at the projecting 
edge and tenring round and round, cut- 
ling where sewed. Stockings also may be 
cut in one continuous piece from the hem 
to the toe. Begin with a gore-shaped 
piece, the narrow tip to be discarded, 
trimming the second row to proper width, 
and cutting round and round, as one 
peels an apple. 
Carpet-rags should average about three- 
quarters of an inch in width, which 
statement should be taken mixed with 
judgment. Very thin or sleazy mate¬ 
rials, such as stockings, a strip of which 
will stretch out into an infinitesimal 
thinness, should be cut wider; heavy ma¬ 
terials such as flannels, etc., should be 
much narrower. To determine the proper 
thickness take a section of each material 
and twist it between the fingers, putting 
them side by side, which will enable one 
to determine about how the thickness 
will average when pounded together in a 
rug. It is really better, however, not to 
mix materials in the same rug, using the 
cotton rags by themselves, and the wool¬ 
ens and knit goods together. 
Allow about iy 2 pounds of three- 
quarter-inch rags for every yard of rug 
or carpet desired. That means the 
square yard, as most rag carpet is woven 
a yard wide. However, delicate-colored 
rugs which must go often to the laundry, 
are best made narrower, 2 1 /->x4 1 /[> feet 
being a good size. Darker rugs may be 
any size desired. 
Room-size rugs are best woven in 
strips and sewed together, (for a six-by- 
nine rug two yard-wide strips woven nine 
feet long) having a border woven across 
the ends only, and either with or without 
a fringe of the carpet-warp. 
Beside having them woven there are 
several ways of making carpet-rag rugs. 
By braiding the strands and sewing the 
braid together; by crocheting in strips 
with a large wooden hook, or by weaving 
on a hand-loom. A hand-loom may be 
made from a large board into the ends of 
which are driven nails about an inch 
apart and directly opposite each other. 
Carpet warp or heavy cord is strung 
back and forth over the board from nail 
to nail, then the rags are woven into this 
warp, over one. thread and under the 
next, exactly as though darning a hole 
in the stocking. Either method makes 
very good rugs, but for general wear the 
more satisfactory method is to put the 
prepared rags in the hands of a com¬ 
petent weaver, who will submit designs 
and suggest colorings if desired. 
MAUDE E. S. IIYMERS. 
Boiled Apples. 
As to baking apples, it is one of the 
fine arts of the cook to have them right, 
and all Yankees were trained to its creed. 
But some are not situated to bake; for 
them, boiling can be used. When we 
were in the city cooking with gas stove 
we found this out and taught it to many 
friends. Put on clean apples, whole, as 
if to bake, with little water and sugar 
to taste. Simmer slowly till soft, take 
out apples, boil juice down to syrup and 
pour over. These will hardly be known 
from baked. E. D. 
Raised Doughnuts. 
How do you make the old-fashioned 
raised doughnut of our grandmothers; 
light, tender and toothsome as it was? 
How can the cook fry them so as not 
to soak fat, just how much shortening 
and sweetening? e. i>. 
Old-fashioned raised doughnuts are 
made as follows: One pint risen milk 
bread dough; one cup sugar; two eggs; 
one tablespoouful melted butter; spice to 
taste; Hour enough to roll out. Put the 
bread dough into a bowl, and work the 
other ingredients into it, the flour last. 
Roll out. cut and fry in deep fat. To 
prevent the doughnuts from soaking fat, 
the fat should be boiling briskly when 
they are dropped in and only a few put 
in at a time, so as not to cool the fat 
too much. As they are cooked, the 
doughnuts should be laid on paper to 
drain. 
Cheese Cake. 
Will you give a recipe for cheese cake, 
same as we buy in bakeries? a. k. 
The following recipe is, we think, rich¬ 
er than the bakery article, the proportion 
of egg being higher, but the general com¬ 
position is tln> same. We sometimes use 
less egg, when it is convenient to do so: 
One and one-half cup cottage cheese, two 
tablespoon fuls cream, oue-lmlf cup 
sugar, three eggs, juice and grated rind 
of one lemon (or, if preferred, one tea¬ 
spoonful vanilla); one teaspoonful melt¬ 
ed butter. Press the curd through a 
colander, add the eggs, well beaten, then 
the other ingredients, and beat all till 
smooth. Line a deep pie dish with paste, 
fill with this mixture, and bake MO min¬ 
utes. If desired some currants may be 
added. Little tarts, baked in pattypans 
are nice, filled with this mixture. 
To Any State 
Shown on This Map 
and part of the freight to all States 
beyond. Think of what it will mean 
to know to a penny before you order 
just what the goods will cost you laid down in your own town.^ 
Think of the money you can save in having 
Nothing to Pay Wlien the Goods Arrive. 
If you live in one of the States shown on the map, we pay the freight on all 
shipments of 100 lbs. or more (excepting only vehicles and farm implements). 
You can get everything else delivered free. For example: Household Furniture, 
Sewing Machines, Stoves, Harness, Wall Paper, Paints, Roofing, Fencing, Incu¬ 
bators, Cream Separators, Hay Tools, Gasoline Engines, Dry Goods, Millinery, 
Clothing and Shoes for all the family. If you live anywhere outside the States 
named above, we will pay all delivery charges on Dry Goods, Wearing Apparel, 
Millinery, Shoes and Jewelry, and a liberal part of the freight charges on everything else except¬ 
ing vehicles and farm implements. So no matter where you live you can enjoy this new F reight 
Paid advantage in part, if not all. No other big mail order house offers to pay the freight on 
almost everything for home, farm and shop. 
A Postal Brings You Our Big New 
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1012 Stores Building, 115 E. 23d Street, New York 
Why Get Wet? 
make the 
, FISH BRAND 
* REFLEX 
SLICKER 
your "ounce of pre¬ 
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keep you dry and 
comfortable no mat¬ 
ter how long the 
hours of exposure. 
The Reflex Slicker is the service 
coat for uoti if you want solid 
worth and not frills for your 
money. 
$3.00 Everywhere 
PROTECTOR HAT 75 eta. 
(waterproof) 
That's a very smal 1 sum to pay 
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Satisfaction ^CiWElJs 
Send for free Catalog Quamnlccd 
A. J. TOWER CO., Boston * 
Tower Canadian Limited. Toronto ' 
Regular Price ^ R A p, D VACUUM 
'^“TTWASHER* 
Sold on 30 days’ trial. 
The only 
Washer 
with 
Automatic 
Suction. 
Washes everything from blankets 
to fine laces. Tub of clothes washed in 
5 to 10 minutes. . A child can operate it. 
Agents II 'anted. Special price on sample postpaid. 
Write lor terms uutl trial offer. 
STEWART-SKINNER CO., 35 Cherry St., Worcester, Mass. 
T YOUR IDEAS 
$9,000 offered for certain inven¬ 
tions. Hook “How to Ottain a Patent’* 
and What to Invent’* sent tree. Send 
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our expense in Manufacturers* Journals. 
CHANDLEE & CHANDLEE, Patent Att’y* 
K»ul<li*lied 16 Year* 
022 F. Street, Washington, D. C. 
Cider Presses 
You can earn money wher¬ 
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a Monarch. A Monarch 
cots all the cider—you 
have satisfied custom 
ers. Wo also make 
apple-butter cook- _ 
ers and evaporators." 
A.B. Farouhar Co., Ltd. 
Bax 130, York. Pa. 
Write for 
FREE 
Catalog 
1914 
FUMA 
((Fill! A » KILLS l’rairie 
Dogs, woodchucks. 
Gophers, arul Grain 
Insects. Stop their 
depredations by using 
“Fuma Carbon Bisulphide” of Solution 
Lime and Sulphur for spraying purposes. 
TAYLOK CHEMICAL CO.. l»eim Yiiu, N Y 
NO ALCOHOL in Dr. CRANE'S VANILLA FLAVOR, an 
original discovery. Gives all the flavor of the 
bean, concentrated. Hy mail. 25c. Sample free. 
Dr. K. L). Crane, Montclair, N. J. 
GENTLEMEN: 
I have to acknowledge the receipt 
of the full set of Three Kitchen Knives, 
when I only sent for one—the No. I 
small Carver—and am really entitled to 
only one (sent as a reward for subscrip¬ 
tion work). You certainly do all you 
promise and then some. 1 he knives 
are certainly good ones, so good that 1 
want more of one kind. Can you get 
for me five more of the No- 1, “Small 
Carver" — the pointed blade, hand 
forged ? That little knife is one of the 
slickest Asparagtis cutters 1 have seen 
yet. and that is what 1 want them for. 
Thanking you for the blades, I am. 
Very truly yours, 
S. E. FR1SB1E, 
Milford, Conn. 
Every article sent for securing 
subscriptions will give equal satis¬ 
faction. A post card will bring 
you the Reward List. 
Department “M” 
The Rural New-Yorker 
333 West 30th Street 
New York City 
13 
