1014. 
1 063 
A LTERING a DRESS.—Have you a 
dress that ‘ you have purchased and 
feel that the waist looks a little different 
from what others do this season? Well, 
if you have one sii'ch and desire to have 
it look a little more modern, the remedy 
is very simple. It is difficult to keep 
our clothes, as we term, “up-to-date” 
since new things are introduced every 
week, or, in fact, every day, and pray 
who can change the costume every week, 
much less every day? Even though we 
have dresses or suits for every day in 
the week and every occasion it is impos¬ 
sible to keep up with the changes. But 
there has been one change recently, which, 
it seems to me has greatly improved 
women’s waists. That is the use of fancy 
collars. By this means, one can have a 
perfectly plain shirt-waist suit, either 
with the skirt and waist attached, or 
separate, baste on one of these collars, 
and have a dress suitable to wear for 
any occasion. Of course much depends 
upon the material of the garment, some 
would have a dainty organdie, which 
when viewed now looks a little plain. 
Procure a little net and lace, make out* 
of the collars, and your costume is suit¬ 
able for even the most dressy occasion, or 
for one that is worn to church, etc. 
Using Up Oddments. —Many times, if 
we would but look about the house we 
will discover in a box stored away in 
the attic or store-room some pieces of 
silk, either in a color or white, and some 
pieces of lace, varying in width and tex¬ 
ture. Again we find that some aunt or 
relative has in the past made us a pretty 
lace collar of Irish crochet or some other 
design. What is the reason these things 
can’t be used in these days that collars 
of every description and color are used? 
Then we may run across a piece of or¬ 
gandie, fine lawn, silk, chiffon or some 
such cloth, and these can very easily be 
made into a vest and collar. Any of these 
varieties will add much to the appearance 
of the dress. Sometimes we have a plain 
shirtwaist and we want to make it a 
little fancy for a certain occasion. If one 
of those collars is added to it, one would 
find the waist vastly improved. Women 
must not imagine they can’t make these 
pretty collars. They may have seen one 
on some one else and wished they had 
one like it. Did you ever try to cut a 
pattern for one after you have reached 
homo? Well, if you had done, you would 
have seen that it is an easy thing to cut. 
Of course everyone knows how large a 
collar must be for the neck, yet in these 
days when tight necks are not used, it is 
difficult for a woman to remember what 
size site would need, as many have grown 
larger since they used neck bands last. 
Becoming Styles. —A large woman 
must by all means avoid a high collar, or 
one that is large, even though it may 
roll, as it makes her appear round- 
shouldered. There are many styles with 
soft lace about the neck, that is wired, 
but not to stand too high, that are suit¬ 
able without the use of the rolling col¬ 
lar. I know all women like the roll¬ 
ing collar, especially in the Summer, but 
the stout woman does not look well with 
any fullness about the neck. If one 
would notice that all artists take away 
all fullness from the shoulders of a wom¬ 
an before they start to make pictures. 
If left there, the only thing one would be 
able to see in the picture would be the 
full collar. As I said before there are 
many styles that are becoming and they 
need not worry over things they can’t 
have, but take advantage of the good 
things they can have that will be suit¬ 
able. These collars are very inexpensive 
even though we have to secure the mate¬ 
rial for the whole thing. The one shown 
in the first illustration is made of net 
and requires one half yard of yard-wide 
net and two yards of lace three inches 
wide. 
Making Tiie Collar. —To make it 
first cut a sailor collar 11 inches wide 
across the back and four inches deep, with 
a piece 1114 inches from the back to the 
front point. Next cut a back yoke to 
which is attached a strip of net 15 
inches long and 714 inches wide. Sew 
two collars together, then attach to the 
yoke and after sewing on the front 
pieces, gather the lower points of front 
together and sew the lace all around the 
yoke and front, as shown in illustration. 
Secure one yard of wire for collars and 
sew in four pieces, one at each side and 
the other two one and a half inches from 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
....niiimniiiiiiuiiiliiint ....mi.... 
Eoimiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiimiiirtmilliuiiiiimiitijiimiiimmnni...... | 
I| A Chapter on Dress Collars ]| 
|| How to Obtain A Variety 
viiiiiiiiiiiiiiti By Esther oOSSC unwfniiuitft 
= i.niiiuhiiiiiiiminuiiiniiiiiumiuiiiiiiuiuiiitiiiiiiiininnniiiiiiiitiMiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiitiiiiitiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiuiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifiiiiriiiiiiiiiifiiiHiiiiuiiniinHtiiiiiifiiiiiiiiiniiniiiiuni f 
.. 
the center back, on both sides. Trim 
with dainty little buttons down the front 
and catch with very small hooks and eyes 
or small clasps. Baste this collar to the 
back of the waist, at base of yoke and 
pin at the bottom of the front. Any 
style of girdle is used with it. It will 
trim any dress and can easily be removed 
and laundered, neither is the net perish¬ 
able and can be worn any number of 
times without fear of being ruined. 
Another Style. — Another collar, 
which is made very much different, but 
equally as pretty and dressy, is made 
from a piece of white silk and shadow 
Collar Made of Lace And Net. 
lace. This is made quickly, even in less 
time than the first one, as there are very 
few rough edges to cover. Find among 
your patterns a waist that has a sailor 
collar and a yoke in order to get the 
proper shape about the neck, then cut the 
collar as small as you desire. The one 
shown in the second illustration is but 
three inches wide, and is especially be¬ 
coming to the stout woman. The points 
measure 4% inches, and from front point 
to back 6^4 inches. The neck measures 
15 inches around. The yoke is 2% inches 
wide and the vest the same width and 
10 inches long. Pearl buttons are at¬ 
tached over small hooks and eyes. It 
requires one yard of shadow lace 11 
inches wide. Half is sewed to each front 
of the yoke. The collar is made double 
and attached to neck. Small tucks are 
sewed in each corner and up the center 
back and the wire is run through. The 
Collar of Silk And Shadow Lace. 
wire is very soft, and resembles covered 
tie wire, such as is used to tie wire frames 
for hats. This is attached the same as 
the first one. The ends are gathered and 
fastened to the waist. 
An Organdie Collar. —One made of 
organdie and suitaable for a shirtwaist 
suit is simple in design; made double and 
sewed to a waist that needs a small 
vest. The collar is rolling and needs 
no wire, but when it is laundered it is ad¬ 
visable to run it through a thin starch. 
Like all the others it is cut from a sailor- 
collar pattern, but when it comes to the 
front, the strips arc made straight 18 
inches long. The collar measures 13% in* 
dies across the back, and the points are 
6 % inches deep. The straight width of the 
collar is five inches. These pieces are 
sewed together and in the illustration arc 
hemstitched up the points, which was 
done, by using a very coarse needle on the 
machine and running it through on card 
board. It is sewed to the back of the neck 
for four inches across the center back, 
then when the collar is put on, the end is 
turned over and drawn to the front. The 
front edge is trimmed with buttons, and 
the other side as the under part of the 
Round Collar of Irish Crochet. 
clasps, as can be seen in illustration be¬ 
low. When this is put on, the lower edges 
must be pinned to the underwaist in or¬ 
der to keep the waist from slipping down 
the back and the collar in place. It re¬ 
quires half a yard of organdie or fine 
lawn and four buttons. 
Irish Crochet Collar. —Another col¬ 
lar which is crocheted, in fact called 
Irish crochet, is very simple in design, 
but makes a big improvement in a dress 
with which it is worn. It is wired much 
the same as the other collars, but falls 
soft about the neck. The same wiring 
can be done with any lace collar which 
many people have had given them. The 
rose is made first. It requires a little 
more than one ball of I). M. C. No. 50. 
It is made: Chain six and make a circle 
by slipstitching it together. Chain 15, 
one double crochet, chain three, one dou¬ 
ble and continue to end of row when you 
will have eight spaces. Join by slip¬ 
stitching last double to chain. 2d Row— 
One single crochet, six doubles, one sin¬ 
gle, into each of the eight spaces, for first 
row of petals. 3d Row—Chain five and 
turn work to wrong side and catch into 
first single of last petal on the back. Con¬ 
tinue until you have eight spaces. Turn 
An Organdie Collar. 
to other side. 4th Row—One single, 
nine doubles, one single in each space 
around rose. Turn. 5th Row—Chain 
seven and make like 3d row. Turn back. 
(5th Row—One single. 12 doubles one 
single in each space. Turn. 7th Row— 
Chain nine and make like 5th row. Turn. 
Sth Row—One single, 15 doubles, one 
single in each space. Rose is now com¬ 
pleted. 9th Row—Chain five and go in 
the fifth stitch with a single crochet; 
chain five and go into 10th stitch; chain 
five and go into 15th stitch and so on. 
10th Row—Same as the ninth only going 
into third stitch of each space, lltli Row 
—Slipstitch forward to third stitch of 
chain, chain five and make 10 doubles in 
next space. Chain five and make three 
spaces by catching into third chain of 
previous row in each space with a single 
crochet; chain five and make 10 doubles 
in next space; chain five and make two 
spaces; chain five and make 10 doubles 
in next space. Make three spaces and 
chain five and go into next space with 
10 doubles. You now have 12 spaces. 
Chain five and slipstitch. 12th Row— 
Chain five and go into fifth stitch with 
single; chain five and go in last stitch; 
chain five and go in third stitch of next 
space with single, and so on to end of 
row. Slip stitch to join. Shells must 
be made directly over the first. 13th Row 
—Chain five and go in the third stitch of 
every space. 14th Row—Make the same 
as 11th row, putting the double crochets 
directly over those of the 11th row, as 
you are making a medallion and widen¬ 
ing on each row. 15th Row—Made same 
as 12th row. lGth Row—Same as 13th 
row. 17th Row—Same as 14th row. 
18th Row—Same as 15th row. 19th 
Row—Same as 16th row. 20th Row— 
Same as 16th row. Break thread and 
make five medallions for the collar. 
Joining And Edge. —The narrow part 
is the neck. Take two medallions and 
join from one to the other by chaining 
three and catching into third stitch of 
each space with a single crochet. Fasten 
thread and make three singb crochets 
in each space around the neck. When 
you reach end go on down front and make 
one double in first space; chain five, make 
a picot by going into third stitch of chain 
with a slipstitch; chain three ami go into 
same space with double. Make four 
picots in each space, one single crochet 
in next space, then one double, etc., all 
the way around until neck is reached. 
Then chain five, make a picot, chain two 
and go in every third stitch. 
Handling the Bird. 
General Directions. — I have a bird, 
a beautiful singer, and have had other 
birds—always with great success in car¬ 
ing for them. Always keep the cage 
clean. At least every other day scald 
with boiling water tin bottom of cage, 
perches and drinking cup. Take a 
feather, clean inside of drinking cup; 
this is really very necessary, as water 
sometimes settles, and a scum will get in 
corners unless cleaned with a feather. 
Give fresh water every day. and keep 
seed cup full. Don’t buy cheap mixtures 
of seed; always buy the best mixtures, 
so that there is no hemp. Once a week 
give a small dish of raw grated carrot, 
a sprig of water cress, or a little lettuce. 
They are all fond of these, and will eat 
quite a lot. Be sure these green things 
are perfectly clean, and don’t give a big 
quantity. Keep a cuttle bone in reach. 
Don’t feed sugar, pastry or sweets of 
any kind, as this makes them fat, and a 
fat bird sings very little. Let him bathe 
often. 
Special Needs. —I do not think it 
good to hang them out in Summer. They 
are sure to get cold some time, and if 
a bird has once a bad cold it never sings 
much again. A little bread and ground 
red pepper is good for slight cold. Be 
careful of cats. Canaries will die of 
fright without being caught. Keep the 
top of cage clean, where the knob that 
holds the ring is, as this is a great place 
for lice. Take a cloth wet with kerosene 
oil, put a little bird manna iu seed. 
Some say to put this iu the cage, for it 
comes fixed to hang, but I find they will 
eat it all up at once this way. 
I always keep my bird iu Winter iu a 
sunny south window, with some sunshine. 
I put my bird iu another cage and clean 
the brass one with some good cleaner. 
Do this once in a while; it keeps the 
cage so bright. For lice, put a little 
sulphur on top of head, under wings and 
tail. Use only a pinch. I find this will 
drive them away. Perhaps this will help 
some one with a canary bird who is in¬ 
experienced. J. 
4 t'T'ARMIIOUSE Amusements For 
.T Boys and Girls” is the title of No. 
9, Rural Life Series, issued by the New 
York College of Agriculture at Ithaca. 
The object of this pamphlet, as stated, is 
to help girls and boys to “lay in a stock 
of ideas for Winter enjoyment.” The 
Winter evenings are often dull unless 
amusement as well as work can be 
planned. It will pay to read and study 
this bulletin. 
