814 
Iht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
WOMAN AND HOME j 
From Day to Day 
The Graves—Post-memorial 
The wreathed garlands droop and die 
That yesterday were fair. 
And faintly breathe a passing sigh 
Upon the silent air. 
The verdant mounds in serried lines 
Stretch far across the plain 
To meet the sentinelling pines 
That keep lone guard again. 
Sleep, soldiers, in untroubled pride. 
For yesterday ye saw 
A faith renewed, resanctified. 
About a nation draw— 
A nation that ye fought to save 
With single hearted zeal— 
And we before each voiceless grave 
The covenant reseal. 
—Maurice Morris, in AY w York Sun. 
* 
The newspapers have been giving pub¬ 
licity to Magistrate John Kochendorfer 
of Long Island City, who after studying 
the many cases of domestic trouble that 
are brought into court, asserts that the 
husband is too often to blame. So he 
has prepared a code of behavior for surly 
and selfish husbands, and hereafter, in¬ 
stead of a jail sentence they may elect to 
carry out the following rules: 
1 . To prepare the breakfast every 
morning. 
2 . To wash the dishes in the evening. 
8 . To take care of the children one 
hour a day. 
4. To have one evening out a week. 
5. To take the family out every Sun¬ 
day. to church in the morning and for a 
walk in the afternoon. 
0. To buy candy and fruit for the 
wife and children once a week. 
7. To allow the wife to handle the 
family finances. . 
S. To start a savings bank account. 
0 . To refrain from asking his wife to 
wait on him, but on the contrary, wait 
on himself. 
10. To repeat every day at least once 
the promise he made his wife—that he 
would love, honor and cherish her—when 
he married her. 
They all seem pretty good rules as a 
foundation for a happy home life. 
* 
The ocean steamer Aquitania recently 
brought to New York thirteen little 
British orphans for adoption in this 
country. They came over under charge 
of the British-American Adoption Com¬ 
mittee, and were cared for at the Alice 
Chapin Adoption Nursery, 2100 Lexing¬ 
ton Avenue, New York. Miss Clara 
Spence, head of a famous .school for girls 
in New York, is also interested in finding 
homes for these little ones. Miss Spence 
has been interested in securing adopted 
parents for children during many years, 
and has placed numbers of them in desir¬ 
able homes. It is said that some of these 
little ones from across the sea received 
as many as 200 offers of adoption. 
* 
Many ready-made dresses that look 
very smart will be found, upon study, to 
be simple in construction, their style due 
to little touches of trimming and clever 
color combinations. Machine hemstitch¬ 
ing and picot edges are the simplest of 
trimmings, but add wonderfully to a plain 
Summer dress. It is easy to have this 
work done in a large city, but many 
smaller towns have an agent, usually 
some dealer in fancy goods, who will 
take orders for the work. The standard 
charge for hemstitching is eight cents a 
yard. In preparing the goods, there 
should be a line of basting where the hem¬ 
stitching is desired. White organdie, 
used as banding or applied ornament on 
colored wash goods, is very attractive 
hemstitched in place. When ruffles are 
to be finished with picot edge, one can 
lessen the expense greatly by cutting the 
ruffle twice the width desired, and hav¬ 
ing it hemstitched down the center. When 
cut directly through the center of the 
hemstitching one has a picot. edge on 
each side. The usual charge for picot 
edge is nine cents a yard. What is known 
as French hemstitching consists of six 
rows of the ordinary stitching close to¬ 
gether; it costs 20 to .“>0 cents a yard. 
Mexican hemstitching consists of a row 
of large holes, like eyelets, and costs 
20 cents a yard. Hemstitching is done 
in gold, silver and wool, costing a little 
more than the cotton. One advantage of 
the machine hemstitching is that it can be 
used to form trimming in curves and 
points, as there are no drawn threads, as 
in hand hemstitching. 
Homemade Dress Forms 
Several of the women in our commu¬ 
nity have been making dress forms; some 
were made at the Home Bureau meetings, 
some at community clubs, and some by 
the neighbors. They are very simple to 
make, and we all think them superior 
even to the high-priced ones, due to the 
fact that they are our exact doubles, even 
to the high shoulder, crooked hip or pro¬ 
truding shoulder blade. 
It takes two to make the form, though 
an extra helper or two will not be in the 
way. and the whole thing may be com¬ 
pleted in four or five horn’s. The first 
requisite is a high-neck, thin undershirt, 
with sleeves. The writer sees no reason 
why one could not be fashioned of old 
muslin, provided the fit was snug and 
smooth. Some of the women used old 
undershirts, while some had to buy new, 
keeping in mind, however, the thinner the 
better. A roll of gummed paper tape, 
such as storekeepers use in place of string, 
a sponge, and a small bottle of shellac are 
all that is required, the paper costing 
from a quarter to 35c. the sponge 5c. 
Ten cents’ worth of shellac will cover 
one. but only use the half of one small 
bottle. 
The one wishing a form made should 
be careful to dress properly, selecting the 
corset that she usually wears to give her 
a good figure, and her dress-up shoes, as 
the height, of heel will correspondingly 
give pitch to the wearer. 
Remove dress, and put undershirt on 
over corset cover and outside petticoat, 
drawing smoothly. If longer than neces¬ 
sary. cut off a piece from lower edge and 
baste around neck to lay up well, or a 
piece may be taken from lower sleeve. 
Cut sleeves off to five or six inches ; re¬ 
move buttons and baste shirt. 
The first strips of paper may be used 
10 to 15 inches long, according to size of 
form, and several are cut. Then squeeze 
the sponge out of water, lay in a pie tin, 
grasp tape firmly and with a swift motion 
draw it over sponge, gummed side down, 
being careful to wet the corners, but not 
drawing it over the second time, which 
will remove the gum. Two workers 
should paste if possible, while two more 
may wet the strips. Begin over shoul¬ 
ders. down front and press down hard. 
Work swiftly, avoiding getting more than 
two thicknesses anywhere. After well 
covered, begin with a long strip. First 
draw one side of neck to center, cut; 
other side the same, so on to waist line, 
front and back, to give a good finish and 
the third layer refinish over hips. 
Throughout the making the wearer should 
stand in natural position, which, of 
course, should be straight, with hands on 
hips. To avoid getting tired of standing, 
move feet up and down quickly, or walk. 
Last, draw a strip tight around neck and 
one around true waist line. Cut up the 
back and slit tops of sleeves a couple of 
inches: two must grasp sleeves and care¬ 
fully remove it. the wearer helping to 
wriggle out. The work so far should 
only take from three-quarters of an hour 
to an hour, and is not nearly as fatiguing 
as one would think. 
Measure the waist line of form, and of 
wearer. The form will be an inch or sq 
larger. Cut off a very little from each 
side of back; if more than an inch has to 
be removed, clip up two-thirds of front 
and remove a small portion each side of 
slit; avoid taking off too much. Fasten 
together, keeping top even with short 
pieces of tape. Trim neck and sleeves, 
leaving sleeves two or three inches long. 
Cut cardboard to fit exactly in neck and 
sleeves. Fasten neatly with short pieces 
of tape and finish with one long piece 
around neck and sleeves. Before remov¬ 
ing form from figure when completed, 
mark all around with a lead pencil an 
even distance from floor, measuring with 
a yard stick to just below the largest hip 
measure. The form should be trimmed 
off at this line, after stuffing with good 
excelsior, being careful to fill in all the 
rounded portions firmly : neck, arms. etc. 
Peon a Quill 
Set form on a large piece of pasteboard, 
draw around it and cut this piece and 
fit on like the neck and arms are finished. 
Shellac, and this part is complete. 
You will want a pedestal or standard 
to set it on. You may have an old stand 
with a small top. or perhaps an organ or 
piano stool may be used. A carpenter or 
handy man can. devise quite a satisfactory 
article, while one woman asked her hus¬ 
band to saw a small log from the wood 
pile the desired length, and claims she js 
quite pleased with it. Though heavy, it 
is readily rolled in place and doesn’t take 
much room in an odd corner. 
Some fasten the form permanently to 
standard, while others prefer to leave 
them separated to set on table or chair 
for convenience. It is safe to say that 
no woman who does her own sewing will 
want to be without one. and it is surpris¬ 
ing how many times she will find use for 
it as soon as completed. 
Of course, in making the forms anyone 
would, want, to work carefully, but it. is 
all very simple. As to stuffing, by the 
time the form is ready it is quite stiff; 
in fact, it dries almost immediately. I 
pick over the excelsior to loosen it. then 
sort of roll it into the portions that, 
“round out.” and have not seen any that 
twist out. of shape, as might be the case 
if there were only one or two layers of 
the gummed tape used. patsy’s wife. 
An Enthusiast on Patchwork Quilts 
Writing about quilts reminds me of one 
of the ladies that loved Swift. She said 
of him that “he could write beautifully 
about a broom stick.” I feel if I am go¬ 
ing to write about quilts one must have 
the genius of a Swift to write beautifully 
.Tune 11, 1921 
about so commonplace an object as a 
quilt. The quilt loses all relation to 
things commonplace. It draws a person 
across the seas to strange lands and peo¬ 
ple. then back to our own country in its 
earliest days. It brings us into commu¬ 
nication with art and craft workers, and. 
better than all, those dear old mothers 
who give such helpful advice and sugges¬ 
tions. I learned that the love of beauty 
is not a product of education and culture, 
but nature’s first and best gift to all of 
her children. 
I am sorry that I live in a locality 
where the making of beautiful quilts is 
an art of the past. Our women don't 
have the time and patience for making 
pretty quilt blocks and quilting fancy de¬ 
signs. That is why I have such a hard 
and rocky road to travel, and appeal to 
strangers for help. Mrs. Dora B. Phil¬ 
lips of Tennessee gave me a vast store¬ 
house full of information. I finished one 
of her designs last Winter, “The Tulip.” 
of which I am enclosing a email photo 
which will give you an idea of the block, 
also the quilting design on the plain 
blocks and the “chain” around the border. 
I worked at the quilting 22 evenings. I 
am enclosing photographs of two other 
tops, “Wreath of Roses,” and “Rose and 
Peony.” The latter is a design from the 
The Tulip Pattern 
New England States. “Wreath of Roses” 
is peculiar to all localities where quilts 
are made. 
r made the “Last Rose in the Wilder¬ 
ness.” “Tulip.” “Basket.” “Eight-pointed 
Star.” “Double Irish Chain,” and some 
which have no names. 
I am looking for a quilt block design— 
a Colonial design—called “Grapes”; 
hunches of grapes on a white block of 
muslin. 
No doubt you recall the poem where 
the poet says: “Fair is the rose, but its 
subtle suggestion is fairer,” so though the 
colors and patterns of the quilts are fair, 
the things they suggest are still fairer. 
When I think of all I have learned of 
art, history and human nature during 
the few years that I have been interested 
in things old-fashioned for bed covering, 
the genuine old-fashioned quilts are far 
more beautiful to me than could any 
“silk star-broidered coverlet” that ever 
molded itself to the limbs of a sleeping 
princess. a. g. S. 
More About Wool Mattresses 
Having noticed an inquiry about wool 
mattresses, I think I can fell you some¬ 
thing about them, as I like them and use 
nothing else. With a little care they last 
forever. This is the why to treat the wool 
after it is clipped from the sheep: Wash 
in warm, soapy water, rinse in several 
waters and spread on sheets to dry out in 
the open. If you are going to make it at 
home, choose the style you want, either 
the one-piece or two-piece mattress. Beat 
the wool, if it is not fluffy after drying, 
and fill the ticking evenly, then tack. T 
like to have mine made by experts at the 
trade, as they get them more even, but T 
have made them myself. They ought to 
be made over every few years, wool taken 
out. beaten, and ticking washed. I have 
one that is over 00 years old. Ticking 
was renewed once, which is as good as 
ever. I have had a pretty fair cotton 
mattress, but discarded after a few years. 
Tn Italy wool is the only thing used for 
mattresses. MBS. p. d’agostino. 
A wool mattress is worth all the time 
and trouble spent in making, and is not 
beyond the ability of any ordinary per¬ 
son. Wash the wool in strong soapsuds, 
rinsing in warm water until clean, pass¬ 
ing it through the wringer and drying in 
a family spot. I have used a woven-wire 
spring on saw-horses. When the wool is 
nearly dry take it by handfuls on a 
smooth kitchen table or lap board, and 
pull it away with a clean currycomb. 
This makes it light and fluffy in much less 
time than if could be picked up with the 
fingers. It also makes an ideal filling for 
comforters, being so much warmer and 
lighter than cotton. myrta TURNBULL. 
Wool mattresses can he made. We have 
comforts made of wool; why not make a 
mattress? Measure ticking according to 
spring mattress; make top and bottom; 
take a piece about f> in. wide and sew be¬ 
tween top and bottom, leaving one end 
open for the wool. Then take a long 
stick and push the wool in this cover until 
it is solid. Sew end together and tuft 
with a heavy cord. T only wish I had 
some of that wool; I would surely make 
one mvself. MRS. C. G. L. 
