Ilsfie i^ffees’ Stonxi ilmljiriet writl Suctorial Some ftoiftjmruaiL, 
WALL-BASKET. 
This is a pretty wall-basket of cane-work, orna¬ 
mented with drapes, which we illustrate herewith : 
Drape No. 1 has a foundation of scarlet cloth, 
pinked at the edges and ornamented with blue silk 
braid, and an embroidered design in gold, green and 
blue purse silk. 
Drape No. 2 may have its foundation of 
pale blue cloth or silk. The edge is straight, 
and is button-holed round with silk. The 
design may be worked in chain-stitch, or 
with braid in gold colors. A few gold or 
steel beads are needed, and the long stitches 
are in two shades of crimson silk. The 
edge is of fine lacet work. The basket is 
lined with bright-colored silk. When the 
drapes are worked and fixed in their places, 
a leaf-trimming of satin ribbon is put on. A 
silk tassel is placed between each drape, and 
bows of ribbon are put on as in the design. 
Straw makes beautiful little frames for small pic¬ 
tures. When well made, they look very much like gilt 
frames. Five straws is a pretty width; fasten the 
corners together carefully with fine thread. Make 
several and suspend them in clusters with blue cord. 
Nothing is prettier for photographs. To make a 
pretty card-basket, take a piece of cardboard and cut 
in a circle about seven inches in diameter ; cover with 
blue silk; take a strip of the cardboard three inches 
wide, and long enough to go around the circle; cut 
long points in the strip and cover with silk and bind 
FANCY ARTICLES. 
The little articles I am going to describe, 
are all inexpensive, and all who make use 
of their leisure moments can have them. Yery pretty 
ornaments are made of straw, such as frames, baskets, 
brackets, etc. To made a bracket, take a piece of 
cardboard a foot square and cut it in half from one 
corner to the other. Cut large scallops on the bias 
edge of both pieces. Make small holes with an awl, 
about a half inch apart, around the edge of all the 
scallops. Select nice straws that are not broken and 
put them through the holes of both pieces ; hold the 
two pieces about three inches apart; cut the ends of 
the straws in scallops size of those in the cardboard. 
Take narrow blue ribbon—skirt-braid can be substi- 
stit-'ted—and wind alternately between the straws un¬ 
til the space between the pieces of cardboard is filled. 
Three long pieces of the ribbon is required for sus- 
and loop back. Tie them together about middle way 
with a colored ribbon. Suspend it by three long rav¬ 
eled strips in the centre of your room, and fill with 
grasses, ferns, and bright leaves. In the absence of 
these, artificial flowers make it look beautiful. 
One of the prettiest ornaments I ever saw, was a 
feather cross. The foundation was cardboard; length 
of cross twelve inches, by three wide—arms in propor¬ 
tion. The feathers were of the pure white, downy 
kind, and sewed on in rows so that they lap over each 
preceding row, and these hide the stitches and bony 
part of the feathers. Fasten it in a gilt 
flame. To make a hanging-basket for leaves 
and dry flowers, gather a quantity of warhoo 
berries and string them; interlace them the 
same as you would beads; it closely resem¬ 
bles coral, and is very attractive. These ber¬ 
ries can be used many ways; they look pretty 
strung and looped about pictures. They 
make beautiful crosses, anchors, etc. 
Kind Nature furnishes us abundant means 
to decorate our rooms, if we will only gather 
the gifts that are lavished upon us. 
Vickif. Blue. 
the edges 'with 
No. 1.— Drape: Embroidery. 
pending it. Fasten one on the lower piece of the 
bracket, next to the wall, and draw through a hole, 
which should previously be made in the upper piece. 
The other two ribbons are fastened on the corners of 
the upper piece and all brought together and tied in a 
bow. Suspend in a corner and fill with grasses and 
scarlet berries from the woods. You will be surprised 
at the beauty of this, and all the work of your own 
hands. 
Wall-Basket. 
silk or narrow ribbon a shade darker. 
Join this piece to the circle and bend the points 
downward. This gives it a pretty drooping look. 
A very pretty lamp-mat is made by crocheting a 
centre with tidy cotton No. 10, then a round of blue 
zephyr, another of cotton, and so on until you get it 
the size you wish ; finish it with a heavy blue fringe. 
Crochet a tidy for your rocking-chair to match. Of 
course, any other color can be used in making these 
ornaments that is preferred. 
Now, I am going to tell of a nice and easy way to 
make mats for floors. Take small worsted pieces— 
the smaller the better— and cut them about two inches 
in length, and as narrow as you can cut them without 
pulling apart. Take a circular piece of old good- 
for-nothing-cloth, and begin tacking 
them on in the centre; arrange them 
in alternate rows of light and dark 
colors, each row about three inches 
wide; when done, it presents a mot¬ 
ley, fuzzy appearance which is very 
pleasing to the eye. Save all the 
little scraps that cannot be used for 
anything else, and make these 
mats. They are both useful and or¬ 
namental. 
Pretty toilet sets are made of 
netting and zephyr. Take a piece 
of netting ten inches long by eight 
wide ; commence with blue zephyr 
and run a “ fence row ” through the 
piece lengthwise ; then five rows of 
brown zephyr; then blue, until the 
piece of netting is filled. A mixed 
fringe of brown and blue finishes them. You can vary 
the colors according to taste. Tidies made on this 
order look well. 
The phantom-basket has been described before, but 
there are various ways of making them, and my way, 
I think, is the prettiest of all. Tear the cotton in 
strips an inch wide; ravel all out but three or four 
threads. Make the foundation of the basket to slope 
A PRETTY WORK-BASKET. 
Take coarse tidy cotton No. 8, and 
crochet a round mat, thick, that is, not to put 
over the thread; have the mat the size of a two- 
quart dish, or if you wish for a small basket, take a 
pint dish, which is a pretty size; then crochet six 
times round wfithout widening, then crochet round 
three times the shell pattern, with which every one is 
familiar; one ball of cotton will make one basket over 
the pint dish, one over a two-quart dish ; then make 
a handle of two shell rows long enough to go over it 
to look as you please; then make a stiff starch of 
flour, put in a lot of glue, say half a pound to a pint 
and a half of starch ; put in the crochet basket while 
boiling hot; have it thoroughly wet; take and wring 
out a little; stretch it over the dish intended, and let 
them dry ; the quicker the better; serve the handle in 
toward the bottom. Fasten the ends of the raveled 
strips all around the top of the basket, twist them, 
No. 2.— Drape : Embroidery with Lacet Edge. 
the same way, When dry, take a paint brush and 
varnish over with brown shellac, which you will find 
at any paint shop. Let it dry ; when thoroughly dry 
they will be stiff like a board ; then take and line 
them, and thread in bright colored ribbon in through 
the meshes of the shell-work, tying a bow now and 
then on the basket, and you will have a pretty basket 
at a trifling expense. 
Fasten the handle to the basket with a bow of 
ribbon. 
'A' 
r > 
