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SCRAPS. 
Scraps arc exceedingly useful morsels in this world ; 
scraps of news, scraps of sense, scraps of wit, we can 
often make more use of than whole articles on weighty 
and important subjects. 
Especially are scraps of use to the housekeeper, for 
she often has but few minutes for anything, and a great 
deal may be done, with many scraps, in a very short 
time. It is profitable for her to get in the habit of 
looking out for scraps. 
There is much said, and with truth, about American 
housekeepers wasting scraps in cooking ; there is also 
waste in cutting garments. 
Often there are scraps of time, when one can rest 
between the thing accomplished and the one to be 
done, that might be utilized by lifting the mind from 
the routine of labor and letting it work out a scrap of 
thought. 
Housekeepers seldom have any well-trained habits 
of thinking, but occupy their minds with planning 
their work, or in reverie. 
By practice one can train their minds to work on 
short notice, and in a few minutes evolve some scrap 
of thought that may linger and please the imagination 
all day. 
But the most careful saving of scraps will be almost 
useless if one is not possessed of true artistic economy 
in using them. 
Scraps of food may be saved and put on the table in 
a careless, untidy manner, and the result will be a de¬ 
cided disgust, or they may be neatly prepared, put on 
in an artistic manner, and eaten with pleasure. 
And so with scraps of cloth, they may be saved and 
used for patchwork of meaningless patterns or be 
made into things of beauty. 
All scraps of new and pretty calico, good worsted, 
even if somewhat worn, silk and woolen, should be 
saved in separate boxes or bags. 
The woolen scraps may often be badly worn or 
faded on the right side, and still bo good on the wrong 
side, if strong. 
As fast as the boxes become fall, or time is avail¬ 
able, the scraps may be used for mats or quilts, the 
mats to be put where necessary instead of using dirt- 
accmnulating rag or other carpets all over the floors. 
Commencing with the heavy woolen scraps, they 
may be made in mats we may designate as mosaic. 
Make or find patterns of simple mosaic work, decide 
upon the scale on which you wish the mat made, cut 
the patterns in pasteboard a seam larger than you 
wish the pieces to be in the mat, then arrange them 
on the floor or table aud decide the colors for the differ¬ 
ent parts. 
The greatest skill is required in selecting the colors, 
or rather shades, for grays, browns, and black will be 
most common. Plain colors are best; checks, stripes 
or figures spoil the effect. 
No two pieces of the same color should come to¬ 
gether, yet the fewest different shades used, if harmo¬ 
nious, the handsomer the mat. All the pieces of one 
shape should be the same color. 
After one becomes interested, they can find or invent 
all manner of pretty patterns, so that no two mats 
need be made alike, and by using different patterns, 
the scraps not the right size or shape for one may be 
used to a better advantage in another. 
After the scraps get too miscellaneous for mosaic 
mats, several “ log-cabin ” mats may be made. 
Old cotton cloth is good for the block foundations ; 
tear it iu squares, the size you wish; about sixteen 
inches is a good size ; then build your log-cabins on 
them around centre blocks of red, making one or two 
sides light, and the other sides of each block, dark. 
The blocks can be put together so the light and 
dark will come in squares, diamonds or stripes. 
The beauty iu the “log-cabins.” even more than in 
the mosaics, depends on artistic skill in arranging the 
colors and shading the light and dark distinctly. Eight 
blocks, two in width and four in length, make a good 
sized mat. 
Long strips of black or dark brown may be used to 
border the mats, and they should be lined with good 
cloth ; denims or sacking does well. 
After all the “log-cabins” have been made that you 
wish, the remaining' scraps may be cut in squares or 
circles about an inch and a half across, then taking 
good sacking for the foundation, they are folded twice 
through the centre arid sewed through the folds of the 
centre on the foundation quite thickly so there will 
be no open spaces. 
These mats may he of any shape, hut the shades of 
color should be arranged in some order. 
The strong, good bits ol cloth still left may he used 
for another kind of mat, by cutting them into such 
form as to resemble fringe, making the slits about an 
eighth of an inch apart, and leaving an edge by which 
they are sewed very thickly on the foundation, then 
the fringe must be sheared evenly. 
After a little practice the cutting into fringe may be 
done very quickly and evenly. 
Still another kind of mat, very similar, may be 
made with scraps of yarn raveled from old stocking 
feet, etc. 
The yarn is wound several times around two fingers, 
then slipping the fingers out, the loops are sewed near 
one end on to the foundation ; more yarn is wound 
and again sewed on until the mat is done. The sew¬ 
ing on should be commenced at the outer edge and 
working toward the centre. 
This makes a very warm nice mat, and is pretty if 
the dull browns and grays are nicely arranged, and a 
row of bright yarn put in occasionally. 
Some pattern or method of shading is to be followed 
in these last two kinds of mats, like all the others. 
The worsted pieces can he used to good advantage 
in quilts made generally after the “log-cabin” style. 
Like the “ log-cabin ” mats, no two need be alike. 
And here, also, the beauty is the result of artistic taste 
in the maker. 
If one is so fortunate as to possess plenty of silk, 
pieces, a handsome quilt may be made after the best 
of your mosaic patterns. 
The smallest scraps, even of cld ribbons, make 
beautiful “ log-cabins.” 
What is left of the worsted and silk pieces will make 
pretty patchwork for cushions, ottomans, etc. 
Calico quilts can, undoubtedly, be made as artistic 
as those of silk or worsted, though requiring even 
more skill because of calico being so much more fig¬ 
ured, and sometimes far from pretty. 
By making them as “ log-cabins ” on a foundation 
of old white cotton cloth, the same as silk or worsted, 
they will not require quilting. 
The makers of calico quilts usually seem to be try¬ 
ing to find out how many microscopic pieces can be 
put in one quilt, and how many absurd and ridiculous 
patterns can be invented. 
Perhaps the mosaic pattern could be introduced m 
calico quilts. 
The only calico quilt I ever attempted—and that is 
not yet finished—is made from pieces of every calico 
garment I ever had. It is commenced in the centre 
and built outward, iu an original pattern, and is in¬ 
tended to he a little personal history. 
Now I will suggest an innovation. Have all the 
pieces of any patch-work correctly cut out and ar¬ 
ranged, then sew them on, on the machine. It is thus 
done much quicker aud better than by hand. I know 
the sewing is usually accounted the fun, but the plea¬ 
sure should be iu the artistic part, not the mechanical. 
Kate Price. 
BREVITIES. 
Who can tell the number of homes that have been 
brightened since the existence of the dear Floral 
Cabinet? How many feminine minds are stored 
with the most valuable knowledge gleaned from the 
instructive pages of that paper. 
It is hailed with delight in thousands of homes by 
women and children, and even our sturdy “ Isaacs ” 
and “ Jacobs ” look upon it as something wonderful 
in the paper line “ for the women ; ” and often we see 
them puzzling their brains over “ chicken croquets,” 
“Zephyr Lycopodiums,” “ Erythroniums,” “barrel 
chairs,” etc., and call us to the rescue. But, for fear 
of intruding on valuable space, let us lead you into a 
home where the Cabinet has been a visitor for seve¬ 
ral years. You meet something that smacks of re¬ 
finement and culture at every corner—something dainty 
and nice. I will mention a few little things for the 
benefit of others. 
FLOWER STAND. 
Get your elder brother, or carpenter, to cut out of 
soft wood, a circular piece, about eighteen inches in 
diameter, and not more than one inch and a half iu 
thickness; make a hole in the centre on the under 
side, deep enough to hold steady a leg three feet in 
length and three inches thick. Then make three small 
feet, carve them and screw them firmly on the bottom 
of the leg that supports the top of the stand. Give it 
a thick coat of varnish, and set away to dry. It will 
hold several small pots of flowers, and, as it is light 
and jiortable, you can move it whenever and wherever 
you please. 
RUG FOR baby’s BUGGY. 
Take a piece of heavy canvas—dark colored—four 
feet and a half long and three-quarters of a yard wide. 
Take purple and yellow zephyr and work a large bou¬ 
quet of Pansies iu the middle, using green zephyr for 
leaves. The stitch to be used is the common darning 
stitch. 
The border should be about eight inches wide all 
around, and must be worked in vines and roses with 
leaves intertwined; work with different shades of red 
aud green. When this is done, fill up the unworked 
space with brown Berlin wool. Line it with cardinal 
red flannel, and bind all around with green worsted 
braid. It is beautiful aud very warm and comfortable. 
COVER FOR FOOT-STOOL. 
Take scraps of velvet of two colors—blue and black 
—cut them into small hexagons, one incli and a half 
across; baste them over stiff paper hexagons—the 
same number of each color—and whip closely together, 
the colors alternately, iu a circular form. When it is 
as large as you wish, fill out the edge with half hexa¬ 
gons so as to make it even all around. When finished, 
cut out the paper upon which the pieces are basted. 
Put wadding enough on the stool to form a gentle 
slant towards the edge. Finish with a row of black 
worsted fringe around the edge. It looks dainty and 
nice. 
Small table covers are pretty made on the same 
order. 
Vickie Blue. 
