124 
e t4lOlllies , Clonal fiaJGinet mitl S-Heiorral 
,ome 
>omjiartiofi 
mtm. 
FANCY WORK. 
Our Father shows His great love for the beautiful, 
in the rich green fields and meadows brightly em¬ 
broidered with flowers; in mossy rocks and glens; 
the deep blue sky and ever-changing clouds; the gay 
plumaged birds; the rippling stream; the silvery 
moon ; the golden sunlight, which tints even the home¬ 
liest objects with a glorious beauty; the grand old 
ocean; the lofty mountain, and gorgeous autumn for¬ 
ests, decked in beauty far outrivalling the grandest 
works of a Raphael or Michael Angelo ! 
As He so evidently loves everything fair and bright 
to look upon, our efforts to copy, as far as we can, His 
beautiful works can but please and draw us up nearer 
to Him. 
There exists some germ hi every human mind which 
might develop itself into some sort of artistic beauty, 
were it not left to perish 
from neglect or lie over¬ 
grown with rubbish. But 
there are many people who 
go stalking along through 
this life, with hard or sour 
visages, roughly thrusting 
aside from their path every¬ 
thing beautiful, sweet and 
tender, growling as they go, 
from hearts filled only with 
self, or greed of gain, “ This 
life’s a wofully practical race, 
and you silly ones who stop 
to pluck flowers by the way 
will find the gate at the end 
closed upon you!” 
An old lady in Phila¬ 
delphia once said to me, as 
she looked reprovingly over 
her spectacles, “Why, how 
can you imagine you’re a 
Christian, when you waste 
a part of your time in teach- 
in’ young gals fancy work ? 
I don’t see, for my part, how 
anybody can feel that it’s 
right to be teachin’ ’em such 
nonsense! Why not teach 
’em to do plain sewin’ ? 
There’d be some sense in 
that.” The learning of “ plain sewing ” is all right, j 
and a duty which should precede “ fancy work,” but 
let that have its place also. 
All should cultivate a taste for the beautiful in 
nature and art, and thus have one oasis, at least, 
toward which to turn for rest and refreshment, from 
the heat and weariness of life’s too often desert-way. 
Little does one realize, until the experiment is made, 
what beautiful and useful ornaments can be made, with, 
but little or no expense, and the spending of a few 
moments daily, for the adornment of our own and the 
lioines of dear ones. 
It is not always overwork that kills, but oftener 
monotonous work, performing the same duties week 
after week and year after year. Therefore we all ab¬ 
solutely need, for the prolonging of life, some recrea¬ 
tion for mind as well as body — something that gives 
us real pleasure and yet suggests no thought of work, 
that we may keep the heart green and fresh, the mind 
from ’ stagnating, and kindly, generous emotions from 
growing dormant. | 
0, how many sad hours might be gladdened by en¬ 
gaging, for a few moments even, in some beautiful 
little work for a dear or suffering one! How many 
cares might be lightened ! How many sweet, dreamy 
imaginings, tender benedictions, precious remem¬ 
brances, kind wishes, and pleasant thoughts are woven 
in with the skillful needle, lie nestling among soft 
mosses and pearly shells, and are worked in even 
among coarse-wires, rustic vines and twigs, or glow 
under the touch of pencil or brush ! 
Many long years of painful invalidism has given me 
opportunity for learning many, and inventing some, 
kinds of fancy work, about which, with the approval 
of our kind editor, I will occasionally talk with the 
members of the Floral Cabinet. 
SPATTER WORK. 
The name of this art does not impress one with an 
idea of anything beautiful or useful, but the work 
itself is really very pretty, and can be applied to 
various uses. Among these are beautiful bouquets of 
A Parlor Settee Surrounded with Flowers. 
ferns and leaves, and crosses wreathed with the same, 
for framing; letter-cases, card-cases, shaving-cases, 
blotting-paper cases, needle-book covers, and book¬ 
marks—all made of white or buff card-board. 
For doing the work handsomely, it is necessary to 
save and press nicely many tiny leaves, as you will 
need these with small fern fronds to “fill in’’with, 
and for making your work light and graceful looking. 
, Take whatever article you intend decorating, place 
your ferns and leaves as you wish them to be, then 
fasten them in position with very fine needles or small 
pins, as the work will be spoiled if they are disturbed 
after you commence “spattering.” Now pour some 
black ink into a little dish (a glass sauce-plate is nice), 
have ready a pretty fine but moderately stiff tooth¬ 
brush, and a fine-tooth comb (I find the rubber ones 
better than ivory, unless the latter is very fine). Dip 
your tooth-brush into the ink, covering the bristles but 
slightly with it; shake off the superfluous ink back 
into the dish, hold your comb between the thumb and 
two first fingers of your left hand, then, over a news¬ 
paper, rub the brush gently back and forth across the 
upper side of the comb teeth (very near the ends), 
that no large blots may disfigure your work. When 
the spatters become very fine, hold your comb about 
six or seven inches above your work, and carefully 
rub the brush back and forth over it until the back¬ 
ground is dark enough. Sometimes it needs spatter¬ 
ing over two or three times. , It is slow work and 
requires care, as everything does, to be done nicely. 
After the spattering is done, let it dry two or three 
minutes, then remove the pins or needles ; take the 
decorated article up and turning it quickly over shake 
off your ferns and leaves. They will do to use many 
times over, if put away between the leaves of an old 
book to prevent their curling. 
People usually consider the work now done, but I 
have found that it is much improved by taking a fine 
pen and delicately veining all the leaves. It has a 
less glaring look. It is wise to try first on a small 
card, to be sure that your brush and comb are right, 
and to learn the right way for holding them, etc. 
As it is not very clean 
work it is well to spread a 
newspaper or piece of wrap¬ 
ping paper in your lap if you 
sit to do it, or some old 
.apron to cover your dress it 
you stand at a table; also, 
as the fingers holding the 
comb will get stained, it is 
well to wear an old kid glove 
on the left hand. Of course 
the larger and heavier ferns 
should be placed at the bot¬ 
tom, and light, delicate 
leaves at the top and edges. 
Wishing to make a wed¬ 
ding gift during the past 
winter, of an album of wa¬ 
ter-colored flower paintings, 
I racked my brain for several 
days in search of some suit¬ 
able covers. At last I de¬ 
cided to get some of Holly¬ 
wood. But when I got them 
they looked so plain and bare 
that I decided to decorate 
them with “spatter work.” 
Accordingly, I arranged a 
wreath on the front cover, 
(inclosing the title) the fancy 
letters for which I drew on 
paper, cut them carefully out, pinned them on the 
cover (as I do the leaves, etc.), entwined and sur¬ 
rounded them with the tiniest leaves and ferns I could 
find. On the back cover I made a bouquet, and in¬ 
side each cover a single, beautifully-shaped “Feather 
Fern.” The album was pronounced “exceedingly 
beautiful,” and indeed it well repaid for the labor and 
care expended on it. 
Chair-tidies and pin-cushion covers are often made 
of white muslin, spattered with India ink. 
It is said that birch bark looks nicely thus orna¬ 
mented. I cannot tell from personal experience, but 
think the lines and dots put on it by nature must be 
prettier than any artificial ones. 
Mottoes made on cardboard and framed are some¬ 
times very beautiful. The letters can be cut from the 
headings of newspapers, or be drawn on paper and 
carefully cut out. Pin them on to the cardboard, 
decorate with ferns, very small leaves and sprays, 
and spatter the whole. 
Mrs. Mary I. Herron. 
