New ideas for work and play; what a girl can make and do

Preface

This new century, bringing with it the strong, healthy, independent, athletic American girl, makes a demand for new opportunities for the exercise of both mind and body. Resourcefulness and a wish to do things for one's self are American traits strongly developed in the girls as well as in the boys ; and, keeping step with their brothers, our girls are walking steadily onward, with new hopes and new ambitions in work and play, and are reaping new rewards.

This book is the result of the authors' earnest desire to be of some assistance to their young friends by encouraging them in their wish to do things for themselves, and by pointing out some directions in which they may gratify this ambition. Within its covers are suggestions for a wide variety of things, useful, instructive, and entertaining, which a girl may make and do, with wholesome and genuine pleasure. The ideas that are worked out are essentially those of the authors, and are not, as is often the case, derived from other books. The drawings, too, are all original, as in "The American Girl's Handy Book," to which this is a companion volume.

In conclusion the authors wish to express their sinvi Preface

cere thanks to the Delineator and the Woman s Home Companion, whose prompt and generous courtesy, in returning such original drawings and material as were used in their respective magazines, has greatly facilitated the preparation of this work and added to its interest.

Flushing, June 16, 1902.

Contents

CHAPTER I. i

What a Girl Can Make with Hammer and Saw

The Workshop, 4; Tools, 5; The Carpenter's Bench, 9; A Dressing-table, 11; A Wash-stand, 14; A Portable Corner Clothes-press, 15; A Five O'clock Tea Table, 16; A Piazza Flower-stand, 17; A Hooded Chair Made of a Packing-box, 21.

Chapter II

A Frog that Will Swim, 26; Spinning Egg, 30 ; The Kaleidoscope, 31 ; Easter Hare, 32 ; Hares made of Eggs, 33 ; The Brownie, 34 ; Fruits, Vegetables, Opera Glasses, and Dishes, 36 ; The Radish, 37 ; Watermelon, Plum, Acorn, 38 ; A Dainty Vase, A Unique Little Teapot, 39 ; The Sugar-bowl, Egg Dippers, 41.

CHAPTER III. A Paper Easter 45

An Ostrich, Rabbit, Penguin, and Rooster, 45 ; Changing an Egg into a Rooster, 46; The Butterfly That Will Fly, 51 ; The Easter Lily, 52.

Chapter IV

Cone Hanging-basket, 58; Sweet-grass Mats, 59; Corn-husk Basket, 60 ; Lavender Sticks, 62 ; Braiding Palm-grasses and Corn-husks, 64.

viii Contents

CHAPTER V. page

Mounting the Pictures, 70; Splitting the Paper, 72; Hanging the Picture, 73 ; A Portfolio, 74 ; Sunshine Diary, 75 ; A Guest Book, 78 ; Calendars, 80 ; Illustrating Books, 82 ; Colored Pictures and Photographs, 83 ; A Photograph Book, 84.

CHAPTER X. Moving Toys 125

The Merry-go-round, 125; The Flag Dance, 130; Button-mould Tops, 132.

CHAPTER XL Home-made Pyrotechnics 135

Three-story Red, White and Blue Pin-wheel, 135 ; Fence Pin-wheel, 137; The Sparkling Calumet, 140; Roman Candle, 142; Snap-fire, 142; Rushing Comet, 143; The Pistol, 144; Sky-rockets, 145.

Contents ix

CHAPTER XII. page

Monotypes ' 148

Materials, 148 ; How to Paint, 149 ; To Paint Heads, 149 ; The Printing, 150; Monotone Monotypes, 151; Suitable Papers, 151.

CHAPTER XIII.

Priscilla Rugs 153

Color Schemes for Rugs, 154; The Fire Rug, 155; The Weight, 156; How to Cut and Sew the Rags, 157; Cotton and Wool Rugs, 158; All-cotton Rugs, 158; Warps and Fringe, 159; Dyeing the Cloth, 160 ; Wool Dyes, 160 ; Cotton Dyes, 162.

CHAPTER XIV.

How to Make a Pair of Wings, 165 ; To Make a Spider, 166; To Make Rabbits and Camels, 167 ; To Make a Chick, an Elephant, 168 ; an Owl, 169; Storks, Lobsters, 170; Noah, 171 ; To Make the Ark, 172.

CHAPTER XV.

To Make the Pineapple, 175 ; A Fish, 176 ; Apples and Fruit Salad, 177 ; The Cups and Saucers, 178; Snapping Bonbons, 179; Baskets of Green Burs, 180 ; Dandelion Amusements, 181.

CHAPTER XVI.

Basket-weaving 185

Materials for Weaving, 185; To Prepare the Reeds, 186; Weaving the Basket, 186; Covers and Fastenings, 191 ; To Make a Hinge, 192.

CHAPTER XVII.

Material, 196 ; The Door, 200 ; The Chimney, 201 ; To Make a Pond, 204 ; The Walk, 205 ; A Well, 206 ; Acorn Bucket, 207 ; The Trees, 208; The Grass, 209; The Fence, 210; A Little Turnstile, 212; Birch-bark Canoe, 212; Wood-pile, 213; A Sawbuck, 213.

x Contents

CHAPTER XVIII. page

Queer Things on Paper and Blackboard and How to Put Them There. 215 A Funny Little Pig, 215; A Hen, 217; A Rose, 218; A Head, 220; The Three Blind Mice, A Fish, 221 ; Turtles, 222 ; To make a Duck, 223 ; The Tulip, 224; Common Daisy, 225.

CHAPTER XIX.

How to Make a Harp, 228 ; A Dulcimer, 229 ; Music from Finger-bowls, 230 ; A Willow Bugle-horn, 231 ; Bones, 232 ; Crystal Flute, 232 ; Music from a Comb, 233 ; Grass-blade, Sea-shells, Musical Fountain, 234-

CHAPTER XX.

To Build the Parthenon, 236 ; To Make a Set of Furniture, 238 ; The Lamp, 239 ; A Wagon, 239 ; A Memorial Arch, 240 ; To Blow Bubbles with a Spool, 241 ; Cannon, 243.

CHAPTER XXI.

Christmas Decorations 244

Effective Portiere, 246 ; Star and Shepherd's Crook, 246 ; A Sconce, 248 ;

Tin-foil Christmas-tree Festoon, 248 ; Tin-foil for Fringe Ruching, 249 ;

Fancy Boxes, 252 ; Cornucopias, Christmas Stockings, Bobbinet Bags,

253 ; Holly-leaved Festoons, 254 ; Pop-corn Balls, 255 ; Strings of Red

Cranberries, Peanuts, 256; Jewelry for the Tree, 257 ; Gilded English

Walnut, 258.

CHAPTER XXII.

An All-day Christmas Pie, 260 ; The Magic Fireplace, 263 ; Christmas

Tray, 265 ; A Santa Claus House, 266 ; Serving Toast, 267 ; Piece de

Resistance, 268 ; Jelly, Apples, 269.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Picture Writing and Sign Language 271

Symbols, Flower Writing, 273; Indian Powwow, 274; A Letter of Colors, 276.

Contents xi

WHAT A GIRL CAN DO.

CHAPTER XXIV. page

The Stage, 281 ; Lights, Pedestals, and Costumes, 282; Make-up, 284; The Armless Bust, 285 ; Portrait Medallion, 286 ; An Egyptian Statue, 287 ; Pygmalion and Galatea, 288.

CHAPTER XXV.

Witchery 292

Feather Tests, 293 ; Touchstone Charm, 294 ; Naming the Bedposts, 295 ; Witch Writing, 295 ; Home or Travel, 297 ; Dreams, 298 ; Ghost Ideas, 299 ; Fortune's Wheel, 300.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Living Alphabet 303

Directions for Drill, 308 ; The Shields, 308 ; The Letters, 309.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Odd Gardens 310

A Country Garden in the City, 310 ; The Boxes, 313 ; The Flowers, 313 ; A Water Garden, 314; The Soil, 315; Water Plants, 316; Simpler Water Gardens, 317; Plants Grown Artificially in Water, 317; The Green Sponge, 318; Vegetables, 319; Friendship Garden, 320; Memory Garden, 321.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Active Games 322

Weavers and Weft, 322 ; Hoop Dance, 324 ; The Figures, 326 ; Hoop Tag, 327; The Circus-hoop Game, 328; Hoop-race Game, 329; Jumping Rope Conquer Game, 330; Going to Market, 332; Passing By, 332 ; Red, White, and Blue, ^t,.

xii Contents

CHAPTER XXIX. page

Expensive Games with Little or No Expense 334

Ping Pong, 334; The Rules, 337; Scoring, 338; Terms Used in Ping Pong, 339 ; A Make-believe Sewing-machine, 340 ; A Parlor Croquet Set, 341 ; Rules for Croquet, 343.

CHAPTER XXX. page

Cost of an Outfit, 346 ; Baskets, 348 ; The Ball, 348 ; Set of Players, 349; Referee, 350; Umpire, Scorer, 351; Time-keeper, Linesmen, 352; Centres, Forwards, 354; Guard, 355; Rules, 360; General Fouls, 362 ; Disqualifying Fouls, 363 ; Playing Suit, 364.

CHAPTER XXXI.

Some of Our Out-door Neighbors and Where to Look for Them... 365 Observation Book, 366 ; The Squirrel, 367 ; The Red Squirrel, The Chipmunk, 368; The Weasel, 369; Salamander, 370; The Cicadas, 371 ; Insect Music, 373 ; The Indian Pipe, The Moccasin Flower, 374 ; Engraver Beetle, The 'Coon, 375 ; The Flying Squirrel, Luna Moth, 377; Woodchuck, 380; The Sea-shore, 381; The Jelly-fish, Sea-anemones, 382 ; Sea-urchins, 383 ; Starfish, 384.

Chapter I What A Girl Can Make With Hammer

AND SAW

HIS is an age when girls go to college and engage in athletic sports ; when they have their manual training, as boys do and are learning to use their hands, as never before, in all sorts of skilful work. The deftness of their fingers is utilized not alone in embroidery, or what was once considered girl's work, but in the manufacture of many useful, artistic, and beautiful objects once thought beyond their reach. Our girls no longer resort to the scissors to sharpen a lead-pencil or to their brother's chisel to pull out tacks ; they are beginning to know and appreciate the value of tools and are becoming proficient in their use.

If you are one of these modern girls, girls of the twentieth century, who like to use both brains and hands, a little workshop stocked with a few good tools and material for carpentry work will give you many hours of pure enjoyment. The tool-chest, denied to girls of the past generation, is yours for the asking ; the manual training in the public schools has given to many of you the advantage of learning the use of saw, plane, and hammer, and your physical culture has produced the strength and energy for this active work.

The Workshop

Just a room, any room, that will afford sufficient light for your work, that is all you need for a beginning. Having the room you have a place for your first tool, if it is necessary to collect them one at a time, and it is much better to do that than to buy a cheap tool-chest. When you have one tool make a place for it and keep it in its place. A hammer, a saw, a hatchet, a sharp knife, a screw-driver, a gimlet, and a rule are the first tools you will need. The writer once made a very good mantel-board, cleated at the ends with rounded corners, which has stood the heating and drying process of many winters over an open fire, without warping, and her tools were simply a hatchet, a meat-saw, and a pocket knife. Of course, the work would have been much easier and more enjoyable had she possessed the proper tools, but this example serves to show how few tools are absolutely necessar}^. A plane, a chisel, and an auger-bit and brace will be needed later ; after that a gouge, a try-square, and a file. These you may collect by degrees as your work grows more ambitious and you feel the need of them. Hooks, nails, tacks, and screws can be bought as required.

Have a hook for your saw and hang it up, lay your plane on its side, make a rack for your small tools something like Fig. i, and have a box for your shavings. A shelf on which to keep your boxes of tacks and other small articles is indispensable ; each of these boxes should be labelled and kept in its place ; in fact, to get the full enjoyment from your workshop you must keep it in order and the tools just where you may always expect to find them.

What the Tools are for and How to Use Them

The Hammer. — A carpenter's hammer is what you want, not a tack hammer, and it should be of medium weight. You are to use it in driving nails, in hammering things into

Fig. i.

place and in various ways not injurious to the hammer. The manner in which you hold this tool will make all the difference in the way you drive a nail. The hammer should be taken by the end of the handle and the head brought down squarely on the nail-head, otherwise the nail will slant to one side or perhaps bend.

The Saw. — The panel-saw is best suited to ordinary work, one having about ten teeth to the inch. Finer saws make a smoother cut, and you will probably find use for several, but one is enough to begin with. The saw is used for cutting large pieces of wood and for cutting across grain, and special saws serve for special purposes, such as sawing of curves and cutting out keyholes. With pencil and rule draw the line you wish your saw to follow. Stand above your work so that you may see the pencil line ; hold the saw firmly in the right hand and with the left grasp the board, allowing your thumb to rest on the saw, above the teeth. This is to help guide the saw and to prevent cutting your hand. Take light, short strokes at first, then longer ones, using a little more force, and keep your saw at right angles with the board. If your material is large and heavy place it across two wooden horses, if light or small it is best to use a mitre-box.

The Hatchet. — You will find a good medium-sized hatchet with a sharp edge very useful, for cutting away or trimming, but it must be used with care, for to chop too vigorously will frequently split the wood. See that your hatchet does not follow the grain of the wood unless the grain runs in the direction you wish your cut to take. The Knife.— Not a dainty pearl-handled pocket-knife but a strong, well-made, sharp-bladed jack-knife, large enough for all kinds of whittling. The knife is for fine cutting that cannot be done with the hatchet, and when one learns to whittle out various small articles much has been accomplished.

The Screw-driver.— It has been said that the feminine mind cannot grasp the difference between a screw- driver, a corkscrew, and a gimlet, and it remains with you to prove the contrary. A poor screw-driver is one of the most exas-

Fig. 2 ti

Fig. 3- perating of poor tools, and a trial to one's patience and temper ; besides, it is of little use attempting to " make it do," for it seldom will do. The edge is usually shaped like Fig. 2, and it slides and slips out of the groove of the screw until it has turned and worn down its edges and made the screw useless. Fig. 3 shows the proper shape for a screw-driver. The use of the tool is, of course, to put in and take out screws, and it is well to have two sizes, one for large, the other for small screws. Remember that in putting in a screw you turn it to the right, and to the left in taking it out. The Gimlet. — A medium-sized gimlet will answer your purpose. Use it for boring small holes and for starting holes for screws and large nails.

The Rule. — A rule is indispensable for measuring and laying out your work. A two-foot steel rule is the most useful, as it can be used both for measuring and ruling straight lines. A light folding rule is easier to handle in taking measurements, but you can make the other answer both purposes.

In taking measurements be as accurate as possible, and go over them several times to make sure they are correct. In ruling a line use the bevelled edge of the rule, hold it firmly in place with your left hand, and with a soft pencil in your right draw a line close to the edge of the rule. The wide, rather flat carpenter's pencils are the best to use, but any soft lead-pencil will answer.

The Plane. — There are several kinds of planes, but the smoothing-plane will probably be all you will need, as you will not be likely to attempt to handle unplaned wood and will need the smoothing-plane only for finishing and smoothing off.

In using the plane hold it back of the iron (or blade) with your right hand, place your left on the stock (or wood) at the other end to help guide it, and push it forward as far as you can conveniently reach, bring it back, tipping it away from you in so doing, and take another stroke.

The farther the edge of the iron projects through the stock the deeper will be the cut and the thicker the shaving. To regulate this, tap on the stock at the forward end and loosen the iron, then adjust it to suit your work and fix it in place by driving down the wedge, which holds it, with a few light taps.

The Chisel. — This tool has a bevelled edge and is used for paring off the wood.

Unless you are quite careful there is danger of cutting your left hand in using the chisel, and it is best not to try to hold the work, but to fasten it in the vice ; your left hand placed on the tool will steady and control it. Auger-bit and Brace. — For drilling large holes the auger-bit and brace are necessary. The bit resembles a gimlet in its spiral edge, but is not wedge-shaped, and the hole it makes is of unvarying size. You may have several bits for large or smaller holes. The brace is a handle which fits on the top of the bit, and makes it quite easy to manage.

The Gouge. — There are several kinds of gouges, the difference being in the shape of the blade ; their curves vary from the shallow curve, Fig. 4, to the deeper one, Fig. 5. One with a mod-

Uerate curve will prove the most useful. As the f~\ name suggests, the gouge is for gouging out Fig. 4. Fig. 5. the wood where it is necessary to make a groove, but be careful not to press too hard on the tool at first, as one is apt to make too deep a cut, and do not put your left hand in front of the blade.

The Try-square. — The square is a metal strip which forms an exact right angle and is used to test one's work and keep it " square " ; it is also used for ruling square corners. Fig. 6 shows its use in squaring off the end of a board. Figs. 7 and 8 show how the try-square will fit on an edge that is perfectly square and will not fit an imperfect one. The File.—T\\vs> tool is not indispensable, but is useful for smoothing off rounding edges and rough corners. Files for metal and those for wood differ, and should not be used indiscriminately. Rub the file back and forth over the sur-

Fig. 6.

Fig. 7-

Fig. 8.

face to be smoothed, but do not press on it too heavily. If you are to use metal in your work a metal file is necessary. For wood a slightly curved surface is best.

The Carpenter's Bench

When you can attain to a regular carpenter's bench you will indeed be happy, but until then use a strong kitchen io What a Girl Can Make

table that sits firmly on the floor or, better still, is fastened so that it cannot move. Have a carpenter add sides {a, Fig. 9), and a vice (b, Fig. 9). See page 2. You can hardly get along without a vice, for it is impossible to hold some of the work firmly enough without it.

The Horses

These wooden horses are convenient for holding boards when they are to be sawed, and for lifting work from the

floor. You should have two of them, like Fig. 10, made by the carpenter.

The Mitre-box

This very useful contrivance is simply three pieces of narrow boards put together in the form Fi k of a box, having two

sides and a bottom, but no ends or top. Eighteen inches is a suitable length, and its height should be no greater than the width of your saw. The mitre-box is used for holding the wood and guiding the saw at any angle. In the sides of the box are slits running from top to bottom, some passing diagonally, some at right angles through the boards. Any carpenter can make you a mitre-box ; do not attempt one yourself, for to be of use it must be accurately made in every particular.

Choosing the Wood

It is well to know a little about what kind of wood to select when you are buying your material, for if you wish to make a durable article, one that will last long enough to pay for the making, you should not use wood that will warp and in a little while spoil your piece of work.

The heart-wood is always the best: this consists of boards cut from the heart, or centre, of the tree ; they are harder, dryer than others, and less likely to warp or twist. The sap-wood, which is the part nearer the surface, contains so much sap it is difficult to season and will generally warp.

Select the boards yourself if possible, and see that they are planed equally on both sides and have square edges. Do not take a cracked board, a board with knot-holes or loose knots, or one that seems damp or musty, and be sure, if you can, that all your wood is well-seasoned.

Soft woods are best for your purpose at first, and while pine is very good, white-wood is better, and is easily worked.

What to Make

And now that all is ready and the workshop well stocked, what shall we make? What shall we not make, rather? Suppose we begin with a few simple pieces of furniture suitable for a summer cottage, a log-camp, or a play-house. We will use boxes, clothes-horses, or anything of the kind that will make a good foundation for the article and save extra work. When you feel that you can construct a piece of furniture without such helps, do so by all means, but at first do not scorn the humble box and barrel, they are excellent things to practise on.

We will start with

A Dressing-Table

Since the writer made one herself for her room in a loghouse in the mountains of Pennsylvania, she is quite sure it can be done with very little practice in carpentry or cabinetmaking. The dressing-table is made of two pine shelves, two cigar-boxes, two small brackets, and an ordinary mirror. For the large shelf choose a board about twelve inches

wide or wider, if you have one, measure the space your dressing-table is to occupy, mark the size on the board with a pencil, using your try -square to make your line at right angles with the edge of your board, and saw off the board at the ruled line. If the room is neither plastered nor ceiled and the uprights are left uncovered, let the large shelf reach across from one upright to the next, and make the smaller shelf just long and wide enough to fit in between. Saw out your supporting braces after the pattern given in Fig. n, with the grain of the wood running up and down, making six in all ; two for the large shelf, two for the small shelf, and two for the little side-brackets. Draw a line at each end of your shelf where

The Dressing-Table the brace is to be fastened, and on this line bore two holes

entirely through the board. With screws long enough to

reach through the shelf and into

the braces fasten the shelf and

braces together, Fig. 12. Bore

a hole near the bottom edge of

each brace, as in Fig. 13, and

directly over each brace screw

into the top of the shelf, as near

the edge as possible, a screw-eye,

Fig. 14. Cover both shelves with

pretty cretonne, putting a ruffle

\1

Fig. n.

V on the large shelf and drawing the material neatly over the

edges of the smaller one.

On each end of the large shelf tack a cigar-box, which you have previously painted white. These boxes are for holding brushes and combs. Screw strong hooks into the uprights at the proper distance from the floor, then hook your large shelf on by the screw-eyes at the top, and screw the braces to the uprights through the holes at their lower corners. The upper shelf, not being so heavy, needs only the hooks and screw-eyes to

support it, and screws at the bottom of the braces are

unnecessary. Hang this only a little way above the other

shelf. Make the small brackets

of thinner wood and let them be

square, of a size to fit the uprights.

One brace for each bracket is all

that is necessary, and the braces

must, of course, be smaller than

those used for the shelves. Paint the brackets white like

the side boxes ; enamel paint is the best to use, as it gives a

±1

H hard, smooth surface. Only the hooks and screw-eyes are required to hold the brackets. Hang the mirror with its

bottom edge resting on the top shelf, as shown in the illustration.

A Wash-stand

to go with the toilet table is constructed on the same principle ; the shelf used for this, however, must be wider in order to hold the wash-basin.

If cutting a round hole in the shelf, like Fig. 15, is too difficult, do not attempt it, but leave the surface plain and place your bowl on top.

Make your braces quite strong and screw them to the wall. Make side-brackets, as for the dressing-table, and cover them and the shelf with white enamel cloth. Cut the edge of this in points, turn it over and tack to the edge of the shelf with white-headed

The illustration will give you an idea of the appear-

this wash-stand. For

The Washstand.

tacks, ance of

The Towel-rack

use two broom-sticks, cut one shorter than the other, and paint them white. Fasten them together with strong cord, leaving a six-inch space between, and hang them over the wash-stand as shown in the illustration. Though the top stick is shorter than the other, both must be long enough

to reach across and rest against the two uprights of the wall. This allows space at the back and gives plenty of room for the towels.

A Portable Corner Clothes-press

Use two folds of an ordinary, large-sized clothes-horse for the frame of your clothes-press. Make two three-cornered shelves with back edges at perfect right angles and measuring half the length of the cross-pieces of the frame.

These shelves are to rest on the cross-pieces, therefore you must saw off the corners at the back in order to make it fit, Fig. 16. Across the outer edge of the top shelf nail securely a strip of wood three inches wide, having its top edge on a level with the top of the shelf, Fig. 17. Into this strip, as well as into the top cross-pieces, screw clothes-hooks, placing them about eight inches apart.

With short wire-nails, or screws if you wish your press to be very strong, fasten the top shelf on the upper cross-pieces and the other shelf on the middle cross-pieces

Portable Corner Clothes-Press.

i6 of the frame. Paint the shelves and the inside of the frame white, and over the outside tack flowered cretonne or chintz, remembering to have the right side of the material turned inward. Fasten a brass or galvanized iron rod to the top of the two front uprights and from this hang a curtain of the same material. To fit the holders, or fastenings, for the curtain rod it will be necessary to cut notches in the inner corners of the uprights, Fig. 18, otherwise they will not be at the proper angle to hold the rod. To prevent dust from settling upon the clothing, tack a three-cornered piece of cretonne over the top of the frame. The shoe-box shown in the illustration is not a part of the clothes press, but is a convenient addition.

A Five O'clock Tea-Table

Make this of an oblong box with square ends and of a convenient height when set on end.

Cover the box neatly with matting or burlap, then make four shelves long enough to reach across the sides of the box and about nine inches wide. Round off the corners of the shelves as in Fig. 19 and make one brace for each shelf. To each side of the box at varying heights fasten with screws two narrow strips of wood or cleats, two inches apart, Fig. 20. Screw the braces to the shelves and paint all to match the color of the covering used on the box ;

JVith Hammer and Saw then rest the back edge of the shelf on the cleats prepared for it and screw the brace to the box and the shelf to the cleats, Fig. 21. Thus securely fastened the shelf becomes immovable and there is not the slightest danger of its slipping or tipping. The illustration shows how the shelves are placed. This little tea-table is especially suited to the piazza, which, from your workshop, you may fit up for a place to entertain your friends most delightfully.

A Piazza Flower-stand

will make a charming feature of your summer parlor, for

J

C

A Five O'clock Tea-Table.

flowers are always needed to give the finishing touch in beautifying the inside or the outside of a home.

For the frame of the flower-stand use one fold of the ever-useful clothes-horse.

Make twelve three-cornered braces, cuti8 ting them out like Fig. 22, four measuring seven inches on their edges, four nine inches, and four twelve inches or as long as the width of the board will allow. Saw out four

shelves which will reach exactly across the frame, two of them nine inches and two eleven inches wide. Screw the smaller braces to the narrow shelves, the larger ones to the widest, making sure the back edges of shelf and brace are on an exact line ; fitting them in your try-square will assure you of that. To give additional strength to the frame, measure the distance from the bottom edge of the lower cross-piece, where it joins the upright, diagonally across to the other upright within one inch of the ifloor (Fig. 23), then take two narrow boards, say three inches wide and one inch thick, and saw them the required length. Lay your frame down flat, place first one diagonal in position, then the other, and make a pencil line across the upper and lower corners showing where they must be taken off in order to fit inside the frame. A mitre-box is