Bags for Waste Thread.—It is of ten a tedious task to pick up the waste threads and cuttings after IA day's sewing. This arduous duty may be greatly lessened by hanging a small basket or open-mouthed bag near the sewing machine into which cuttings and threads may be dropped.
Button Bags. — Almost every gar ment calls for a button on mending day. This constant demand makes it very convenient to have them near at hand. A button bag may be made by taking a circular piece of goods, hem ming it all around, and crocheting an edge around it with thread or floss. Run a cord through the floss, and fasten with a round button, then draw up the cord and wind it several times around. This prevents the contents from spilling into the workbasket.
A classified arrangement of the but tons is both a necessity and a time saving device. A box is usually pro vided for this purpose and buttons of the same kind run on a string. This enables one to find the button needed without trouble.
Sewing and Handkerchief Bags.— Sewing bags, handkerchief bags, etc., are usually made with a round bot tom, cardboard being used for the purpose. This soon breaks and often the bag is a wreck before it is even soiled. A tin bottom is much more durable and may be obtained from the tin lids found under the cover of lard pails. The ridge may be flattened with a hammer. Several sizes may be obtained from three-pound, five pound, and ten-pound pails.
Needles.—If needles are left in the paper in which they are bought, and carelessly dropped into the wastebas ket, it often happens that the very size needle one wishes to use is lying loose in the basket, and hence not discernible. Therefore it is advisable to place needles of different sizes in needlebooks.
Flannel should not be used in needlebooks because the sulphur used in its preparation will rust the needles. Fine linen or chamois leather is to be preferred.
To Prevent Needles from Rusting. —Those who live in damp regions find great difficulty in keeping their sew ing-machine and other needles from becoming covered with rust. A good preventive is to put the needles in a suitable cloth thoroughly saturated with machine oil. Soak in oil the papers in which sewing needles come. These may then be kept in a small tin can or box so as to protect the ma chine drawer.
To Sharpen Machine Needles.—The points of machine needles often be come bent or blunt by striking upon the feed plate. They may be sharp ened and made as good as new by rubbing them over a small hone for that purpose, which can be had at any hardware store. A good sub stitute for the needle hone is to re volve the point of the needle upon the smooth side of a piece of hand pumice.
Picking Up Scissors and Needles. —One is very apt to drop scissors and needles upon the floor. The annoy ance and labor of constantly picking them up may be greatly lessened by attaching a horseshoe magnet to a long cord or ribbon. Give this a place in your workbasket and it is an ever ready helper when these articles fall on the floor. Invalids and elderly ladies will find this little convenience an especial boon.
Threading Needles.—The old way was to thread a lot of needles and stick them in a cushion. This seemed to be a great time saver, when the busy woman surveyed her cushion cov ered with a half dozen or more needles, with their streams of thread trailing over it. But when the threads became tangled, the time-saving device fell flat. A much better way is to thread a number of needles on a spool of thread, leaving a few inches unrolled, so that they will not fall off. When a needle full of thread is wanted, all the needles but one may be pushed back as the thread is unrolled to al low the breaking off of any length of thread. Many women thread a needle before working the thread off the spool, as it prevents the thread from snarling.
Threading a Darning Needle. Draw the cotton tight across the point of the needle and put the thread double through the eye of the needle.
Care of Thread.—There are many devices for keeping intact spools of thread. The following is one of the most convenient: cut two elliptical (egg-shaped) pieces of cardboard, covering both sides of them with some pretty colored material. Pieces of cardboard 32 inches in length will hold in place three spools of thread. After covering the cardboard puncture three holes through the middle of each board. Take three spools of thread of different sizes, place the coarsest at the largest end, graduating them according to size of spool, and lace a piece of baby ribbon or bobbin tape, first through one side of the ellipse, then through the spool and the second piece of cardboard, drawing it in turn through a second spool, and the mid dle hole of the second cardboard, and so on until the three spools are held in place. Bring the ends of the rib bon or tape together in the center of the ellipse, slipping one end over the small loop caused by running the thread through the middle hole, and tie in a bow. This will be found to be one of the most convenient devices for always keeping the thread in place, and is small enough to drop into the workbasket, where it may be kept clean. If it is desired to join more than three spools, the pieces of cardboard may be cut larger.