Or a convenient device for holding thread may be made by driving nails into a piece of wood made as a shelf over the machine, or it may be made to fit the bottom of the machine drawer. The spools of thread can be kept on the nails, sorted according to size and color. This or any similar arrangement saves both time and pa tience.
Scissors.—There is no article in the household more useful than the scis sors, and the sewing room should be well fitted out with various sizes of scissors as follows: Cutting Scissors.—A pair of ban dage scissors like those used by sur geons is useful when trimming the necks and armholes of dresses, be cause there is no danger of sharp points being thrust into the skin.
Scissors with Long Blades are pre ferred for cutting heavy cloth or woolen fabrics, and indeed all gar ments where there are long lines to be followed.
Scissors for Cutting Waists. Waists and children's garments, where the curves are short and numerous, are much more conveniently cut out when the blades of the scissors are of medium length.
Embroidery Scissors. — For trim ming the edges of embroidery, snip ping threads, and cutting out goods from close corners, fine, slender, deli cately pointed scissors are found the best.
Buttonhole Scissors. — Embroidery scissors may also be used in place of buttonhole scissors. Buttonhole scis sors, however, are a great convenience in the sewing room.
To •Silence Noisy Scissors. — When one has much cutting to do the con stant squeaking of the scissors is very annoying. It is a simple matter, however, to correct this by breathing into the open hinge, after which open and close the scissors several times.
Dull Scissors. — If it is not con venient to send your scissors to a scis sors grinder, there are simple devices by which you may sharpen them.
Open the scissors around the neck of a small bottle and work them vigor ously for a few minutes.
Or open the scissors, hold them firmly against the table or machine, and with an ordinary file, not too coarse, file both blades just as if you were trying to take the edge off. If your scissors are of good quality, you will find this very satisfactory.
Pins.—Every housewife, no doubt, has had some trouble in keeping track of her pins when at the machine, or otherwise engaged in sewing. The
sewing room should, therefore, be equipped with conveniences for taking care of these useful little articles. Otherwise a great many may be lost during a day's sewing or mending.
One very simple way of keeping pins ever ready and at hand is to at tach a little piece of flannel or canvas to the spool holder, in which to stick pins. If your spool holder is a de vice which rests upon your sewing, then your pins are convenient. If it be a convenience attached to the ma chine you have your pins at hand when you sit down to stitch.
Or a small pincushion may be hung from the tension of the sewing ma chine.
Or a cushion two or three inches in length may be made of some pretty muslin or flannel goods and pinned to your waist near the shoulder. This last device provides you with pins, whether you are at the machine or sewing in any other part of the house.
A Useful Work Case. — There is nothing more charming, useful, or con venient than the old-fashioned house wife our grandmothers used, equipped with pockets for scissors, buttons, thread, and thimbles', with cushions at tached for needles and pins. This may be carried to any part of the house, in or out of the sewing room, and ready.
Convenient Tape Measure. — If a yard measure is not already marked off on your machine, time is saved if you mark one off for yourself. A very easy way to do it is to take as many common pins as you will need, and cut them about half an inch below the head. Measure a yard off on your machine. Drive one of the pin heads into the wood, then one at the half, third, fourth, and eighth of a yard. This does not deface the machine, is not conspicuous, and unless you have " a place for everything and every thing in its place," will save time when the tape measure is mislaid or lost.
Six-inch Rule. — For measuring hems or for any measurement where six inches or less is desired, a six-inch rule is a convenient article to have in your workbasket.
Crayon as a Marker. — Sometimes when you are using your tucker on your sewing machine the marker will not show on the goods to be tucked. If you rub a piece of crayon over the marker the line will be perfectly dis tinct.