Crazy quilts may be made of old calico pieces, pieces of summer dress goods or woolen dress goods, silk neck ties, ribbons, or the like, or the tops of woolen, silk, or cotton stockings, and used for a variety of purposes. Baste or pin the pieces on to the cloth ground before placing them in the sewing machine or stitching them by hand, and mingle the colors so as to get a pleasing effect. Turn the edges under to form a hem before stitch ing them to the background, and work fancy stitches about the edges of each.
To Protect Quilts.—Bedquilts and comforters become worn and soiled mainly at the ends, by contact with the face and hands when in use, and also when the beds are opened, aired, and made up. Hence protect the ends by saving an extra piece of the lining material sufficient to cover the quilt for six inches deep on each side of the end. Or tack on a piece of calico, cheese cloth, or other suitable material over each end to a depth of five or six inches. Tack this on by hand, or at tach by feather stitching.
When soiled this protective strip may be ripped off, washed, and re placed, and the quilt itself will not require washing for a long time. These strips do not injure the appearance of the quilt when in use, as the lower end is tacked under the mattress and the upper end covered by the pillows or turned back under the top sheet if the bed is partly opened.
In regions where the temperature is very variable it is usually better to make light quilts and comforters and plenty of them, than to have a smaller number of relatively heavy quilts. From two to four pounds of cotton for each quilt may be used, according to climate.
Homemade Quilting Frames. — To make a quilting frame, order from a lumber yard or sawmill four strips of hard pine 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide, and 61 feet long. These should not cost more than twenty-five cents. Tack a piece of muslin along the edge of each strip. Buy four clamps for a dime at a hardware store, or have them made by a blacksmith, and you have a cheap set of frames that will last a lifetime.
To Tie Quilts.—In summer arrange a shady place out of doors to stretch the frames. Teach the children how to tie the knots and have them assist. One of the most regrettable things about the passing of the domestic arts is the loss of their great educational influence in forming habits of indus try in children, and preparing them by a sort of domestic apprenticeship to take their places in the industrial arts and crafts in later life. If the
quilt has no blocks or other regular pattern as a guide in tying the knots, a piece of cheese cloth of the same size as the quilt may be marked off into squares with crayon or by draw ing threads, and holes may be clipped with buttonhole scissors where the lines intersect. Stretch this over the quilt and tie through the boles.
Or use an old sheet for this pur pose. The cheese cloth or sheet may be removed, rolled up, and used again. In this way several persons can work at the same time, and each will know where to tie.
To Tie a Quilting Knot.—Thread the needle with yarn or silkateen double. Pull through the quilt as usual, leaving an end about one inch long. Form a loop of the long end over the left forefinger and thumb, and through this loop pass the short end, drawing the thread up tight at the same time with the other hand. Repeat this, beginning with fingers on the other side of the thread than be fore, thus forming a reverse loop. This makes the knot square, which it would not be if the second loop was begun on the same side of the yarn as the first. This will never loosen, and saves drawing the long thread its full length as in the old way.
Folding Beds.—To prevent a bed of this kind from folding prematurely when occupied, place a piece of board about the thickness of the mattress, and the same length, between the mat tress and the side of the bed when the bed is open. This board may he of good hard wood or painted to match the woodwork and polished, and may be put in a closet when not in use.
Infant's Bed.--If you have no room for a child's crib or bed in addition to other furniture, a Morris chair makes a good substitute and can be utilized during the day. Lay the back down flat with something under it for a support, and make it up with blankets and pillows.
Dressing Table. — Any low, plain wooden table may be converted into a convenient dressing table by cutting out a crescent-shaped section in front, or screwing to the top a wooden lap board having a section cut out to ad mit of sitting close to the table. The top may be covered with dainty dim ity or muslin with a ruffle or lace valance around the edge and a looking glass hung above.