Homemade Presents

 The problem of Christmas presents  seems to me to assume greater proportions every year until now there is beginning a reaction against such wholesale bestowal of presents on everybody you know. Still if a child, a woman or a man wants to give a present to every one of his or her own family the list grows amazingly.

This letter is not written to help the rich, but those to whom a dollar means much, and there are some hints tried and proved in the way of hororing Christmas by making pretty and inexpensive presents to those we love.

Every boy nowadays learns something of wood carving, modeling or some other hand work in his school. It should be his pride to carve for his mother some pretty little boards to rest hot dishes upon. These forms part of his class lessons, and the best piece of finished work should be offered to his mother for her present.

Perhaps she won't like it? Ah, but she will. I have seen foolish mothers actually kiss a clumsy little attempt at carving and wrap it up and put it away as precious as her jewels. There are many useful us well as ornamental things which ever small boys can make. Let them tell their teachers what they want to do and make the best they can.

Girls somehow seem to have more natural aptitude for doing pretty work. The greatest trouble is that the bits of silk and satin; ribbon and tinsel all cost. Still if girls sit down calmly and plan something for each one, where the same colored materials can be used either in whole or in part, it reduces the expense to a minimum.

I will mention a few things which clever and industrious little girls can make. One is a blanket for a baby's crib. This is for mother and baby both. if one likes. A piece of fleece lined flannel of any prefened color is buttonholed all around. It is one yard long and the full width of the cloth. The buttonholing is done in floss, black or red or blue, according to the color of the stuff. In outline stitch are worked an elephant and other animals, birds and odd figures which baby fingers will trace with delight.

Mrs. Thomas A. Edison had the walls of the nursery papered with a regular procession of such figures and taught her little baby their names. Every month there were different pictures pasted tip.

A very useful and handy gift for a young girl to make is a music album. This is made by covering pasteboard with cotton and gluing on a piece of silk which the little fingers have painted or embroidered. Velvet ribbon is put across the corners and stitched down, and the back is held by velvet ribbon on the outside and strong canvas glued to the inside. Glue enters very largely into all fancy work. Bows to tie it with finish it daintily. This is handy for all sorts of loose papers.

Quite a little girl can make a most acceptable gift to any one in a pair of portieres or hangings for the fronts of closets. There is a cotton stuff on purpose, quite thick and alike on both sides. It is burettes. There is also double fleece canton flannel. These in neutral colors should be chosen and the length measured off and hemmed on both ends.

A bold design of sunflowers in natural colors shows up beautifully over garnet, olive or dull rush green. There is also an "art brown" with muddy greenish shades. All these have an artistic look.

I saw a pair of portieres almost exactly like the picture at the Women's Exchange. They cost $35. A clever, willing girl could do every bit of the work on these in Kensington stitch in a week and not work hard either. The saine idea worked out on a plush table strip is haudsome and a very useful gift.

All gifts should be made with a view of their usefulness. For a housekeeper old or young nothing is more appreciated than a bit of dainty linen embroidered by dear friends. There is no end to these. This season the round doily done in imitation duchesse is the most popular. Drawn work is always desirable.

These lace and linen pieces take the form of doilies, napkins and scarfs for the sideboard and tray cloths. Some are all white, and some have flowers in natural colors scattered over them such as violets, marguerites and forgetmenots. The newest had branches of purple heather. Fringed doilies are seen, but hemstitched or scalloped lace edge are preferred.

Among the things very young girls can make are tobacco bags, foot rests, head rests, pincushions, needle books, mittens, work bags, penwipers, school bags, pencil cases, spectacle cleaners, watch holders of chamois. painted or embroidered or plain.

Little round pincushions for gentlemen are always useful. They are made  by covering two disks of cardboard with silk, putting some cotton between and then sewing the edges together with colored silk. Then stick a circle of pins in them, and your gentlemen friends will be delighted.

A Chinese doll baby costing 2 cents has a dress of two long strips of white . flannel. Over these are two ribbons. They are to hang up handy. The flannel strips are stuck full of safety pins. Little girls can make these easily.

For a smoking outfit all the women in a family can join in its development Grandma can knit the cozy fleece lined slippers, mother can make the jacket, the boys attend to the jar of tobacco, match holder, ash tray, etc. If they can carve them, well; if not, they must buy. It remains for the daughter or daughters to provide the broom splints  and bit of wire and cotton ; also a pretty pouch to carry abroad and a smoking cap to wear at home.

The smoking cap all dependa upon the making. One of the prettiest that I saw at the Woman's Exchange, which is the depot for all kinds of fancy work, I was of plain black cloth, lined with  black silk and braided thickly with gold soutache. The design was nothing but four loops, beginning small and growing  larger. Smoking caps this season all seem to be shaped like polo caps.

Little girls can find pin and other cushions for the toilet table filled with  hard stuff. All that remains is to cover them. The stuffing of a cushion is the !hardest part.

The chief thing is to try to give each a gift which is really useful, while also pretty. For a sister one might make a hairpin holder and a celluloid horn of plenty painted and ribboned for combings. The mother of a household will appreciate iron holders and kettle holders.

A traveling bag is a valuable gift in convenience. It is usually of strong canvas and is cut like that shown in the picture. There are three compartments on one side and one long one on the other. Straps through rings are  drawn and tied at the ends, and a shawl strap at the middle holds it firmly. It is far handier and lighter than the average grip. Women like it better than men.

One of the roost serviceable and pleasing presents one friend can bestow upon another is a handsome sofa pillow and an afghan, together or separately. Sofa pillows of all shapes, materials and in every imaginable style of decoration there are.

An afghan, or slumber robe, as some call it, may be made of art green eider down, lined with madder flannel, with a line of cord buttonholing around the edge. An arabesque design can be worked upon it in shades of russet and green, with yellowish green conventional lilies. This would be a comfort to any one.

There are many holiday goods offered at prices remarkably low for such pretty things. There are jewel boxes, framed pictures, medallions, clocks, atomizers, chafing dishes, silverware and plated ware equally pretty and not so apt to be stolen. Lamps, china, cut glass and jewelry are all considered as among legitimate Christians gifts. Outsiders may give any article for the decoration of a friend's home or table, but no personal ornament or garment, even a fur one.

Toys for children surpass anything ever before seen in point of valne, finish and mechanical contrivance. Dolls now carry on quite extended conversations with each other. These are sold in pairs and are fixed to ask and answer questions. But of all the dolls for genuine companionship and comfort none can compare with the new calico doll. This is as big as an ordinary baby and is just a piece of calico painted in fast colors until Mrs. Santa Clans takes it in hand and cuts it loose from the cloth, sews it up and stuffs it with cotton. Then it's just the dearest doll in the world.