How to amuse yourself and others : $b the American girl's handy bookBeard, Lina
General
How to amuse yourself and others : $b the American girl's handy book
Beard, Lina
Amusements -- Juvenile literature; Handicraft -- Juvenile literature
Now it is our purpose to teach the children who do not live in New York
and have never seen these pretty toys, and also those who, having seen,
cannot afford to purchase them, just how to make some of these little
men and women, and how to fashion a variety of head-dresses not to be
found in the stores.
To begin with, select several nice large eggs, those of a pinkish
yellow are preferable, being something of a flesh-tint. These eggs
should be blown, or the shells emptied of their contents; to blow them
make a small hole in each end of the shell, and, taking it gently
between the thumb and forefinger, put one hole to the lips; then blow,
not too hard, but steadily, until the egg has all run out of the other
end.
The face must be painted next, and to those who know nothing of drawing
this will seem no easy task, until by carefully observing the following
direction they will find that it is in the power of anyone to produce
as pretty a face as could be wished for.
[Illustration: =Patterns for Head-dresses.=]
Among picture-cards, or in almost any juvenile book, may be found many
pretty faces of a suitable size which can be transferred to the egg
in this way. Lay a piece of tracing-paper over the head selected, and
with a soft lead-pencil trace carefully all the lines indicating the
features; then place the paper on the shell so that the pencil-marks
are next to it, and with a hard pencil, or ivory knitting-needle, go
over the lines again, thus transferring the soft pencil-marks to the
shell. Touch up and strengthen the features with a fine paint-brush and
india-ink. Anyone understanding painting may color the face in natural
tints, but it looks very nicely done merely in outline.
[Illustration: =The Nun.=]
The simplest arrangement for holding the little head erect is a small
pasteboard box turned upside down, and having a hole cut in the bottom
just large enough to admit the small end of the shell; this will
support the head nicely, and also form the shoulders.
[Illustration: =The Old-fashioned Girl.=]
Make the hair of raw cotton blackened with ink, and fasten it on the
head with mucilage. When all of the foregoing directions have been
carried out it is time to attend to the head-dresses, and we will
begin with the quaint and old-fashioned poke-bonnet. Cut this bonnet
from ordinary brown wrapping-paper after the pattern shown in diagram;
sew together the ends of the “side of crown,” then sew the curved
side (which is cut in slits as shown in pattern, and folded back as
indicated by dotted line) to the smallest part of brim; fold in the
strips marked on the straight “side of crown” and fasten on the “top of
crown” with mucilage. The trimming for the bonnet consists of a fold
and bow of colored tissue paper.
[Illustration: =The Dude.=]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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