193.  To Shape Cookies.—­Cookies can be shaped with the bottom of a “star” tumbler.  Flour the bottom of the glass and press it into the unbaked cookie until the indentions are imprinted upon the cake.

194.  Have You Been Hoarding an Old Foulard Dress—­One of that kind of dresses which you liked and hated to part with, but it went out of style.  Get it out, clean it, rip it, and if there is not enough in it to make a scant shirt-waisted one-piece empire dress, make it into a pretty shirt-waist, with knife plaiting down the front.

195.  To Wash Tarnished Brass.—­Save the water in which the potatoes have been boiled, and use it to wash tarnished brass.  It will come out as bright as new.

196.  Sewing Lace.—­When sewing two raw edges of fine lace together, like the tiny lace ruffles on lingerie blouses or dresses, do not fell it in the old-fashioned way, but place the two right sides together and bind the edge with the finest thread, making a buttonhole stitch along the edges.  Put a stitch in each mesh, and you will have a neat lace seam which, when pressed, can scarcely be observed, and it will not fray.

197.  Roasted Chestnuts.—­Roasted chestnuts are said to be very delicious when salted the same as peanuts.

198.  Mud Stains, to Remove.—­Mud stains will disappear from cloth by the following method of cleansing:  After brushing the dry mud away sponge the remaining stain with a weak solution of ammonia and water.  This is absolutely safe to apply to black cloth.  Colored goods, however, should be sponged with a solution of bicarbonate of soda as the latter does not affect coloring matter.

[Miscellaneous recipes 877]

199.  Drop Table for Kitchen.—­A woman can have a kitchen made in a very cramped quarter if she provides it with a small work table, and a drop leaf table attached to the wall.  If the stationary table is covered on all sides with a curtain and furnished with an undershelf, it will hold as much as a cupboard.  Two large shelves will be found very convenient, even though it will be necessary to mount a chair or stool to reach the kitchen articles.  Usually extremely small kitchens are more convenient than large ones, in which many steps must be taken.

200.  A Convenience for Ironing Day.—­The laundress who knows how to take care of herself has a high stool with rungs for her feet, on which she may sit when she is ironing the light pieces.  It will help reserve her strength for the next day’s work.

201.  Quickest Way to Core Apples.—­One of the simplest and quickest ways to core apples for baking is to use an ordinary clothes pin.

202.  To Remove Iron Rust.—­Tartaric acid will remove almost any iron rust blemish from material and is excellent for removing yellow marks.

203.  The Kitchen Apron.—­The kitchen apron should cover the skirt and the front of the waist, though not necessarily the sleeves, as most house dresses are made with short sleeves.