[Miscellaneous recipes 885]

276.  Hemstitching Underclothing.—­Hemstitching forms a dainty finish for the household linen and underclothing, but the busy woman often will not undertake it because of the difficulty of drawing the threads.  If a piece of white soap be rubbed on the underside of the cloth, where the hemstitching is to be done, the threads may be drawn with ease, in half the time that is usually required.

277.  To Boil Eggs Without Cracking Them.—­To boil eggs without the risk of cracking, hold them in a spoonful of boiling water before immersing them.

278.  Save the Basting Thread.—­Basting threads, when saved, should be wound on a spool, otherwise they get hopelessly tangled and are not used again.

279.  Threading Needles.—­Thread will knot less easily, if the end that is broken from the spool is run through the eye of the needle.

280.  Measuring Dress Goods.—­Do not measure dress goods and laces with a tape line, as it stretches the material.  Use a yardstick.

281.  Do Not Use Coarse Thread.—­An expert needlewoman says that the reason why so much embroidery does not look attractive is that too coarse a thread is used for the work.  It is not a bad rule to use a cotton a number or two finer than is recommended, unless the advice comes from one who understands embroidery perfectly.

282.  Putting in a Temporary Hem.—­The hem of a dress that must be lengthened after it is laundered should be turned perfectly straight and stitched with number one hundred thread.  It can be easily ripped and the fine threads will not leave the usual stitched lines that one often sees when a hem is lowered.

283.  Serviceable Child’s Dress.—­A quaint little frock that will be serviceable, can be made from a remnant of demi flouncing hemstitched on the embroidered edge.  This placed at the hem, of course, and the top is gathered in Mother Hubbard style into a neck band edged with a little frill.  The sleeves are in bishop style confined with bands trimmed to match the neck.

284.  Convenience for the Sewing Room.—­A good sized waste basket should be continually close to every sewing machine.  Then it is easy to form the habit of dropping all scraps into it just as the scissors make them, instead of leaving them to litter about the floor.

285.  Buttons for Future Use.—­When buttons are removed from a dress for future use they should be loosely strung on a thread before being put in the button box.  This is a time-saver as well as keeps the buttons from getting lost or several of a set from being used.

286.  Basting Long Seams.—­When basting long seams, if the edge of the material is slipped under the machine needle and the needle is lowered it firmly holds the two pieces, and one can more quickly do the work.

287.—­Mending Table Linen.—­A woman who is expert in mending table linen does it in this manner:  A piece of linen is coated with white soap, to make it stiff and the patch is evenly trimmed.  This is placed under the hole in the damask after the edges around the hole in the tablecloth are soaped and trimmed to remove the rough edge.