Preface
This new century, bringing with it the strong, healthy, independent, athletic American girl, makes a demand for new opportunities for the exercise of both mind and body. Resourcefulness and a wish to do things for one’s self are American traits strongly developed in the girls as well as in the boys; and, keeping step with their brothers, our girls are walking steadily onward, with new hopes and new ambitions in work and play, and are reaping new rewards.
This book is the result of the authors’ earnest desire to be of some assistance to their young friends by encouraging them in their wish to do things for themselves, and by pointing out some directions in which they may gratify this ambition. Within its covers are suggestions for a wide variety of things, useful, instructive, and entertaining, which a girl may make and do, with wholesome and genuine pleasure. The ideas that are worked out are essentially those of the authors, and are not, as is often the case, derived from other books. The drawings, too, are all original, as in “The American Girl’s Handy Book,” to which this is a companion volume.
In conclusion the authors wish to express their sincere thanks to the Delineator and the Woman’s Home Companion, whose prompt and generous courtesy, in returning such original drawings and material as were used in their respective magazines, has greatly facilitated the preparation of this work and added to its interest.
Flushing, June 16, 1902.
What a Girl Can Make
| CHAPTER I. | PAGE | |
| What a Girl Can Make with Hammer and Saw | 3 | |
| The Workshop, 4; Tools, 5; The Carpenter’s Bench, 9; A Dressing-table, 11; A Wash-stand, 14; A Portable Corner Clothes-press, 15; A Five O’clock Tea Table, 16; A Piazza Flower-stand, 17; A Hooded Chair Made of a Packing-box, 21. | ||
| CHAPTER II. | ||
| Possibilities of an Easter Egg | 26 | |
| A Frog that Will Swim, 26; Spinning Egg, 30; The Kaleidoscope, 31; Easter Hare, 32; Hares made of Eggs, 33; The Brownie, 34; Fruits, Vegetables, Opera Glasses, and Dishes, 36; The Radish, 37; Watermelon, Plum, Acorn, 38; A Dainty Vase, A Unique Little Teapot, 39; The Sugar-bowl, Egg Dippers, 41. | ||
| CHAPTER III. | ||
| A Paper Easter | 45 | |
| An Ostrich, Rabbit, Penguin, and Rooster, 45; Changing an Egg into a Rooster, 46; The Butterfly That Will Fly, 51; The Easter Lily, 52. | ||
| CHAPTER IV. | ||
| Vacation Work with Nature’s Material | 57 | |
| Cone Hanging-basket, 58; Sweet-grass Mats, 59; Corn-husk Basket, 60; Lavender Sticks, 62; Braiding Palm-grasses and Corn-husks, 64. | ||
| CHAPTER V. | ||
| Collections | 69 | |
| Mounting the Pictures, 70; Splitting the Paper, 72; Hanging the Picture, 73; A Portfolio, 74; Sunshine Diary, 75; A Guest Book, 78; Calendars, 80; Illustrating Books, 82; Colored Pictures and Photographs, 83; A Photograph Book, 84. | ||
| CHAPTER VI. | ||
| Original Valentines | 89 | |
| Appropriate Valentines, 90; Four-leaved Clover, 90; Easel Holding a Picture, 91; Heart-shaped Valentines, 93; The Fire-cracker, 94; Pot of Growing Flowers, 95; Valentine for Little Friend, 98. | ||
| CHAPTER VII. | ||
| Vegetable Animals and Fruit Lanterns | 101 | |
| Potato Turkey, 102; A Shoat, 103; To Make a Turtle, Pumpkin Lanterns, 105. | ||
| CHAPTER VIII. | ||
| Pasteboard Models for a Home Drawing Class | 107 | |
| The Pyramid, 107; Pasteboard Model of a Church, 108; To Make a House, 111. | ||
| CHAPTER IX. | ||
| Quick Ink Pictures | 118 | |
| Ink Landscapes and Marines, 119; An Ink Butterfly, An Odd Design, The Fantastic Horses, 122; A Pair of Birds, Ink Plant Sketches, 123. | ||
| CHAPTER X. | ||
| Moving Toys | 125 | |
| The Merry-go-round, 125; The Flag Dance, 130; Button-mould Tops, 132. | ||
| CHAPTER XI. | ||
| Home-made Pyrotechnics | 135 | |
| Three-story Red, White and Blue Pin-wheel, 135; Fence Pin-wheel, 137; The Sparkling Calumet, 140; Roman Candle, 142; Snap-fire, 142; Rushing Comet, 143; The Pistol, 144; Sky-rockets, 145. | ||
| CHAPTER XII. | ||
| Monotypes | 148 | |
| Materials, 148; How to Paint, 149; To Paint Heads, 149; The Printing, 150; Monotone Monotypes, 151; Suitable Papers, 151. | ||
| CHAPTER XIII. | ||
| Priscilla Rugs | 153 | |
| Color Schemes for Rugs, 154; The Fire Rug, 155; The Weight, 156; How to Cut and Sew the Rags, 157; Cotton and Wool Rugs, 158; All-cotton Rugs, 158; Warps and Fringe, 159; Dyeing the Cloth, 160; Wool Dyes, 160; Cotton Dyes, 162. | ||
| CHAPTER XIV. | ||
| A Peanut Noah’s Ark | 163 | |
| How to Make a Pair of Wings, 165; To Make a Spider, 166; To Make Rabbits and Camels, 167; To Make a Chick, an Elephant, 168; an Owl, 169; Storks, Lobsters, 170; Noah, 171; To Make the Ark, 172. | ||
| CHAPTER XV. | ||
| A Flower Feast | 175 | |
| To Make the Pineapple, 175; A Fish, 176; Apples and Fruit Salad, 177; The Cups and Saucers, 178; Snapping Bonbons, 179; Baskets of Green Burs, 180; Dandelion Amusements, 181. | ||
| CHAPTER XVI. | ||
| Basket-weaving | 185 | |
| Materials for Weaving, 185; To Prepare the Reeds, 186; Weaving the Basket, 186; Covers and Fastenings, 191; To Make a Hinge, 192. | ||
| CHAPTER XVII. | ||
| An “Abe” Lincoln Log-cabin | 194 | |
| Material, 196; The Door, 200; The Chimney, 201; To Make a Pond, 204; The Walk, 205; A Well, 206; Acorn Bucket, 207; The Trees, 208; The Grass, 209; The Fence, 210; A Little Turnstile, 212; Birch-bark Canoe, 212; Wood-pile, 213; A Sawbuck, 213. | ||
| CHAPTER XVIII. | ||
| Queer Things on Paper and Blackboard and How to Put Them There | 215 | |
| A Funny Little Pig, 215; A Hen, 217; A Rose, 218; A Head, 220; The Three Blind Mice, A Fish, 221; Turtles, 222; To make a Duck, 223; The Tulip, 224; Common Daisy, 225. | ||
| CHAPTER XIX. | ||
| Home-made Musical Instruments | 227 | |
| How to Make a Harp, 228; A Dulcimer, 229; Music from Finger-bowls, 230; A Willow Bugle-horn, 231; Bones, 232; Crystal Flute, 232; Music from a Comb, 233; Grass-blade, Sea-shells, Musical Fountain, 234. | ||
| CHAPTER XX. | ||
| What to Make of Empty Spools | 236 | |
| To Build the Parthenon, 236; To Make a Set of Furniture, 238; The Lamp, 239; A Wagon, 239; A Memorial Arch, 240; To Blow Bubbles with a Spool, 241; Cannon, 243. | ||
| CHAPTER XXI. | ||
| Christmas Decorations | 244 | |
| Effective Portière, 246; Star and Shepherd’s Crook, 246; A Sconce, 248; Tin-foil Christmas-tree Festoon, 248; Tin-foil for Fringe Ruching, 249; Fancy Boxes, 252; Cornucopias, Christmas Stockings, Bobbinet Bags, 253; Holly-leaved Festoons, 254; Pop-corn Balls, 255; Strings of Red Cranberries, Peanuts, 256; Jewelry for the Tree, 257; Gilded English Walnut, 258. | ||
| CHAPTER XXII. | ||
| Christmas Devices | 260 | |
| An All-day Christmas Pie, 260; The Magic Fireplace, 263; Christmas Tray, 265; A Santa Claus House, 266; Serving Toast, 267; Pièce de Résistance, 268; Jelly, Apples, 269. | ||
| CHAPTER XXIII. | ||
| Picture Writing and Sign Language | 271 | |
| Symbols, Flower Writing, 273; Indian Powwow, 274; A Letter of Colors, 276. | ||
| CHAPTER XXIV. | ||
| Statuary Tableaux | 281 | |
| The Stage, 281; Lights, Pedestals, and Costumes, 282; Make-up, 284; The Armless Bust, 285; Portrait Medallion, 286; An Egyptian Statue, 287; Pygmalion and Galatea, 288. | ||
| CHAPTER XXV. | ||
| Witchery | 292 | |
| Feather Tests, 293; Touchstone Charm, 294; Naming the Bedposts, 295; Witch Writing, 295; Home or Travel, 297; Dreams, 298; Ghost Ideas, 299; Fortune’s Wheel, 300. | ||
| CHAPTER XXVI. | ||
| Living Alphabet | 303 | |
| Directions for Drill, 308; The Shields, 308; The Letters, 309. | ||
| CHAPTER XXVII. | ||
| Odd Gardens | 310 | |
| A Country Garden in the City, 310; The Boxes, 313; The Flowers, 313; A Water Garden, 314; The Soil, 315; Water Plants, 316; Simpler Water Gardens, 317; Plants Grown Artificially in Water, 317; The Green Sponge, 318; Vegetables, 319; Friendship Garden, 320; Memory Garden, 321 | ||
| CHAPTER XXVIII. | ||
| Active Games | 322 | |
| Weavers and Weft, 322; Hoop Dance, 324; The Figures, 326; Hoop Tag, 327; The Circus-hoop Game, 328; Hoop-race Game, 329; Jumping Rope Conquer Game, 330; Going to Market, 332; Passing By, 332; Red, White, and Blue, 333. | ||
| CHAPTER XXIX. | ||
| Expensive Games with Little or No Expense | 334 | |
| Ping Pong, 334; The Rules, 337; Scoring, 338; Terms Used in Ping Pong, 339; A Make-believe Sewing-machine, 340; A Parlor Croquet Set, 341; Rules for Croquet, 343. | ||
| CHAPTER XXX. | ||
| Basket Ball | 346 | |
| Cost of an Outfit, 346; Baskets, 348; The Ball, 348; Set of Players, 349; Referee, 350; Umpire, Scorer, 351; Time-keeper, Linesmen, 352; Centres, Forwards, 354; Guard, 355; Rules, 360; General Fouls, 362; Disqualifying Fouls, 363; Playing Suit, 364. | ||
| CHAPTER XXXI. | ||
| Some of Our Out-door Neighbors and Where to Look for Them | 365 | |
| Observation Book, 366; The Squirrel, 367; The Red Squirrel, The Chipmunk, 368; The Weasel, 369; Salamander, 370; The Cicadas, 371; Insect Music, 373; The Indian Pipe, The Moccasin Flower, 374; Engraver Beetle, The ’Coon, 375; The Flying Squirrel, Luna Moth, 377; Woodchuck, 380; The Sea-shore, 381; The Jelly-fish, Sea-anemones, 382; Sea-urchins, 383; Starfish, 384. | ||