Farm and home - Sewing with plaids

When mention is made of the word plaid we immediately think of the Scottish tartans and plaids, which at one time were exclusively clan tartans to be worn by a particular group. These tartans, in ancient times, were worn as kilts or trews by the menfolk while the women used them to cover their heads. This was the origin of the famous Paisley shawls

Farm and home - A simple tiered petticoat or skirt; New idea for potholders; Cutting cakes

hooped and frilled petticoats are now enjoying a return to favour, but did you know that hooped petticoats were first introduced in the 16th century? Layers of frilly petticoats came into favour after Napoleonic times and indeed were so bulky and numerous that women would have lost the art of walking altogether had they not finally revolted against them and returned to hoops to hold their skirts out. These two fashions have been coming in and out of vogue since that time. Keep the pot holders in your kitchen bright and fresh by making them with removable padding. This saves tiresome drying of bulky fillings on wash day and the outside covering can be changed when it becomes soiled. One or two filling pads can be used for a series of covers to match your colour schemes or provide bright spots around the kitchen. Cutting cakes is usually a problem especially at party time when you want to cut economically without spoiling the appearance of the cakes. To cut a cake neatly a sharp knife with a thin blade is essential. Cut by keeping the point of the knife down and the handle up, pulling towards you as you work. Where the icing sticks to the knife and breaks away from the surface of the cake, dip the blade into a jug of hot water to keep it free while cutting

Jellies make popular summer sweets

THERE are so many interesting new dessert preparations now on the market that housewives tend to treat the common jelly with some contempt. Yet the jelly is still one of our most versatile summer standbys

Farm and home - Washing woollens -Some hints on hemlines

Knitting needles will be clicking again shortly as numerous garments are laboriously constructed revealing intricate patterns and styles. Even the plainest of woollens takes some time to make and all are expensive. All this painstaking work can be undone in a few minutes of careless handling during laundering. Once the damage has been done it is permanent and nothing can be done to return the garments to their former beauty. THAT well-dressed and well-groomed appearance which every woman longs to achieve is only possible when each item of one\u27s outfit blends in that unobtrusive perfection which comes from attention to details. How often, for instance, have you seen attractive and highly becoming frocks marred by lumpy, uneven hems fastened with stitches that are so obvious that they almost appear to be part of the trimming

Farm and home—meet Needle Nell

Needle Nell is a quickly-made bazaar or gift novelty. To make her you need 1 1 three pipe-cleaners (a packet of eight costs 3fd.), a shank button (i.e., one without holes punched through), two thimbles, a few pins and needles and some small scraps of bright material

Farm and home - Beat a better batter

The word batter is derived from the French word battre meaning to beat and as a general rule a good beating improves a batter. The use of modern raising agents is tending to abolish this policy. Batter mixtures are not as popular as previously but they should not be overlooked as the basis for many simple, inexpensive and tasty dishes

Mundane mattering : how materialities come to matter in everyday life in dementia care units and in end of life care

To care for someone who is at the end of their life or someone who lives with a dementia disease is not about curing. Instead, care becomes concerned with what can make a situation as good as possible. Contributing to such efforts, this thesis articulates how materialities (such as hands, coffee cups, napkins, and newspapers) participate in specific enactments of care and of daily life in dementia care settings, and where people are cared for towards the end of life. The thesis draws on interviews, workshops, and ethnographic fieldwork. In addition, visual representations in the form of illustrations and drawings were developed as a way to inquire, reflect on, and articulate issues concerning materialities. The tension in how material things are enacted as both significant and insignificant in these settings is underlined. That is, while the studies illustrate that it cannot be assumed what something ‘is’ and what it ‘does’, materialities in these settings are often routinized in such a way that they tend to be treated as definitive and trivial. It is in relation to this tension that the notion of “mundane mattering” is formulated. Mundane mattering denotes instances where informal practices of residents, patients, family members, and staff members involving seemingly mundane things present important possibilities for shaping daily life, identities, and agencies. In such instances materialities come to matter in particular and situated ways, which temporarily interfere with the trivialization of things. While these are more or less overlooked aspects of living and working in these settings, it is a complexity which staff members are already required to navigate. To create time and space for collegial reflection would not only serve to recognize this work, but it could also improve daily life for residents and their family members. The thesis shows how visual representations offer means for understanding materialities as they introduce new ways of seeing a situation, making it possible to notice what is ethically at stake. Furthermore, visual representations provide spaces for reflecting on alternative ways of living and caring in these settings

Farm and home—some ideas in plastic

The plastic sheeting, which is now available in many weights and patterns, is a highly versatile material which lends itself to a number of uses in the home. Here are a few suggestions