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AN ARMFUL OF SHAVINGS AND WHAT TO DO WITH THEM

DO you love to go into a carpenter-shop, with its sweet-smelling woods and fascinating tangle of white and rose-tinted shavings, and to watch the carpenter guide his plane along the edge of a board, shaving off so evenly and smoothly the long curls which look almost as natural as the ringlets of a little girl? I am sure that many times you have tucked the ends of the shavings under your hat and scampered off with the curls streaming out behind or bobbing up and down delightfully at the sides.

It is great fun, yet there is still more entertainment to be found in these pretty shavings.

Gather an armful, then, choosing the most perfect ones, not too thin, with firm, smooth edges, and you shall weave them into

A Pretty, Soft Little Basket

like the illustration.

The soft little basket made of shavings.

Fig. 36—Directly across the centre draw a straight line.

Fig. 37—So that the upper edge of B will touch the dividing line of A.

Pine-shavings are the best to use, as they are less brittle than those of harder woods. Select a number and put them to soak in cold water to make them soft and pliable. Then, lifting out those of an even width, place them before you on a lap-board or table, and after passing them between your fingers several times to take the curl out, cut eight pieces eleven inches long. Directly across the centre of two of the strips draw a straight line, as in Fig. 36. Place one of these strips, A, flat on the table and lay the other, B, across it so that the upper edge of B will touch the dividing line of A and the mark on B will be on a line with right-hand edge of A, Fig. 37. Under A slide another strip, C, Fig. 38. Over B and under C slide the strip D, Fig. 39. Over D and under A pass the strip E, Fig. 40. Under E, over B and under C weave the strip F, Fig. 41. Under E, over B, and under C weave the strip G, Fig. 42. Over F, under D, over A, and under G weave the strip H, Fig. 43. This forms a square for the bottom of the basket.

Fig. 38.—Under A slide the strip C.

Fig. 39.—Over B and under C slip the strip D.

Fig. 40.—Over D and under A pass E.

Fig. 41.—Under E, over B and under C weave F.

Bend up the ends and

Weave the Sides

with longer, narrower shavings which you can make by cutting lengthwise through the middle of several wide shavings.

Fig. 42.—Under E, over B and under C weave G.

Fig. 43.—This forms the bottom of the basket.

If you find any difficulty in keeping in place the part you have woven, pin it to the board or table with several pins, as in Fig. 44. Bring the sides up close to the edges of the bottom, then start your weaver at D, on the inside of the basket (Fig. 44).

Fig. 44.—Bend up the ends now and weave the sides.

Weave all the way around, turning the corners sharply, until the weaver meets the first end; lap it over this, cut it off and tuck the last end under H. Start the next weaver at C, weave it around and tuck under E. Weave five weavers around the sides of the basket, beginning each time in a new place that the joints may not all come together, then bend the upright shavings over the edge of the top weaver, tucking the ends of each under the third weaver, one inside, the next outside, as they may come inside or outside the basket (Fig. 45).

Fig. 45—Bend the upright shavings over the top edge.

Bind the Edge

with two binders the width of the side weavers. Hold one inside, one outside, and whip them on over and over, taking the stitches with a narrow strip of shaving as shown in Fig. 46.

Fig. 46.—Bind the edge with two binders.

Cut two strips the width of your side weavers for

The Handle,

making one twelve inches and the other eleven inches long. One inch from each end cut notches, as in Fig. 47. Slide the end of the short strip under the second weaver on one side of the basket and pull it up until the points catch on the weaver, then tuck the end under the lower weaver (see illustrations).

Fig. 47.—Notch the ends like this.

Loop the handle diagonally over the basket and fasten the other end on the second weaver on the side. Secure the ends of the long strip on the third weaver, allowing it to cross the other side of the handle at the top, then bind the two pieces together at the middle by wrapping with a shaving of the same width over and over. Split this wrapper at the last end and tuck the two ends in at the sides. Fig. 48 shows the under part of the handle with one end of the wrapper tucked in.

Fig. 48.—Tuck the two ends in at the sides.

You can make table-mats, charming little handkerchief-cases, and a number of other things of the dainty shavings, all on the same principle as that of the basket.

To make

The Handkerchief-Case,

weave a square, measuring eight inches, of the narrow shavings, just as you did for the bottom of the basket. These shavings must be twelve inches long and you will probably need about thirty-two pieces. When the square is finished tuck in the ends, as around the edge of the basket, then bend in three of the corners to meet at the middle and catch with needle and thread. Sew a quarter of a yard of bright ribbon where the corners join and another quarter of a yard on the loose corner. (See illustration.) Put your handkerchiefs in the little pocket, bring up the loose point, and tie the ribbon in a pretty bow.

The handkerchief case.