December 16, 1928

Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser

Detroit, Michigan, United States

An article by advising home makers about last minute Christmas gifts.

Last Minute Home Gifts That Will Always Be Appreciated
Just one more week before everything in the way of Christmas gifts should be completed, and pretty nearly every dear lady who promised herself that each gift and card should be all ready for delivery by at least the fifteenth of December is scurrying around in order to have them completed by the twenty fourth.
There is one, that one and the other one for whom gifts must be prepared, little time in which to do this, and yet something individual is desired

Gifts in the Jam Closet
Many a good house wife worries about the time she must find to go down town and shop around for something different when she has some of the very best gifts in the world right in her own jam closet and cookie jar.

Now is the time of the year when these closets and jars are filled to the edges and a few glasses of jelly, marmalade or jam will never be missed, and what if they are as long as someone is made happy.

A 10 cent can of lacquer and a five cent brush are all that one needs to put the Christmas touch to any of the glasses as these precious sweets. The metal covers should be lacquered in a bright shade of red and in the center of each should be pasted a holly sticker. There can be bought by the box in gummed label form, approximately 25 in a box for 10 c. One, two, or three, of these glasses would be a delight to anyone who is not in a position to do her own jelly making, because no matter how much one pays in the stores, it seems almost impossible to buy that good old time home made taste.

Packing the Boxes
Metal cans such as coffee is packed in may be lacquered in red decorated with holly seals and filled with small Christmas cookies. Waxed paper should be used for the lining of the can, then cookies put in to within an inch of the top, crushed tissue paper filling the remainder of the can and on top of this a paper doily should be placed, preferably a green one before putting on the cover.

Homemade candies may be packed in the same manner, and don't forget what a treat a real home made fruit cake is. A pound of this wrapped in that fascinating transparent paper, tied with a red ribbon and decorated with a sprig of real holly.

Tiny Elbow Pillows

A set of boudoir pillows is a very handsome gift, one which is not expensive and yet very simple to make. These may be small sized- not much larger than the little elbow pillows- those pudgy little ones which are just right to put on the arm of a chair and lazily lean on while reading.

If these are cut twelve inches square, one yard of a yarn of material will make one and there will be a twelve inch square left from which two six inch sachets may be made. So by getting one third of a yard each of apricot, light green and lavender taffeta, one will have sufficient material for a set of three pillows and two sets of sachets three in each.

The inner pillows may be of muslin, stuffed with a commercial filler and these should be only about 14 inches square when finished, so that the seams on the twelve inch square will not be stretched.

Adding the Decorations
In the center of each pillow a small cluster of flowers may be embroidered in wool or chenille with just a touch of silver or gold metal thread. This may be a very simple design, executed in lazy daisy and French knots stitches. And to make these pillows more attractive, the predominating color in the design of each should be different ashes of roses on the light green, French blue on the apricot and turquoise on the lavender.

These pillow should be arranged in a pile and tied with gold or silver metal ribbon and bow. This ribbon should be about one inch wide.

Satin may be used in place of taffeta, if desired, and now the stores are exhibiting silk velvet as one of the favorite materials for pillows of this type. This is especially attractive when decorated with a small quilted motif in the center of the pillow top.

And one need never hesitate to give just one of these very lovely little pillows, which, if wrapped in transparent paper, takes on a real Christmas air.

Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.