19 February 1881 - Answers to Correspondents - Miscellaneous

RIGGY - Your writing is very ugly.

QUEEN OF DAISIES - After so kind and appreciative a letter, it would be indeed difficult to find fault. Your writing is excellent, but beware of flourishes, and use better ink.

JANE W - 1. You are not feeding your parrot properly, that is the cause of her indisposition. The soaked bread is all right so long as you give it in a clean dish and fresh every morning. Stop the hemp and stop the bones. You may give canary and millet seed, however, and nuts, and crusts, and an occasional cayenne pepper pod. This last is considered a great dainty by a parrot. 2. Handwriting fair, but may be greatly improved. You must try to write without ruling your paper.

LITTLE NELL - Your health is undoubtedly delicate. At your age (22) you should not feel worn out and tired by eight o'clock at night; nor should you have those tell-tale dark rings around your eyes. We are sure you would feel benefitted by a course of citrate of iron and quinine; cod-liver oil would also benefit you. But you must live very regularly, and be all you can in the fresh air. Change, too, would do you good. You may write again, and we will be happy if our advice has benefitted you.

NELLIE - Red and yellow are both considered appropriate to brunettes.

FANNY - We believe that many ladies use them in riding, but we hope you will remember a very little spur will go a long way, and avoid cruelty.

BLACK-EYED SUSAN - We should advise your consulting a doctor. Your writing is legible.

LADY MARY W - Birds are often killed by the frost in wintry weather. Take a half-dead bird up and placing it near the fire as you have done, would only make matters worse. If you want to show mercy to poor birds, place them in a quiet room or garret, and feed on crumbs, letting them free whenever they wish to go, for *old wild birds can hardly be tamed.

LADY CLARICE - We quote  for the benefit of our hysterical correspondent, from a first-class medical work recently published - "If a girl wishes to have a hysterical fit, by all means let her have it. Conduct her to an empty room, place her on the floor, and let her have a fit quietly by herself. Mothers ought to instil into their daughters habits of self-discipline and control, and also take care that they have plenty of occupation and out-of-door exercise."

15 January 1881 - Answers to Correspondents - Miscellaneous

S.R. Your first mistake was in permitting your pupils to call you by your Christian name. Your second mistake is in supposing that the odium which (correctly or more often incorrectly) attaches to what is called "telling tales out of school," could possibly apply to one holding your position in it. You are one of the under mistresses, and as such have a right to consult with the upper mistresses and the principal on all occasions of difficulty as to your own conduct or wrong-doing on the part of those whom you are engaged to instruct. But we admire your brave determination to support yourself, even at the expense of much annoyance. We also consider that the principal should not betray your confidence, but endeavour to support your authority, and insist on your being respected, so far as lies her power.

NESTA - If a lady friend be with a man's mother or sister when he meets them out of doors, of course he should raise his hat. Your writing is still that of a child.

IGNORAMUS - 1. If acquainted with your vicar, of course you may call and inquire for him and his family on their return from a summer trip. But if a stranger, it is his business to call on you as a parishioner. 2. It is usually the custom  for the oldest residents in a place to call upon new ones.

A RUSTIC - We thank you for your kind letter. We are pleased to hear that you were so much pleased with the articles by "Medicus."

ORANGE - You write very neatly.

PORTIA - If you could dispense with stays altogether it would be most desirable for your health. Fringes cut straight are chiefly worn by little children. High heels and narrow-tied shoes and boots produce bunions, swelled joints, contractions of the muscles, and so injure the nerves that they have even a tendency to produce insanity. 2. However second-rate your singing and playing may be, never refuse to do your best when asked for music.

EVELYN N - Your writing is tolerably good.

PILATE'S WIFE - Sorry your letter came too late for a reply to be inserted before the date of your party. You deserve a reply because you allude so pleasantly and good humouredly to your former disappointment. We hope, by and bye, to give a special article to teach girls how to entertain their friends, and trust still to be of use to you. You have transgressed no rules.

M.E.M. - We thank you very much for your interesting letter explaining the way you bound your volume of THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER. As you could not, unfortunately, afford to pay for it to be bound, you deserve our hearty congratulations for being so industrious as to bind the volume yourself.

24 July 1880 - 'The Dress of the Month' by Dora de Blaquiere

I am always most desirous of helping those amongst our readers who are endeavouring to make their own dresses, as they deserve ever encouragement in their laudable efforts. The girl who has succeeded in making a dress for herself has a new feeling of independence, and a degree of pride in her own abilities which will probably lead her on to making fresh attempts in "self-help," that will both benefit herself and everyone about her. All costumes are still composed of draped skirts, and bodices, which may, or may not be of the same material. This skirt is called in Paris a jupe drape, and we hear that they are sold there ready-made, to be worn with any bodice;  for the French ladies  always managing and clever - have quickly noted their value in an economical point of view. This draped and trimmed skirt has quite taken the place of the ordinary skirt sold, which used to require a tunic or polonaise, as well as a bodice. They are to be obtained in Paris in silk, black and coloured, in Surah silk and satin, as well as in Corah, foulard, cambric, percale, gingham, cotton and sateen. A few polonaises are to be seen, some of them with the front turned up like a laveuse tunic, and the back draped - an excellent idea for anyone who wishes to remodel an old polonaise. But the fashionable  revival of the polonaise fastens behind and has puffed sleeves, and is made in velvet or striped Pekin, of satin and silk, or satin and velvet, a style which will probably last through the autumn, as it is most becoming and pretty. Hoods look extremely well on handsome dresses made in this way, and are lined with bright colours, like the "Zingari stripes."

But to return to skirts. All walking skirts must be made as narrow as possible, and the effect of the whole skirt demands that great care should be exercised in the cutting-out of the foundation, which, if the dress be of silk or any good material, may be of twilled lining, or of alpaca, to match the colours of the dress. The front breadth alone is slightly gored, and the fullness of the back breadths is gathered in at the waist behind, while two darts make it sit well over the hips. The width of the skirt should not exceed two yards at the edge. Kilted skirts are still much worn, as well as those with quantities of small gathered flounces, some of them extending to the waist.

Princesse dresses have by no means disappeared, but are worn both for day costumes and evening toilettes, though the skirts are so much trimmed and overwhelmed with draperies that they have lost their distinctive appearances. The robe de chambre, or tea gown, alone is allowed to retain the Princesse character, and to fall with uninterrupted folds to the feet.

The old gathered bodices, plain at the shoulders and neck, and gathered into a band at the waist, are adopted by many young people, and are worn with a wide belt and a bow under the arm, but this style is only suited to certain figures, and is therefore not very largely adopted. Pointed bodices, with Henri IV bands and puffs, are much worn for full dinner and evening dress, as well as the Elizabethan standing ruff. A jabot of this description is one of the most effective of our recent evening toilettes, and may be made up without difficulty at home. It has been already illustrated in the June monthly number at p.317, and  for the evening need only be carried a little lower down the front, with the jabot lengthened to the end of the basqued waist and made slightly narrower.

Vandykes, points, battlements, and tabs have all come back to us again  for the decoration of dresses, and will be much used this autumn. Rows of them are all put on like flounces, with kiltings showing below them, or else the edges of the upper skirts. The tunics and aprons are cut out, and bound at the shaped edges, no trimming being used besides. Bouillonnes, or puffings, are also used to trim skirts in combination with flounces.

I have lately discovered "how to buy an umbrella," and the reason  for the bad wearing qualities of most of the umbrellas sold at present. The first reason is that, the frames are no longer so good as they were, now that they are manufactured wholesale, and are the production of comparatively unskilled labour. So, pains should be taken to purchase only those umbrellas which have the maker's name upon the ribs, by which he has made himself in a measure responsible for their wear. With regard to the silk which covers them, it is frequently very poor in itself, and in many cases economy is pushed to such a pitch in the cover that hardly enough material is put in to give the ribs freedom to open properly. "Hence," says my informant, "there follows a continual struggle between the silk, which cannot stretch; and the ribs, which cannot yield; and the weaker gives way first, the earliest signs of wearing out being found in cracks in the silk near the tips or at the top. It is quite impossible  for the best umbrella to wear well under these circumstances. A tight cover may always be recognised by the creaking it makes on being opened." This information seems to me so valuable that I have transcribed it verbatim, and hope that it may be of service to my readers. So many complaints of the want of wear in high priced umbrellas are now made that it is a comfort to know how to avoid some evils, and to form a judgment on what will really prove serviceable.

The small round capes which were so much favoured last summer, have found equal favour in the present one; their moderate price and graceful and pretty effect make their popularity no matter of surprise. It is hinted that next winter the fur coachman's capes will still be in fashion, and I hear that the best furriers are preparing them for that too fast approaching season. The favourite garment, however, for ordinary out-of-door wear seems to be the perfectly tight-fitting jacket, of medium length, with a hood. Sometimes these jackets match the dress, but are of a different material, to be worn with one of the trimmed skirts which I have before described. One of the stamped navy-blue velvet, having a hood lined with yellow and blue striped silk, was intended to be worn with a skirt of navy-blue silk. Another of plain satin in dark brown, the hood lined with pale grey, was intended to be worn with a skirt of pale grey beige. A large brown straw hat, trimmed with grey silk, completed the costume.

In the country the prettiest hats worn have been of Leghorn, wide in the brims, which are tied down with strings of black velvet passing over the crown, and tied under the chin. They have no other trimming, but certainly require a certain amount of beauty to make them effective. Covering the brims of hats with jet beads makes them very becoming, and gives a softening to the face. Some pretty little hats which I have lately noticed have the brims trimmed with deep waves, and are covered with rows of black lace, beginning at the top of the crown. They are in the simplest style possible, and I should fancy are generally made at home.

The illustrations given this month are intended to help our readers to simple and easily-made apparel. The girl playing piano has a walking costume of two materials, which may be of a washing character or otherwise. The method of making up is too apparent to need description. The pinafore and its pretty little toque will give our girl readers an idea of making up some old dress into an entirely new costume. The material  for the pinafore is figured sateen, the trimming may be Madeira work, or lace.

Fig.1 is a small bonnet for those who may prefer a change of shape. It is made on an ordinary net foundation; the brim covered with ruby silk; the crown is covered with a figured satin of cream and ruby; the Alsatian bow at the top, and the strings are ruby satin ribbon, and the crimped frilling at the back is cream muslin or lace. This idea may be carried out as a "symphony" with the dress - as the high art world would call it.

Fig.2 is a simple style of trimming for a sleeve in two materials or colours, the edges of the cuffs being bound with the contrasting colour. The patterns of these can easily be cut out in paper, and fitted to the size of the cuff.