stening the leaves to the back of
the scuttle above the pincushion.

[Illustration: DIAGRAMS OF COAL-SCUTTLE PINCUSHION AND NEEDLE-BOOK.
Fig. 1.--Pattern of Coal-Scuttle Pinchusion. Fig. 2.--Part of Pattern
of Coal-Scuttle Pinchusion. Fig. 3.--Bottom of Coal-Scuttle. Fig.
4.--Top of Coal-Scuttle.]

A BIT OF PLAIN WORK.

There are notable little sempstresses even in these days of machines
("and I am thankful to know that there are," says Mother Santa Claus)
who set their stitches as swiftly and as precisely as ever their
grandmothers did before them, and have the same liking for what used
to be called "white seam." To such we would suggest, what a nice and
useful Christmas present would be a beautifully made under-garment.
It need not of necessity be a shirt, though in old days no girl was
considered educated who could not finish one all by herself, from
cutting out to the last button-hole; but an apron or petticoat or
dressing-jacket or night-gown, over which little fingers had labored
deftly and lovingly, would, it seems to us, be a most wonderful
and delightful novelty for mamma or grandmamma to find on the
Christmas-tree this year. A set of handkerchiefs nicely hemmed and
marked (girls used to cross-stitch the marks in their own hair!), or
a soft flannel petticoat, cat-stitched at the seams, scalloped with
coarse working cotton,--which grows whiter with washing, instead of
yellowing like silk,--with three pretty initials on the waistband,
would be other capital ideas. Try them.

WORK APRONS.

The great convenience of these aprons is that the work can be rolled
up in them and laid aside for use. They are made of brown Holland
trimmed with black or blue or crimson worsted braid. Little loops of
doubled braid ornament the edge, and are held in place by a plain row
of the braid stitched on above them. The lower and largest pocket
should be made full and drawn up with a cord at top, so as to hold
rolls of pieces, worsteds and patterns. The little pockets are for
spools of silk and thread, tapes, buttons, and so on.

[Illustration: DIAGRAM OF WORK APRON.]

A LEAF NEEDLE-BOOK.

For this needle-book you will need the following materials: One-eighth
of a yard of crimson or green velvet, one-eighth of a yard of lining
silk to match, one-eighth of a yard of fine white flannel, two skeins
of white silk floss, a bit of Bristol-board, and a half yard of narrow
ribbon.

Cut in the Bristol-board a couple of leaf-s