Everybody uses the dainty little crochet doyleys for afternoon tea in these days, so a case to hold and keep them flat makes a useful gift. It consists of two circles of stiff cardboard covered with white linen or satin jean, and caught together at the top with two little bows of ribbon, which form hinges, and tied with ribbons at the lower edge.

Cut the two cards 12 1/2 inches in diameter, and four pieces of white linen rather larger. Across one of these latter write the word "Doyleys" in large letters, and outline them with any quick, effective stitch. A chain-stitch, in which the needle is returned just under instead of into the previous stitch, is a good one to choose. Add any little decorative design. The work should be done in thick mercerised thread in some pretty pale shade.

A Mattress Pincushion This pincushion is embroidered with silk and filled with lavender

When it is finished cover the cards with the linen and oversew the edges; sew each ribbon at the top on to the edges of the case, about half an inch apart, to allow the covers of the case to separate sufficiently to hold the doyleys.

A Novel Mattress Pincushion

There is a rage for mattress pincushions, but one with an embroidered linen cover, and stuffed with lavender, is quite a novelty.

First make your under cushion of crash, about 5 inches square and with a strip at the edges barely an inch wide. Fill this with lavender flowers, which can be bought at the chemist's by the pound, and then mattress it down with coarse thread in the centre and at the four corners.

The dainty top cover is made of pretty coloured linen embroidered in a scattered flower design. For this oddments of silk can be used, and each of the flowers can be done in a different colour, and the leaves in green; or the whole might be done in different shades of china blue or any other colour. The edges must be very finely oversewn, and along the upper one an extremely narrow cream silk cord is slip-stitched.

Lavender Case A delightful gift that will cost but little in time or money

If this is wanted as an unscented pincushion without the lavender, the under part should be made of eight layers of the ordinary grey felting which is used under carpets. These should be tacked together and then covered and mattressed. A fine flock is sometimes used for stuffing these cushions and should have a little sachet powder scattered among it.

A Lavender Case

Another very dainty little novelty which can be made quite inexpensively is a lavender case, to be used among the linen or handkerchiefs. The whole, complete, will only cost a few pence.

Buy a tiny glove handkerchief as small as you can get. It should have an embroidered or lace edge, and if it is too large it can have a tuck run in it. Sew a little piece of muslin or linen to match the handkerchief across the lower half, and fold the other half over it to form a flap like that on a nightdress case. On the upper half, or flap, embroider some little sprays of lavender. Use a single thread of brown filoselle for the stalks. This is necessary to form a contrast with the green leaves and lavender flowers. Each flower is made of a single chain-stitch, caught down at the tip, forming what is called a bird's-eye or daisy stitch.

Bag For Crochet A pretty gift for a busy worker

To fit inside this case a small, flat bag of fine net is made, which is filled with lavender; both stalk and flower can be used.

A Paper Handkerchief Sachet The original of this illustration was made by a little girl of seven

A Calendar Blotter

A good present for a man is a calendar blotter, a notion which hails from America. To make one, get a picture-frame maker to cut you a card measuring 17 inches by 11 inches. It might be dark green board on both sides such as is used for mounting prints, and the edges must be painted green, with water-colour paint, to match.

Four little triangular pieces of the card, 3 1/2 inches at the base, will be required to form the corners, and these should also have the edges painted. They are each kept in place by three ordinary paper clips, of which the heads are covered with sealing-wax in dark green or some contrasting shade. The wax must come over the edge of the heads of the clips or it will not hold. To make the blotter neat at the back and cover the ends of the clips, paste a piece of green glazed lining over each corner.

Now cut six pieces of blotting-paper to fit the blotter, and on the left-hand side of each piece paste two months of a calendar, one under the other. Little penny calendars will be big enough, and two will be required if they are printed on both sides. Then lay the paper so that the months come in order, and fix it in -the blotter. A piece of blotting-paper is torn off every two months.

A Bag for Crochet

A novel and pretty little work-bag for holding crochet can be made from a 6-inch-wide chine ribbon, of which one yard will be wanted. One edge must be gathered up and sewn on to a round of card, 4 1/2 inches in diameter, covered with silk to go with the ribbon. The other edge forms the top of the bag, and has a row of

Valenciennes lace beading, about 2 inches wide, sewn on to it. Through the slots in this two pieces of narrow bebe ribbon are drawn, and the bag is complete.

A Paper Handkerchief Sachet

It is not very easy to find dainty work for children to do in the way of Christmas presents, because, if things take long to do, they are soiled before completion.

A paper handkerchief case, however, is very quickly made. It is made from two Japanese paper serviettes. These are laid together with a thin layer of wadding between, and the edges bound with an inch-wide silk ribbon, which is tacked in place and then run with silk. Three of the points are then folded towards the centre and caught with a few stitches and a buttonholed loop on the top. The fourth corner is left loose and finished with a little bow.

The design on the serviettes which make the case seen in our photograph is a very suitable one, of white lilies edged with gold, and with green leaves on a white ground. The ribbon is a pale mauve.

A Muslin Milk-jug Cover

A thing which a child of six or seven can make entirely by herself is a little muslin cover, weighted with beads at the edge, to go over the nursery milk-jug to keep the dust out of the milk. A piece of common butter-muslin is used, merely hemmed all round, 11 inches square being a useful size.

The beads are of the kind usually seen in penny necklaces, and must be securely sewn on about two inches apart. It makes it more interesting to a child to use alternate colours, such as blue and green or pink and red.

These covers can be washed whenever required without removing the beads.

A set of three in different sizes, for various sized jugs, forms a charming present for a little girl to give away at Christmas-time.

Muslin Milk-Jug Cover Another present that can be made by a young child