Victorian Christmas Gifts To Make

Victorian Christmas Gifts to Make

The following instructions for Victorian Christmas gifts were published to give Victorian ladies an idea of what was considered appropriate Christmas gifts to give as well as what sold well at their "fancy fairs." This particular little item would also make a nice Christmas ornament. You will, of course have to substitute materials for those no longer available today.

ARTICLES FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND FANCY FAIRS.

Many pretty fancy articles can be made from scraps of ribbon or silk and satin, with the addition of pins, beads, and spangles.

Paper spangles are the kind to be used in the articles now described, and can be bought inpenny packets at toy shops.

Red gold and bright gold spangles are wanted; and a few old playing or writing cards.

Victorian Christmas Gift No. 1

The Guitar. — This is a particularly pretty little article.

Victorian Gift - Guitar

Click on picture to see more detail.
The materials required are a little piece of light, bright green satin, a very little bit of black grosgrain silk or ribbon; green, black, and pale yellow, fine sewing silk; and a little narrow, white sarcenet ribbon; a few gold and red spangles, some small white pins, and a gold lion of embossed paper, which can be bought where the spangles are sold; also some thin card and a little gum.

From the card, cut two pieces like the body of the guitar. Cover these with the green satin, by tacking it one end to the other, across the wrong side. Cut a little piece of card, like Fig. 2; cover it very neatly with black, and stitch it to one piece of the body, as the bridge shown in Fig. 1. It must be stitched upright, on end.

Cut two pieces of card, like Fig. 3; cover each with black silk, stitch one to the upper piece of the body of the guitar, with invisible stitches. Then with the yellow silk imitate the strings, beginning just beyond the bridge, carrying them over the bridge, up to the top of the back piece. Before putting on the strings, fix the lion in the center, and the red and gold spangles round it with thick gum, made by melting a little with water, in an egg-cup, by placing it in the oven or on the hob.

Neatly stitch the second black piece to the other part of the guitar body. Then sew the twoblack pieces neatly together with black silk, uniting the tops, and with green silk sew the two pieces of the guitar together.

Make a loop of white sarcenet ribbon at the top of the black part, and cover the join with a handsome knot of white bows.

To complete it, stick small white pins around the body of the guitar at the edges, between the stitches of the sewing.

The color may be varied, but green is the most effective.The illustrations are of the correct size (click on picture to see correct size).

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