  A TOY COLONIAL KITCHEN WITH FAC-SIMILE COLONIAL FURNISHINGS. W WOULD it not be fun to see a yoke of real live oxen come slowly walking into the kitchen dragging a load of logs? That is what many of the colonial boys and girls saw every day, and frequently the boys helped their fathers cut the logs which were for the big kitchen fireplace. And such a fireplace! Large enough for the huge, roaring fire and the chimney-seats also. These were placed close against the sides of the opening, making fine places for the boys and girls to sit and listen to thrilling tales of adventure or delightful fairy stories. drawing The kitchen in those days was the chief apartment and the most interesting room in the house. Who would want to go into the stiff, prim "best room" when they could be so much more comfortable in the spacious kitchen where everyone was busy and happy, and where apples could be hung by a string in front of the fire to roast and made to spin cheerily when the string was twisted, that all sides might be equally heated? Any girl or boy to-day would be As the Indian's first thought was for shelter, and he put up his wigwam, so the early settler's first thought was for shelter, and he built, not a wigwam, but a log-house with a kitchen large enough to serve as a general utility room. It was filled with various things, and all articles in it were used constantly. Everything not brought from the mother country the settlers made by hand. The colonial kitchen you can build may be of gray or white cardboard. Old boxes, if large enough, will answer the purpose. drawing Fig. I will tell you exactly how I built the colonial kitchen seen in Fig. 204. I made the floor (Fig. 205), the two side walls both alike (Fig. 206), the back wall (Fig. 207), and the interior of the fireplace (Fig. 208) of light-gray cardboard. drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Now you do the same thing. Get your measurements correct and be careful to make the lines perfectly straight. Before putting the kitchen together, fasten the rustic brackets, cut from a branching twig (Fig. 209), on the wall above the mantel-piece to support drawing Fig. Every colonial fireplace boasted of A Strong Crane upon which to hang the pots and kettles over the fire. One end of the crane was bent down and attached to the side chimney wall by iron rings. These rings allowed the
drawing Fig. Bend the two sides of The Fireplace F and F (Fig. 207) as in Fig. 213. Bend forward the interior of the fireplace (Fig. 208) at dotted lines, and fit Fig. 208 on the back of Fig. 207 to form the inside of the fireplace and the mantel-piece. Slide the slashed top strips of the sides of the fireplace D,D,D,D (Fig. 207), back of the slashed strips D,D,D,D (Fig. 208), which will bring the two centres E and E of the sides in drawing Fig. You must have An Oven at one side of the great fireplace for baking the wholesome "rye and Indian" bread, and the delicious home-made apple, pumpkin, rice and cranberry pies. In colonial days thirty large loaves of bread or forty pies would often be baked at one time, so spacious were the ovens. These side-ovens used to be heated by roaring wood fires built inside of them and kept burning for hours. When the oven was thoroughly hot the cinders and ashes were brushed out and in went the pies with a lot of little ones called "patties," for the Make your box-like oven according to Fig. 214, cut the heavy lines, score and bend the dotted lines. Bring the side H to the side I; lap I over H so that the two slits, J and J, will exactly fit one over the other; then bend the back down and run the flap J on the back through the two slits J on the side, and the flap K through the slit K. drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Adjust the oven back of the oven door L (Fig. 207), and fasten it tight on the wall by sliding the flap M of the oven (Fig. 214) through the slit M (Fig. 207) above the oven door; bend it down flat against the wall. Bring the bottom oven-flap N in through and over the lower edge of the oven door-way N (Fig. 207) and bend that also flat against the wall (Fig. 213). The two side oven flaps will rest against the back of the wall on each side of the oven door-way. Now that is finished firm and strong, and you can Put the Kitchen Together in a few moments. Lay the floor (Fig. 205) down flat on a table; bend up the two diagonal sides O and O, and slide the slit P in the side wall (Fig. 206) down into the slit P of the floor (Fig. 205), bringing the wall (Fig. 206) in front of the upturned floor-piece O (Fig. 205). In the same way fasten the other side wall on the floor. Slip the two slits Q and Q of the back wall (Fig. 207) down across the top slits (Q, Fig. 206) of the side walls. While bringing the back wall (Fig. 207) down to the floor, slide its outside strips S and S over and outside of the upturned pieces of the floor, S and S (Fig. 205), to hold them in place. As soon as the Indian's wigwam was up, he had a brisk fire to cook by, for after shelter came food. The white man did likewise after his house was built. Though he had andirons to help with his fire, even then to drawing Fig. Lay the Fire drawing Fig. in the immense fireplace required some skill. Cut two andirons of cardboard (Fig. 215), bend at dotted lines, paint black, and the andirons will stand alone and look like real ones (Fig. 216). Cut from red, orange, yellow, and black tissue-paper flames like Fig. 217; bend at dotted line and paste the mingled flames one at a time and turned in varying directions on a piece of cardboard made to fit the bottom of the fireplace. Adjust the little black andirons to the fire and glue them in place; select a large log for the "back-log," and a more slender one to lay across the front of the andirons. Place smaller wood in between with the flames, and scatter a few bits of black paper on the hearth underneath to appear like fallen charred wood. When finished the fire should look as if it were actually sparkling, roaring, and blazing (Fig. 218). drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Your fire is ready, so you must hurry and get the Great Iron Pot to hang over the flames. Break an egg in halves as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 219; even off the edge of the larger half shell with a pair of scissors, paste a strip of tissue-paper over the edge and glue on a stiff paper handle (Fig. 220). Cut three pieces of heavy, stiff paper like Fig. 221, bend at dotted line and pinch the two lower corners on part T together to form the pot legs (Fig. 222). Turn the egg-shell upside down and fasten the legs on by gluing the flap U (Fig. 221) on the bottom of the shell; the legs should enable the pot to stand upright. Turn the egg-shell into iron by painting the handle and outside of the pot jet black (Fig. 223). Swing the crane forward, hang on the pot, pretend you have something to cook in it, then move the crane back over the fire. drawing Fig.
Remember all the time you are playing, that this is the way your colonial ancestors cooked. In days of long ago, they had many other Odd Utensils One of the easiest for you to make is the long-handled iron shovel called a "peel" (Fig. 224), used to place bread and pie in the great oven. Cut the peel from stiff cardboard, paint it black and stand it up by the side of the chimney (Fig. 204). Trace the toaster (Fig. 225) on cardboard, paint it black, bend up the four semicircular rings and bend down the two feet, one on each side (Fig. 226).
Chicken and other eatables were placed between the front and back rings on the toaster and broiled before the
Several pieces of iron of varying lengths, generally made into the shape of the letter S, were called "pot-hooks"; they hung on the crane. Make two or three pot-hooks of cardboard and paint them black (Fig. 227). When you are not using the little toaster, bend up the handle and hang it on a pin stuck in the wall (Fig. 204). drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Just look at your little colonial friend, Thankful Parker! (Fig. 228). The tiny maid seems almost to be stepping lightly forward and backward as she spins out long threads of the soft, warm yarn, singing softly all the while a little old-fashioned song. How busily she works, and listen! you can all but hear the wheel's cheery hum, hum, hum! Spinning-Wheel belonged to every family, for all had to do their own spinning or go without the yarn, as they could obtain no assistance from others.
drawing Fig. drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Cut from cardboard the spokes (Fig. 229) for your miniature colonial spinning-wheel, the tire (Fig. 230), and the two small wheels (Fig. 231). Bend forward the fan-shaped ends of each spoke (Fig. 229) and glue the tire (Fig. With the exception of the square spaces AA and BB on the stand (Fig. 232) cut the heavy lines and the little holes; score, then bend the dotted lines. Bend down the long sides and the ends fitting the corners against and on the inside of the same letters on the sides, glue these in place and you have a long, narrow box with two extensions on one side (HH and GG). Bend these extensions, also their ends II and JJ, and glue the ends on the inside of the opposite side of the box against the places marked II and JJ. Turn the box over, bringing the level smooth side uppermost. Cut out the wheel brace (Fig. 233), turn it over on the other side, then bend AA backward and BB forward, and glue the brace on the box-like stand (Fig. 232) on the squares AA and BB. See Fig. 228. Make the upright (Fig. 234) of wood; shave both sides of the end, KK, until it is flat and thin, then glue a small wheel (Fig. 231) on each side, raising the wheels above the wood that the flat end of the upright With the red-hot end of a hat-pin bore the hole LL through the front of the upright, and below bore another hole, MM, through the side. Make the screw (Fig. 238) and the block (Fig. 239) of wood. Run the screw through the side hole MM in the upright (Fig. 234), and push the screw on through the hole in the top of the block (Fig. 239). Break off more than half of a wooden toothpick for the spindle (Fig. 236) and pass it through the hole LL (Fig. 234). drawing Fig. Make the hub (Fig. 235) of wood and thread it in through the wheel and brace (Fig. 233), to hold the wheel in place. Use two wooden toothpicks, with the ends broken off (Fig. 237), for legs; insert these slantingly into the holes, GG (Fig. 232), on the under part of the stand, allowing the top ends to reach up and rest against the under side of the top of the stand. Spread out the bottom ends of the legs. Run the upright (Fig. 234) through the single hole near one end of the stand (Fig. 232) and pass it down through the under hole on HH. The lower part of the upright forms the third leg. See that all three legs set evenly when the wheel stands, and that the box part is raised slightly higher at the upright end, slanting downward toward the other end (Fig. 228). Glue the three legs firmly in place. Connect the two small wheels (Fig. 231) and the large wheel together by passing a string between the small wheels and over around the outside of the tire of the large wheel, fastening it on here and there with a little glue (Fig. 228). Twist a piece of raw cotton on the spindle and tie a length of white darning-cotton to the end of the cotton (Fig. 228).
drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Stretch the thread across to the hand of your colonial-dressed doll, glue it in place, and the next time your mother attends a meeting of the Society of Colonial Dames tell her to show your little maid Thankful Parker and her spinning-wheel. When you Dress the Doll coil her hair up on top of her head (Fig. 240) and fasten it in place with common pins (Fig. 241). Make the straight bang look as nearly as possible as though the hair were drawn up into a Pompadour such as was worn in Colonial times.
drawing Fig. drawing Fig.
Make the cap (Fig. 243) of thin white material cut like Fig. 242, and the band (Fig. 244) of the same color as the dress. Cut the thin white kerchief like Fig. drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Old-Fashioned Flintlock Rifle with its long, slender barrel was used almost daily by our forefathers for securing game as food. The gun was kept hanging in plain sight over the kitchen mantel-piece, ready for defence at a moment's notice, for in those early days wolves and other wild animals were numerous and dangerous, and enemies were also likely to appear at any time. You should have one of those queer old guns to adorn your kitchen wall. Get some heavy tinfoil off the top of a bottle, or take a collapsible drawing Fig. drawing Fig. In the centre of one end of the stick bore a deep hole with the red-hot point of a hat-pin and insert the pointed end of an ordinary pin for a ramrod (Fig. 252). Split the other end of the stick up through the centre not quite half an inch and work the butt end of the gun in the opening (Fig. 253). Lay the gun-barrel above the wooden part (Fig. 254) and fasten the two together with the four bands of tinfoil (Fig. 255), allowing the top part of Fig. 250 to stand up free to represent the flintlock. We must be content without a trigger unless you can manage to make one by bending down and cutting a part of Fig. 250. Paint the butt and wooden portion of the gun brown before binding on the drawing Fig. When the fire in your big kitchen fireplace needs brightening, use the drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Little Bellows to send fresh air circulating through the smouldering embers. The bellows are easy to make. Cut two pieces of pasteboard like Fig. 256, and cut two short strips of thin paper. Paste one edge of each strip to each side of one piece of cardboard bellows, fold the strips across the centre (Fig. 256), and attach the free ends of the folded strips to the other piece of pasteboard bellows, forming a hinge-like connection on each side between the two pasteboard sides. Paste the points of the two sides together up as far as the dotted line (Fig. 256). When thoroughly dry you can work the bellows by bringing the handles together and opening them as you would real bellows (Fig. 257). drawing Fig. Heavy tinfoil must furnish material for your Pewter Ware; drawing Fig. much of it has the same dull, leaden color and the peculiar look of old pewter. Should the pieces of tinfoil you find be twisted and uneven, lay them on a table and smooth out the creases with scissors or the dull edge of a knife-blade; then cut out round, flat pieces and holding one at a time in the palm of your left hand, round up the edges by rolling the ball of a hat-pin around and around the plate; press rather hard and soon the edges will begin to crinkle and turn upward (Fig. 258). You may mould some deeper than others and have a row of different-sized pewter plates on the kitchen mantel-piece, and you can make a wee pie in the deepest plate, open the oven-door and shove the pastry into the oven with the little iron peel. Try it. The colonial kitchen would be incomplete without a bright, Home-like Rag Rug to place over the bare board floor, and it will be fun for you to weave it. Take a piece of smooth brown wrapping-paper the size you want your mat, fold it crosswise through the centre and cut across the fold (Fig. 259), making a fringe of double pieces which we will call the warp. Unfold the paper and weave various colored tissue-strips in and out through the brown foundations (Fig. 260), drawing Fig. Now we must manufacture a fine Old Colonial Clock
drawing Fig. (Fig. 261). It would never do to forget the clock, for poor little Thankful would not know how long her many loaves of bread were baking in the big oven, and the bread might burn. Cut Fig. 262 of cardboard and score all dotted lines, except NN-OO, which forms the hinge of the door. Mark this with a pinhole at top and bottom, turn the cardboard over and draw a line from pinhole to pinhole; then score it on this line that the door may open properly outward. Try to draw the face of the clock correctly. Make it in pencil first so that any mistake may be erased and corrected. When you have the face drawn as it should be, go over the pencil lines with pen and ink. Begin the face with a circle (Fig. 263). Make it as you made the circle for the wigwam, only, of course, very much smaller. Above the circle, at the distance of half the diameter of the circle, draw a curve with your home-made compass (Fig. 264). Lengthen the compass a little and make another curve a
Leave Fig. 269 white, but paint the other portions of the clock a light reddish brown with black lines above and below the door, and a black band almost entirely across the bottom edge of the front of the clock that the clock may appear to be standing on feet. Gild the three points on the top to make them look as if made of brass.
Be sure that the four holes in the top (Fig. 262) are fully large enough to allow a coarse darning-needle to be passed readily through them; then bend the clock into shape, fitting the extension PP over the extension QQ; the two holes in PP must lie exactly over those in QQ. Glue the
drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Thread a piece of heavy black darning-cotton in the largest-sized long darning-needle you can find; on one end of the thread mould a cylinder-shaped piece of beeswax, cover it with thin tinfoil, then open the clock-door and hold the clock with its head bent outward and downward from you. Look through the open door and see the holes on the inside of the top; run your needle through one of these holes and drawing Fig. drawing Fig. Do you like real country buttermilk, and have you ever helped churn? If you live in the city or for some other reason are not able to make the butter, you can still enjoy manufacturing a little Colonial Churn that will look capable of producing the best sweet country butter (Fig. 275).
drawing Fig. Cut Fig. 274 of heavy paper or light-weight cardboard; mark three bands on it (Fig. 275). Make your churn much larger than pattern, have it deep enough to stand as high as Fig. 275. Glue the sides together along the dotted lines, turn up the circular bottom and glue the extensions up around the bottom of the churn. Fit a cork in the top for the churn-lid and make a hole through the centre of the cork for the handle of the dasher (Fig. 276). Make the handle by rolling up a strip of paper as you would roll a paper lighter. Glue the loose top end of the handle on its roll; then cut the large end of the handle up a short distance through its centre (Fig. 277). Cut the dasher (Fig. 278) from cardboard, slide it over the divided end of handle (Fig. 279), bend the two halves of the handle-end in opposite directions, and glue them on the dasher as shown in Fig. 280. Slip the handle of dasher through the cork lid (Fig. 281), and fit the lid in the churn (Fig. 275). |
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