Chapter I: Part 1

THE CHILDREN’S
KRAFT SHOP

INVENTED, WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED
BY
ADELIA BELLE BEARD

CHICAGO
M.A. DONOHUE & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

_FOREWORD TO MOTHERS_

Introducing the Children’s Kraftshop. We have endeavored to open a new and useful field of simple handicrafts for little folk, giving them an original line of toys and a new line of materials with which to make them. We hope the children will have a great deal of pleasure in making toys of such things as empty spools, sticks of kindling wood, wooden clothespins, natural twigs, old envelopes and newspapers, and in this way to encourage resourcefulness, originality, inventiveness, and the power to do with supplies at hand.

Everything described in the book has been invented by the author, and made by such practical and simple methods that a child’s mind can grasp them, and a child’s hands be easily trained to manufacture the articles.

Making Wind Toys

By Adelia Belle Beard

One of the Authors of Things Worth Doing

It was the windy weather that suggested the new toys to the children. “Suppose we try pinwheels,” said Polly. “Not the old kind on sticks that we used to make, but we can have them different somehow, and this wind will make them spin like mad. Donald, I just _must_ have pinwheels.”

Polly’s enthusiasm inspired Donald. “We can make a windmill with a pinwheel for the big wheel,” he said.

“Oh, yes,” chimed in Polly, “you do that, and I will make a string of pinwheels that will not need sticks, or pins either. What shall we make them of?”

“Stiff writing paper is the best,” replied Donald. “Here is our best pad,” he added, taking from the table drawer a large pad of good quality writing paper. “Do you think we ought to use it?”

“Why not?” said Polly. “Mother says we are learning lots of things in our Kraft Shop.”

Donald had no further scruples about using the paper, though he was careful not to waste it. “I am going to make the tower for my windmill of this heavy manila wrapping paper,” he announced. “It is nice and smooth and plenty strong and stiff enough.”

“I would,” Polly answered absently, as she folded and slashed the squares for her pinwheels. “I’ll have them graduated,” she continued, thinking of her own work; “first a large wheel, then a smaller, then a smaller one still, and the last shall be smallest of all.”

For her largest wheel Polly cut a square of writing paper, which measured exactly six inches along each edge. The next she cut five and a half inches square, the next four and a half inches square and the smallest three and a half inches square. Then she placed her ruler across the largest square diagonally from the upper right-hand corner to the lower left-hand corner and ran her pencil along its edge. This gave her a diagonal pencil line from corner to corner on her square. Again she placed her ruler across the square, this time from the upper left-hand corner to the lower right-hand corner, and drew a line along its edge, dividing her square into four equal triangles. After this she drew the same kind of lines on the three other squares. With her scissors she cut slashes along each line on each of the squares to within three-quarters of an inch of the center. (Figure 1.)

Lifting the upper left-hand point of the large square (A, Figure 1), she brought it to, and overlapped, the center of the square (A, Figure 2), curving, not sharply bending the paper. The point B she brought also to the center, overlapping the point A. She did the same with C and D, C overlapping B and D overlapping C. When all the four points met at the center Polly ran a large needle, threaded with a long, soft, white cotton string, through the center of the wheel at the back and out through the overlapping points in front, taking care that the needle passed through every point. Then she drew the needle up until the back of the pinwheel rested against a knot which was tied about six inches from the end of the string and, allowing almost one inch of string for the wheel to turn on, she tied another knot in front of the wheel, to hold it. Between the two knots the wheel could whirl, but could not move out of place.

Six inches above the last knot she made another knot and then strung the next largest pinwheel on the string and fastened with a second knot in the same manner as the first wheel. In this way all four were put on the string, each six inches from its neighbor, and then there remained half a yard or more of free string above the last wheel. On the free end of the string Polly fastened a small square of pasteboard by pushing the needle through the center of the square and tying a large knot at the extreme end of the string to keep the pasteboard from slipping off. (Figure 4.)

“The wind can’t pull the string through my fingers when I hold it by this pasteboard square,” she said, and almost before the last knot was tied Polly was at the window. “Come quick, Donald, I am going to try my pinwheels,” she cried, throwing up the sash and putting out the hand that held the end of her string.

Donald dropped his windmill and gained the window at a bound, as anxious as Polly to see the result of her experiment. Immediately the wind caught the string of pinwheels, lifted it out straight and sent each wheel whirling at a great rate.

“How they do go!” Donald exclaimed. “Now come and help finish the windmill. You make the wheel while I get the tower in shape.”

“All right,” said Polly cheerfully. “How big shall I make the wheel?”

“About six and one-half inches square.”

Donald made the tower for his windmill all in one piece. (Figure 5.) He first decided upon the height and width, then drew four connecting oblong panels for the four sides. Each of these panels he made ten inches high and four inches wide. For the peaked roof he drew four more panels, one above each of the side panels. These he made four inches high and four inches wide, just the width of the side panels. Exactly at the middle of each top line of each roof panel he made a dot with his pencil, then drew slanting lines from the ends of the base of each roof panel to the dot at the top. This gave four points for the roof. (Figure 5.)

The laps, or feet, for the tower to stand on, Donald made by drawing a horizontal line just one inch below the lower edges of the side panels and bringing the side lines down to meet it. The bend-over, attached to the fourth panel, which holds the tower together, he made two inches wide and exactly the length of the side panels.

This finished the drawing and Donald proceeded to cut it out. He cut along the slanting lines of the second and fourth points of the roof, but on the first and third points he left bend-overs, as shown in Figure 5, simply cutting off some of the top of the two squares to make the bend-overs fit under the other two points. Just two inches below the top line and two inches from each side line of the second and fourth side panel Donald punctured two small holes. (A and B, Figure 5.) These were for the wheel rod. He then slashed the lines which separated the feet at the bottom of the side panels and bent the tower in shape according to the dotted lines in Figure 5. The feet he bent out, the roof he bent in, the sides he bent in, and each bend he creased sharply to give a smooth, even edge. With good glue he fastened the bend-overs of the roof to the under side of the cut-out points; then he glued the side bend-over to the outside of the first panel and his tower was finished.

Polly had completed the wheel for the mill, making it as she did her pinwheels, with this difference: instead of a string to hold the wheel together she used a strong pin and put it through from the front, piercing the laps before running it through the center of the wheel.

“Are the little holes to hold the stick for the wheel, Donald?” she inquired.

“Yes; I wish you would find me a good stick, Polly, while I tack the feet of the tower to a piece of board.”

Donald used two large-headed carpet tacks for each foot, and, to prevent the sharp edges of the heads from tearing the paper, he cut little rounds from an old kid glove and pushed one round up on each tack before tacking the tower to the board.

“Will this do?” asked Polly, holding up the slender handle of an old paint brush.

“Just the thing,” said Donald, pushing the pointed end of the stick into the hole A in the front of the tower and out through the hole B at the back.

Donald forced the point of the pin that held the wheel into the blunt end of the wheel rod which extended out one inch beyond the hole A at the front of the tower. Then, to hold the rod at the back he pushed a cork onto its pointed end.

“Now for a wind wagon!” cried Donald.

“Won’t a box do for the wagon part?” Polly asked, “and—”

“Spools for wheels,” broke in Donald.

“Hatpins for axles,” added Polly.

“Four wheels and corks between to keep them apart,” said Donald.

“I am going to use this pasteboard letter-paper box,” said Polly.

“Well, tell me how wide and how long it is, so that I can make the sails to fit.”

Polly measured the box. “It is a little over six and one-half inches long, five inches wide and one inch and a half deep,” she announced.

“Be sure your spools are all the same size,” Donald said.

Polly begged two hatpins of her mother. One was long, the other short. The shortest was just the right length for her axle, so, using a pair of nippers, she broke the longer pin off at the point to match the short one. Then she pushed one pin in on one side of the box a quarter of an inch from the edge and one inch and a quarter from the end. On this pin, inside of the box, she strung a large spool, then a small cork, then another large spool and finally pushed the point of the pin through the other side of the box exactly opposite to where it entered the first side. On the point of the pin she stuck a small cork for a hub. The round head of the pin answered for the other hub. (Figure 8.) The other two spool wheels were adjusted in the same manner and the last pin was inserted in the box the same distance from the back end and edge as the first pin was from the front end and edge.

Donald cut both of his sails like Figure 9, making them eight inches wide at the bottom, four inches wide at the top and six and one-quarter inches high. He drew a line directly through the middle of each sail from top to bottom, and on this line he cut four small points at equal distances apart for openings to admit the masts. He made two braces at the bottom of each sail, four inches apart, to hold them steady. (C and D, Figure 9.) Each brace is half an inch wide, half an inch high, and has a lap at the bottom one inch long.

When the sails were ready he erected his masts. These were slender, straight twigs, nine inches long, sharpened to a point at each end. The front mast he placed half an inch from the front edge of the wagon, the back mast one inch and a half from the back edge of the wagon, and both directly on a line drawn lengthwise through the center of the box. Donald first punctured small holes in the box at these points, then forcing a half-inch cork up one inch on the lower end of the front mast (E, Figure 10), he covered the bottom of the cork with glue, and inserted the end of the mast in the hole at the front of the box where it was a tight fit.

When he had pushed the mast down until the glue on the cork held it fast, he covered the top of another cork with glue (F, Figure 10), and forced the last cork up on the mast from the under side of the wagon until it stuck to the top. When the glue dried the mast was firm and steady.

The sail Donald slipped onto the mast from the top, running the mast in and out of the holes, as shown in Figure 7. He bent the laps back at the dotted lines and glued them to the top of the box. Then to make the sail still more secure he pasted oblongs of paper over the masts where they ran through the sails at the back. The dotted inclosures, G and H, show the positions of the oblongs on the sail.

When the second mast and sail were erected and adjusted in the same way as the first, Donald cut two narrow strips of blue tissue paper, four and a half inches long, for pennants. (Figure 7.)

“She is done now,” said Donald.

Making an Automobile

By Adelia Belle Beard

One of the Authors of Things Worth Doing

“Donald,” said Polly, “don’t you think we could make a cunning little automobile if we tried ever so hard?”

“Y-e-s, we might if we could manage the wheels. They must be heavy and turn easily. It won’t be a real auto unless it can go whizzing.”

“Spools, spools!” she cried joyfully. “They will go as fast as lightning. See?” and jumping up she seized her workbasket, turned it upside down, found an empty spool, then dropped on her knees and sent the spool rolling across the hardwood floor.

“Spools are all right,” said Donald. “Now, can we make our motor car?”

“Well, here is the bristleboard, but I should think it would be best to make a paper pattern first, then we can alter it as much as we like. Donald, do you remember just how an automobile looks?” Polly inquired, with a giggle, for Donald’s hobby was to know all about automobiles, and he was sure he could drive one as well as an experienced chauffeur if he had the opportunity.

Donald disdained a reply. “Where is the brown wrapping paper for the patterns? Oh, here it is,” he said. “Now we will begin. Get the very largest spools you can find, Polly; two will be enough, but they must be the same size. Yes, these will do.”

The spools Polly selected were two inches high, an inch and a quarter across the ends and had quite slender shafts.

“But, after all,” objected Polly, “the spools don’t look like auto wheels.”

“That doesn’t matter; we will put the spools under the car and make show wheels for the outside. No one will notice, when we speed the car, that her outside wheels are not turning, They’ll appear to be.”

“Then what shall we use for show wheels?”

“Pill boxes will do. Look them up, Polly, while I make the auto frame to hold the spools. And, Polly,” he called, as she was leaving the room, “bring up some of those round, slender, little sticks I saw in the kitchen, will you?

“I guess you mean skewers. Jane uses them to pin meat together with. She got them from the butcher boy.”

“Whatever they are, I want them for axles.”

While Polly was gone Donald planned his auto frame, making it first of the wrapping paper, and without very accurate measurements. When she came back with the pill boxes and skewers, Donald slipped each of his two spools onto a skewer, fitted the skewer under the frame, rolled the frame on the table, and found his scheme would work. Then he took his pattern apart and spread it out in front of him.

“Queer looking thing, isn’t it?” remarked Polly. “Shall I draw it on the bristolboard and make it more exact?”

“Do,” said Donald, “and be sure you get both sides precisely alike and both ends precisely alike, else it won’t balance.”

Polly nodded. “I’ll begin with the oblong in the middle; that’s the floor, I suppose, then draw the sides and ends to fit.” So she fell to work while Donald perfected his pattern for the body of the car.

The center oblong Polly made seven and one-quarter inches long and two and three-quarters inches wide. (Fig. 1.)

“Be sure you make the sides and ends at right angles to one another,” cautioned Donald.

“Yes, dear,” said Polly, and she proceeded to draw the sides, making long oblongs one and one-half inches wide on either side of the large oblong, and for the ends she drew oblongs one and one-eighth inches wide across the entire width of the three long oblongs. “That simplifies things,” she explained, as she extended the side lines of the large oblong across the end oblongs. “Now I can cut it down where it needs cutting without losing the large proportions.”

Five-eighths of an inch from the outer edge of each of the sides she drew a horizontal line for the steps. (Figure 1.) This line is three and three-quarters inches long. It begins just one and three-quarters inches from one end of the side and ends one and three-quarters inches from the other end. Then Polly drew the short vertical lines from the edge to meet the ends of the horizontal line, which gave her the end of the steps. On either side of each step she drew an axle guard three-eighths of an inch high, with a base half an inch wide and top an inch and a quarter wide. “Now I will make the bend-over and the catch,” she said.

“That is a good name for it,” said Donald. “Half an inch will be wide enough for the ‘bend-over,’ and make the catch one-quarter of an inch wide after you have allowed a little space between it and the bend-over.”

“How much space?” inquired Polly.

“One-sixteenth of an inch will be wide enough, and don’t make the catch quite as long as the bend-over. Cut a little off at each end. (Figure 1.) Be careful about the slits in the ends of the frame, Polly. They must be just half an inch from each edge, because the bend-over is half an inch wide, and since you have made the necks of the catches half an inch wide the slits must be a little longer.”

“What are the slits on the steps for?”

“They are to hold the mud guards. Make them about three-eighths of an inch long and put a slit half an inch from end of each step.”

“That’s explicit,” commented Polly. “Shall I cut the frame out now?”

“Better first go over the lines you are to cut and make them quite heavy; then dot the lines to be bent, so that you won’t spoil it by cutting along the wrong lines.”

“Good advice; I’ll do that.”

When cut out the auto frame looked like Figure 1.

“I shall use my small scissors to cut the slits, Donald,” Polly said. “The knife is so apt to slip.”

Before bending the frame into shape Polly scored the dotted lines by drawing the blade of her knife lightly along their entire length, using a rule to keep the knife on the line. When the sides, ends and bend-overs were bent down Polly folded the ends of each catch inward, then lapped the bend-overs outside the ends, inserted each catch in its own particular slit, opened out the catches, and the ends and sides were held firmly and evenly in place. The catch A was put through the slit A, catch B through slit B, C through C and D through D. (Figure 1.) Then Polly bent the steps up to stand out at right angles from the sides. “I am ready for the spools,” she announced.

“You will have to sharpen the blunt ends of these skewers, then,” said Donald, “and cut them off if they are too long. Three and one-half inches will be just about the right length.”

When she had cut her axles the proper length and sharpened the ends, Polly punctured a very small hole in each axle guard, as shown in Figure 1. Then, from the inside, she pushed one end of an axle through the hole in one axle guard, slipped a spool on the axle and forced the other end of the axle through the hole in the opposite axle guard. The auto frame upside down (Figure 2) shows how this is done.

“Now for the hub to keep the axle in place,” she reflected. “I know,” and with a spring she was up and off to rummage in her treasure box, coming back triumphantly with several small corks.

“See, Donald,” she said, screwing the point of the axle into the large end of a cork. “It holds splendidly, and the spools cannot possibly drop off.”

“First-rate idea, Polly; I hadn’t thought of the hubs. This is the body of the car,” he continued, showing his paper pattern. “I’ll draw it on the bristleboard if you will make wheels of the pill boxes.”

Figure 3 shows how Donald made the body of the automobile. The oblong in the center is the floor. It is two and three-quarters inches wide, just the width of the auto frame, and five and three-quarters inches long. The back is two inches high at the side edges and curves up one-quarter of an inch higher in the middle. The bend-overs at the back measure two inches at each edge, and curve, as in Figure 3. The length of the side from the dotted line of the bend-over to the door is two inches. The door is square, measuring one and one-quarter inches each way. The length of the side between the dashboard and the door is two and one-half inches. Next to the door it is one and one-half inches high, and at the lower corner, where the curve ends, it is one inch high. The strip that meets the dashboard is three-eighths of an inch high. The bend-over, including the catch, is seven-eighths of an inch high and seven-eighths of an inch long, and the catches E and F are each three-eighths of an inch square.

The dashboard fits in between the two front bend-overs. It is one and one-half inches high in the middle and slopes to the sides, which are one and one-quarter inches high. The slits in the dashboard, E and F, are each one-half inch long and just one-half inch from the side edges. The slit G at the top is one-half inch long and three-eighths inch below the top edge. When Donald had cut out the auto body and scored the dotted lines, he bent up the back, front and sides, then lapped the back bend-overs across the outside of the back and fastened them in place by running a pin through from the outside, as shown in Figure 17. He found that the pin alone would not make it sufficiently secure; so, adopting Polly’s idea, he pushed a cork on the pin, brought up snugly against the inside of the back, and it held like a bolt. The front bend-overs he lapped over the outside of the dashboard and pushed the catch E through the slit E and the catch F through the slit F.

“Oh, Donald, the little doors will open, won’t they!” Polly exclaimed.

“Of course,” said Donald, bending them outward along the dotted lines. “This is the hood,” he went on. “The power box, you know,” showing his pattern like Figure 4. “I will draw it on the bristleboard now.”

First, Donald drew an oblong, five and one-quarter inches long and two and one-quarter inches wide. This he divided into seven parts, or panels, by drawing straight, vertical lines across the oblong. (Figure 4.) Each of the two end panels he made one and one-sixteenth inches wide and each of the other panels five-eighths of an inch wide. He extended the middle panel up one and three-eighths inches above the oblong, and across the extension, half an inch above the top line of the oblong he drew a dotted line to denote that beyond that was a bend-over. Then he cut off the corners of the bend-over. (H, Figure 4.) He made extensions three-quarters of an inch high above the two panels next to the middle panel, then he cut off the inner part of these extensions, making each half an inch wide. (I and J, Figure 4.)

Directly through the center of the middle panel Donald drew a straight, vertical line, bringing it down several inches below the bottom of the oblong. He did this in order that he might measure on either side and so get the end of the hood exactly in the middle and evenly balanced. He called this center line his plumb line.

Three-eighths of an inch below the bottom line of the oblong, and three-quarters of an inch to the left of the plumb line, Donald drew a horizontal line just half an inch long; then he drew a corresponding line at exactly the same distance to the right of the plumb line. These lines he connected with the bottom corners of the middle panel with slanting lines. (Figure 4.) Half an inch below the two short horizontal lines he drew parallel lines of the same length and connected their outer ends with the outer ends of the upper lines by vertical lines. This made two square extensions. (K and L, Figure 4.) One-quarter of an inch below the lower lines of the extensions K and L he drew another horizontal line one and one-eighth inches long, half on one side of the plumb line, half on the other side, and then he connected this horizontal line with the inner ends of the bottom lines of the extensions K and L by slanting lines. This formed the octagon-shaped front face of the hood. Below the octagon he drew a bend-over one inch high and running almost to a point at the bottom and half an inch above the bottom edge of each end panel he made a slit three-quarters of an inch long. (MM, Figure 4.)

When Donald bent the hood into shape it looked like Figure 5. The end panels from the bottom of the hood, and lapping completely over one another, make it double, and the point of the bend-over (M, Figure 4) slipped through the two slits M and M holds the hood in shape.

“But I don’t see how you are going to fasten it on,” said Polly.

“Wait until I make the lamps,” Donald answered, “and I will show you. Are there any more corks, Polly?”

“Yes; how many do you want?”

“Four for the lamps, but bring all you have.”

Donald selected two pretty good sized corks for the lower lamps and two smaller ones for the upper lamps. Both sizes were rather longer than he wanted, so he cut a slice off the small end of each cork. This left the largest corks three-quarters of an inch long and the smallest half an inch long.

“Now, Polly,” he said, “we will cut some rounds of silver paper to fit the tops of these corks and paste them on to represent glass, then paint black circles around them for the rims to hold the glass. That will make them shine.” (Figure 6.)

In a trice the lamps were finished and Donald fastened the largest ones on the extensions K and L at the front of the hood by running a large pin through the middle of each lamp, then through the extension, securing it at the back with a thick slice of cork. This done he proceeded to fasten the hood to the dashboard; first by running the bend-over H through the slit H from the inside of the dashboard, then by pinning the small lamps on the extensions I and J, running the pin through the dashboard also, and making fast with slices of cork. The exact position of the lamps is shown in the front view of the automobile. (Figure 16.)

“Now fasten the whole thing together,” urged Polly, and Donald adjusted the body of the car to its frame. He allowed the back of the body to project over the back of the frame half an inch, which gave one inch and three-quarters space in front of the hood to rest on. The hood extended about half an inch beyond the front of the frame.

“The pins and corks hold so well I’ll use them for this,” Donald announced, as he pinned the floor of the auto body to the top of the frame. He put one pin just back of the dashboard and another close to the back of the auto body. This time he used two slices of cork for each pin, one on top of the floor, the other underneath the frame.

The two back mud guards Donald made like Figure 13, which is a strip of bristleboard five and one-quarter inches long and five-eighths of an inch wide. The dotted line at the end, showing where it is to be bent, is three-quarters of an inch from the end and just half an inch from the slots that separate the catch from the guard. From the dotted line to the other end the guard is four and one-half inches long.

The two front mud guards he made exactly like the back ones, except that between the dotted line and the dotted line and the opposite end the distance was but two and three-quarters inches. He curved all four of the guards by drawing them lightly over the blade of his knife; then he bent them at the dotted lines, turned in the ends of each catch and inserted each catch in its slit in the auto step. The two back guards he put at the back ends of the steps, the two front guards at the front ends of the steps. Taking two pins, he inserted them in one of the back mud guards, as shown in Figure 13; then he pushed the pins into the side of the car, the lower one into the frame just below the door and the other into the auto body about one-quarter of an inch from the back. The other back guard he secured in the same way, but one pin only was needed for each of the front guards. This was run in three-quarters of an inch from the bend of the guard and forced into the frame just in front of the dashboard.

“Are the wheels ready?” asked Donald.

“Here they are,” and Polly pushed across the table four little wheels like Figure 7. “I didn’t use the box covers because there was writing on them, but I tore away the upper part of the box and the lower part was exactly like the lid. I drew a circle on the bottom of each box to mark off the tire and then drew the spokes and little air valves. See them?”

“We will give the tires a light wash of black paint to make them rubber color and paint the spokes black,” said Donald.

When they were finished Donald used three small corks for fastening each wheel in place. One for the hub, one inside the wheel, to steady it against the auto frame (Figure 8), and one on the inside of the auto frame. The front wheels he pinned at the extreme front of the auto frame, half way up from the bottom edge of the frame, and the back wheels at the extreme back of the frame, the same distance above the bottom edge. (NN, Figure 2.)

“You see,” said Donald, “these wheels must not touch the ground, else they will interfere with the speed of the car.”

“Here are the seats,” said Polly. “I worked them out while you were busy with the other parts.”

Figures 10, 11 and 12 are the patterns of the seats. Figure 10 is the front seat and Figure 12 the arm that divides it into two. The seat proper is an oblong two inches and three-quarters long by one inch and three-eighths wide. The ends and front that bend down and form the supports are each three-quarters of an inch high. The back is one inch high at the middle of each curve and three-quarters of an inch high when it bends to form the arms. The arms, which are cut to fit the sides of the auto, are one inch and three-eighths long. The middle arm (Figure 12) is one and one-quarter inches long at the bottom, three-quarters of an inch high at the back and the laps are each one-quarter of an inch wide.

Polly used paste to fasten the arm to the middle of the seat, putting the paste on the laps, then she fitted the seat in the car, pasting the sides of the seat to the sides of the car.

The back seat has no arms. It is the same length as the front seat, but one-quarter of an inch wider. The supports are the same height. The back at the middle is one and one-half inches high, while at the side edges it is one and one-quarter inches high. When the back seat was pasted to the back and sides of the car, Polly decided that she would make little cushions and cover them with tan-colored tissue paper, to look like leather.

“I have made the steering wheel,” said Donald, and he held it up. (Figure 14.) Figure 15 shows how it is cut from bristleboard and then marked off into a rim and four spokes. He used a wooden toothpick for the column and a small cork to keep the wheel in place. First he forced the small cork onto the toothpick, pushing it down not quite half an inch, then he inserted the point of the stick into the small hole he had previously punctured in the center of the wheel and pushed the wheel down to rest on the cork. (Figure 14.)

With a large hatpin he pierced a hole slantingly at the base of the dashboard, half an inch from the right side, all the way through the frame of the auto; then he forced the lower end of the steering column into the hole and it retained the proper slanting position.

“I didn’t forget the number,” said Polly, holding up a little oblong card, to which she had attached narrow strips of yellow paper for straps. On the card was printed the number of the Kraft Shop automobile. (Figure 9.) With a drop of paste on the end of each strap Polly hung the number to the back of the car. (Figure 17.)

The finished motor car is shown in Figure 18.

“Now we will test her speed,” said Donald, as he knelt on the floor and with a sure, strong push sent the auto spinning the whole length of the room.

“My, but it does go!” said Polly.

Making the Bird Airship

By Adelia Belle Beard

One of the Authors of Things Worth Doing

“How are we going to make an airship when we can’t fill the bag with gas?” said Donald. “Why, make it of stiff paper and it will stand out without gas,” Polly answered. “Yes, but I don’t see what is to hold it up?” Donald objected. “We will make the airship first and then find something to hold it up,” Polly replied, cheerfully.

“That’s a girl’s way of doing things,” laughed Donald.

“Well, it’s a good way,” retorted Polly.

Donald did not entirely agree with her, but Polly’s way seemed the only way in this case. “Of course we will make the balloon cigar shaped, like a dirigible, and have a propeller,” he said.

“Yes, and let us make wings, too; they will help keep it in the air,” Polly added.

“And a tail for a rudder,” said Donald.

“Why, it will look just like a bird!” Polly exclaimed. “And we can call it the ‘bird airship.’ That sounds nice, doesn’t it, Donald?”

“All right,” said Donald; “now I’ll make the balloon.”

“Oh, Donald, please let me do that. You always take the hardest parts and I know I can do some of them,” protested Polly. “Besides, I have thought of a way to make it.”

“Well, I don’t care if you make the balloon,” said Donald. “This is your scheme, anyway. I’ll do the other things, but use this stiff manila paper, Polly; it is good and strong.”

Polly was soon at work bending and clipping and shaping a pattern that later she would correct and reduce to exact measurements. Donald watched her while he waited to learn what size to make the wings, tail and little passenger car.

“I am making the balloon in panels,” Polly informed him. “It is easier than trying to keep it round, and I shall cut each end into points with a bend-over on each point to fasten them together.”

“Going to glue it?”

“Why, no. I thought I would button it together with catches and slits. It is hard to glue a thing of this kind, and one has to hold each part so long for the glue to harden,” Polly answered.

Figure 1 shows how Polly drew the pattern for her balloon after making it out. She was very careful in her measurements, using a rule and making the lines for the panels exactly one inch apart. “The sides won’t fit if they are not even,” she said to herself.

“That looks simple enough,” commented Donald.

When Polly cut the balloon out along the heavy lines it was like Figure 2.

By this time Donald, who had been experimenting with Polly’s first pattern, had designed the wings (Figure 3), and the tail (Figure 5). He directed Polly to cut slits for the wings in the position shown in PO, OP, Figure 2. The slits P are exactly in the middle of the edge between the first and second panels at the top and the first and second panels at the bottom, and the slits O are in the middle of each second panel, top and bottom. Each slit is three-quarters of an inch long.

“Now make slits for the tail in the top edges of the top point and the fourth from the top point,” said Donald. “Make each slit five-eighths of an inch from the tip.”

“How long a slit?” said Polly.

“Three-eighths of an inch,” returned Donald.

So Polly made the slits R and Q, Figure 2, and then bent the balloon along the dotted lines. Donald made the wings (Figure 3) four and one-eighth inches long from tip of catch to tip of wing. The neck of the catch is one-half of an inch long and five-eighths of an inch wide, and the catch from tip of point to neck is three-eighths of an inch deep. Just above the neck of the catch the wing is seven-eighths of an inch wide and at its broadest part it is three and one-quarter inches wide.

Donald bent in the points of the catch of one wing and pushed the catch in through the slit O in the balloon and out through the slit P, then he opened out the points of the catch.

“That will hold it steady,” he said, and fastened the other wing on in the same way.

“Do you want to fasten the tail on now?” asked Polly.

“No. Put the balloon together first,” said Donald.

Then Polly began to shape her balloon by slipping the catches of the bend-overs at the bottom L, M, N through the slits L, M, N. She lapped L and N _over_ the panel and M _under_ the panel. This brought the catches of L and N on the inside, and the catch of M on the outside. Then she lapped the bend-over of the point B over the edge of the point A and inserted the catch of the bend-over in the slit in the point A. The catch of the bend-over of the point C she put through the slit in the point B, and in the same way fastened D to C, E to D and F to E. This brought all the points at one end of the balloon together, except F and A, and these she secured by putting the catch J of the point A in through the slit J and out through the slit K in the point F, which brought the catch on the outside. The other end of the balloon she put together in the same way, and it looked like Figure 4.

“This is the tail,” Donald said, holding up a piece of paper cut like Figure 5. The tail is four and one-half inches long, two and one-quarter inches wide at the end and five-eighths of an inch wide where it joins the body. Donald cut a slit half an inch long in the middle of the narrow end and then cut out a small, wedge-shaped piece at the end of the slit. The wedge is five-eighths of an inch long and a trifle over one-quarter of an inch at the base.

“What is that pointed hole for,” said Polly.

“The end of the balloon fits in that when these two square catches (Q, R, Figure 5) are put through the slits you made for the tail,” Donald answered. (Q, R, Figure 2.) Polly looked for the slits and found that one was on the top edge and one on the bottom edge of the back end of the balloon.

“Now we will hitch it on,” said Donald, taking the balloon from Polly and adjusting the tail. He opened the slit between the catches, pushed the catch Q down through the top slit Q, and the catch R up through the bottom slit R, and the tail could not slide out of place. “The wings must stand out at the sides,” he added, bending each wing down where it joined the balloon.

“Is this the car?” Polly inquired, taking up the little box. (Figure 6.)

“Yes,” said Donald, “but I haven’t put the propeller on yet.”

The car Donald made is pointed at each end. It is three inches long from point to point, one inch wide and one inch high. Each side of the car is two inches long and the ends are double. Figure 7 is the pattern of the car. The entire length of one side of Figure 7 is five inches, while the entire length of the other side is but four and three-quarters inches. The difference is at the ends. The end divisions on the left of Figure 7 are three-quarters of an inch from top to bottom, while the end divisions on the right are only five-eighths of an inch from top to bottom. The other divisions of the two ends are exactly alike, each three-quarters of an inch from top to bottom. The slits V, W, T, U, are one-eighth of an inch from the inner edge and are three-eighths of an inch long. V and U are one-eighth of an inch from the end edges and the slits W and T are one-quarter of an inch from V and U.

Donald made a catch at either end of the left side of Figure 7 (Y, X). The necks of these catches are one-quarter of an inch long. Then he bent up the points V, W, U, T, along the dotted lines, which made the floor of the car pointed at each end. He bent the sides up and the ends in, according to the dotted lines. The points V, W, U, T, he pushed through the corresponding slits from the inside of the car, V through V, W through W, U through U and T through T. Then he fitted the other end pieces on the outside, covering the points, and fastened the catches Y and X in the slits Y and X. This held the point securely between the double ends and made all snug and tight.

“I can put the ropes on now,” said Polly, and threading a needle with soft cotton twine she pushed the needle through the double end of the car just beyond the side bend and near the top edge, as shown in Figure 6. She drew the string through and tied it at the end. Threading the needle again, she fastened another string to the other end of the car; then, with the needle still threaded, she took a stitch in the bottom edge of the balloon at the middle of one of the bend-overs. The place is indicated by the two dots on Figure 4. Bringing the needle down again, she ran it through the opposite side of the car, unthreaded it and tied the end of the string to the car.

This made a loop which passed from one side of the car through the bottom edge of the balloon to the other side of the car. The string used for the loop was three and one-half inches long. The other end of the car Polly attached to the balloon in the same way and the little passenger car hung suspended from the balloon by four ropes. (Figure 8.)

“I have the propeller ready now,” said Donald.

“What a good idea to use a pinwheel for a propeller!” exclaimed Polly. “How will you fasten it on?”

“This way,” said Donald, and he ran a hatpin through the pinwheel, pushed a small cork up on the pin, leaving one inch between the cork and the head of the pin so that the wheel would turn easily. (Figure 9.) Then he forced the pin in through the middle of the forward end of the car and out the middle of the back, allowing a space of one-quarter of an inch between the cork and the car. (Figure 8.)

“Why, Donald, you have put the propeller in front of the car!” cried Polly.

“That is all right,” Donald assured her. “It won’t spin around if we have it at the back; and, besides, Santos Dumont, who has made some of the finest airships in the world, put the propeller at the front of some of them. He says it draws the ship along instead of pushing it.”

Donald made the pinwheel for his propeller of a two-inch square of paper. He folded the square diagonally first one way, then the other, and cut slits along the folds almost to the center, as I am sure you all know how to do. Then he took up the alternate points and, turning them over to the center, ran the pin through them and the center of the wheel in the way you have done scores of times.

“Now, Polly,” said Donald, “how are you going to make the thing fly?”

“I will show you,” said Polly, and she threaded a needle with a piece of strong black linen thread ten inches long. Then she took a stitch through the top edge of the balloon at the forward end, drew the thread through and tied the end fast. She took a stitch through the top edge of the balloon at the other end, where she tied the last end of the thread. This made a loop extending upward from the top of the balloon. (Figure 8.)

In Figure 2 you will see just where the needle was put through the edge of the balloon. At the middle of the loop Polly tied another piece of thread about two feet long, and at the end of the long thread she tied a short loop.

“Watch it now, Donald!” she cried, as, grasping the short loop tightly in one hand and holding it at arm’s length, she began to swing the airship around in a circle. Slowly it went at first; then, gathering speed, it began to fly in earnest. The little propeller spun around busily and the ship seemed sailing by its own power. As the supporting thread was black, it was hardly visible, and the wings that were lifted and lowered by the movements of the ship appeared, like a bird’s wings, to buoy it up.

“Isn’t it perfectly lovely?” Polly exclaimed. “See how I can make it dip and rise again, just like a real airship.”

“Yes, it is certainly good,” he said; “and one of the best things about it is the way the tail acts as a rudder. Don’t you see how it keeps the ship going always forward? Here—let me see if I can make it back.” And, taking the thread from Polly’s hand, he swung the ship in a straight line, first one way then the other, but at each end of the course the balloon turned and started over the route again, bow forward.

“It is all right, Polly,” he declared. “Put some of your little dolls in the car for passengers and we will give them a ride.”

Sand Toys

By Adelia Belle Beard

One of the Authors of Little Folks’ Handy Book

“What can we do with this beautiful sand, Donald?” asked Polly as she let the dry white sand of the beach sift through her fingers.

“Make a sand wheel,” answered Donald with sudden inspiration. “And we can do it now.”

Polly was more than willing, so they were soon hard at work in their out-of-door Kraft Shop on the back porch of their summer home.

“First we must make the wheel and next a high reservoir to hold the sand,” Donald announced.

“I will make the wheel if it doesn’t have to be wood,” said Polly.

“Bristolboard will do, and the wheel must be a good deal like a water wheel, you know, Polly.”

“Yes, of course,” and Polly placed a smooth piece of bristolboard on the table and took her school compass from the drawer, while Donald disappeared into the house in search of a flat-sided cocoa can which he had decided would answer for his reservoir.

Polly made her wheel in this way: First she drew a straight, horizontal line six inches long on the bristolboard (E B, Figure 1), then she put the point of her compass directly on the middle of the line and drew a circle that just touched each end of the line. This gave her a circle six inches in diameter. (Figure 1.) Keeping the point of her compass on the middle of the line, she drew another circle inside the first, making the second circle five and one-quarter inches in diameter and three-eighths of an inch from the outer circle. Inside the second circle, with the point of the compass still on the middle of the line, she drew a third circle two inches in diameter. This left just one and five-eighths inches between the two inner circles. Dividing the second circle into six equal parts, she proceeded to draw the lines F C, A D, and a little to the right of these, also by the side of the horizontal line, she drew parallel lines. “These,” Polly explained, “are the slots to hold the steps of my wheel.”

“Buckets, Polly, not steps,” protested Donald.

“Well, buckets; I am going to have six buckets between the two wheels.”

“There is only one wheel; the sides are called disks,” again corrected Donald.

“Disks, then, and I will fasten the buckets on with bolts. You see, the outer edge of each bucket is to be turned up to hold the sand. I suppose that is why it is called a bucket,” said Polly.