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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1963-01-31, Page 5Home and The Housewife Wingham Advance -Times, Thursday, Jan. 31, 1963 — Page 5 features from The World of Women Early Canadian Furniture Becoming Collector's Items In Ste. Therese, Quebec, second and third generations of the Thibault family are produc- ing—on a commercial scale— handcrafted furniture that is as Canadian as the maple leaf. Employing skilled craftsmen, rather than factory workers, E. Thibault Limited reproduces early 18th and 19th century Can- adian provincial furniture and helps to keep alive the memory of that colorful era in Canadian history. Highly skilled wood- workers who use pegs with screws, and ironworkers who hand -forge hinges are the work- men in this unique plant. The firm was founded in 1898 by Ernest Thibault, cabin- etmaker, who for many years tumed out pinewood sideboards similar to the primitive ones used by early Canadian settlers. The ready acceptance of the cabinets encouraged him to en- large his plant and to seek out other original pieces worthy of copying. Today, the firm makes every imaginable piece of furniture—from old-fashion- ed rocking chairs to modern Tempt Appetite Of the Elderly The feeding of elderly peo- ple calls for special considera- tion on the part of the meal planner and the cook. Food experts suggest that we interest these people in their meals so that they will enjoy eating and will receive their daily require- ment of nutrients. The first thing to remember for an older person is that his appetite is not very big. Give small portions and of course have more available, if it is Air desired. If there are chewing difficulties, a jellied salad con- taining diced canned peaches and pears would be acceptable. Keep fried foods and rich desserts to a minimum. Re- 1�^;tember that an older person's protein requirement remains the same. Therefore, serve lots of lean tender meat, soft boiled or poached eggs, cheese and milk. Skim milk, butter- milk and skim milk cheese are easily digested and provide ex- cellent protein, calcium and riboflavin to the diet with very little fat. Cacti Require Little Care Succulents store moisture in their tissues and thus can with- stand long periods of drought. Cacti are succulents and are widely known for their oddity of form. Because they with- stand, well, the warm, dry air of modern homes, horticultur- ists recommend watering only when the soil appears bone dry. Shrivelled or unhealthy looking plants are usually the result of too much water rather than too little. While growing and flowering they require more water than at other times. Cacti are slow growing, long living, and need repotting only every two or three years. A good soil mixture is equal parts of potting soil and sharp sand. To help the plants bloom place in a bright loca- tion where they will receive plenty of light during the win- ter months. Most cacti in full growth benefit from an applica- tion of weak fertilizer unless recently repotted. If you want to grow cacti "from seed; fill a 5 inch flower �" " pot to one half inch from the top with the potting mixture, drop in the seeds, and cover lightly with fine soil. Place in a warm room 70 - 80 degrees covering the pot with glass so help keep the surface moist. As the seedlings grow, gradu- ally remove the glass, when they are large enough trans- plant into small pots. poker tables—but the hand- crafted nature and the quality of the workmanship have re- mained constant. These present-day repro- ductions are covered with up- holstery fabrics that are dis- tinctively Canadian too. Many of them are hand -loomed by the artisans of the lower St. Lawrence Valley, in patterns as old as the province. Woven from yarns spun by Canadian mills, the fabrics are alive with gay colors, sharply contrasting with the rugged simplicity of the furniture itself. But Thibault furniture is also widely used commercially in hotels and motels, where more hard-wearing upholstery cover- ings are needed and where smooth or textured vinyl mater-, ials are used. Durable and easy to maintain, these plastic coat- ed fabrics are ideal. They add function, without detracting from the character of the furni- ture itself. To'round out the Canadiana theme, Thibault also produces home furnishings. Hand -hooked pictures, depicting familiar scenes in brilliant colors, are set off ty rich, hand -made wooden frames. And hand carving is applied to lamp bases, decorative wall plaques and even to some chairbacks. The firm is just starting to make authentic, line -for -line reproductions of early Canadian furniture pieces. Interest in it is rapidly mounting -not only among Canadian, but by furn- iture collectors throughout the world. The export market is Thi- bault's next major target, and their furniture may well be- come a symbol of the best in Canadian design, materials and workmanship. Russians May Be Good Drivers Russians may be particularly good car drivers. They have at least one exceptional attri- bute. The Russians are noteworthy in .many ways. It would be out - of -place to start a discussion on this here. But in relation to car driving it is worth consider- ing their addiction - and almost unchallenged pre-eminence - at the game of chess. An essential of good chess is the ability to foresee both the probable and possible moves of others, well in advance. To foresee them - and to forestall them, if they threaten danger. Similarly, good drivers "drive ahead". While they are dealing with one situation, they are anticipating others. They try to plan their own moves, and the moves of others, as far in advance as possible. And they never overlook the need for defence. "Leave yourself an out!" sums up the outlook of a good defensive driver. He tries al- ways to be prepared for the un- expected. His main defence is to ensure he always has ade- quate stopping distance ahead - and, if practicable swerving distance to one side - to avoid danger from any possible traffic development. The parallel between chess and driving cannot be taken too far. The Ontario Safety League stresses that there should be no element of competition in driving, while chess is a contest with the ultimate aim of tying up the opposition so that it cannot move at all. But it must be admitted that On- tario motorists sometimes feel that winter driving is this sort of competitive struggle... with the Weatherman on the other side of the board, play- ing white. A woman only seems to get in the last word. Actually she has thousands in reserve. Here's Health The modern carrot goes to some of the very best dinners in town. Once this wasn't so. Many centuries ago the Greeks recognized the carrot as an ex- cellent tonic, but they regard- ed it as a medicine rather than a food. When the carrot reach- ed England, about the 16th Century, ladies wore the feath- ery tops as a hair ornament. In Germany it was ground and dried to become a coffee sub- stitute. A century ago, in this country, the carrot was fed to livestock because this made the animals sleek and healthy. Then plant breeders got to work. Today the big, rather tasteless "soup" carrot hasbeen crowded out of the market by sweet, crisp, juicy new varie- ties. Almost all ff-these are coming to market neatly top- ped, freshly scrubbed, protect- ed by film bags. Of all vegetables available in big volume, carrots are the best source of vitamin A. Nu- tritionists discovered long ago that the more intensely golden - orange the color of the carrot, the richer the vitamin A con- tent. Fresh carrots are truly an easy -to -prepare vegetable. Needn't bother to peel them unless it's a life-long habit. Just wash, trim off the little scar at the top and the tap root, then slice, dice or cut into "shoestrings". Cook quickly in just enough boiling water to keep them from sticking. Sea- son with salt, a half teaspoon of sugar and black pepper. Onion, celery leaves and/or parsley are excellent flavorings for carrots. FRESH CARROTS IN VINAIGRETTE 12 medium-sized fresh carrots Boiling water 2 teaspoons salt Vinaigrette dressing Wash, pare and cut carrots into lengthwise quarters. Cut each quarter in half, crosswise. Place carrots, 1 -inch boiling water and salt in a saucepan. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until crisp -tender. Drain well. Add vinaigrette dressing to cover carrots. Cover and re- frigerate about 1 hour. Serve as a cold vegetable. Yield: 6 servings. 0 0 Vinaigrette Dressing cup olive or salad oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika teaspoon powdered mustard 4 teaspoon basil leaves 1/8 teaspoon ground black pep- per clove garlic 1 tablespoon chopped green on- ion tops or chives 1 tablespoon pickle relish 1 tablespoon finely chopped green pepper 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1-1 tablespoon cider vinegar Combine all ingredients. Yield: 1/2 cup. 0--0--0 MAPLEFLAVORED CARROTS 18 small, young tender fresh carrots 1 -inch boiling water teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 4 cup maple flavored syrup e cup (I stick) butter or margar- ine 1 teaspoon powdered mustard 1/8 teaspoon ground white pep- per Wash carrots and peel. Seedless Flow Modern Livi The recipe for making flow- ers is simple. You start with polythene, then add equal quan- tities of color awareness, nim- ble fingers and stamina. The Canadian chemical industry is supplying the polythene, but the Chinese people of Hong Kong are supplying the other three ingredients. For in that faraway country the ancient and leisure- ly art of flower arranging has given way to flower making us- ing modern production line techniques. Polythene resin is shipped in granular form from Canada to this British crown colony. After arrival, the granules are tumble blended with pigments to give them color; then put into an in- jection moulding machine where heat and pressure reduce the mixture to a pliable plastic and force it into a hollow steel die. After a brief cooling period the die is opened and the moulded part removed. These parts in the shape of petals, leaves and stems, are then assembled by hand. That's why quick, sure fingers are necessary. The blossoms are put together first—petal by petal— and then the centre of the flower is ap- plied which provided the tension to hold the petals upright. They are then added to the stem, a - Place in a saucepan with 1 -inch boiling water, salt and sugar. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until crisp -tender. Remove carrots to a dish and keep warm. Cook the carrot water until it is reduced to about cup. Add maple flavored syrup, butter or margarine and mustard. Cook until a heavy syrup is formed, about 7 - minutes. Add white pepper and carrots. Cook until carrots are glazed. Serve hot. Yield: 6 servings. 0--0--0 CARROT AND ORANGESOUFFLE 8-10 medium-sized fresh car- rots 1 -inch boiling water 1-1 teaspoon salt i teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 tablespoons butter or margar- ine 4-1 tablespoons flour 1 cup fresh orange juice 4 eggs Wash, pare and slice car- rots. Place in a saucepan with 1 -inch boiling water and salt. Cover and cook 12 minutes or until tender. Add nutmeg. Drain and mash carrots. Set aside to use later. Melt butter or margarine in a saucepan. Blend in flour. Add orange Winter Work Advantages People stand to gain when they have renovation and repair jobs done in winter, claims the National Employment Service. Tradesmen are on hand, and so can be quickly on the job, and the extra care and time skilled workmen can devote to a task during slack months gives the plant or office official, or the householder, more for his mon- ey. He is also likely to find there are fewer delays in the delivery of materials, and, in the case of an addition to a home or business premises there is the likelihood of earlier oc- cupancy. juice slowly. Stir and cook un til the mixture has thickened. Beat egg yolks until thick and mix with carrots. Add to the sauce. Beat egg whites until they stand in soft, stiff peaks. Fold into the mixture. Turn into a 1-'`z quart casserole. Place in a pan of hot water. Bake in a preheated slow oven (325 degrees F.) 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a silver knife inserted in center comes out clean. Yield: 6 servings. rs Become g Room Rage long with the leaves, and the complete flower is packed for shipping. Some flowers take longer than others; a hyacinth for instance may have up to 190 parts. It's easy to understand why labor costs for such painstaking work would be too high in this country. Physical agility is important too. Some moulding machines are hand operated. If so, the injection cylinder is operated by a long lever which is worked by a coolie leaping into the air and pulling down on it. He holds it down during the cooling cycle.. then lets it go. These coolies are aptly called "jumpers". Actually, flower making has been an occupation of the Ori- ent for centuries, and in the be- ginning paper and cloth were the materials used. But the mar- ket for these products was limit- ed because of their perishable nature. There were no signs of it becoming big business until five years ago when they first started to make moulded flowers, using polythene. Because of the texture and life -like appearance of the moulded flowers and plants, they were an immediate success Markets for them opened up throughout the world, because they were easy to pack and ship. Today more than 400 companies are making flowers in Hong Kong employing many thousands of people. What's ahead for this novel industry? Well, from lessons learned while producing house- hold and industrial decorative plants, the industry is starting to "branch" out. Production has started on Christmas trees. But instead of assembling the boughs at the time they are moulded, the tree is assembled after it reaches its destination. The growing popularity ofplas- tic trees is good news for the fire insurance companies too! While the natural habitat for artificial flowers and foliage is usually the living room or hotel lobby... a change is in prospect. Nature is not always friendly to growing things, so the market for plastic plants for outdoor use is increasing. Brilliant red geraniums —so real looking you have to touch them to make sure—can pep up a fading window -box... or hed- ges of plastic barberry that ne- ver need trimming and can be washed down with a hose. And so the story goes...lit- tle grains of Canadian polythene travel halfway around the world to be converted into delicate yet durable blossoms by fleet - fingered orientals. A striking example of the diligence of the Chinese people and the versat- ility of Canadian polythene. dressmaking Technic North American women may get their fashion ideas from Paris, Rome or London, but Canada's current export drive has produced a new twist; dress- es are now being made in Can- ada and sold to customers in Britain. In this flourishing new export business, dresses leave Montreal at noon and appear in shops in London, England, next morning. However, deliveries must be fast, quality high and prices low to attract customers across the sea. Only by using modern mass production techniques can these specifications be met: dressmaking on a huge scale requires up-to-the-minute equipment, highly skilled work- ers, first class fabrics and strik- ing styles. Next to style, the choice of material used is often the deciding factor whe- ther the dress will be a best seller. Today women around the world expect to find attrac- tive fabrics that perform well even in popular priced dresses. ues Open Ex That's why fabrics such as ba- tiste and tricot are so often used; they can be relied upon to retain' their original crisp, fresh appearance, while re- quiring the minimum of care. Once the style and fabric have been decided upon, the next step is to cut and sew as many dresses as possible within the shortest possible time. The successful dress manufacturer knows all the shortcuts. Thou - Hot Sandwiches For that something hot, but special, try a hot sandwich! Food experts suggest that dif- ferent types of bread be used for variety; whole wheat, rye, cracked wheat, french, cheese or fruit bread. Buns, muffins and tea biscuits also make good hot sandwiches. If the sandwich is to be broiled, toast one side of the bread first and butter the other side. Heap liberal amounts of the filling on the buttered side and broil until hot and bubbly. oort sands of yards of material are laid out mechanically — layer upon layer. Then, from one master pattern, hundreds of dresses are cut at one time with an electric knife which slices through the cloth as though it were cheese. Hand- ling the electric knife is diffi- cult, and requires the steady hand of an experienced cutter— even a slight slip is costly! After the cutting out, each of the various parts of the dress — sleeves, pockets, bodices and skirts are bundled and tied together — then hustled to the waiting sewing machine opera- tor. Each seamstress is an ex- pert at her own special job. One girl sews one seam — another girl the next, and so on until the dress is complete. Every home sewer appreci- ates the time and patience re- quired to turn up a hem, sew on a row of buttons, or insert a zipper or pleats. Even in a factory they are tricky jobs, but special machines, skillfully Door operated, do each of them ac- curately and with astonishing speed. The quality of workmanship is controlled by making a check at different stages of the sew- ing operation. Then the man- ufacturer can, with confidence, hang his company's tag on the finished dress. It's important to tell customers how to care for the dress too, so a fibre identification tag is also at- tached. Fashionwise, dresses made by assembly line methods may seem to lack originality, de- pending instead on their wear- er to give them individuality. But from a business point of view, they represent Canada's entry into the highly competi- tive export business. It's an accepted fact that fashion inspiration comes from Europe, but when fashion makes the return journey as thousands of dresses bearing the "Made in Canada" label that's news!