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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-12-05, Page 244 Page 8—Crossroads—Dec. 5, 1984 Craft Talk By Louisa Rush One reader wrote asking if I had any suggestions for the use of small pieces of borg fabric, as they had some small pieces given to them for bazaar items, but too late for the Christmas season. Why not make Easter Bunnies? I have two very excellent patterns. No. 6951 is an adorable little bunny about twelve inches high, and can be made all in the borg fabric, a fur fabric or even washable terry towelling for a wee baby. The other pattern, No. 7153 is a Mr. Rabbit, a dress -up toy about eighteen inches tall. His head, ears and hands can be made with borg, fur fabric or terry towelling, while the rest of his body is. clothed, using either felt or material you have on hand. Both patterns are 75 cents each, plus a stamped self- addressed return envelope, from the address at the end of this column. There has been a little confusion regarding a long evening skirt which I described. It had •been originally an old patch -work quilt, the pieces had been painstakingly embroidered together which naturally enhanced the skirt .and the overall effect. My leaflet No. 7359, also 75 cents, shows how -to-do all these old-fashioned em- broidery.stitches that your grandmothers used. (Herring -bone and various variations, blanket stitch, •rosebud stitch briar, fern leaf, hen tracks, rising -sun and many more. These are all "joining'.' stitches or stitches worked in a row.) I did not offer an evening skirl pattern. Any dress- making pattern will do. Just join the pieces of fabric until you have sufficient from which to'cut the skirt shapes. The reader who was going to use the material from her husband's narrow `',old- fashioned ties, will be inter - I used to think of Fort Erie in terms of the Peace Bridge, Crystal Beach, and the Race Track. Now, I'm more in- clined to think of it as the home of the "Mildred M. Mahoney Silver Jubilee Doll's House' Gallery." Mildred, a petite 65 -year- old widow, . has been buying up dollhouses from various parts of the world for 30 years. At last count, she had 145 of them. But it's no small- time operation. Her minia- ture real estate is valued at $1.5 million — likely the biggest collection of its kind in the world! Most of the houses have been restored and are dis- played at Bertie Hall — . which is a story, in itself. A Fort Erie landmark, located a couple of Miles: north of the Peace Bridge, it was built in 1826. King Edward VII stayed there upon occasion, and the red brick mansion's basement is said to have been used to smuggle slaves to freedom and later, during Prohibition, to smuggle booze into Canada. Mrs. Mahoney's collection fills almost every room of the big house. Her most prized possession is a $40,000 five -story English manor built in 1810. Another favourite is called the Mystery House, because nobody knows too much about its origin except that it was made in the U.S. in 1880. It's filled with turn -of -the - century' furniture made.from cigar boxes by tramps — knights of the open road -- 1 ' who sold them for a meal or a night's lodging. Ivy climbs the walls . of some dollhouses. Others have little sewing rooms with tiny spools of thread. and sewing machines. A kitchen will have food on the table and oil paintings grace the walls. Over a thousand tourists a month visit the Gallery, many on bus tours from various parts of Canada and the United States. "It's a nostalgic trip for a lot of people," says Mildred. "Older people seem to get the most pleasure out of the houses, and seeing the arti- facts of the past." She doesn't merely collect the houses, she also does the restoration of them in a workshop at her home a few miles away. Apparently you can com- mission someone to make you a dollhouse, but the hobby is, so popular that you'll likely have to face a waiting list of up to two years. The prices of the custom miniatures range from $200 to $25,000. Those little houses are big business these days. INSULATING??? TIME IS RUNNING OUT For Homes Built Prior To Sept. 1, 1977 Receive 60% Grant (up to $500.00) For Installations Of Insulation Done Before March 31, 1985. PROVIDING the applicant's name is registered with CHIP by the contractor BEFORE DEC. 31, 1984. After Jan. 1, 1985 the grant will be reduced to 331/4% (up to $500.00). FREE ESTIMATES • Blown Cellulose • Urethane Foam • Fibreglass • Air Seal Testing "Satisfaction Guaranteed" CGS Cert. Na Ont. 250 Hunter Insulation • Ltd. 214 - .10th St.,• Hatover • Call Collect or Evenings . 364 4494 369-6 ested to know that I have actually seen a skirt made from ties! These were the wide fronted ties that had been sewn together length- wise, so that all the points were around the lower edge. Off course it was mini -length, but rather a cute idea for the younger set! 0 0 0 Rose crochet mats to remind you of warm sunny days, so easy and quick to crochet from a chart. To order this week's pattern No. 8159 or any other leaflet mentioned, send 75 cents for each plus a stamped self-addressed return envelope. If you do not have a stamp or en- velope, please enclose an extra 50 cents to cover the cost of handling and print your name and address. Send to Louisa Rush, "Craft Talk", 486 Montford Drive, Dollard des Ormeaux, RQ, H9G 1M6. Please be sure to state pattern numbers correctly when ordering"and to enclose your stamped return envelope for faster service. ENDURING POVERTY Despite a greatly im- proved standard of living in the Western world through- out this century, poverty continues to exist. For too many people, it is not a "vague condition", but rather earnings insufficient to provide for minimum physical efficiency. At the beginning of this century, even though it was a prosperous era for most of the Western world, about one-fifth of the population could expect to end their life in a workhouse, poor -law hospital, lunatic asylum, or debtors' prison. At that time, however, agriculture was still the biggest occupation, so that even those with a bare minimum of cash ea s- ings had an existence that was more tolerable than the life of the poverty-stricken in urban areas today. There has been a change in attitude about the poor. Until the end of the Great Depression, we generally regarded the poor as responsible for their own fate, even though the old or physically handicapped were exempted from wide- spread blame. The extensive nature of poverty in the Depression led to a reversal in the public position. This culminated in the 1960s with a view that poverty was the fault of society which, there- fore, had to cure it. The results were that charity or- ganizations and welfare pro- grams were largely taken' over by government agen- cies. For instance, social in- surance . payments and government -supported medical care have greatly reduced the poverty rate among the elderly. Over the By James G. McCollam Member, Antique Appraisers Association of America Q. Can you tell me any- thing about the vintage, value and maker of this plaque? On the back is the follow- ing: "Mettlach — Geschutz — Gegen — Machbildung 1376." 19TH CENTURY PLAQUE . Made By Villeroy & Boch A. Your plaque was made by Villeroy and Boch in Mettlach, Germany, durin the late 19th century. "Geschutz gegen mach- bildung" is the German Canada's Pusiness by Bruce White tone past twenty years, however, welfare dependency, family deterioration, and deprec- iation of personal effort came along, and many blamed these on government welfare policies. All but forgotten is the fact that economic growth and individual effort are the main. paths to escape from poverty. We have to realize too that economic growth does not necessarily lead to reduction in poverty. In the 1970s the growth of real (after inflation) wages stagnated. Most of the decade's economic ex- pansion resulted from more people going to work. More women and teenagers are working, but unemployment has also been rising in the past ten years. Naturally, joblessness strikes hardest at the poor. There had been an assumption that a little more inflation was an ac- ceptable trade-off for more jobs, and that idea led to the poor performance of most Western economies in the 1970s. Clearly, we need in- novative programs that will provide jobs, ypt-still not re- kindle inflation. Capital in- vestment in re -forestation, new land conservation pro- jects, and a.n improved transportation network all • would provide jobs and their cost would be offset by in- creasing the efficiency of our economy. The initial outlays would be met in part by reduced unemployment in- surance payments. Perhaps investors in these projects could be encouraged by the elimination of capital gains,, providing the investments • were retained for, say, ten years. Antique Or ..Junque equivalent of "patented"; 1376 isthe model number. The going price for this plaque is in the $200 to $300 range. Q. This small table was given to us by my husband's grandparents. Can you. tell me anything about its• period and value? A. This is an Empire work table (sewing) made of solid mahogany and crotch mahogany. It was made in the early 19th century and would sell in the $800 to $900 range. Q. You recently priced an early Coca-Cola tray at $400. It was made by the Vienna Art Co. in 1905. Are all Coca- Cola collectibles so ex- pensive or are there some modestly priced items suit- able for a novice collector? A. The Vienna Art trays are among the most ex- pensive. There are dozens of more regent trays under $100; there are hundreds of post -World War II items less than $10. For a beginner, trays are ideal. The lowest priced ones are about $10. As you become more knowledgeable, you can graduate to older and more valuable trays. Q. This pitcher is 9 inches tall, is cream colored, hand painted and trimmed in gold. The logo on the bottom is "Germany — R.W. — Rudolstadt." I am told that Rudolstadt was re-established in the late 1800s after being closed for many years. 1 would ap- preciate any information as to age and value that you can provide. EMPIRE TABLE ... Would sell in $800 to $900 range A. Your Royal Rudolstadt pitcher was made in the early 20th century. Rudolstadt is the name of a porcelain factory in Rudolstadt, Germany. There was an early operation in the late 1700s and then in 1854 it was reopened by Erst Bohne. The Rudolstadt porcelain that was imported by Lewis Straus of New York was called "Royal" Rudolstadt. Send your questions about antiques with picture(s), a detailed description, stamped, self-addressed envelope, and 12 per item to James G. McCollam, PO Box 720, Clifton Park, NY 12065. All questions will be an- swered but published pic- tures cannot be returned. Poverty is a slippery issue because the answers to it are so elusive. The fact that it is an age-old scourge does not mean that we can dismiss it from our minds or con- science. We cannot be im- mobilized by our mixed success in ending poverty. Rather, we must recognize that some programs have been a great success. What is needed now is something new, based on a willingness to change and build on some plans that have been helpful. Did You Know Krakatoa By PHYLLIS WEAVER Did you know that a Bos- ton newspaper had a world - Wide "scoop" on the Kraka- toa story because an editor had a vivid and amazingly accurate psychic dream? For three eerie days in August 1883 the Daily Globe- published details about the volcanic eruption of Kraka- toa, thousands of miles away in the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, such journal- istic giants as the London Times and The New York Times were still trying to figure out what happened. Many people ridiculed telegraph editor Byron Soames for his "fake" story. But Soames was so im- pressed with the impact of his dream. that he 'wrote down all the details he could remember. Two days later, a terse cable from London con- firmed that a volcanic island, Krakatoa, had in- deed exploded and disap- peared from the face of the earth. Soames embellished the 'account of the world's great- est explosion, fascinating and stunning his, readers. with what proved to be an incredibly accurate story. • Other papers didn't carry details of the blast for days, which then proved that• Soames' version, was cor- rect. 15 SVE AT CAR CITY dHRYSLER Trust Listowel Chrysler To Repair Your Car "WE'RE EXPERTS AT REPAIRING"' • Scratches * Dents and Complete Collision and Painting FREE ESTIMA 11110,415 Coma In today and talk over your repairs with... Ll,©YD McL.AUGHLIN Body Shop Manager "You Really Matter To Us" LISTOWEL CHRYSLER 2914350 Mon. to Fri. OPEN 8 a.m. t:_ 5:30 p.m VE AT CAR CITY CHRYSLER 0 1 03 fin Brussels SANTA CLAUS PARADE Saturday, December 8 11:30 a.m. Floats to assemble at 11:00 a.m. at the C.I.L. Plant Don't forget this parade. Get your floats ready! Help Your Local Hospital Are you looking for that unusual Christmas Gift? Give a lottery ticket from Wingham and District Hospital. f;4Qraws� for $1,000. beginning Dec:.3L A White Ford Tempo will be drawn for in•June, 1985. Tickets $20.00 each Tickets available in Brussels at: 9 ' Cardiff &• Mulvey Golden Lantern Betty Cardiff Audrey 'Cardiff or phone: 887-9284 Doug Sholdice Helpi. support the hospital! EARL HEYWOOD'S Mail Order Cassette Record $800 offer each plus postage First Time .Available HR -106 Live performance of EARL HEYWOOD'S Serenade Ranch Radio Show of the early 50's with Mel Lavigne, Ward Allen, Lloyd Bank, Bill Mankiss, Jack Kingston, Martha Heywood and Little Patsy Anne. HR -101 EARL HEYWOOD sings golden country hits (contains Moonlight on the Manitoulin, etc.) HR -103 EARL HEYWOOD COUNTRY & duets with Martha. HR -104 EARL HEYWOOD'S family (Earl, Martha, Patricia & Grant), collector's edition. HR -105 EARL HEYWOOD'S Tales of the Donnelly Feud (long play album or cassette). Song Folio - Words, piano music of the Donnelly songs (price $3.00 each). All of the above series are available in cassettes. Some 8 tracks are available of record series HR -103 and HR -104. The only long play ablum available is series HR -105 on the Donneilys. Those Interested in obtaining long play albums of any of the other series please let us know and we will advise you when they come available. A brochure of the songs In the above series is available on request. TO ORDER: list the tapes you want. at $8.00 each, and add $1.50 to cover handling charges, and mail your order with certified cheque or money order to EARL HEYWOOD In Care of Heywood Records Box 443, Wingham, Ontario NOG 2W0