Nursery Amusements; or, Toys without Toyshops
Source: London Pride, Being the Extra Summer Number of the Girl's Own Paper, 1875
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 "Mothers know by instinct how to amuse children." Yes, perhaps they do; but young governesses and nursemaids, though they may have the best will in the world, have no such maternal instinct to guide them. And even a mother may be glad to look through the following simple practical hints on the chance of finding among them something that will bring sunshine into the nursery on a rainy day.
First and foremost among home-made toys stands the big rag-doll-or rather, tumbles about, for standing is just what she can't do. For making these dolls, good patterns and instructions are supplied at small cost by paper pattern sellers, as well as for animals and other toys, all of which are capital. But without any pattern or any expense, most well-beloved creatures have before now been constructed, particulars of which shall now be given. It is important to remember that these dolls are best liked when of a good size- almost too large for their owners to carry-in fact, "life-size" one might say, if they were in the remotest degree like life. The case for the body is shaped as shown in Fig. I; it should be made of a stout firm rag (colour of no importance) about seven inches long by five wide; let it be stuffed almost hard with rags and fragments of no value, and sewn up with good strong stitches.
 Each leg should be made in two pieces, the upper part a bolster firmly stuffed with rags, and, say, four inches long and two inches in diameter. The sewing at the knee-joint should be managed so that the doll's toes will point out in front of her and not at the side. These feet are a little difficult to make, but if a well-shaped boot be cut out in two pieces (Fig. 2) of an old glove or a bit of velveteen, it can then be stuffed, out and sewn on to the ankle. Old stockings cut up to make coverings for the lower half of the legs are much appreciated by dolly's owner. The arms of the doll should, if possible, be covered with old kid or any thin leather, as they then get much less grimy than in any other material, and dolly will probably join in all the nursery romps. They should be joined to the shoulders by a short broad piece of tape doubled, to allow them free movement; and fingers, or a thumb only, can be indicated by stitching up the kid hand, if time allow. 
Dolly's head is of course a mere ball stuffed well with rag, and nicely covered for the face-part with fine calico or linen, in such a way that this face can often be entirely renewed. The kisses sure to be showered upon it in spite of all the modem doctor can say against that baleful practice, are rather trying to dolly's complexion. It is convenient to sew on a jaunty bonnet, which will hide any deficiency of brain there may be, and this is easily made of any bright stuff, or washing material if preferred. Cut the back of the bonnet of the shape shown in Fig. 3. Pleat the front from A to B in three or four box-pleats, and the back from C to D in two inverted pleats. A long straight piece is pleated to go round the face and sewn to the back piece along E A B to F. Strings and plenty of strong stitches secure this head-gear, which when finished appears as in Fig. 4; the other clothes should also be sewn strongly on.
 The face itself can be painted in oil-colours, when it will wash and go on again, or in water-colours, or it can be worked with coloured silks or wools. It may not be a very beautiful object which we have thus manufactured, but the one remarkable thing about a doll of this sort is that it invariably gives intense and lasting pleasure, sometimes holding together for as long as five years, and only requiring a new dress occasionally and a new face frequently. And all that time, what charms are hers! What power to soothe in distress! What cheering companionableness at the doleful hour of bed-time! And what yielding amiability of disposition when called on to take part in nursery games! I am not sure that so much can be said in praise of her fairer sisters, made in the same way up to the neck, but with a bought head-piece sewed or glued on-though these also make excellent dolls, far stronger than any that are usually bought.
It is worth remembering too that most children like to keep to the same doll or toy, and it is a pity to force them to fickleness by the frailty of the favourites we provide for them. There is a moral value in training them to steadiness of feeling by giving them dolls and toys that will last a reasonable time. Some even last a lifetime, and are handed on to the rising generation-and how differently such old toys are regarded to those which are bought to-day and smashed to-morrow! Modern human nature is quite fond enough of change; we may well do what we can in the nursery to counteract this, and to foster constancy and a contented spirit.
 Dolls' Bedsteads.-Shoe-boxes for the larger dolls, and jewellers' boxes for the "tinies," make very pretty bedsteads and cots. Set the lid up over the end of the box, fit in a mattress, sheets, pillows, etc., and add light curtains to fall from the head, as seen in Fig. 5. The mattress and pillows can be stuffed with paper torn into scraps.
Dolls' Shoes are not difficult to manufacture, and though these (like most things) can nowadays be bought, it is sometimes useful to be able to make them at home. The uppers are shaped somewhat as seen in Fig. 6; both these and the soles should be cut in paper first and tried on the doll, when a near-enough fit will soon be found. Old gloves are very useful to cut them from; stiffen them with a lining of thick writing-paper or brown paper; glove-buttons provide neat fastenings, and China ribbon is most useful for binding and rosettes. 
 To make a Pair of Scales for "playing shop." Take a smooth stick, an old penholder is nice, but a slip of firewood smoothed off will do; cut two rounds of card-board, pass string through these at three equally distant points, and fasten to notches in the ends of the stick. Balance the stick on the edge of a knife to find where to make notches for the middle string, by which the scales are to be held or hung up. This (Fig. 7) is a favourite toy.
 Wooden Hammers are delightful to baby-boys, and are fairly safe playthings long before iron-headed hammers can be trusted in their hands. A piece of wood of a suitable shape for the head can generally be picked up wherever a carpenter has been at work, and this is nailed through the top on to a smooth stout handle.
The Dancing Figures, or prize-fighters (Fig. 8) are very amusing to children, and form a good feature of entertainment at juvenile parties. They cost nothing except time. To make them, take two corks of equal size, and cover them neatly with silk. Cut out of stout white cardboard two pairs of arms of the shape and size shown in Fig. 9; also four pieces like Fig. 10, and four like Fig. 11; and let these several pairs exactly match each other. The striped portions of the arms should be painted to  look somewhat like a sleeve rolled up; red on white cardboard for one figure, and blue on white for the other, or any strongly contrasted and vivid colours look well. The upper parts of the legs are also painted in stripes, and the shoes coloured to match; and carry the colour along the edge of the cardboard to make a neat finish.
 Take a stout needle and thread, and run it through one of the arms at  the shoulder (just where there is a dot in the illustrations), then through one of the corks, and the other of the arms. Make large knots of the thread close to the cardboard. A very fine awl to make the holes, and a pair of pincers to pull the needle through the cork, are a great help here. Fasten on the thighs to the lower part of the corks in the same way, and fasten the legs to the thighs, placing the thighs outside, so that they look like the knickerbockers falling around the knee. Cut or ink features on a smaller cork for the head, and take a piece of a still smaller cork for the neck. Then with a large-headed pin fasten a little coloured silk tassel, head, neck, and cork-body together-when one dancer will be completed, with arms stretched out to receive the second, fastened similarly. Now take a long piece of black pack-thread, and pass it through the cardboard arms at the dot A, or rather, balance the dancers on the edge of a knife at about that place, to find the exact middle. Secure the pack-thread in its place by knots on each side of the arms. And now to make the little figures perform, pin the shorter end of the thread to a pillow or footstool placed on the floor or table, and holding the end of the longer thread, move it very gently about, when the figures will dance most amusingly (Fig. 12). If the children do not stand too near, they may not discover the secret of the pack-thread, and may half believe the tiny performers to be alive, as children have actually been known to do-though it must be owned they belonged to a simpler generation than the present.
 There is no end to what may be done with a pair of scissors, stiff paper or thin card, and ingenuity. Figs. 13, 14, and 15, give original patterns for a paper house, and a summer-house, or pavilion. The straight lines are for cutting, the dotted ones for folding, if in paper; for cutting half through if cardboard be used. A house of the dimensions here given (Fig. 13) requires a piece of paper nine inches by seven inches, just the size of a sheet from an exercise book, and stands about three inches high. The extra quarter inches given at each end of the roof are for eaves. The pieces marked X are to fold under those marked A, and secured with a stitch, or a little gummed stamp-paper. The summer-house looks particularly well, cut from the stiff-marbled covers of exercise-books. Take a strip about eleven inches long by five wide. Fold it into eight panels of an inch and a quarter in width, and do not cut off the extra inch at the end. Point one end of the folded package, starting about two inches from the bottom, or as one might say the ground; and leave a sort of fringed tassel for an ornament at the top. It is then as seen in Fig. 14. Unfold it, and cut an arched doorway in one panel, and cut, or sketch plain, or rustic trellis-work, or lattice windows in the panels on either side of the doorway. Fasten the building into position by stitching the extra inch (marked X) on to the last panel, or sect it with gummed paper or paste; and run threaded needle through the points of the lot -where there is a dot in the illustration-t draw the roof together. It is then as seen in Fig. 15-not rain-proof, but picturesque! The sloped parts must always be at least twice as long as the width of each panel, what ever size the summer-house is made.
A village of such buildings can be set up; dominoes laid down for pavements, tree; planted in empty cotton-reels, and stiles, fences, ladders, carts and wheel-barrows added as long as patience holds out, the patience of the cutter, that is to say, for children do not soon tire of this particularly cheap amusement.
 
Perhaps someone thinks these mere paper toys are not worth so much trouble, but it should be remembered that it takes longer to describe them than to make them; moreover to watch the making while trying to imitate it is a great pleasure to most children. In card board, too, they would certainly last some little time with careful handling.
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