Decorating
for Christmas
December
1954
How to Make the Christmas Mobile on Our Cover
Mobile designed by Richard Baer
Drawings by Ginne Hoffman
This fun 1954 crafts project has great graphic style with a wonderful '50's palette of colors
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This gently swinging, comment-causing ornament can be a focus of fun anywhere in the house. Materials, available at variety or art stores, are: sheet of stiff white paper, colored paper, 24 three-quarter-inch Christmas balls, sequins or gummed seals, black sewing thread, small ball of absorbent cotton, paste or glue, cellophane tape, compass (or pencil and string), ruler, Patterns for dangling figures can be enlarged from scale diagram on page 92 [below], then traced onto colored paper. Note: if paper is colored only on one side, cut two of each figure and paste uncolored sides together. |
| Making the canopy ... requires sheet of stiff paper 12 inches square. Draw circle of 6-inch radius. Section into 24 wedges. Draw inner circle (see diagram) as guide line and make scollops. Cut out two adjoining wedges; save one to use later. Cover canopy with one shade of colored paper. Using extra wedge as pattern, cut 11 wedges of contrasting color and paste them on canopy, alternating wedge colors. Pull edges of canopy together to form umbrella shape and join on underside with tape. Attach balls in center of scollops. |  |
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Santa head can be cut right out of this page, mounted on paper and attached later to Santa's body. |
| Making the figures: To make patterns copy designs on paper squared off in 1-inch blocks. Follow colors on McCALL's cover or improvise your own. Patterns for belt, buckle and borders for Santa's coat and hat must be made from body pattern (1). Cut out body. Paste on belt, buckle and borders. Fasten in cone shape at dotted line. Top cone with small ball of cotton. Attach thread to top of legs (2) and pull up through body, fastening to cotton ball. Paste on face so that top of head coincides with second dotted line from top. Make arms (3); fold cuffs (4) over each arm and paste along dotted line. Make two boots (5) and fold one over each leg. Paste bag (6) to hand. Cut and slot trees (7A and 7B) as indicated, fitting slots into each other to make three-dimensional tree. Suspend Christmas ball in center of tree with thread. Decorate tree. |  |
| Cut and fold Christmas stocking (8) pasting along edge. Fold cuff (9) and paste over dotted line on stocking, taping edges so it will hold bugle, bear and candy cane. Cut and decorate bird (10). Pattern for breast is cut from bird pattern.) Cut two wings (11), fringe and paste one on each side of bird. Deer (12) is simply cut, slotted and assembled. Insert antlers, legs, ears and tail into proper slots. Paste on saddle and decorate. | General hints: Attach threads holding figures to inside of canopy with cellophane tape. Simple knots will keep thread in paper figures. To hang completed mobile, put small Christmas ball inside of canopy, pulling its hook through to hold hanging thread. Hang in doorway or over Christmas table. |
Betsy
McCall
Trims the Tree
Betsy McCall was a very popular paper doll during the 1950's.
This webpage was designed by David Claudon, 10 July 2001.
