Work-Case Made of a Pumpkin

Sometimes you come across something so...interesting, that you just have to talk about it. Let me introduce you to the pumpkin that will be turned into a work-case. I never knew that I needed this so badly in my life. May the harvest bless us all with a PUMPKIN BAG!

Godey's Lady's Book, October, 1870

WORK-CASE MADE OF A PUMPKIN 

Materials .-A yellow pumpkin measuring four and four-fifths inches across, some brown glacé silk, thick brown silk braid, round brown transparent beads, gold-colored purse silk, fine gold-colored silk cord and ribbon three-quarters of an inch wide, nine round brown glass buttons, some wadding.
THE pumpkin to be used for this case must be quite dry when gathered. Then hang it up to be dried. After some weeks cut it into halves, empty each half carefully as far as the skin, and bind each half round the edge with a strip of brown silk a quarter of an inch wide. This binding is covered on the outside with gold-colored ribbon, which is folded as seen on Fig. 2, then cover it with brown transparent beads from the same illustration, always drawing the yellow thread through the back of the pumpkin . The half destined for the lower part of the case is ornamented from illustration with eight round buttons, which form the feet, and are placed at intervals of one inch from each other, and at a distance of one inch and two-fifths from the centre. The loops of these buttons are drawn through the bark, a cord is drawn through these loops inside the bark so as to fasten them; the two ends of the cord are carefully knotted together. Each half is lined with card-board and brown glacé silk. The card-board lining is made of a strip of card-board three and three-fifths inches wide; its length must correspond to the width of the pumpkin ; this strip has been gored seven times on one side at regular intervals, so as to have the shape of the pumpkin . The lining is then covered with a similar one of brown silk. The silk lining for the lower part of the case is turned back four-fifths of an inch on the card-board, which latter must be about two fifths of an inch higher than the pumpkin bark. On the inside the silk lining is edged along the top with two rows of yellow buttonhole stitches at a distance of three-fifths of an inch from each other; between these two rows work a row of coral stitches. Similar rows of coral stitches cover the seams of the lining. At the bottom of the case fasten a small round silk quilted cushion; the seam is covered with gold-colored silkcord. The lining of the upper half is not ornamented. Sew a round flat piece of card-board, covered with brown silk, in the top half at a distance of four-fifths of an inch; a double cross-strip of brown silk three-fifths of an inch wide is sewn on across this piece of card-board; it is stitched down along the edges, ornamented in the middle with coral stitches of yellow silk, and stitched on the bottom in such a manner as to form loops, in which the scissors, thimble, cotton, etc., are to be placed. The seams are covered with silk cord and beads wound round it. Both halves of the necessaire are varnished on the outside, and ornamented with bead borders worked from Fig. 1. In the middle of the upper half the ends of the bead borders are joined to a bead circle, in the middle of which a glass button is fastened. Two bead loops are fastened from illustration on the opposite sides of the case, through which two thick brown cords are drawn for the handle. The cords are plaited together in the middle; the lower ends are sewn together, and fastened on a button of the necessaire, as can be seen on illustration.

~Kristen