The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-05-09
Domestic.


shells are to be put on Il box or frame
where they are not SO close together
but what the base can be seen between
them, cement made of white paint or
putty should be employed. Take whit
ing and oil or putty as bought at the
store, and little chrome of green; mix
and pound it witha hammer until there
are no streaks of green or white in it :;
have it just thick enough SO it will not
run then spread it smoothly over one
side of the frame a little less than one
eighth of an inch thick; put ON the
things, aud then spread puttyon another
side. When the frame is dry varnish
it, and when it is thoroughly dry it viii
be as solid as any one could desire.
HOMEMADE SOFAS AND CHAIRS. s.
Daisy Eyebright is contributing to the
Country Gentleman a series of papers
on adjoining our homes.
We Will commence with a sofa or
lounge for the common sitting ROOM
upon which mother can rest when weary
with her work, and father can take a
siesta after dinner while it will always
be a convenient seat for the young
folks We will select the longest box
III our possession-one that is about six
feet in length, and at least yard in
width, and make it about sixteen or
eighteen inches high. Ii we cannot
find one box of so large dimensions, we
will put two together and thus furnish
our frame, for it must be long enough
to stretch ones length upon 1t easily.
First we must put casters on each cor
ner so that we can roll il easily and not
wear the carpet The coarse bagging
should be tackled loosely on, over the
top, after first placing a layer of fine
rowen hay or straw evenly over the top
of the box, and then a thick covering of
cotton batting. Old WORKOUT comfort
ables, or. '.putfs," are excellent for
this purpose, or any soft wOOled ma
terial. Take care to spread the stuffing
as evenly as possible, SO that there will
not be any hillocks or hollows when it
is finished, and then tack down the
bagging or coarse muslin tightly. If
you can procure mans help, and the
needed springs from a furniture dealer,
it would be much easier to use them
tie them down loosely, cover them with
the bagging, and sew them to 1t slight
ly after spreading cotton batting lightly
over them.
Now your couch is ready for its coy
ering, and this should be nailed on
smoothly, and firmly fastened to the
sides and ends. You can cover the sides
plainly, or with a tlounce, hemming it
at the bottom. If the latter is used,
tack it on in box plaits four inches in
width. This is much more graceful
than the plain covering, but sometimes
the material runs short, and one must
save enough for pillows, as they are in
dispensable adiuncts to any sofa or
lounge Make the pillows tive-eights
OF a yard square, and stuff them with
feathers, if you have them if not, with
excelsior" fine rowen hay, or fine cut
straw. Paper cut in thin strips will
make a respectable stuffing, all other
materials lacking Three OF four pill
lows are desirable, and they can be
placed against the back of the lounge
to give it Il finish, when not otherwise
needed By adding tassels and cord to
the pillows they may be made more
ornamental. If any readers possess old
damask or moreen curtains, they will
find them very useful for covering such
a lounge. And many persons substi-
tute drugget for chintz, because it wears
so much longer, and is not 50 readily
sOiled by the hands and feetof children.
Sometimes one does not possess sutfi-
cient closet room, and then the lounge
can be made to do duty instead, by
putting on a lid to the box with strong
iron hinges, one near each end and one
i'm the middle. 1t is better, however, to
saw off a piece of the lid, about ten
inches from its edge Nail 1t firmly on
the box, and fit the hinges on that, and
then YOU can lift the lid without dis
turbing the pillows at the back. In
covering this lid the bagging and the
cbintz must be folded over smoothly,
and nailed on the under side of it, so as
to permit it to be easily opened and
closed, and the fiounce will conceal the
opening. The interior of the box can
then be pasted over and covered with
wall paper
Now we must have comfortable chairs
for father and mother, and barrels can
be transformed into them. With q
little aid from a carpenters saw we will
cut them into proper shape, first draw
ing the outline with chalk. curved so
as to form back and arms. Then nail
each hoop firmly to the barrel, and four
castors should be firmly attached to the
bottom. Now we will make good
seat by taking three strips of webbing,
lacking them tightly across the barrel
then interlacing three more and fasten-
ing to its sides. Tack on coarse bag
ging or muslin all around the sides and
over the top of the barrel. and stuff it
well on the back and sides with some
stuff Then cover the whole affair with
chintz. making a hounce around the
lower part. Make a soft cushion for
the seat. and ornament the upper edges
of the chair with a box plated ruffie,
plated in the middle. Our sitting
room needs some ottomans or stools for
the accommodation of the young folks.
We will take some small boxes, about
two feet ny 4 foot and a half-or square
ones Will do, and proceed as with the
lounge. Strong hinges can be put on
for lid, and the ottoman will answer
for seat, a mending- basket, work
box, or a receptacle for newspapers and
magazines. We will stuff these seats
so that they Will be comfortable, and
add to the ease Of our children as well
as to the convenience OF ourselves.
With table. mirror, and n few en-
| cravings or chromos, III homemade
| frames. hung Oh the walls, our bare
parlor or sitting-room presents quite q
grand appearance, and we will rest from
our labors for while before we furnish
our chambers