Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-08-09
Farm and Household.


sibities may he conquered by the practical
application Of little of the floating ingenuity
to be found in every family.
When the drawing room furniture becomes
actually shabby, instead Of packing of the
chairs and couches to the furniture shop to
be recovered, or exchanging them at Il great
sacrifice for new ones-which necossitate new
carpet rug, and curtains, or at least make the
old ones look very guilty and downcast-they
should be tastcfuly and carefully covered at
home they will look just as pretty as if they
had been sent to the upholsterer, frequently
pr,ttior without putting their surroundings
to the blush. Even when their shape is old
fashioned, little contriyance does wonders ;
the shabbiest and most ungaiuly couch can be
made TO look not only passably but positively
pretty by a well-made cover of some soft,
self-colored washing material with a floral
border, or delicato-patternod chintz or Gre
tonne: cover contrived to conceal defects,
tone down angularities, supply Deficiencies,
and present grateful outline to the eye If
the back is stiff and awkward, try what few
soft square cushions carelessly placed will do.
If the ends are straight and prim, pad them
well with cheap wadding, see that the covers
do not drag, and avoid attracting attention to
them by onamcnting them with SNOWY anti
macassars. The fragments of lace and satin
so fashionable and popular, and we may say
plentiful, in the modern drawing room, look
well on handsome chairs, which they are
meant to ornament not protect from either
dust or friction, but pretty antimacassar on
shabby chair or lounge only makes the
shabbincss more painfully apparent.
Is there a vacant or bare-loolsing corner in
your back drawing room or breakfast room :?
Think what n nice ottoman can be easily con-
trycd 10 fill it up-one of those empty,
square trunks in the box room, few yards
of gray wadding, which costs few cents a
yard. and n few yards of chntz or cretonne.
Have small neat pattern, with a clear ground.
Contriye your cover to fit well-that is the
main point don't let it be too short, or too
long, or too wide, or too narrow, nor have one
side full and the other scrimpy Above all,
have the corners exact, aud get the sides to
hang evenly and gracefully: place il corner
WISE place all furnituro-couches, easy
chairs tables-at some angle "a correct one
TO the eye, if you cam, and the result will be
surprising We have seen pretty, tasteful,
modern furniture look stiff and old fashioned
from being arranged in lines, and well-worn
old suite look effective and charming from ar
tistic arrangement and a few cleverly contriv-
ed aids in the way of cushions, covers and
padding.
Having transformed an unsightly box into
pretty and useful article of furniture, we
may, in houses where such contrivances are
with great advantage transfer it to the bed
room, where pretty seat in a window or by
the fire is not only great comfort, but a box
in the disguise of an ottoman relieves over
crowded drawers and wardrobes, so adding to
comfort and or1erlincss; and here we may
say that without orderliness there can be no
real comfort; without comfort hardly can we
hope TO maintain perfect health and without
health there is no happiness.
4
come off easily, therefore tacks should be
avoided; the cushion, which must be made
separately, ought to come over the edge of
the box little, and be firmly tied on with
tape; the covers, if you can contrive to make
them fit properly, require no fastening. Not
only may empty boxes be utilized, but dress
ing tables, too shabby for responsibility. too
oll-fashioned for pleasant contemplation
for the eye delights in novelty-useless to the
furniture dealer, yet too good to be broken
up for tirewood, can, by the judicious use of
colored cambria, and old lace or leno window
curtains, or even worn-out grenadine even
ing dresses, be transformed into tasteful,
graceful toilette tables. We have seen pref
ty and most convenient dressing table con-
trived, on pinch, from two villainous-look-
ing deal packing cases placed on their ends,
and the discarded leaf of a table placed on
top; each box was covered all round with
pink cambria, tackled on tightly, and that
draped with the best portions of pair of old
lace hangings, that had lain in drawer for
years discarded rs utterly useless. There
was frill about eight inches deep tackled to
the table leaf and the whole finished by O
white dimity toilette cover trimmed with
fringe. The continuance was not only pretty
to look at, but it was Il most comfortable Ia
bic to sit at, the space between the packing
cases being most convenient for the feet.
Book shelves for the bedroom may be east
ly cOntrived from the boards of old boxes
which in some mysterious way accumulate
about house. Three pieces should be Sc
lected of three sizes; carefully paper them
and when thoroughly dry, have a hole bored
in each corner about half an inch from the
edge; get a few yards of red or green window
cord, pass it through the holes of the larges
shelf, then place four firm knots on the foul
ends Mt equal distances, then draw the end
through the holes of the second sized shelf
and so with the third then fasten all foui
ends firmly together, leaving the two from
ones a little longer than those meant to b,
next the wall. When the shelves are firmly
and evenly hung up, get few yards of orna
mental leather, and tack it round the end
and front OF the shelves. 1t hides the edge
of the board and the knots on the cord, and
most important of all, keeps the dust from
the books.
Calling on an acquaintance not very lony
ago, | observed a hearth rug of Il very origi
nal design in the breakfast room it was en-
tirely composed of shreds of cloth, blue
black, scarlet and gray, about three inches il
length and half an inch wide, arranged in
systematic and pretty pattern, the gray form
ing the walls of Troy as n border on a blacl
ground, the centre an intricate design of star
ana squares, the whole stitched firmly am
tl.r an, a s,F,
large, comfortable, pretty looking, and woult
doubtless last a long time, and, was inform
ed, had been made by the servant during In
leisure hours of two winters
'But where" asked, did She get all tn
pieces of cloth z"
COLLECTED them patiently and carefully.
was the reply; saved scraps lett from til
childronF clothes. l fancy She must have
particular friend tailor, for she has manu-
featured n sort of winter rug for her bed en-
tirely from cloth selvedges, aud one for mine
very pretty and beautifully warm, from frag
nIrnis Of scarlet flannel collected with pa
tiencc and put together with great deal o
ingenuity"
ApropO6 of rugs, l would give a hint TO
the making of one, which / tried and foun,
TO answer very well Get n dozen yards 0
waddng and eight of cretonne: four of on
pattern and four of another; cut each piec
lnto two widths and join them together, thel
arrange the wadding between, and bind tn
edges neatly with colOred braid Il marrow
fringe all round is an improvements Sew
few dozen cheap shirt buttons ON it at regu
lar intervals, to keep the wadding in its place
aud you have a warm, useful, pretty rug
equally srryiceable for the couch or the bed
at "A very small outlay, OF course it come
cheaper still If you have any old curtains
drts,inggowns, or any other soft material
that can be used instead of creionne.
One pretty addition to the bed or dressing
room, which, though not exactly contriv
anca may be worth mentioning and describ
ing-this is a shoe bag A yard of holan,
will make one to hold four pairs of boots o
shoes. The holland should be folded int
three parts-two of equal size, the thir
sunderland shaped to fold over like the ad
hesve part of an envelope, The two equa
parts should be stitched together, then diyi
lad lenpthWise into EIGHT commandments