The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-05-04


What she did with her purchases was
this: Curtains were made of the I'M
bleached muslin, which hangs in the
softest and most graceful of folds, and
trimmed about half way down with
cross bands of red flannel, one-half a
quarter wide, and on either side of it,
at a little distance, another Just half
that width; there was the same trim
ming at the bottom; and the cornices
were pleated flannel. They were Topped
back, quite low, with bands and rosettes
of the same.
The sofa was covered with Oriental
looking stripes of unbleached muslin
and flannel alternately; and a delight
fully comfortable pillow to match at
each end, with scarlet worsted tassel
on every corner. The rocking-chair
was treated in the same way, after be-
ing sawed low and few yards of rock
erS being sawed off, and moss cush-
ion fitted to the uncomfortable back
and seat. This, and the front of the
sofa, were ornamented with scarlet
worsted fringe; for Laura never be-
lieyed in doing things by halves. The
die on piece of scarlet braid, and then
tackled on the furniture.
The table cover, round one, was
| fitted closely to the table, of unbleached
muslin; then lambrequin, or hanging
border, of the same, attached, and
trimmed with graduated rows of fan
mel, the whole finished with scarlet
worsted fringe.
The mantel-shelf was high, narrow
abomination of wood, painted white;
this was covered with scarlet flannel,
and finished with a prettily-shaped,
pointed lambrequin trimmed with the
fringe. On the shelf Laura placed two
plain white vases of graceful shape, a
present from herself, and filled them
with dropping sprays of Tradescantia.
The effect of the scarlet, green and
white, to a color-loving eye, was simply
charming.
Two chairs had their seats covered
in stripes to match sofa and rocker; but
to Mrs. Mathers' intense establishment,
| two or three cane-bottomed chairs were
banished and their places supplied with
some disreputable-looking ones from
the kitchen. But these wooden ones
were first painted vermilion, and
emerged from the process things of
beauty. Some common little pine pict-
ure frames were treated in the same
way; and as they inclosed passably
good engrayings of pleasant subjects,
they proved very ornamental.
Brackets were not forgotten; small
wooden shelves of circular shape were
covered with the inevitable flannel
and finished with the inevitable fringe;
plaster busts, not particularly strong
as works of art, were nearly concealed
by vines growing in bottles behind
them, and produced a very pretty eff
feet.
"You must certainly have couple
of footstools,' said Miss Gay, when She
arrived at this point; 81 but woe be unto
the presumptuous he or she that shall
place desecrating feet upon them"
The footstools We're made of salt or
sugar boxes for foundation, covered
with unbleached muslin that was orna-
mented with scarlet braid, an applique
figure cut out of flannel for the center,
and fringe around the edge. They
were really beautiful, the tops having
first been nicely raised with moss and
covered with old calico.
Laura's busy fingers worked swiftly
to accomplish all this; for she disdained
help from her cousin, who certainly had
enough to do without adding any fancy
touches to her pile of duties But Mrs.
Mathers looked and wondered as the
parlor steadily grew in beauty, and
frankly acknowledged that she would
not have known it.
Now for a wall-pocket," said the
interchangeable workwoman; and after
adding some pasteboard to her stores,
and producing a lovely chromo-litho-
graph of Little Red Ridinghood from
her own portfolio, she began operations
in this way:
A piece of pasteboard, fourteen
inches in length by about eleven in
breadth, was cut in the shape of
shield, covered on one side with gray
paper of a very delicate shade, and on
the other with scarlet flannel. 1t is
better, however, to have two pieces of
pasteboard, as they can be covered
more neatly and the back firmer. Sew
on the edge of the gray paper piece,
with tiny stitches on the right side,
binding of scarlet worsted braid; haste
the scarlet flannel on the other piece,
making the edges very neat; but the
two are not to be joined until the en-
tire front of the pocket is completed.
Sew neatly on the flannel piece loop
of braid to hang the pocket up by.
Cut out two more pieces of pasteboard,
with straight edges, measuring seven
by nine inches; covering one piece with
scarlet flannel, the other with gray pa
per bound with braid like the back
piece; on the gray-paper side carefully
paste the picture, which should be of a
size to leave margin of gray all around;
edge the picture with narrow strip of
gilt bordering of the kind used with
scrap-book pictures; put the same Dor
dering on the inner edge of the braid
binding. Then unite these two smaller
pieces by neat overland or slip stitch
done with scarlet silk. Next cut two
cores of scarlet flannel to attach the
pocket to the back; sew neatly, placing
the pocket on the gray-paper side of
the back in the middle of the shield.
Now join the flannel side of the back
to all this in the same way as the pocket
sides were joined; crochet deep fringe
Of scarlet worctad frinna IN tho 1ouyar