The Iola register., 1882-03-17
Homemade Screens.

H0me.MAde Screens.
These are not Indian. nor japanese,
nor Early English-only simple home
made screens, requiring no artistic talent
and exhibiting no mournful lack of it, as
IS the case with most modern house-dec-
orations. Do you wish to initiate them.
o impecunious dwel1er in a country
house? If you can get the '.blind side''
of the village carpenter he will make you
a LIGHT pine frame with solid feet, about
three feet BY three, or four feet high by
two across. for fifty cents; then ask at .
paint store for DevOe's ebOnizer, which
will cost twenty-five cents. and stain 1t
carefully-two coats yell rubbed IN VII!
give fine polish. Now take siiesia OF
two contrasting cOlors, one for each side
of YOUR screen, cut the exact size. which
dampen thoroughly, and stretch while
wet upon your frame, lacking it very
lightly on both sides, and drawing it
tighter as it dries. Take q atape-measure
and mark off equal distance, say an men
or an inch and half apart. turning the
edges in, and then tack with very small
carpet-tacks, which are afterward COW
cred with a fancy brass-headed nail.
Your screen now is ready for adorn-
ment. Christmas and Easter cards
gummed on according to taste make
very pretty and enduring remembrance
of friends. A friend prepared a charm
ing fairy-tale screen for her nursey, in
three compartments, each telling various
fairy legends most graphically, as the
pictures were cut from books, and ap-
propriately arranged. Sister Anne was
in her tower looking out for the brothers,
while below poor Fatima fell at the feet
of the furious spouse. Cinderella's ca
reer began in ashes and misery at the
bottom, while the happy Prince tried on
the bright slipper at the top. and Jack
really twined his bean stalk up and down
the last compartment, while Kate Green
away's quaint little maidens peeped in
and out. What pleasure it was for the
darlings lying in their little brass cribs
to be soothed to sleepin such a fairy-hke
manner!
An invalid was greatly gratified by a
present of screen on which her favorite
flowers were grouped, they being in re-
ality frontispieces from old floral maga-
zines. Historical subjects with portraits
may be used very effectively for large
folding screens. Take some well-known
authon put his likeness in the center and
group around pictures of his life or Illus
tratiOns of his works; or take a poem and
illustrate it by collecting suitable pictures
from various sources from time to time.
| You will be surprised at the result.
In fastening on all these pictures fol
screens to foundation of either silesia
or paper, be very careful to know just
where the picture is to be put, because il
can not be moved afterward without
| leaving a blur. Use fine flour paste, Uerg
smooth and rather stiff. Put the paste
on to the picture, then set it in its place,
and press down gently with an old liner
napkin. Do SO until all are on, wher
your screen is finished, as it needs NJ
varni shing afterward.
These hints are intended for inartisti'
work-wOmen, or rather for those wht
have the idea in their brains, but canno
make the hand obey. For an artist thu
: field is inexhaustible. and even for thos'
less ambitious a background CAREFUL.
put in, and then single figure or
lovely engraving from portfolio, pro
duces a surprising effect. Those from
the illustrated papers are always avail
able for such purpose.
Some English screens are made o
photographs on tinted paper. At
q recent royal wedding such screel
was named among the gifts made by on
of the princesses. They are easily made
The frame may be either black or brigh
red stained wood; stretch over the mus
lin that has been shrunk, or else have tn
frame altogether of wood; cover thi
with the kind of papersused for the fly
leaves of books-crimson for one side
French gray the other, or China blue an
old gold. Slip your photographs from
the cards by floating them in water
Then press them between old newspape
with a warm iron. Arrange your pho
tographs according to taste. 1t is bes
to have a large one in the centre, an
group the others around it. You ma
have fancy pieces, or else heads of cele
} brities, or even ikenesses of your friends
These photographs be must put o.
the screen with starch boiled Just as if t
starch clothes. When all are dried, pu
, on a thin coat of sizing, and afterwar
varnish over all. A table screen for
! lamp is similarly made. Cut out ST
pieces of cardboard in the shape of
Gothic window. Paste on one side onl
the tinted paper. When dry. faste
together on the back. Then, as in you
: large screen, group your photograph
on, finishing off with sizing and varnish
: Have six holes punched each side, an
| fasten together with ribbon bows. Thi
makes three folds to your screen. Th
: edges may be finished of with gol
7 paper, or ribbon glued on, if you prefer
A transparent screen is very orns
mental where there is an open fire, mad
either of plain or ground glass, and on
we have seen had impressions of ferns o
the glass, which seen through the firt
light gave out q very soft and tende
hue.
Another transparent screen is made
thin muslin or tarlatan, or, better still
white Grape, stretched on frame, the
water-color pictures are gummed on i
arranged fantastically or tastefully,
YOU like. Such a screen was once seer
according to tradition, in the statel
! study of one of our most distinguishe
= ou<I,nro Tho liOht ahininO from behin