Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-06
HINTS FOR SUMMER HOMES
New Styles in Wicker and Rattan Furni-
tuTe.
How the Willow Sticks Are Treated
and the Process of Weaving
and COloring.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Spring cleaning time, now at hand, sug-
gests many changes in the appearance of
the interior of the house. Mattings are put
down IN place of heavy carpets, thin cur
talns are substituted for heavy brocaded or
damask ones, while light, airy pieces of fur
niture are wherever possible substituted for
massive upholstered ones, for during the
warm weather the housekeeper we'll knows
that an appearance of GOODNESS in house
Will often to the mind cheat the thernom-
eter OF several degrees of torrid Temporal
ture. The furnishing of the veranda, which
In these days has come to be a matter of
great Importance, at least in suburban
houses, gains greatly from the use of much
wicker furniture. One may buy almost
anything in wicker and so satisfactory has
1t proved that many families it in sit
ting rooms the year round. The summer
girl, too, ever on the alert for effect
i've background for her charms, has found
in the use of rattan furnishings an invalu-
able auxiliary. The lightness and dainti-
ness OF this style Of furniture make it es-
pecially suitable for summer homes. The
enameied wickerwork is not only bright and
picturesque, but it is serviceable-first, be-
cause the rattan thus treated is more dura-
BILE than It's generally fragile appearance
would lead one to believe, and second, from
the fact that when it is little soiled it can
be made to look good new by the use
of a little warm water and soap and a
sponge.
Wicker, bamboo rattan or cane furniture
IS now made in so many styles that 1t
be purchased to harmonic with any other
furniture where only part of a set is
bought.
Not Cheap, but Good.
1t is undeniable that wicker furniture Is
not cheap. Handmade articles never are
but 1t Is seldom that In real comfort and
adaptability anything so we'll repays the
outlay as wicker chairs and touches. Their
lightness recommends them to families liv-
ing in self-furnished lodgings or in apart
ments, as the moving man can SO easily
pick them up and drop them into his big
van when the family makes up its mind
that it needs change of scene and a new
jantor.
For the furnishing of studios there Is
nothing so desirable as wicker, because it
is so easily moved about. Much of the
charm of a studio is that the owner of it is
able to change the general appearance of
his surroundings very often for the artistic
temperament abhors sameness.
As the making of wicker articles is an
industry in which women could make a
success, it may be interesting to know
just how the furniture Is made.
The long willow sticks are first placed in
water, that they may by soaking be made
more flexible and thus easy to manipulate
While still damp they are bleached by
placing them in an alright receptacle with
buring sulphur.
Making WickerwOrk.
A drawing of the articles to be made and
its main divisions IS supplied the worker.
With this in view, he begins his weaving.
Each part is worked over wooden frame
as will be noticed by examining any piece
of wickerwork. When a chair is made, the
seat is woven first; after that the wooden
foundations for the legs are placed at each
corner, and the braidlng is put on from the
floor upward. Back and arm sticks are nut
In next and covered then the braided work
above and below the seat In making fancy
WickerWOrk 1t is necessary to attain good
effects to have the withes of different thick
nesses.
The colors used in enameling the fur
nlture are forest green, brown delft blue,
ebony and ivory white. The cOloring is
put on with a brush and afterward gone
over with shellac to give it brilliancy For
the emerald green, indigo blue. sealing
red and yellow the willow Is dyed in a vat
to give the colors permanence; then the
Varnish is put on. Sometimes two coors
are combined in one piece of furniture. The
sticks are colored before being woven.
Just at present the fashion of using Gre
tonne upholstered cushions gives a touch
of gayety to the sober backgrounds of the
dark colored furniture Wicker may now
be purchased in entire sets, Just like any
other material
Those people who have picturesque We
randas, where in summer much of their
time is spent, will find the low willow
and the dainty tables just the things to
turn the outdoor hooks into habitable apart
ments. The Veranda should be as much
shaded by vines possible and then hung
with bamboo porch blinds.
The floor of the veranda Is best stained
and polished and ornamented with one of
the bright jute rugs that exposure to the
weather does not spoil A table In the
center of the veranda for afternoon tea
magazines and books may be had in sew
eral shapes. Some of them are provided
with little undershelves and are made en-
tirely of the wfckerwOrk. The touches are
of various shapes. Some of them are
straight backed affairs covered with an
upholstered fitted mattress. Over this any
quantity of soft cushions may find a rest
ing place, to be used to prop up tired heads
weary backs.
Attractive Verandas.
Corner seats of wicker very hand
some, but are the most expensive of tho
furniture, a good one costing about $50.
The chairs cost all the way from $3.50 for
the small garden chairs to S25 for some Of
the more ornamental easy chairs. The
backs and seats are covered with the fiat
cretOnne cushions, that the chairs are
practically upholstered ones. The bright
cretonnes are now most fashionable, while
use is frequently made of the turkey red
linen or blue green plain art fabrics.
ELLA MATHI ESSEN.
A SUMMER CLOUD.