Evening star., 1902-02-22
OLD THINGS LIKE NEW
TREATING FURNITURE WITH
SPATTER WORK.
Shabbiest Articles Can Be Made
Artistic and
Pretty.
WITH

Written for The Evening Star.
Spatter work is rather a trick than an
art, but yet is artistic enough to require
the exercise of taste and judgment.
If you have any old kitchen dresser or
table considered utterly worthless and only
fit for firewood, a skilIful hand at spatter
work can NAL ; 1t an attractive piece or
furniture which will fill it's place for fifty
years longer and be admired by all who
behold 1t. An old round walnut table,
scratched, defaced and apparently ruined
was thoroughly cleanSed with sandpaper
and then spattered with a wreath of maple
leaves. 1t had a branch in the center and
the claws were spattered to match. 1t Is
now the most ornamental object in hand
some drawing room. smaller table in a
still more dlapidated condition was made SO
beautiful by Spatter work that 1t sold for
sl3. and was thought cheap at the price.
The following are some simple directions
for beginner
First gather the loyeliest ferns and
leaves you can get. plentiful supply if
you are going to ornament large piece OF
furniture. Take big book with heavy
covers and press your specimens at once,
keeping them as perfect in shape possi
ble From old magazines cut out with great
precision designs of birds, beasts and flow
ers Buy a common kitchen nail brush
like little scrubbing brush, two or three
hard tooth brushes; also few good brush
es such as painters use for putting on var
nish; get. fine timothy sieve, such as is
used by farmers for sitting timothy grass
seed. If you cannot find this. piece of
very fine wire cloth will do. stretched on
frame. Get few pens, coarse and fine.
both. Do not omit any of these things If
you wish to have good work.
Buy cents worth Of burnt umber in the
powder. and quart of malt vinegar Sc
cure some bits Of new board for the first
trial and do not attempt a piece of furni-
ture till you have had some practice, for the
hand being in has much to do with success
in this as in other handicrafts. Buy some
fine white varnlSh sometimes called De-
mari, at least a quart. that you may not
run short a a critical moment.
Have all your materials at hand, lay
your picture design first of all face down on
leaves, and fasten this under layer very
firmly with pins; the upper ones may be
thrown on more careiessiy. Cover the
wood well and thickly in the second layer
Now mix a large earthen saucer full of
umber and vinegar; tin vessel will not do.
Stir till quite smooth thin liquid. Select
your brush. take your sieve, be careful to
put very little liquid on the brush and
rub away rapidly on the sieve above the
design. The color should fall through the
sieve like fine rain. When the ferns are
quite wet, carefully remove some of the
upper ones. Spatter again. then gently
pull out some of the under ferns, just over
the ground design; this requires a light
hand. Finally, after scattering a little
more, take OF all but the ground design
fastened on with the pins, which is left
till quite dry
If you have never before seen such work
you will be delighted with the result, for
1t is a perfect reproduction of nature in
ferns and leaves.
Suppose your picture design Is a field
mouse; Of course 1T is only in outline. Dip
your pen in brown India ink and mark in
the eyes and whskers; in a word, complete
the sketch. Your mouse will now appear
as If peeping from under the ferns When
perfectly dry varnish VII. great care the
whole work. The varnish will take a day
or two to dry. Any kind of wood looks
well spattered but holley and box are Tie
best for minute designs.
A nursery paneled with spatter work
would be charming for little children-the