Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-04
CHAIR UPHOL STEERING
FOR THE AMATEUR

and ink l advise the novice to study the
real upholsteteT's methods in this respect.
They will be clearly visible on any stun
over" furniture about the house. In doing
up some articles it viii he necessary TO
advance a step farther in the art and hide
the edges of your work with gimp, using
the gimp lacks for attachment. Fancy
gimp to match all stuhs can be had, aud
there is absolutely no difficulty in putting
them On, the lacks 10 be about one and a
half inches apart. Sometimes brass-he3de1
nails are used, put closely together so That
they touch one another, but the vogue for
this ornamen tation is on the wane, and,
besides, it spoils the framework with the
number of holes that must be made. When
these nails are employed to carry out
design il is of course necessary to hit the
nail exactly in the middle, a feat all women
cannot accomplish by nature.
The most troublesome of all upholstery
work is called stuff over Fortunately
there is very little Of this about the ANTIQUE
and the reproductions now so much sought
after. But where this variety does exist no
amateur is wise In undertaking modern
stuff overs" saddle bags and Chester
fields, as the profession terms the different
parts of the operation. But In renoVatinS
antiques one sometimes finds it necessary
TO 60 a little buttonlnS down, as, Tor m
stance, In recovering the loose squad or
mattress of an empire sofa. For this pur-
pose the buttons used are wooden molds
which are first covered with the material
being used. Avoid a great lumpiness OF
stuff at the back, although where the stun
trays, as damask does, 1t is difficult. Too
much protrusion prevents the button from
fitting down tightly, as II must do to be
workmanlike.
Strong thread sold in hanks or very fine,
strong Irvine is used for the buttoning and
straight needle from three inches long
upward, according to the thickness OF the
squad. To sew the button the needle is
first passed upward from the underside OF
the mattress to the top, coming out where
the button is to be. The spaces should be
mas cN1Fl md cit l-aA m
both sides of the squad with pencil or
ink dot. The button is then threaded on
ana the needle pushed back through the
mattress to where ii started, thus bringing
out the two ends of the string together at
the back. These ends must be very firmly
and tightly tied, for which purpose both
strength and practice are required.
The best material for the amateur up
holsterer to experiment upon is tapestry.
Stripes or a close repeat pattern help ac-
curacy and are easier than plain stun un-
less the piece being covered has many
curves. AS a finishing piece of advice let
me warn impatient people-those who ex
claim, "Oh, it'll dol" and those who are
apt to leave things half finished-against
upholstery, for their efforts are not likely
to be crowned with success. On the other
hand, the patient and neat-fingered anna
teur can easily turn out work that no one
could tell from that of a professional.
II one has real eighteenth century chair
to do up the work is indeed labor of
love. AS a matter of fact, much of our
Wanted worship of old furniture is by no
means absolutely real The Philistine who
honestly likes the new and says is en-
titled to as much respect as the man or
woman who looks upon find of genuine
Chippendale a fit reward for much
searching and heartburning. In common
with Chippendale and Sheraton, the name
of Heppiewhite has come down to us as a
great chair designer II is in the form of
the chair back that lie the distinguishing
marks of these three chairmakers. The
shield hea-rt-shaped back is Hepple-
whites standard mark. Sheraton delighted
In lyre-shaped backs, and Chippendale In
ribband backs. The very fact OF the few
ness of Adams chairs render them ex-
amples that are good to acquire. though
from an actual beauty-loving point they are
never as satisfying as the designs from the
hands and brains of the three great chair
makers just mentioned It is better TO
collect examples of each period than sew
eral specimens of one.
In these days when many OF the older
handicrafts have been crippled by the per-
lection Of machinerysit is refreshing to find
growing interest In many Of the old
specimens of chairs SO popular In an earlier
period OF the eighteenth century.