Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-01-31
EFFICIENT HOUSEKEEPING
By Henrietta Grauel.
THE EYES OF THE HOUSE.

Very dull and uninteresting do tho eyes
| Of our houses look when the smoke and
CRIME Of winter days has settled over them.
! New curtains help lot, but it Is comfort
| ing to remember, if they are out OF the
; question, that old drapcries can bo
freshened and hung in new ways, SO that
| the interior OF the room, as well as the ex-
| terror appearance of the windows Is mt
| once improved.
We are now offered sunfast, colorod ma
| terials so thin and delicate that we can see
! through them, and that, in spite Of their
colors, keep out but little light. These
I fabrics make excellent sash curtains where
, ono must put small thin curtain next the
glass. The same s,infast material Is now
used largely for curtains and draperies.
This is seldom of silk, but II is made OF
cotton. mercerized until it is as glossy as
more costly materials.
In dressing windows. remember that
curtains are used to temper light, tn Keep
out the intrusive gaze Of strangers, and To
add beauty to the home both without and
within. 1t was Mark Twain who refused
to have his windows curtained. Tie loved
the sunlight and shadow, the lawn, Tn
road ard the hills beyond, and so do we.
Having been taught by him, we will have
our curtains hung SO that they can be
pushed hack easily ard still hang grace
fully. The curtains next the windows
should be thin, almost transparent. II
they are not sufficient, and you must have
n second pair, the over draperies should
be heavy. Two pairs of thin curtains at
ono window are ridiculous, rs you can
realize, if you think about the matter
at all.
When buying curtain material, recol-
taot hot ~ ,,,.,tf th. hrl,t Inrc mt cbIpp
through and YOU must sit looking at the
design in all it's fat dullness or gay gaidi-
ness Chintzes and cretonncs are lovely IN
the day light, but the glare Of artificial
light upon them may tire you. Paper and
curtains selected to match will not please
YOU long. Harmony Is as easily secured
as a perfect match" is more restful. Try
to attain IL.
Unwashablr curtains are lmost things
of the past. At least no one buys them for
the average home, and having them, they
hang them away in bags in the storeroom
closet and forget them-if they are sensi-
bile. But even wash material does not
always come from the laundry as snowy
rs We want 1t. City smoke and dust are 20
blame, and If once the curtains are hung
IN the sun without having the soap
thoroughly rinsed out of them, yellow
streaks arc bound to show. The best
remedy is to dip them into ecru or tan
colored dye This is not a harder task
than to wash them again, and you will
find them more satisfactory than to have
new ones that may not be so suitable for
your windows.
After curtains are up, and the room in
order, they always look better than when
whey were down; and SO ! always say
that a curtain can be used again. 1t can
be turned end for end, or inside out 1T
can be draped, or hung straight, or be put
up with valance, or it may be lined.
Linen curtains can be made from white
blinds. after the stiffening is
soaked out and gay figures can be cut
from cretonne and stitched on en- applique
and used in the nursery. Curtains are
always good for something.