Evening star., 1923-09-14
Renovating and Frightening
Your HOuSe Furnishings

the edge. A border can be crocheted
right on to the material. If II is a.
piece Of fine old damask IL is worth
while 10 study the run Of the pattern,
as some of the designs are very
beautiful, and if perfect motif can
be saved so much the better.
Old linen pillow cases can be con-
verted into linen bags or work bags
for holding pieces OF dainty unfin-
ished sewing. The worn portions can
he cut away and then Allied in with
squares or strips of coarse lace. II
the linen is firm little quickly work
ed embroidery can be added or
further decoration
Upholstered Furniture.
Frequently the seat and arms of
chairs upholstered with durable ma
terial such as tapestry, become shabby
before the back and sides show signs
of wear. When this is the case, II is
sometimes a good idea to re-upholster
the inside of the chair, recovering
only the inside back, seat and arms
with a contrasting material, furni-
ture velvet, for instance, in color TO
tone with the outside fabric. Quite q
good effect, too. can be gained by out
lining the pattern of the tapestry on
/ the outside with silver gold, or cop
per paint. This, although effective,
would; of course not be durable on
the seat or inner side of the arms, as
it would probably rub or. When the
covering of chairs does not harmontze
with the hangings of a room 1t Is
not difficult to work parts OF the
pattern on the chairs with carpet
wool the color of the curtains. The
stitches should be large and bold. The
touch of color thus introduced viii
often be sufficient to bring one ma
terial into harmony with another.
Imitation LinoIeum From Carpets.
Old Brussels carpets or other car
pets with u close nap that have been
worn threadbare, while the founda-
tton is still good. can be given a new
lease of life by being turned into
imitation linoleum. First shake the
carpet thoroughly, then cut it to the
size you wish the lipoleum TO be, or
If Ii is to cover the floor of room,
cut il TO the exact size, and then lay
II down with the wrong side upper
most over the floor of the room. With
small nails tack it firmly all round,
taking care TO have the carpet
stretched very evenly. Now wash the
entire surface with good carpet
soap, first removing all grease spots
with a hot iron and brown paper.
Wipe the carpet all over with clean
cloths and leave to dry thoroughly.
When dry, paint the entire surface OF
the carpet with a rather thin house
paint. The house paint sold in cans
does splendidly with the addition OF
half it's bulk of mixed linseed oil and
turpentine. Apply the paint with long
strokes of a brush. all going in the
same direction, and be careful not to
dip the brush too deeply into the
paint, as in this case the color would
collect in irregular patches. II must
be perfectly even. When the first coat
of paint is entirely dry, apply another
coat 'of the thinned paint mixture,
taking care to have the whole surface
as smooth as possible. II border is
required measure on the space care
fully, marking the lines with chalk.
AS soon as the second coat of paint
is dry, the third and final painting
should be done with enamel.
The color selected should be suit
able for both the border and the GEN.
ter of the nnoleum. Paint the center
of the linoleum first with the enamel,
taking care to apply il very thinly
and quickly with a rather wide brush.
when this is dry, paint the border
with a slightly darker shade of the
enamel. Linoleum treated this way
will last for years If the color wears
off. it will need only another coat of
enamel TO look as good az over.
Quickly Made Handkerchiefs.
Dainty handkerchiefs can be made
with very little time or trouble, but
would be costly TO buy. From piece
of handkerchief linen, batiste or other
suitable material, cut twelYe-inch
square. About an inch from each edge
of the square. and again half an inch
nearer the center, draw thread:
Mako a running stitch In place of
each drawn thread. taking small, even
stitches, using thread of fine en-
broidery cotton in any desired color,
WorkNa dot the size of a pinhead in
the little square formed in each COR
ner by the intersection of the col
ored threads. Beginning at one cor
ner of the handkerchief roll the raw
edge between the thumb and fore
finger and overcast as you go with
short stitches using the same en-
broidery cotton. When you have
worked one way round the handkeT-
chief, turn and overcast in the OPP
posite direction. The stitches will
cross each other and decorate the en-
tire edge with row of tiny KS, A