The Washington times., 1924-05-24
HOMEMADE SLIP.
COVERS ARE
POPULAR
Especially Attractive and USE
full for the Housewife Dur
ing Summer Months.
BY MARIAN MOORE.

A change In the weather means
9 great many changes and reactions
IN human nature. For instance,
there is the person who is always
down in the depths on rainy
day, with the theme Of Nothing
Worth While and Life Just Sue
cession of Woes" until he can hardly
be endured until, the sun shines
again. Theaters flourish in the
winter and wane in the summer;
automobiles run up the mileage in
summer and stand in the garage all
winter; and then there are the peo-
pie who won't work in winter be-
cause Of the uncomfortable cold
weather, nor in summer because OF
the equally uncomfortable hot weather.
The weather affects the scheme OF
human existence more than we
realize.
The weather man certainly causes
q lot of changes in the home Ine
velvet portieres which looked SO r,cn
all last autumn suddenly look IKE
last winters hat when the first ray
Of spring sunshine slants across
them, and down they come to give
place to cool cotton or linen fabrics
with light, CHEEKY colors. Then
when the curtains have been i'm
proved, the furniture takes on a
different aspect. The deep, COM
Portable chairs which made home
joy all winter long suddenly look
stuffy and hot, and. it takes three
glasses of ice cold lemonade to-
counteract the psychological effect
of their warm, rich colorings. The
panacea for these furniture Ills is
alp covers.
Expert Not Essential.
Making slip covers for the chairs,
like painting the woodwork, is con-
sidered by the housewife to be a
Job that can be accomplished OILY
Iy an expert. But she can make
them all right, if she needs few
fundamental requirements.
The best recipe I can give Ior
making slip covers requires several
yards of cretonne, several hun01ed
pins, a pair of scissors and sew
ing machine, mixed with a headful'
Of>brains and ten nimble fingers.
The housewife should select a.
tightly woven material for her
slip covers. 1t must be firm enough
to exclude the dust from the ex-
pensive fabric which it conceals, and
a loosely woven fabric will not
serve this purpose. The material
should either be plain or have a
very small pattern, unless the
housewife can afford to waste con-
siderable in her cutting, for the
angles at which the cloth must be
cut and sewed provoke some gro
tesque effects in the chairs appear
ance il a large design Is used.
saw a slip-covered davenport re-
Gently upon which a whole row OF
headless parrots sported among
tropical flowers. At other points
the whole pattern showed, so
know the parrots were supposed
to have heads, but it just happened
that the cutting decapitated the
top row on the back of the daven-
port. How much more sensible to
have used plain or diamond
shaped pattern for the slip cover
and the bright bird material for
the cushions or curtains.
If the slip-cover material is wash
able it must always be shrunken
before being made UP, or the slip
covers must be sent to the dry
cleaners when they become soiled.
II glazed chintz is used, however,
It need not be shrunken, for it may
be. cleaned by wiping with damp
cloth. If the seams are bound
with different fabric in a contrast
ing color, it must also be shrunken,
else it will pull the covers out Of
shape after laundering. II plain
colors are used, it is always good
plan to ascertain if they are fast,
or just how they will look after a
session in the electric washer.
Figured goods, too, should be tested
to discover how much of their col
Oring fades-sometimes it may be
said, they look better after the
colors are dimmed, but it ist well
to ward off any surprises by laun-
dering a half yard before buying
enough for the covers.
When the slip-cover fabric has
been selected, the housewife should
place the material wrong side out
over the parts of the chair to be
covered, and pin along the lines of
the chair to make it fit. Then the
material may be cut along the pins.
allowing sufficient for seams. Plenty
OF pins should be used in this proc.
eSs, and each strip of the material
pinned to the one which it adjoins