Evening star., 1926-05-07

The woman who can use hammer
screw driver and needle can usually
make her own furniture repairs anG
renovations. 1t is economical of time
money and energy to examine unhOl
stored furniture occasionally, prN
under the seats of chairs and CoucheS
watch the braid that finishes the up
hostery, and make needed repairs al
once or have them made. If the
springs are breaking through the bot
tom covering of a chair, and the web
bing that holds them in place has
lv9sened, retack the webbing in place
pushing the springs back to theil
;isinal position. When the under
covering is torn, replace it by a new
strong piece of cloth. The faVorite
chair of Il heavy man may need this
sort of repairing at frequent intervals
When looking for new covers for up
holstered furniture it is important
to know something more about ma
terial with which the furniture is to
be covered with just the trade names
and the prices, as both vary with
tn4 store and locality The important
factors are the construction and
finish of the material. and the kind OF
fiber used which determines the color,
design, texture and wearing quality.
Upholstered fabrics are classified in
four large divisions, namely, tapestry,
damaSk and broCadeS, VelvetS and We
loudr. chimes and CretOnneS 1t Is i'm
portant to know how to distinguish
between real tapestry and machine
made limitations, and to realize that
very good effects can he worked out
with the limitations at less than half
the price of the originals. When only
small pieces are needed it will prob
/. Dff - - A.lI
No matter what kind of fiber is used
the basis of a damask is either satin,
twill. or "A rib weave. with the pattern
showing out in other WeaVeS. There
fore it is always a figured fabric.
pamask is not always reversible. If
intended for upholstery purposes or
wall coverings the wrong side may be
of cotton or linen with silk or wool
thrown to the face, but the designs
show as plainly in the backing as they
do on the right side. Damasks get
their variety Of texture not only from
their design and finish and cOmbina-
tion of WeaveS. but also from the use
of different fibers. Using silk both
ways results in an entirely reversible
product Then there is a fabric with
silk one way and cotton the other, and
silk and linen in extra heavy fabrics.
Silk and artificial silk makes an eX.
tremely ShoWV material. but is not as
durable. Mercerized cotton. and cot
ton or linen make a splendid com
bination for medium priced hanglnSs
or upholstery
Silk. artificial silk and mercerized
cotton may be tested by burning a
sample. To proceed, ravel out few
warns each way of the cloth and
apply a lighted match. Wool and
silk burn slowly into little balls of
ash and leave an odor like burnt
feathers or hair. Cotton, linen, artl-
fetal silk and jute burn more quickly
and smell like burnt paper. Cotton
and merCerized cotton burn up quick
IL. and artificial silk burns with a
decided flash. Pure silk burns down
into little tufted knobs and cannot
he confused with either mercerized
cotton or artificial silk. 1t is very
important to make these tests of up
holsterv materials especially because
lhev must stand hard wear and can
not be replaced as often as materials
used for other purposes.
Slip Covers for Summer.
1t is very important to use slip
covers rs a protection to handsomely
upholstered furniture in Summer,
when al! windows are open and so
much dust penetrates into the house.
Linens, cottons, Cretonnes. chintZes
and many other light materials may
lie used for these covers. Nhen
choosing the material for the covers
consider the room in which they are
Going to be used. and be sure that
The design Of the material chosen
matches the curtains. carpets, color
of the walls and ouhcr furnishings.
Striped material always looks well.
1Attr
required amount Of material place
the material over the chair, starting
from the floor and keeping the ma
terial in place with pins. Then pin
uD any tuckS or CreaSeS where the
seams are to be, being careful to
see that there are no spare fullnesseS
buIeing out If there are any, they
must be taken up in little tucks, and
where they are too long they should
be tackled down and all material that
is not required should be cut away,
50 that they lie quite flat. The side
aieces should next he cut separately
nd pinned or tackled in place. When
Il is finished take the pinnedtoGether
cover from the chair, as II Is, ana
sew up all seams. Always allow
plenty of turningS for angles ana
corners. French seams are by Tar
The neatest. Remember to allow for
an opening. which should, IT possible.
he at one of the back corners. Allow
TWO or three inches for finishing Off
the opening and sew on buttons and
make buttonholes. Sew on tapes in
the right position to tie around the
legs.
Another way of making slip
cover is to first measure the CHAIR,
then cut out these measurements III
PAPER, allowing a good two inches for
turnings, pinninG them in position to
see that they quite fit. then cut olh
The material by this pattern and
make up in the usual way. Piping
of the same or d contrasting shade
can be used 10 great advantage to
hide seams. When figured material
is used see that the center bf the
design of the material comes TO the
center of the back and seat of the
chair.
Novel Decorations.
These decorations are made entirely
of wall paper, the motifs Of which are
cut out and applied to the furniture