The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1950-05-04
by Dorothy Gentry
JOYCE WILLIAMS.
Home Demonstration Agent

Home Demonstration Agent
Doesn't this time of year maxi
you want to to do some face Lift
! ing in your home? Making you
home more attractive Will pro
7: vide a more gracious and con
genial background for your fami
ly and you'll benefit from it too
Whether your home is fresi
from the blueprint stage or tn
same old address you've had TO.
years, color is the most importan
item in it.
Old furniture can be made
young again with slip covers tina
are color minded. All y~ear-rounc
slip covers are. being used II
more and more homes, with two
or more changes to give variety
Slip covers are no longer just
furniture protection. Instead they
are a decorative asset to any style
room. They can be informal toI
a cottage type home or tailored
and sophisticated for a modern
home.
Try decorating your furniture
with slip covers, and you'll swell
with pride to see an old dingy
piece of furniture change into an
elegant Cinderella product right
before your eyes.
If you can make a dress you
can make a slip cover. Plenty OF
pins, patience and perservevanc
are the requirements. Add a well
chosen material to these three re-
guirements and you should be
able to make a well fitted and
smartly tailored cover.
With your first attempt start
with a chair that has simple,
straightlines that will be easy to
cover. Be sure your upholstery is
in good condition, that there are
no sagging springs or unrepaired
parts out of order before you
start your cover.
Select a fabric well worth the
money, time and energy you will
spend. The material should have
good color, design and texture
and be durable. A firm closely
woven material holds its shape
and tailors better than the loose.
ly woven sleazy fabrics.
In combining various fabrics
follow the decorators Rule o.
Three. In the average size room
use three varied fabrics, a print
a stripe and a plain fabric. Or
the other hand. you may combine
an all-over print with a striped
flower treatment or a plain fab
ric with a plaid fabric.
Keep the color related or plea
sanity contrasted and the pat
terms in scale with each other
Formal fabrics as satin or bro
cade look silly with sailcloth O.
denim.
Rooms should be just as be
coming as dresses. Choose you
favorite colors. Do not use brigh
colors in large areas. Keep then
for small accent notes or trim
When you have several colors Il
a room, have one Of them vivic
the second bright OF pale and tn
third color gray or dull. II yo
are in doubt about your colo
scheme, choose a lovely fabric an
let it guide you.
Determine the color and de
sign you choose by the piece
furniture, the scale and person
atty of the room and what yo
really like. Don't put a large Dol
design on a small spindly cha
or a small dainty design on
large bulky piece of furiture.
Cotton fabric is favored K
slip covers. The king Of cotto
material will depend on tt
chair to be covered. A bedroom
!, chair may have an attract.
bingham or chintz cover. II
living room chair will want
heavier fabric such as sailclo'
, or h~erringbone twill.
Il You will be wasting yo'
a time, money and effort if W
! choose a fabric for your livir
room furniture that will n
stand wear, hold its shape,
: free from too much wrinkling al
I retain its color after ,washin
When you buy pre-shrunk fabri
you r assured of a more pc
feet fit after frequent washing
A pre-shrunk label generally
lows for only one per cent or re-
dual shrinkage to a yard OF ia
ric and this amount is insigni
cant in an article the size OF
slip cover.
Il II you have a favorite chair, b
the budget won't stand q reu
h~olStering Job or even q mad
v to-order slip cover, make 20