340 
AMEEIOA^r AGEICULTUEIST. 
[August, 
A Bed-room in Cretonne. 
A room fitted up in cretonne, as seen in the en¬ 
graving, is very pretty, inexpensive, and makes a 
light and cheerful summer apartment. The pre¬ 
vailing color is pink. Cretonne of a very good 
quality can he bought for eighteen cents a yard. 
The pattern here used has a bright ground, which 
is nearly covered with leaves and pink rose buds. 
After the w’alls are kalsomiued, which should be of 
a delicate shade of pink, iiaste on, as shown, a wide 
wall-paper border. This adds greatly to the ap¬ 
pearance of a plain wall. The lounge is made of a 
box, six feet long, twent 3 ’-three inches wide, and 
fifteen inches high. Cleats are placed on the inside 
of the bo.x to hold the lid. A caster should be 
fastened under each corner, after which the box is 
ready to cover. Tack on the plaiting for the bot¬ 
tom just over the top, so that the cushion will cover 
the edge. For the cushion, cut two strong pieces of 
corner closet which is so convenient for bottles and 
wash-stand necessities, is made of two ebonized 
pieces of wood The curtain is hung with small 
brass rings on a nail which is fastened at each 
corner. The book shelf is constructed in the same 
manner. The frames for the panel pictures are 
ebonized pine, or they can be gilded if preferred. 
The diamond-shaped frame is also made of pine, 
covered with garnet velveteen. It makes a very 
pretty frame, and when it is hung up high it can¬ 
not be easily distinguished from a velvet one. 
Hanging Shelves. 
A BOOM rUBNISHED IN CBETONNE. 
muslin or partly worn ticking the size of the top of 
the box, and a piece four inches deep, to be sewed 
between the top and the bottom of the cushion. 
One side should be left unsewed until tbe stufllng 
has been placed in. For the latter, line straw or 
W'om out comfortables can be used. Cut a piece 
of the cretonne the size of the top of the cushion, 
and make a strip six inches deep, and long enough 
to go once and a half round the cushion, gather 
tnis strip, and sew one side to the piece forthe top; 
draw it over the cushion, and run the other edge of 
the puff to the underside. The pillow's can be of 
any size, but the larger they are, the better. The 
frame for the little table is a couple of barrel heads 
and a small pole thirty inches high. Tack the 
cretonne on loosely enough to allow it to come 
together in the middle, after which it is drawn 
down, tied, and finished with a large bow of pink 
ribbon or a band of the same material. Make a 
narrow plaiting of cretonne and tack around the 
top of the table. The lambrequin for the w'indow 
is a straight pieee, finished at the bottom with a 
deep hem and sewed on the curtain rings. The 
umbrella case is not merely ornamental, the pockets 
are made of the cretonne doubled or lined with 
some heavy muslin, the back being covered paste¬ 
board. Hang it on the wall with small brass rings, 
sewed at tbe top, corners, and bottom ; tack a small 
bow of pink ribbon at each corner of the case. 
The corner wash-stand is made of a tri.angular 
board, rounded on the outer edge, and supported 
by three stout legs. Tack the cretonne on the top 
as seen in the design, leaving it loose at the bot¬ 
tom, so that shoes and other articles can be placed 
behind it. Cover the top with marbled oil-cloth, 
and make a screen of dotted Swiss over pink cam¬ 
bric, to tack back of the wash-bowl. The little 
Shelves of some kind for holding books, papers, 
etc., arealways useful in the kitchen or sitting room. 
Shelves fastened to the walls are not as convenient 
as movable ones. If you paper or whitewash the 
room they are in the way ; to fit the paper neatly 
about them is quite a job, and only a skilful white- 
washer can use a brush around bracket shelves 
without leaving streaks in the wash. A set of 
hanging shelves can be cheaply and readily made. 
Take as many pieces of board as you want shelves, 
of the width and length desired. If there are two 
windows on one side of the room, not more than 
three feet apart, make the 
shelves long enough to fill 
the wall space between 
them. Paint the boards or 
stain them to imitate wal¬ 
nut or oak, or cover them 
smoothly with glazed cam¬ 
bric, and tack a row of 
fringe about the edge. If 
you wish the shelves more 
ornamental, make narrow 
lambrequins to tack to the 
front of the shelves. These 
can be made of some dark 
cloth, with bright flowers 
cut from cretonne ap- 
pliqued, fastening on with 
an embroidery stich around 
the cut-out flower. To 
fasten the shelves together, 
procure some stout cord of 
a color to match the stain 
or covering of the shelves. 
Before attaching the cord, cut a piece of board as 
long as it is desired to have the shelves apart. Place 
this between the shelves while attaching the cord, 
and it will hold the shelves just as far apart as de¬ 
sired. The cords supporting the shelves should be 
strong, and the nail or hook to which the shelves 
are hung, needs to be stout and firmly driven into 
the wall. Let us have more hanging shelves. 
Notes on Present Styles of Dress. 
Simplicity is the rule for walking suits, cloth and 
velvet dresses to be made perfectly plain, and a 
straight collar or ruche, with a bar pin as the only 
finish for the neck, bows and ties at the throat and 
necklaces being completely abandoned. Kibbons, 
however, appear in the place of flowers on evening 
dresses, made up into rosettes, the ends cut into 
sharp points.—Watches, too, instead of being hung 
by a chatelaine, are now tied by a bright ribbon to 
the seventh or eighth button-hole, from the top, 
and worn inside the waist. The touch of color is 
very pretty in a dark costume.—The hair is still 
worn in a low knot at the nape of neck for the 
street, but for full dress is wound in a loose, irreg¬ 
ular coil on the top of the head, with a crumpled 
pieee or bang in front. School-girls with golden 
brown locks bind the hair down with bandeaux of 
narrow black velvet. It is passed over the head 
four or five times, and tied in a bow behind the 
left ear. Young girls cany bags of velvet or'satin 
suspended from the arm by silk cords. These hold 
their handkerchiefs and pocketbooks, or any bit of 
fancy work. A monogram can be embroidered on 
them. Long dove-gray or blue gauze veils seem to 
be the most popular. They are crossed at the 
back, and the ends Drought .around in front, 
where they are neatly secured by a small lace pin. 
A quaint Mother Hubbard apron is crocheted of 
ecru linen thread, in tiny shells, and bordered by a 
large shell edging. It is trimmed with narrow car¬ 
dinal satin ribbon, three rows run in across the 
bottom, one on each side and two through the 
band. A pocket is put on one side, and tied at the 
back with broader cardinal ribbon. If a bib is ad¬ 
ded, it is pinned up with tiny silver or gold pins in 
some odd design, as are the bibs of all aprons. 
Narrow black velvet ribbon is worn light around 
the throat.—Ear-ring.s are very small, and many 
prefer not to wear any, which is perhaps the bet¬ 
ter way.—Corsage bouquets are prettiest of natural 
flowers, and are worn high up, on the left side. 
Hanging a Broom. 
Mr. C. Ledercr, Whitesides Co., 111., sends us a 
sketch of a plan for hanging a broom, which U j 
convenient, and keeps the brush part from getting t 
out of shape. Two strong nails arc driven five 
inches apart in a perpendicular litie, and the han¬ 
dle of the broom is placed between them, in the 
position shown in the accompanying engraving. 
A Convenient Flour and Meal Chest. 
Half the house-keepers in town and countiy use 
the flour and meal direct from the bag, sack or 
barrel as is needed, resulting in a considerable 
loss. The flour is unavoidably sprinkled and 
dusted over the floor and surrounding articles of 
furniture. This can be avoided by using a chest 
or box, that is easily made, .and may be placed in 
one corner of the pantiy. A desirable size for the 
chest, is two and a half feet in hight, three and a 
half feet in length, and fifteen inches wide, made 
from thoroughly seasoned pine boards, planed 
upon both sides, closely fitted together and se¬ 
cured with nails and glue. It is divided into two 
apartments, the larger one, «, being used for flour, 
the one, at 5, for meal, while near the. bottom is a 
drawer, c, in which the rolling pin, flour measure, 
cup, sifter, spring balances, and other articles may 
be kept. The chest should be provided with a 
close-fitting hinged cover, the whole exterior 
being painted some light color. No paint or oil is 
used upon the inside. The bottom is raised four 
inches from the floor by hollowing out the ends 
and sides, as shown in the above engraving. 
- - 
The Hands —A “ hard-liandedfarmer or me- 
chanie need not be ashamed of this mark of his call¬ 
ing. His hands may be “hard,” but they may be 
clean. Always use soft and warm water to thor- 
