Boiinei nri3 iPictoim: 
ome t^ompxiuoR. 
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS, AND GOSSIP 
WITH CORRESPONDENTS. 
Curtains. —We shall be very glad to hear Miss 
Larued’s description of the curtains to which she al¬ 
luded. We have used both unbleached muslin and 
Canton flannel for hangings, embellishing them in 
many different ways. An elegant set, that has been 
greatly admired, we made by cutting a border of fools¬ 
cap paper, consisting of a serpentine vine, made by 
reversing a half circle six inches in diameter, then 
marking a line within it, half an inch from this first 
one, we arrange sprays of Ivy leaves and berries 
along this main branch. 
In order to facilitate matters, we transferred this 
one section of the design to a long strip of cheap wall¬ 
paper, on the wrong side, then cut it carefully out, 
and there was a pattern for all our different large 
pieces ; piano-cover, curtains, lounge-covers and por¬ 
tieres—for we hold to using drapery rather than doors 
between certain apartments, it gives such a cosy ap¬ 
pearance compared to those folding or sliding doors 
in their hard woodiness. 
But about our unbleached muslin arrangements: 
besides this Ivy vine we used for corner-pieces groups 
of light feathery ferns, etc. Now, having purchased 
a bolt of the unbleached sheeting muslin, double fold, 
we proceeded to cut out our various covers, etc., and 
then fastening the patterns in place began our work 
of casting the spray, and how do you suppose we did 
it, and what did we use? Neither more nor less than 
Leamon ! s brown dye, and an atomizer. We have 
tried with excellent success the brush and comb, sieve, 
wire-cloth, etc., but can assure you an atomizer is by 
far the best article. This work requires care, but 
once done, you have the most superb set of covers and 
drapes that can be imagined. 
Any color preferred may be used ; crimson, blue, 
and green are charming, especially for chambers. As 
we desired the lovely, creamy tint of the material only 
to appear blank in certain parts, and thus to effect a 
positive delusion, we cut single clusters of two leaves 
and a tiny delicate spray which we dotted over the en¬ 
tire surface, covering with spray, put on with infinite 
care and delicacy around them for a distance of some 
three or four inches, heavy, of course, near the figure, 
then gradually fading into mere mistiness. The 
spray or spatter-work has been so often described that 
it is useless to repeat the modus operandi here. 
A set of Canton flannel can be made to appear like 
the richest oriental fabric, for these unbleached cottons 
of our American looms possess the true oriental tint, 
that soft, creamy white, so long desired, and which 
foreign manufacturers have made fruitless efforts to 
imitate; and, lo! here we have it, without an effort, 
and among our cheapest fabrics. 
Now, we all know that in this day for a fashion to 
assume the appearance of antiquity, is to be stamped 
au fait by Mrs. Grundy, so how fortunate it is for 
us middlingers, or middle people, to be able to arrange 
our belongings, so that they not only appear, but truly 
are old- fashioned, so we may, in case of our hangings, 
just turn to some engraving or picture of “ ye olden 
time” and then we shall see across the upper part of 
all window-bangings and portiere curtains, one or 
more figured stripes or bands running horizontally 
across the curtains. These are from eight to fourteen 
inches wide, and in some cases we will find three of 
them about four to eight inches apart, but in many 
there will be only one twelve inches deep, and above 
it a diaper design. These are richly embroidered in 
the costly Indienne fabrics, but in others velvet or 
woolen bands take their place, and right here, let us 
mention that no one article of embellishment is so ad¬ 
mirably adapted to carry out this ancient impression 
than common horse-girthing, which retains in a singu¬ 
lar and special manner its ancient individuality as re¬ 
gards fabrication and embellishment. To carry out 
this assertion let us quote from Sir Chas. East-lake’s 
“Household Taste”: 
“ * * * Another French material called “ Al¬ 
gerine ” appeared for a while in our London shops- 
It was made of cotton and was designed with horizon¬ 
tal stripes of color on an unbleached ground. * * * 
Some very beautiful specimens of portiere curtains 
have recently been made from the respective designs 
of Mr. A. W. Blomfield, architect, and of Mr. C. 
Heaton ; they are composed of velvet and other stuffs, 
embroidered by hand, and decorated with deep stripes 
of alternate stripes of velvet and common horse-girths. 
It is a remarkable fact that horse-girths, as well as 
certain kinds of coach-trimming, traditionally pre¬ 
serve the spirit of some very excellent designs, which 
have probably varied very little in pattern and general 
distribution of color during the past century.” 
Two specimens of the curtains are given, the one is 
decorated in applique embroidery, with representations 
of iEsop’s fable, “ the Fox and the Stork.” The 
other the “ horse-girth ” stripes. 
Nowq instead of the iEsop’s fable illustration, we 
obtained some large figured curtain chintz, which 
w'as covered with curious Japanese and Chinese fig¬ 
ures. We cut these out carefully, and gummed the 
wrong side, then arranged them in square blocks form¬ 
ing one of the stripes; above and below' we used 
bright colored horse-girthing. The applique em¬ 
broidery we fastened by means of buttonhole stitching 
along the edges, using scarlet and other colored linen- 
floss. 
You can form no adequate idea of the elegance of 
such a set of curtains, which wall not cost one-tenth 
the sum of an imported set not any handsomer in 
appearance, and whick none but a connoisseur could 
distinguish from the genuine article. 
In making your curtains, we would advise your 
covering sofas, etc., with similar material, making 
stripes to extend perpendicularly across the back one 
in the centre, and one on each side of it, also the seat 
with narrower ones, extending from the front edge to 
the back. The new' work Mr. Williams has just pub¬ 
lished, “ Beautiful Homes,” will give you full instruc¬ 
tions regarding the furnishing and arrangement of 
every room in the house. 
To Renovate an Old Sofa. —Please tell me, 
through the Cabinet, how' to renovate an old sofa 
which needs it very much. I can cushion it, but that 
is not the work that troubles me; I do not know how' 
to go about varnishing, etc. Also, tell me all about 
finishing a bedstead when purchased new', without 
paint, varnish, etc. By answering these questions 
you w'ill greatly oblige your friend, 
Mrs. Mary M. Medlock. 
Answer. —If the sofa has a coat of old varnish on 
the w'ork-w'ork, remove svery vestige of it, first rub¬ 
bing it very carefully, w'ith the grain of the wood, first 
with finest emery paper, then with a flannel cloth 
made wet with clean cold water and covered w'ith pul- 1 
verized pumice stone. It must feel quite smooth 
under the hand ; then rinse perfectly clean and wipe 
dry, rubbing hard with an old cloth of some kind. 
Next have some copal varnish aud a soft varnish¬ 
brush, and in a w r artn room, free from dust, give the 
work a smooth, even coat of varnish. If it appears 
to “ drag ” under the brush, thin it with a little tur¬ 
pentine. Allow' this to dry, and if you wish the pol¬ 
ish very fine, rub it down again with pumice, and 
rinse, then re-varnish ; the oftener this is done the 
higher the polish ; w’e have in some cases rubbed 
down or pumiced and re-varnished a piece until it as¬ 
sumed a hard, solid, uniform surface as fine as papier 
mache or polished marble. We w'ould advise the 
use of gilt-headed tacks and such covering as sug¬ 
gested to. A covering of stone-colored drilling, spat¬ 
tered w'ith bright green, is one of the most chaste 
and elegant pieces of upholstering imaginable. We 
w'ill suppose your new bedstead is of plain pine, with 
head and foot-boord, simple and quaint in form, a la 
Eastlake. See that it is perfectly smooth. Now de¬ 
cide upon some color for the grounding. It may be 
black or of any intermediate tint or color between that 
and white; brown, stone, lavender, buff blossom, 
straw, drab, pearl, cream, pale green, or blue, will 
any one of them be satisfactory. Obtain the powder 
color, unless some house painter can be relied on to 
mix your color for you ; rub it up with a little pure 
zinc-lead, and then add Damar varnish until of proper 
consistency, about like cream. Lay on a smooth coat 
of this over every part of your wood-work ; dry well 
and apply a second; dry and varnish with Damar ; 
then polish. Now' you are ready for any embellish¬ 
ment you may desire. We would advise bands of 
color around all the margins ; for instance, a fine illu¬ 
minated effect is produced by painting a ground of 
sage-gray and making bands of vivid scarlet, blue, 
and green, with thread-lines of black separating them. 
The best method of applying such lines of paint is 
by forming impromptu stencil-plates. Go to your 
tinner and get a strip of tin two inches wfide and a 
foot long, having him cut you three open spaces in it 
a half or fourth of an inch w'ide, and then you have 
it; place this on your foot, side, or head-board, and 
W'ith your red, blue and green brushes paint directly 
across each slit, then raise it, pass it to the space be¬ 
low', and thus proceed; have the one end of your tin 
cut entirely out, so that you will have no trouble in 
placing it on the extreme end of each space just, fin¬ 
ished, as you continue the lines. After these lines are 
dry, the black, white or yellow' division lines may be 
easily made by means of a stiff bristle brush of small 
size "and a ruler. An inch below' such lines put on 
some pretty border of decalcomanie. We have used 
vines, geometrical designs, Grecian Key, etc., in gold 
and colors, with charming effect, only use care in se¬ 
lecting the designs not to mingle incongruous objects; 
if flowers, birds in the light French style are used, 
then do not apply a Grecian goddess in some panel 
medallion, or if the goddess, with illuminated border- 
ings; do not have an Egyptian or Assyrian mytho¬ 
logical group, a Japanese temple or Chinese mandarin. 
Each style of embellishment is perfect of its kind, 
but do not confuse them; it .is like putting on colors 
that are antagonistic—red w'ith green, yellow' with 
pink, etc. They absolutely swear at each other. On 
black or dark grounds gilded decalcomanie designs 
in imitation of illumination will be found very effective, 
and is a favorite style W'ith us. An entire suite thus 
embellished will give you a room so entirely lovely as 
regards furniture, that you will find nothing wanting. 
Imagine a floor covered with matting, and such a suite 
in cottage style, ground, a pale turquoise blue, with 
bright rosebuds in pink with miniature roses for a bor¬ 
der, w'ithin a band of gold and scarlet, a medallion in 
the centre of each panel, on head and foot-board of 
bedstead, centre of all drawers and doors, with large 
floral design, a basket of roses, etc., blue walls with a 
rambling vine of pink roses and convolvuli, curtains 
of Swiss, with blue sprav-work, lined with rose-col¬ 
ored cambric, mantel draped w'ith a lambrequin of 
same, water-color chromes, if not painted, in white- 
wood frames—and—but we dare not proceed or our 
other questions will be crow'ded out. Aunt Carrie. 
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