Inside the House 
Timely Suggestions and 
Answers to Correspondents 
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BHHH 
The Editor will gladly answer queries pertai-ning to individual problems of interior decoration and furnishing. When an immediate reply is desired, 
please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope 
Floral Decoration at Home 
LMOST everyone has, at some time 
or another, found an occasion which 
required a floral decoration for the house, 
but unfortunately, at just such a time, the 
lack of the technical skill of the profes¬ 
sional florist has raised obstacles that were 
not easily overcome. Given the same 
quantity and quality of stock to work with, 
the chances are that the amateur would 
do a better piece of work than the profes¬ 
sional, but the latter’s experience and 
knowledge of the mechanical part of the 
work give him the advantage. The pro¬ 
fessional’s work is even; that is, the flow¬ 
ers seem equally fresh in all parts of the 
house. The amateur’s work, on the con¬ 
trary, is apt to be spotty, in that the flow¬ 
ers last placed will look better than those 
arranged earlier. Again the florist works 
with a rush, keeping his perishable stock 
in reserve until the last possible moment, 
something that cannot be done offhand. 
Moss is the florist’s standby. He first 
soaks it in water and after squeezing it 
binds it in forms to hold the flowers. For 
a mantel decoration, for instance, he first 
makes a mound of moss at the back and 
into this he sticks the flowers, using long- 
stems if the effect is to be high. No wire 
is used, but the stems are pointed with a 
sharp knife as they are to be used, not be¬ 
fore. The moss, if tied upon a frame, or 
even tightly packed, will hold the flowers 
in place and keep them fresh for a long¬ 
time. In front of the moss, plants of 
maidenhair fern might be used, with the 
pots turned on their sides. This shows 
the top of the plant and makes a striking 
decoration. For a doorway he uses moss 
tied into a frame of poultry wire of small 
mesh. The moss will keep in place and 
may be placed safely in any position. 
Where a massed effect is desired flowers 
can be stuck into the earth of the potted 
plants and other plants banked about, giv¬ 
ing an immediate and natural effect. To 
do this the stems must be long. 
The florist will use all sorts of greenery 
provided it can be had in long streamers, 
and for this purpose there is nothing that 
can be used with better effect than the 
rambler roses if they happen to be in flow¬ 
er. When cut in long streamers the ends 
of which can be put in bottles of water 
concealed by the foliage, good results are 
effected. The bottle idea works out well 
and will often make success where little 
might be expected. Roses used in this 
manner are particularly effective, and the 
ramblers are available if not cut too long 
before being used. 
The object the florist keeps in view is 
the care of his stock. He tries to keep it 
out of the light as long as possible, and' 
while it must be near at hand he searches 
out a cool spot in the cellar and piles the 
flowers on the floor, covering them with 
dampened paper. If flowers are taken 
directly from a very cold ice chest into a 
warm atmosphere they are apt to wilt 
much more quickly than if taken from a 
cool place like a cellar. 
Machine-Sewed Carpet Rags 
AG rugs woven from new fabrics are 
not nearly so delightful as those 
which are the result of family saving. 
But new cloth may be machine-sewed to 
advantage, making a smoother filling than 
if cut back and forth or in strips to be 
sewed by hand. For instance, two yards 
of new fabric may be joined end to end, 
one edge lapping the other, and missing 
exact jointure by the width of a carpet 
rag. Begin cutting or tearing at this left- 
out notch, after sewing with a short stitch 
three times along the lap. By cutting 
through the lap there is an even, continu¬ 
ous strand that will not break at the seams 
nor make a knotty bulge in the weaving. 
Old cloth can be treated in the same 
way. Indeed, with fairly large pieces one 
can sew a long strip together, varying 
colors and proportioning them so as to 
make beautiful cloudings in the woven 
carpet. Join the ends as for new cloth, 
cut or tear, always cutting through the 
seams, and wind into balls. But often 
there are strips too narrow for such join¬ 
ing. Cut them to carpet rag size, laying 
each color to itself, and proportioning the 
width cut to the bulk of the material. If 
thick and thin stuffs must go in the same 
ball cut the thin ones to be folded double 
or treble. Next cut stiff paper into strips 
an inch and a half wide, lay the end of a 
strip under the machine foot, lap two 
rag ends on top of it, and sew them to¬ 
gether through the paper. Turn the free 
end of one sewed rag so as to lie on the 
paper, lap a fresh bit flat upon it, sew 
through, and repeat till the strip is full. 
Now turn the paper around and sew a 
second row about half an inch from the 
first. Finish by sewing a third row. After 
all the rags are sewed pull away the paper 
strips, cut through the stitches between the 
rags and wind in smooth balls. Thin 
stuffs must be folded for sewing, taking 
care that the folds run straight. Arrange 
colors so as to avoid discords. 
Radiator Paints 
HERE is more to the efficiency of a 
radiator than the mere make or size 
of the apparatus itself. By varying the 
kind and color of the paint on your 
radiator you can increase or decrease quite 
materially the amount of heat given off by 
the latter, as the following facts demon¬ 
strate. Two coats of black asphaltum 
(120) 
