NEW USES FOR LEATHER

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27405, 19 July 1954, Page 2

NEW USES FOR LEATHER

COLOUR RANGE INCREASED TO 400 SHADES Leather is far from being a new furnishing material, but it is being used in Chicago at the moment in astonishing ways. To begin with, the colour range of leather has been increased so that there are now more than 400 different shades. New methods of processing the hides have produced two outstanding finishes: One, used for pikskin “tiles,” makes them washable as well as resistant to dirt and stains of all kinds, even alcohol. The other, which is called a “glove finish,” results in a soft leather pliable enough for curtains. Pigskin tiles are being used for walls and floor-covering, or for panels in dining room or sitting room cabinets. Mottled mahogany-coloured leather is also used for the fronts of mahogany cabints. A startling use for leather is seen in a television set —covered in shocking pink shiny leather, handtooled with gold asterisks. Again, the soft “glove” leather is used for platinum-coloured curtains which are hung by leather straps from a fat brass curtain rod. A dining room suite has chair backs of leather which look like woven lattice work, but are actually stamped out. There are even leather shutters, trimmed with brass, which are combined in a room with natural teak furniture.

WOMEN’S DIVISION OF FEDERATED FARMERS Okuku.—Members of the Okuku branch o£ the Women’s Division of Federated Farmers agreed that the sum of £2 be given to CORSO. Mrs T. Johnstone presided. Competition results were:—Large bloom: Mesdames J. H. Ensor 1, G. Harper 2. Small bloom: Mrs Harper 1, Mrs Johnstone 2, Mrs W. Davis 3. Vegetables: Mrs Ensor 2, Mrs J. H. Ensor 2, Mrs Harper 3. Jar of chrysanthemums: Mrs Johnstone 1, Mrs R. Dixon 2, Mrs Harper 3. The hostesses were Medames G. Somerfield, H. Wood, and T. Davis.