STRAY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 27, 27 October 1926, Page 17

STRAY NOTES

WINDOW DECORATION The style and variety of curtains offered in these days are many indeed, yet still there are those who prefer to get novel effects from materials and combinations of their own choosingNatural undyed tussore is a. delightful material for summer curtains. It ■hangs softly, does not show dust quic'klv, and can be decorated in many wavs.' The easiest form of decoration is to band the bottom of the curtains with printed shantung in colours harmonising with the furnishings. Another, a'nd even lighter, decoration is to inset a band of radium curtain net about threequarter way down the length. This silky I net is sold by the yard in all colours, so whether tlie curtain material is natural or dyed it may be treated in this fashion. Bedroom curtains of floral voile are very pretty and airv and need no trimming. They are most successful with hems machine hemstitched, and, of course, a deep hem across the bottom to give them a little substance. If it is needed to introduce a little more colour, they may be given a deep bottom band of plain voile in the dominant colour of the design. . Very durable curtains and certainly very novel, are those made of bed ticking dyed in a brilliant hue. 1 liis coarse fabric submits very well to home dyeing, and if a bright shade is chosen the stripe in the ticking shows up very well against it. Curtains of checked zephyr are no longer novel, but quite a new note may be introduced on such material by decorating a band across the bottom with a stencilled design in each of the white squares. If, for instance, three rows are treated in this wav, quite a decorative effect is obtained.. Even when the fashionable coloured curtain net is in use the curtains take on an air of distinction if they are banded at the bottom with a contrasting material—the colour in contrast or harmony according to taste. For instance, curtains of yellow net look handsome with a border of cretonne in which deep yellow and delphinium blue predominate. Alternatively, a band of gold furnishing satin or silk striped poplin is handsome, if less colourful. THE IDEAL WARDROBE. What are the qualities and characteristics of the perfect wardrobe for feminine use? . , , . Shallow drawers and shelves are more convenient than a deep drawer because they are more accessible and one-third of the wardrobe should be devoted to these. The remaining twothirds should be for hanging space, and should be subdivided into two compartments—one for delicate frocks and the other for coats and heavier costumes. Another convenience is to nave the drawers and shelves labelled with the name of the article for which they are reserved: “Jumpers,” “Blouses “Woollies,” etc. The fur drawer and the hat drawer should be the deepest, and below the other fitments there should also be a 'fairly spacious compartment for shawls and scarves. There should be mirrors on the inside of the doors; also, fitted to one door, there should be a small collapsible shelf dressing-table, and a convenient hook for the clothes brush. Tn the bottom of the wardrobe, too, should be metal bars for use as a shoe-rack, so that slippers mav be kept with the frocks they match, thus saving time and trouble. We cannot all hope to possess the ideal wardrobe, but there is 110 reason why we should not adopt our existing ones along the above lines as far as possible.

REPAIRING PLASTER WALLS Plastered walls are frequently damaged by blows from the backs of chairs and other hard articles, and although the damage mav be only of very small proportions, it soon gets worse owing to the friable nature of the material. Driving in nails for the support of pictures, shelves, etc., also causes a good many broken places in the plaster, and when the walls are distempered or covered with a plain paper, the holes are very conspicuous and give a bad appearance to the place. The repair of a plaster wall is quite simple and inexpensive if the damage is small, but when a large area of the surface is broken, it will usually require a new paper over the whole of the room, unless a sufficient quantity of spare pieces are available to cover up the new work. A little plaster-of-paris and a trowel will be needed. It is advisable to spread an old sheet on the floor immediately beneath the damaged part., to avoid spoiling the carpet with falling dust and rubbish. An old distemper brush is also useful, and often comes in handy for jobs of this kind. Any ragged ends of paper that may be hanging loose round the hole should be torn away, so that the surface is left quite bare. The hole must be cleared out with the point of the trowel, all loose particles being removed, and the plaster must then be thoroughly wetted by flicking water into the hole by means of the distemper brush. Care must be used in mixing the plaster-of-paris, as it hardens very rapidly ; it must be used directly it has ' been wetted up. When the holes are small and numerous, it is best to prepare all of them for stopping before mixing the plaster, so that they can all be filled at the same time. About a handful of plaster should be shaken out in a heap on to a-board, and a large hole made in the centre of the heap with the fingers or with the butt end of the trowel handle. This hole must be nearly filled with water, and the plaster must be mixed in with the point of the trowel as quickly as possible, care being taken not to break the ring of plaster or the water will escape. This is done by working from the inside of the ring until the water lias all been soaked up, when the remainder can be mixed in with the rest. If the plaster is too stiff to work up, more water must be added, a little at a time, until it is in a plastic state. Working with as much speed as possible, the plaster must now be pressed well into the hole with the trowel, and finished off smoothly, the ‘ surface being made level with the surrounding wall. The remaining holes can then be filled up in the same way. Little difficulty should be experienced when the damage is not extensive, but if, a large superficial area has to be repaired and the holes are deep, it is well to fill them nearly to the surface with liair mortar mixed with qn equal quantity of plaster. This will set in a few hours, and it can then be faced off with plaster as already described. After the surface has hardened, it should be brushed over with water, and scoured again with the edge of the trowel to make it smooth and level. It is most important that the old work should be well wetted before starting, or the new plaster will not adhere. The patch must be allowed to dry thoroughly, and it can then be covered by sticking a small piece of wallpaper over the place. If the plaster hardens off so quickly as to be unmanageable, its setting can be retarded bv adding a little powdered whiting before it is wetted. This will not adversely affect the ultimate result. RE-COVERING A TABLE The old leather covers should first be cleaned off a writing-table top previous to re-covering, and the surface then well smoothed with glasspaper. A suitable paste for roans, moroccos, and leather-cloths may be made of good flour and boiling water, stirring well to keep it free from lumps. Hot thin glue should be used for oilcloths. Cut the leather rather larger than the space to be covered, then paste the top, rubbing well in with a stiff brush and picking out lumps. Next warm the leather before a fire or stove, place it on the table top, and, commencing in the centre, with a cork pad work out the wrinkles and puckers to the ends and side. Continue stroking until the leather lies quite flat, then dress it off with a sharp 5 , thin-bladed knife and lay down the edges. For thin leather cloth a rubber-covered squeegee is even better than the cork pad. For oilcloth the process is the same, but hot thin glue is used as the sticking medium.

A NEW WINDOW Windows would hardly seem to be a subject for invention, but in point of fact a very large number of patents have been granted for different types of window-fjaiue for which some particular advantage is claimed. In particular, many inventors have sought to provide windows which would be easier to clean and which would obviate the well-known dangers attendant on the cleaning' of the outsides ol windows on high buildings. Windows of the “door” type are easy and safe if they open inwards, but mostly they open outwards. A new type produced in Britain is one in which the whole frame of the window is hinged at the lower edge, so that it can be lowered inwards until in a horizontal position. This makes the cleaning of the outside (which is the upper surface when the window is lowered inwards) quite safe and easy, whilst the inner surface can be cleaned in the usual way when the window is in position. In addition to the whole frame, being hinged in this way, the two parts of the window slide up and down in the frame in the conventional manner. BRIGHTER HOUSES Houses of tile-red, apple green, pale yellow, and burnt sienna form a new and vivid feature of the landscape at a London County Council’s housing estate. They are part of the “brighter housing” experiment recently announced by the architect to the London County Council. The group of thirty dwellings gives the impression of a miniature suburb, contrasting with the neighbouring brick and concrete sections of the estate. Other houses, nearly ready for habitation, are receiving their final coating of coloured concrete. stucco, and additional variety is given with beige, white, flint brown, and French grey. Yellow and green walls predominate so far, and form an attractive contrast with the tiled roofs. The colour effects are obtained by giving a stucco coat to concrete walls on the shutter principle. A new type of skilled artisan is being evolved by the special requirements of coloured concrete. The tints’ are obtained by mixing colouring matter with sand and Portland cement, and the colours are blended and worked up on a large mixing-board in much the same way as an artist works up his tints o i a palette. SUMMARY OF TENDERS CLOSING DURING THE PERIOD OCT. 28 TO NOV. 10. Qtago Harbour Board.—Tenders contract No. 563, Semi-Diesel oil engine. Close noon, October 29. Grey, You’n'g, Morton, and Young, Wellington.—Tenders erection eight shops and dwellings at Pctonc. Close noon, October 29. Waimairi County Council—Tenders supply of transformers. Close noon, October 30. N.Z. Government Railway Department. —Tenders new locomotive workshops at Hillside (Dunedin), and new oartwagon shops at Addington (Christchurch). Close noon, November 1. Wellington Fire Board.—Tenders tarpaulins. Close November 1. P.W.D. (Waikaremoana Scheme).—Tenders indoor control gear and switchgear. Close 4 p.m., November 2. P.W.D. (Flores).—Tenders ironbark piles and hardwood (2 lots). Close November 2. Now Zealand Government (Stores).— Tenders supply disinfectants 1,2, and 3 years. Close 4 p.m. November 3. Seaton, Sladden, and Pavitt, Wellington.—Tenders account Masterton County Council for bridges. Close noon, November 8. Wellington Hospital Board.—Tenders new laundry, kitchen, stores, boiler house. Close 5 p.m., November 9. PW.D (stores).—Tenders steel plan cabinets. Close 4 p m., November 9.