Wall plaque in Barbola Work

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 299, 14 September 1937, Page 5

Wall plaque in Barbola Work

Handicrafts No. 30—By Violet M. Williams.

BRIGHT posy with cn delightful motif for a wall easily carried out in barboli

•eamy Victorian frill makes a 1 plaque. The suggestion is la work.

TAESPITE its charming effect, the U plaque is very simple to carry out. Even the amateur barbola worker can attempt it, for only the very simplest flower and leaf shapes are required. The finished effect is always pleasing. Barbola,work is,.of course, a form of modelling with a soft substance which hardens when left. The petals, leaves, and so on, are grouped together and left to harden, then tinted

with special colouring. If you have not worked with barbola before, practise making leaves and petals first until you can make them quickly and easily. Then you can commence upon the plaque with confidence. Any handicraft shops stock the barbola paste, also the small bottles of colouring. A flat modelling tool is used when applying the decorations to the foundation. It may be purchased for a few pence. Liquid glue is. required for sticking the modelling into place, also a medium brush for applying the colour and a small bottle of barbola varnish. As many colours as you wish may be introduced into the posy plaque, or three only need be used. Shades of pink, blue and dainty leaf green are very suitable colours. The foundation of the plaque may be of pottery, papier mache, pulp ware or wood. A suitably-sized round plate is obtained in any of these materials. Barbola work may be applied to any of them. Fittings can be bought to attach them to the wall. The final requirement is a small pot of Chinese white paint This is used to decorate the foundation itself.

' Now for the Work. r pHE diagram shows how the plate is treated before the barbola posies are arranged in its centre. Whatever material is selected for the foundation, the ground colour will be the same—a deep cream, whether of papier mache, wood or anything else. White paint shows on this delightfully; or the ground can be painted black if you prefer. Pencil < urved lines along the edge of the plate as in the diagram, and fill iu the whole centre with white paint. The edges may be serrated and tiny dots left unpainted here and there in a pattern to give more of real oldworld “d'oyley” effect. Or you may even take a suitably sized d'oyley and copy it ou the plaque. It can be traced effectively by being placed on the dish and the holes forming the pattern pencilled through. Rememlier to clean the plaque before applying the paint, removing any grease ami dust which may mar the final effect.

Leave the plaque to dry completely and introduce a second coat if required. Now make the flowers and leaves. Take a small piece of barbola paste from the tin and roll it into a ball. Then flatten and shape part of it into t’ither a leaf, petal or a tiny round

Colourful Posy with Victorian Frill Can be Made Easily

pointed end. Tiny balls of paste can be used as centres, and if tinted yeljpw are very realistic. Put the flowers close together until they form a neat posy, then leave until absolutely dry. Then colour them as you wish .and leave to dry liefore finishing off tbe whole with a coat of varnish. Two coats may be required Keep the lid on the paste whenever it is not in use. otherwise it will harden. If it seems a little stiff, put a piece of damp rag in the tin. close the lid and leave till the following morning, when the rag can bo removed and the paste will be found to have softened agaiu.

flower, breaking it away from the ball when it is large enough.

The diagram shows a leaf, a single petal and a flower formed from these petals, also a tiny flower made from a round, flat piece of paste. Tbe latter is shaped with the pointed end of tbe modelling tool after it has been applied. A stem is merely a small portion of

the paste rolled between the hands until it is of the thickness of fine cord. Coat the back of each piece to be affixed with glue, and apply each portion as completed. When a flower has been formed, press the petals down and curl over the ends with tbe tool. Mark the veins in the leaves with the