Domestic Upholstery.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 898, 17 May 1889, Page 4

Domestic Upholstery.

Girls are daily learning more and more thoroughly the use of their hands and brains, and, this knowledge gained, another point is soon reached, namely, that any work well done is worth its price. Hence ladies do not scruple to take money for their painting, work, &c., and girls are lesrniug more fully than they did of old, that the necessity for work does not lower the worker.

Still, there is much to learn. Girls think it no shame to their gentility to go out and fight the battle of life on their own account, but they, many of them, soorn the work to be found nearer homo, which must be done if things are to go on comfortably at homo. In many families there is no necessity for the girls to earn their own living, at least, to leave the home circle for the purpose ; but if they would use the talents they have for the benefit of their own families, they, if not actually earning money, yet might save it (and, according to the old saw ‘ a penny saved is a penny gained ’); and, by taking into their hands some of the light work and odd jobs always to be found about a house, could reduce the number of servants and at the same time leave a larger margin for any little unforeseen wants or pleasure ; in fact, might make just the difference between struggling and comfort, and save much of the friction almost unavoidable in a household where economy and appeaiances must both be studied. It is wonderful how much can be done at home by -willing bands and clever brains. The present style of furniture offers plenty of scope for amateur taste and work. Still it is not given to everyone to start with a new house, and the power of buying new furniture, Many people, willing and anxious to have bright, dainty surroundings (by the way, brightness is hardly the great characteristic of the present taste) cannot afford to dismiss the solid, ungainly old furniture that came to them with the house, and is far too good to get rid of, and yet too utterly out of date to be saleable at anything like a fair price. The famous ‘ drawing room suite,’ covered in rep, or brochd, of some, to modern taste, excruciating shade of green or magenta, which was once all but universal, is fast dying out. Enough specimens still remain to harass unlucky owners, who are gradually awaking to a taste for less decided colours. The things are good, nay, even handsome of their kind, but oh ! that covering, which no amount of sun, to be got in our climate at all events, can apparently fade to auy less trying shade. Your walls, fresh papered or painted, may be perfect. Papa ha 3 stretched a point, and allowed the Brussels drawing-room carpet, with its astounding bouquets, to be superseded by Persian or Indian rugs and stained floor j but you know quite well it is hopeless to think of that furniture. Few good upholsterers care to li3 at the bother of re-covering old furniture, unless antique enough to be a curiosity. They frankly teil you it will cost almost as much as new, and certainly make good their words. What then can be done ? The answer is simple. Do it yourself. It may sound alarming to speak of re-corering with your own hands those chairs, sofa, &c. ; but, honestly, the sound is the worst of it. Begin at first modestly with a separate chair, and try your hand at covering it with some cheap material, so that, even if you fail, the result will not be disastrous. Proceed a 3 follows : Over the cushion of your chair pin a piece of thin, tough paper, and cut out an exact pattern, carefully marking all the plaits and little nicks required to make the cover lie smooth and even—the great secret in this work. Lay this pattern on your material, and cut the latter out exactly by it, marking all the required plaits and nicks. Then strip off carefully the gimp binding of the chair you intend operating on, brush the cushion thoroughly and remove any stain, with benzine, or you may chance to see your old enemy reappear through the new cover. The chair, thus prepared, pin on your new cover, taking care to get it to sit quite evenly everywhere before fastening it. This done, nail it on carefully with tiny furniture tacks, made for the purpose, and finish it all off with a gimp, or a band of the same material, stretohed firmly all round to hide the rough edges. If the seat is buttoned down instead of being quite plain, your task is a little more troublesome and must be done in one or other of the following ways : take the buttons off, fasten the cover, which must be cut a little larger, rather loosely on ; then with a long thin packing needle and some strong twine sew in the buttons, covered to match the seat from the baok. The second way is the neatest, if the buttons are fixed on firmly enough. Lay your stuff over the seat of the chair, pin it lightly into position ; then with strong thread, of the proper colour, pass your needle round the button as it stands, wind the thread round the cloth tightly three or four times, and fasten. Repeat this process for each button and then fit your cover on as before. This is the whole mystery of covering furniture ; and if you will only be really careful with your pattern, and in fixing on your material smoothly and neatly, your work is sure to be a success. After all, why should you not succeed? Who does the work for the up. holeterer ? A woman : and what one woman

can do another may. She may have a little more experience and training, but as against that you have more time and greater inclination to take trouble. From sixteen to eighteen yards of material of ordinary (not narrow) width will cover a small suite. A very little practice will make you wonderfully handy at this work, and you will be astonished to find what pretty useful pieces'of furniture you may make out of old ones by help of a little pretty crewel or applique work, and a yard or two of velveteen or plush. For example, take an old American rocking or lounging chair, which has seen service, and of which, though the frame may be good, the varnish and the canework aie decidedly passd. Cut away the canework, leaving the holes round the frame quite clear ; have this frame thoroughly scrubbed with hot water and Boda, and when dry cover it all carefully with a coating of Berlin black. Next day polish this with a clean, hard, blacklead brush. If you touch it up with a few lines of gold paint, the effect on the ebonised surface produced by rubbing np the Berlin black will be really good. Now for covering. Sew on to the back and scat with strong twine, a piece of stout ticking, or sacking. On this foundation, which must be sown in as tightly as possible, tack two or three pieces of wadding, which you must cover with a piece of stro g calico or glazed lining. Next have ready your outside cover, which must fit exactly, and which you ala-i sew on strongly with thread. Finish off with a gimp or cord, tacked on with small tacks inserted between the holes in the frame. For the back, nail on a straight piece of the material, finishing off with the gimp as before. Of course the outside cover may be plush, velveteen, a strip of work between either of the preceding, or cretonne as you please.—Queen.