Country Life Interests

Waikato Times, Volume 123, Issue 20690, 28 December 1938, Page 3

Country Life Interests

A paga to the Interests of the Country Women of the Waikato, and in particular to advancing and recording the activities of those two great national organisations, the Women’s institutes atu*. the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union.

THINGS TO THINK OF

WHEN MAKING CHAIR COVERS If you are longing for new loose covers for your sitting-room, why not decide to make them yourself. They are not really difficult if you follow these instructions carefully. Choose a fabric with a small design. This is easier to make up than a material with a centre motif. Be sure to cut the material on the straight. If you cut it even the tiniest bit on the cross, the covers will never Fit well. Remember that time spent in measuring and fitting is time well spent, and don't hurry over this. An average size armchair will need about six or seven yards of 31inch to 50-inch material, according to width of chair. But measure your own chair before buying. Cut paper patterns first, then cut out the material in butter muslin and fit it up before cutting the actual fabric to be used for the covers. 1. Take a sheet of newspaper and fit it from the back of the seat to just over the top of the back. Allow about 10 inches for tuck-in at the back of the chair. Cut this out. By folding the paper in half you need only cut on one side. 2. Fit paper from the back of the seat to about 1 inch over the front edge, and allow about 6 inches at the back for tuck-in. Cut out. 3. Fit paper from the inside of the seat over one arm to where thepadded part joins the plain side of the chair. Cut. out. Then out out the second arm. Do not cut both arms out together, or you will have two rights or two lefts, instead of one for right and another for left. 4. Fit a straight band across the front" of the chair and cut out. 5. Cut a paper pattern to fit the back of the chair from where the first piece ended. If the back of the chair is quite straight, you can cut out the piece from the back of the seat to the bottom of the back in one. 6. Cut a pattern to fit the sides of the chair. 7. Fit and cut. two small pieces for the fronts of the arms. 8. Cut two small pieces to fit the thickness of the back of the ohair. Lay the paper pattern on butter muslin and cut o-ut, allowing a good 2-inch turning on each seam. Pin these pieces in position on the chair and make any alterations necessary'- Now cut out the material. Pin this up on the chair as before, right sides outwards. Make any necessary adjustments, then remove the cover and sew all the pieces together, remembering that the left side of the back is left open for the cover to be slipped on and off easily. This is fastened afterwards with patent fasteners. You can use French seams or bind the edges with bias binding. To do this, machine the material with the right sides Outside, trim the edges to within i-inch of the stitching, on the binding in one operation. As this binding is cut- on the cross and folded ready for use. it saves the tedious business of cutting and joining crossway strips of material. Yo.u can sew a gathered frill to the lower edge of the cover, or have a pleated one. A straight strip of material is used for this. The lower edge can be bound or hemmed. You must,, of course, decide whether you will have a frill before buying your material, as about 1$ extra yards of 31-inch material will be needed. The frill should be deep enough to conceal the legs, but should not touch the ground Lastly, sew on the patent fasteners and press all the seams well beneath a damp cloth. „