WORK COLUMN.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVII, Issue XXII, 28 November 1896, Page 125

WORK COLUMN.

sigwjjjafe. OMEHOW, directly one gets through one’s spring cleaning, /U ? L one’s fancy lightly turns to ijww jSST thoughts of entertaining one’s friends. It is probably brought Kabout by the consideration that if u they don't come at once they will ynever see the house in the beauti ~ <vßb ful coll< ' lt ' on * s now - But then sunshine has something to do with it ; it makes one feel happier anti more disposed to feel amiable and sociable altogether. I alwavs feel '' i — that a great many sermons might with advantage be preached on the text * hostesses.’ Talking of guests reminds me of a very successful effort I made in drapery, which I recently accomplished in the dressing-room of our spare room, a room which is really not much larger than a good-sized cupboard ; it is low and insignificant in every way, and wanted to be treated a little bit out of the common in order to bestow the effect of its being a room at all. There is a certain golden-yellow paper known as Madrid covered with all kinds of decorative swerls that run one along side of the other, producing the effect of a large pattern without its overwhelming sense. Then I proceeded to put up a draped frieze of

yellow art muslin, printed with white lilies, and arranged this in flutes of about eighteen inches wide, and tacked above and below it u narrow fluted white moulding.

The sketch here gives a little of the frieze as it appeared on either side of the mantelpiece drapery, which was, 1 think, exceedingly pretty, and it really arose out of the fact that I possessed a nice sheet of looking-glass without any frame to it- This I fixed up against the wall with two nails which projected over it so as to prevent it falling forward, and then surrounded it with two graduated flounces of art muslin.

the lower one vellow. the upper one white, while above this again the printed muslin used in the frieze was introduced. The drapery falling down on either side of the mantel-board was decorated to match. As it had to do duty as a dressing-table as well, I fixed a little basket that a friend of mine had sent me on the wall near by, so as to hold odds and ends of toilet accessories. It had a fretwork wooden back, which I painted white to match the rest of the room, and was covered with a pretty bit

of yellow brocade, and tied up at the corners with butterflv bows, two pieces of ribbon being run through the slats at the back. I have given the basket drawn separately, as I think it sufficiently pretty for you to wish to copy it.