The American Girl's Handy Book

by Lina Beard

  Fig. 357.—Manner of Making Fringe for Oriental Window-shade.

  Fig. 358.—Fringe of Macaroni and Beads.

  Ribbon-Curtain

  is of red, blue, yellow, and black ribbons all cut the same length and sewed, a quarter of an inch apart, on a narrow strip of black cloth long enough to reach across the window. The strip may be used as a band, or attached to a slender pole by means of small brass rings. The ribbons should be silk, and thin enough to admit of the light shining through; they hang down fringe-like, with three glass beads fastened on the end of each ribbon (Fig. 359 or Fig. 360). If you prefer to have the shade all one color make it yellow, which gives a pleasant, mellow light. Any pattern you choose can be made by taking short pieces of ribbon and joining them together with glass beads. In this way bits of ribbon could be utilized, but those used must be semi-transparent, showing the color when held up to the light. Even smooth pieces of silk with their edges neatly hemmed might do service, only be very careful to join either ribbon or silk with the beads in such a manner as to prevent its twisting; the beads must be heavy enough to keep the fringe straight.

  Fig. 359.

  Fig. 360.—Beads on the Ends of Ribbons.

  Nearly all homes have their bags of silk and worsted pieces, and from these can be made a handsome

  Drapery of Very Small Scraps.

  Cut the pieces of silk or worsted into squares about an inch each way, using any and all colors; then take a piece of twine of the length you desire your curtain, and with a large needle string the bright bits on the twine until the whole string is completely and closely covered; next fasten the twine well to prevent its slipping, and with a large pair of scissors trim off the rough edges of the silken strand until the surface is rounded and even; on one end attach a small brass curtain-ring, and on the other a heavy bead or button; make as many strands as you will need to hang across the window and fasten them to a pole in which small hooks have been screwed.

  This drapery resembles chenille; it is rich in color, will wear well, and is best adapted for full-length curtains.

  As a substitute for stained glass we give directions for

  Painting Window-Panes.

  These are very pretty and satisfactory. If good designs are chosen the window will surpass in beauty your expectations.

  The materials necessary are: some of Winsor & Newton’s transparent colors, such as rose-madder, Prussian blue, raw and burnt umber, burnt sienna, ultramarine, gamboge, ivory-black, viridian green, and orient yellow. Any transparent color can be used. For purple, mix rose-madder with Prussian blue.

  Prepare the paints to be used by mixing each color separately with a little oil and siccatif Courtray. Almost any brush will do to paint with, but one of medium size made for oil-colors is the best, and another smaller one is necessary for the outlining, which takes the place of leading in stained glass. The dabber is a ball of raw cotton tied in a piece of fine cotton-cloth, and the manner of tinting or grounding is exactly the same as in china-painting; lac-varnish will be needed as a wash after the painting has dried.

  When you have an opportunity, carefully examine real stained-glass windows, and you will see that each window is one complete design. The corners and borders are usually in rich, dark colors, while the central portion is of lighter tints or clear glass.

  Always make your corners and borders first, and if you desire a centre-piece, it should be placed in position next, and the space between it and the border filled in afterward. A Gothic window may be imitated by painting the corners black, thus making it arched at the top. Very often good patterns can be found in the many art and fashion papers. One copy may serve for an entire border, if it be pasted at the four corners to one pane of glass, and, when that is outlined, removed and gummed to the next, and so on until the border is finished. Fig. 361 is intended as a border. Fig. 362 is a very simple pattern of cracked glass, which you can readily make without any copy. Place a ruler across the woodwork of the window-pane, first one way, then another, and with its aid paint your straight lines, being careful not to have any two run parallel. A conventional design is always to be preferred. Should any mistakes occur during the progress of the work, remove the paint with a cloth dampened with turpentine and try again. The painting is not difficult, and the only delays are in waiting for the colors to dry.

  Fig. 361.—Border Pattern.

  Fig. 362.—Cracked Glass.

  First decide on your design, then trace it, making the outlines heavy and black; gum the pattern by the four corners to the outside of the window-pane, which it is essential to have perfectly clean and dry; close the window, and with a small brush dipped in black paint follow the outlines of your copy, keeping the lines of equal thickness throughout; when this is finished remove the pattern. In the same manner go over all the outlines you wish to make on the window, then leave the color to harden and dry, which will probably require hours. Begin again by laying on flat washes of paint to match the prevailing colors of the copy, and use the dabber in tinting each color as it is applied, so the surface may be even and uniform. While the decoration is drying it is best to protect it from dust by pinning up a newspaper or a large piece of cloth on the window-frame. When dry, the painting can be touched up if necessary.

  After the last color has entirely dried apply a wash of white lac-varnish; when this is dry give the window another coat of lac-varnish and then it will be finished. Should your copies be in black and white, use your own taste in coloring the glass.

  Another method of imitating stained glass is

  Painting on Lawn,

  batiste, or any kind of sheer white muslin. For this you will need the same paints that are used for painting on glass; these are mixed only with turpentine and the color put on as a stain.

  Cut a piece of new thin white batiste large enough to cover a window-sash, with a margin left for turning in, and make an outline on it of the exact size of the sash; then select your pattern and place the lawn over it, when the outlines should show through; trace these carefully with gum-arabic dissolved, but made very stiff, and when the entire design has been traced let the gum dry; then go over it with ivory-black unmixed; this latter makes the leading; be careful to keep the lines even and of the same size. When the outlines have dried fill in the spaces with the stains made of paint and turpentine; the gum prevents the colors from spreading. When the paint has dried you may add a few touches where they are needed, and the stained-glass design will be ready to place on the window. Use stiff mucilage or tiny tacks to keep it in place, having first turned in the margin left for the purpose.

  An attractive window can be made with the upper sash of imitation stained glass, while the lower one is screened by a Dutch curtain, as in the illustration.

  For the benefit of those who prefer sewing to painting we now tell how to

  Imitate Stained Glass

  with a piece of stiff white rice-net, such as is commonly used for bonnet-frames, and some pieces of thin batiste, or lawns, of the requisite colors. Cut the rice-net the proper size and lay it over your design; then carefully trace off the pattern; when all the outlines are finished cut the different-colored lawns of the shape and size to correspond to the different portions of the design; baste these on in the places they must occupy; then sew them on with the Automatic Sewing-machine, following with coarse black thread the outlines on the wrong side of the foundation, so that the chain-stitch will appear on the right side to form the leading; or the stitching may be made by hand, or a very narrow black braid can be used as leading. When all the batiste is sewed on, cut out the net back of the design to allow the light to shine through.

  We have seen such an imitation of stained glass, and when placed up against the window it was very good; but care must be taken to have the colored lawns thin and of the right shades; if too heavy they obstruct the light and the colors do not look bright.

  Fig. 363.—Imitation of Ground Glass.

  For full-length window-drapery of inexpensive materia
l there may be had at any of the leading dry-goods stores beautiful soft fabrics, in yellows and different colors, the designs of which equal those of much higher-priced goods. These draperies hang in graceful folds and come as low as ten cents a yard; some of them are also well adapted for the useful Dutch curtains.

  Windows of Imitation Ground Glass

  Fig. 364.—Folded Paper with Diamond Pattern for Imitation of Ground Glass.

  Fig. 365.—Paper Marked with Design for Imitation of Ground Glass.

  can be made of white tissue-paper, cut in simple patterns and fastened on the inside of the glass with white lac-varnish. The window must be perfectly clean and dry. If possible have the pieces of tissue-paper exactly the same size as the window-panes, fold and refold the paper lengthwise until it is an inch or so in width; then cut from stiff card-board your pattern. If it be a diamond, as in Fig. 363, have it exact, and cut it in halves; use one-half as a pattern, place this on the edge of the paper, as in Fig. 364, and with a lead pencil draw a line around it; remove the pattern and place it lower down about a quarter of an inch from the first tracing, and again mark around the edge. Continue in the same way until you have the pattern marked on the entire length of the tissue-paper. Make the same pattern on the other edge of the paper (Fig 365). Cut out the pattern, then unfold the paper and smooth it free of wrinkles; give the window-pane a thin coating of white lac-varnish, and apply the paper, being very careful to have it perfectly smooth when on the glass. Sometimes it is necessary to join two or more pieces of paper, but if you are careful to make the edges come exactly together, the joins will not be noticeable.

  Lac-varnish dries very quickly, and it takes only a short time to decorate a window in this manner.

  When all the panes of glass are covered with tissue-paper, finish by varnishing each one with the white lac-varnish; at a little distance it is difficult to distinguish a window so covered from one really formed of ground glass.

  For bath-rooms, or where the window is rather out of the way and the outlook not agreeable, the imitation of ground glass is suitable and useful.

  CHAPTER XXXIX.

  FURNITURE OLD AND NEW.

  ONLY the other day we were appealed to by a friend for suggestions on how to furnish a room prettily, and at the same time inexpensively, and we know that there are many girls like this friend who, loving to surround themselves with beauty and comfort, have not the means of doing so in the ordinary way; but must depend largely upon their own skill and ingenuity for the gratification of this taste. After all, there is more real pleasure in planning and contriving the furnishing of one’s room, even with only a small sum for outlays, than there is in ordering a set from the furnishers which is exactly like a hundred others. In the former case we make our room expressive of our individuality; in the latter we walk in the beaten track of those who have little or no individuality to express.

  So much for the sentiment of the idea. Now let us turn to the practical side, and find the best way of carrying it out, and putting our theories into practice.

  In mentioning old furniture in the heading of this chapter, we do not allude to the antiques in such high favor just now; they are unique and handsome enough in themselves, requiring no contriving to beautify them; but there are few families who do not possess furniture that is out of date, old-fashioned without being antique; furniture that time and hard usage has reduced to a state of shabbiness anything but beautiful, yet not worth sending to the cabinet-makers to be furbished up. It is the renovation of such furniture that will help much toward making a room pretty and attractive.

  We need not attempt to restore the furniture to its original state, that would be impracticable. But we can work wonders in transforming it; in turning a homely article into one that will be an adornment instead of a blemish.

  Bookcase.

  Take, for instance, an old bureau belonging to a cottage set. The mirror, perhaps, is broken, or if it is not it can be used to better advantage elsewhere. Removing that, there is left merely a chest of drawers, which we will proceed to convert into a bookcase by the addition of shelves placed on top. If you have a brother who is handy with his tools the matter is simple enough; without him a carpenter may have to be employed to make the shelves, or, by taking the plan and measurements to a carpenter-shop the materials can be obtained ready for use, and all you will have to do will be to put them together. Although there is a saying that “a girl can never drive a nail straight,” we have reason to believe the contrary, and feel sure that a little practice will enable most girls to do many bits of light carpentry work as well as the boys. Three feet is the height of a bureau belonging to an ordinary set of cottage furniture, so we will take that as our standard for measurement, and make our shelves according to it.

  Fig. 366.—Diagram of Book-shelves.

  Fig. 366 is the diagram for the frame of the shelves. The side pieces are made of boards three feet four inches long and nine inches wide; the top of each of these boards is sawed into a point as shown in diagram. Four cleats made of sticks eight inches long and one inch thick are nailed to the side of each board, the distance between being nine inches.

  The frame at the back is composed of two boards five and one half feet long and seven inches wide, and two, three feet three inches long (the width of the bureau) and seven inches wide. One of these short boards is nailed across the top ends of the long boards, and the other twenty-four inches below. The side pieces are nailed to the back as shown in diagram, the nails being driven through the back board into the edge of the side piece.

  When the frame is made it is placed on the bureau, the sides resting on the top and the long back boards reaching down behind where they are nailed or screwed to the bureau. The shelves are thirty-seven inches long and nine inches wide. They rest on the cleats and are not nailed to the frame.

  Screws may in some places, answer better than nails.

  When the shelves have been adjusted, the whole is painted a dark olive green.

  If the knobs are removed from the drawers before the bureau is painted, and brass handles substituted afterward, it will add materially to its appearance.

  The bookcase shown in our illustration is finished off with curtains, which hang by brass rings from a slender bamboo pole. The pole is slipped through brass hooks screwed into the side pieces near the top.

  Curtains of canton-flannel, or any soft material, are suitable for this bookcase. The colors may be a combination of olive green with old blue, yellow, cherry, copper color, dark red, or light brown.

  The Chair

  in the same illustration is an ordinary rocking-chair painted olive green, with cushions at the back and in the seat stuffed with excelsior, covered with bright cretonne, and tied to the chair with ribbons.

  Bureau Transformed into a Bookcase.

  Chairs of this kind look well painted almost any color; one of yellow, with yellow cushions and ribbons, is exceedingly pretty.

  If the chair to be remodelled is bottomless, reseat it in this way: Cut some strips of strong cotton cloth about one inch wide and sew them together, lapping one piece over another, as in Fig. 367; fasten an end on to the edge of the chair with a tack, and then pass the cloth back and forth across, each time putting it under and bringing it over the edge of the chair.

  Fig. 367.

  When the seat is filled up with the strips going one way, cut the cloth and tack the end to the chair; then, commencing at the side, cross these strips, passing the cloth in and out as if darning. Fig. 368 shows just how it is done. Be sure to draw the strip as tightly as you can every time it crosses the chair, for if too loose it will sag as soon as the chair is used. The edge of the chair may be covered with the cretonne, or a ruffle which is sewed around the cushion.

  Fig. 368. —How to Reseat a Chair.

  Fig. 369 is an old settee fitted up with cushions, and a sociable, comfortable seat it is. It offers plenty of room for two, and ensconced thereon the girls may rock and talk to their hearts’ content. />
  These settees are not often seen in the city, but are to be found in many a farm-house and country town. The one from which our sketch is taken is painted black, but, like the chair, it would look well any color.

  Fresh, dainty prettiness should be the principal feature of a young girl’s room, and this can be obtained at very little expense, much less than most persons suppose.

  Fig. 370 shows what can be done with the commonest kind of furniture. This can be bought at the manufacturer’s unpainted, and may be left its natural color and simply varnished, or, following the present fashion, it can be painted white, and decorated with slender bands or circles of gold.

  Fig. 369.—Come and Sit Here.

  As in the illustration,

  The Bedstead

  should have drapery suspended over it. This gives a soft, pretty effect, and takes away its stiffness. Dotted swiss or thin cottage drapery answers the purpose nicely.