Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/214

  Then cover with chintz, and strap it through the holes you have bored; you will be able to find them from the inside. If preferred this can be left out and the whole thing covered plainly without strapping, but it is a great improvement. To finish off the top of the barrel cover a round lid with chintz and sew it round; it makes a handy little table for a work- basket. I saw an ottoman made in this way the other day, and it looked so well that no one would have guessed what it really was.

An Armchair. — A very good arm- chair can be made with a case and some boards or battens. Knock out one side so that your feet can go under it; now nail three upright battens, one at each corner, and one, or perhaps two, at the back; round this tack a broad piece of calico or canvas and upholster it the same as the ottoman. A kerosene case makes a very good bedroom chair turned upside down and the lid nailed on at an angle, then the whole dressed in cretonne or chintz. A pretty double ottoman can be made of two old chairs fastened back to back.

A Dressing Table. —I know of nothing handier than two cases,one above the other; if you have a shelf put in each they are as useful as a chest of drawers. Dressed with a pretty curtain it adds to the beauty of the room. Many ladies make their table valance like a petticoat; this is not convenient when you have shelves underneath. One of the prettiest and most suitable for this sort of table I saw made as follows :—Say, the under- skirt of blue lining very full, or better still in broad regular kilts, divided in the centre and tied with blue ribbons in three places ; the overskirt mosquito net, darned with blue embroidery cotton in deep scallops; this also divided in the centre and caught back at each scallop with a blue bow. On each side of the looking-glass was a kerosene case standing on end, and four shelves in each ; these were both dressed with blue and darned net andserved to hold laces, handkerchiefs, &c. The glass between rested on a small box which raised it considerably and so allowed of the draperies being brought and arranged over it. It was one of the handsomest dressing tables I ever saw in a bush house, and it was made by a girl of sixteen.

A Good Clothes Basket can be made of a barrel neatly covered and lined, and a bag sewn inside the top to close it; the running string can be opened to put the clothes in and then drawn again.

Horns can also be converted into very pretty ornaments. Choose those that are a little curved, and not too long; clean them thoroughly with soap and water, and pare round the top till quite smooth. Now cover the horn carefully and neatly with plush or velvet, making the seam come on the inside; fasten a ribbon or cord from the point to the other end, leaving it loose, so that the horn will hang gracefully.

The Austrain chairs so much in vogue in this climate are not very ornamental, but their appearance can be greatly improved by making little capes of cretonne to slip over the back. First cut a pattern in paper the exact shape of the chair-back to reach about half way down ; then cut your cretonne in two pieces ; there is no need to leave any fulness; join right round (a piping of some colour is an improvement) ; finish off the bottom with a pretty fringe ; now slip it over your chair, and see what a great improvement it is to your room when all the chairs are so covered. To keep the capes on, fasten tapes underneath at each side and tie to the chair. Anyone who is clever at crewel work might make a set in black satin, and work a spray across each ; they would make a handsome Christmas box for a dear friend.

To Clean and Polish Shells. —Get some hydrochloric acid from a chemist, and clean off the outer covering of the shells by rubbing with a cloth dipped in the acid. When all is removed,