STENCILLING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 152, 21 March 1908, Page 11

STENCILLING.

11U \V IU LIU ii. In these, days when stencil designs arc ippiiea to so many articles of household use ma ornament every second person one meets •s seeking for ideas on the subject, and the iollowing directions, how to do it, from a jydnoy paper are most welcome. The out ; it is simplo. Some, stiff drawing paper, properly prepared, a koen-edgod kmte, colours jither oil or water, according to substance to )o treated, peneii, indiarubber and drawing pins, also piece of sheet glass on which to :ut. ' First draw the design; as a beginning i simple'leaf or, llower, than cut away all the parts interided to ■ show in colour, leaving thin lines of ■ paper called ties, to connect ;hc different parts, otherwise the ,vhole design would be a meaningess smear. In this laying on of the >alour consists tho art, and practice alone produces the perfect outline. Hero tho softened edges dear to tho' water colourist must be avoided ,ahd no suspicion of a blur should mar tho sharpness of tho contour. Keep tho colour dry. . A soppy medium frequently causes tho picture to look liko an infantile work of art on blotting-paper; texfcilo fabrics aro less easy, to keep clear than the more solid. For largo decorativo wall panels, canvas, and oven scrim, are good, if not looked at too closely. . On such material a 'bold design, notably the graceful bamboo, with its long stalks, ending in a tuft of leaves, a few drooping from tho sides, look ivcll. Tho advantages of such a stencil is that a great length of stalk need not 'be ut, only a piece 18 inches or so, and the toncil lifted and applied again higher up. Oil paints-are best for; this. Tho colouring 'liould bo grayish green, coming into soft mellow, tho rising, ground'at base a dead mass of green, with, if suitable to tho scliemo of decoration, a' setting sun ved, the rays paler. Then there are the smaller articles for the house, porticos, curtains, table cloths. For these the substanco chosen should bo of richer quality; serge, now made in good rich colours, cotton sheetinn, Roman satin, somo of the plain winter dress materials, but not silk or velvets; these two substances always seom deserving of a moro costly and dignified ' treatment. For ' such uses as abovo the cut is distinctly satisfactory, as" the design can bo made to fit the hanging. Say . a Venetian red picture, having a conventionalised form at the foot in greens, blues lign tin g into mauve, with black shadows. This curtain, against a green paper, would transform a coldooking hall into uite a cosy ice of welcome, e same sort of 'irm rnnlrl ho

design could bo, used for top of curtain. This kind of curtain should bo almost straight, not gathered into many folds.

Thirdly, there are the small things of life to oe auuriiou. The soia cusiiivii, for example." i'or this onoru aw caseliiujic clotli, linen, antl many suostances of uiiliiio'Aii njints. auch a movaole aruclo saouiu navo air all-round ■ treatment. . • ifar instance, a Dutcn uoy ana girl, painfully eliwomg up a winding path, aro ra slier bowilueniiji v. nun viewta irum the upsiacdown standpoint. ' Tiio Japanese, our masters in tins as 111 many other artistic bypaths, know better. Besides stencilling on laoncs, there are bile patterns used' on distempered or kalsomined walls by the inartistic art decorator, which the clevor amateur had best eschew, and make a good repeating design for herself. l!'or this work simplicity is tho koynoto. Thin sheets of copper make tho most durable stencils, though moro difficult to cut than paper. !A fret saw is tho best to use, better than the knife in this case, though perhaps the most effectual method is to make a careful drawing, then go to a tinsmith, and get him to do the cutting. Distemper colours are chiefly used for this form of • decoration, and have the advantage of cheapness. They are water colours, and must be applied to a perfectly clean "Surface, if a good result be desired. Lay on the ( colour with a good sweep, not touching it again; let the room be warm and free from draughts; the dosign must not dry in patches. Put a clear line, or lines, and' dots of colour above a dado, and under a frieze to emphasise the separato parts of tho decoration To make a long straight line cither chalk or blacken a piece of cord have it held firmly at. erithor end, pull it out in middle of line, letting go with a snap. Result, a clean mark, which can bo gone over within.brush, and-is easily effaced when wanted. This is a scene painter's wrinklo.

The fresher vegetables may bo, tho shorter timo they require to make them tender and palatable. If a cabbago, for example, or a cauliflower lias been a day or two in the house, cooking should be begun at least a quarter of an hour earlier, or the vegetable will bo hard and stringy. Neither potatoes carrots, nor turnips should over be cleaned until just before it is required to cook tliem

Bead chains, as adopted just now bv fashionable Londoners. are of large beads in rock crystal, amber lapis lazuli, or pink coral. Tho chains are not long, and aro simply worn round the neck, hanging down on either sido of the front, finished with heavy tassels of beads- in a smaller size than thoso of the chain. The oolours are ' seleoted to piatch or-tone with the gown