Show WOMANS WOMAN'S WORLD Bright Dressing Table Changes Drab Room to One of Beauty By Ertta Erlia Haley Attractive n dressing tables table I can L change bedroom bath or dressIng dress dress- Ing big rooms Into real decorative assets assets as sets lets Just with a 11 different skirt Often Otten they can do as much for tor the room as new curtains or draperies or a amore amore amore more expensive piece of ot furniture When you want to make Just a small investment in n the room that's now drab and colorless and expend ex pend only a short amount of time and energy then the smartest possible pos pOSt sible Bible solution is to change chango the tho cover on the dressing table or to Install one where now you have only an empty space Much more than a decorative asset asset as as- set tho the dressing table can give you storage space for some of ot the smaller small small- er items now cluttering a crowded chest of drawers If It you have a seat for the tho table as well as a mirror you may be certain that it will be beof beof beof of treat great value for tor cosmetic ses sea sessions along while tho the chest mirror is in use by the man of the tho house Some dressing tables are designed with drawers to fit tit at the sides aides or underneath If It not you can easily i rl Let Lei dressing table bl skirts skirls get inexpensive chests to fit or even make some out of cartons or boxes It need not matter that these are not things of at beauty in themselves themselves themselves them them- selves as a pretty skirt will cover a multitude of at faults The main thing is to get the storage space out of ot sight The top of the table can hold your cosmetics prettily and within easy easy reach right at the mirror where they're to be applied Seats for these tables can be purchased purchased pur pur- chased but with budgetary strain a barrel an odd piano seat or ottoman ottoman ottoman otto otto- man or even a wood box can be covered to match the table to be used effectively as well as comfort comfort- ably Variety of Tables Are Available The type of dressing table you have depends greatly upon what funds you have to put Into it and what happens to be available at the time you acquire it Some of ot the smartest finished tables may be an anold anold old kitchen table with shortened legs a crate that's been altered to tofit tofit i fit the needs or simply a shelf shelt Installed installed installed in in- stalled in a corner What the table is in the beginning has very little to do with what you make of ot it The most inexpensive kinds can be covered as attractively as expensive purchased items as the whole table top with its skirt is covered In general however the tha covering put on the table should match the style of ot the bedroom If U its it's informal informal mal you can use gay chintzes and cotton prints for more formal or tailored rooms room some of ot the textured textured tex fabrics with rich weaves and colors are more appropriate Whether the table is to have bave gathers and ruffles rumes or neat pleats also so depends a great deal ded on the thel l spin spice l Ih tbt he room with wish tolor color room in which the dressing table is used There should be b. harmony even though the dressing table is a abig abig abig big item Hem of interest and frequently is gay lay and colorful Glass Class or mirror tops tapa for the table are most practical in the long run for they're easy to keep clean When clear dear glass is used paper or fabric used elsewhere in the tho room may be cut to fit tit the top to be placed under the glass Do this before be be- fore tore hanging the skirt Fullness Gives Luxurious Loudon Note It you decide you 10 want a gathered skirt mea measure lure the dressing dressIn table from both tides sides where you want the material end to hang Usually this thil will wW extend to the back a few inches and rarely will wW It U go 0 all aU the way around Add to thus this measurement the necessary allowance for far pleating nJ or shirring Whether pleated or gathered lathered the skirt should be made full as al this thil gives an impression of ot luxury Pleat sets should b be deep so 0 they do not oot I Washable Chair ChairA I W i t iH f fJ M F i T t r t I A boudoir chair that's washable washable wash wash- able yet has the appearance and feel of ot fine slipper satin Is this type which b Li covered with witha a textured distinctively plastic The material retains Its beauty and color despite wear and cleaning and Is resistant to wrinkling The chair can be purchased at a price considerably bly less than a silk covered chair and Is cleaned readily with witha a damp sponge look as though they will open Gathers should be full and you may need two to two and one half times the original measurement for this Filmy materials will require more yardage for fullness than the heavier heavIer heavier ier ones as the gathers are softer the more sheer the fabric For length of ot the skirt measure from tram the top of the table edge to the floor Add to this the seam allowance allowance al al- lowance for tor finished top as well as the hem In cases where the skirt opens at the front and where the separate sections come together the figure of the pattern should match You may have to allow extra yardage yardage yard yard- age in material for tor this so as to have pattern repeat itself prop properly With plain materials you need not consider this An easy way to gather the skirt especially when you want to iron it flat is to make a narrow casing at atthe atthe atthe the top as you do for curtains put on rods and run a heavy cord through this to gather the skirt properly Make knots on each end of at the cord and put a large headed tack at the tho back edge of ot the casing and tack to the table The center front may be tacked in the same way as the back if it you need to hold bold the material in place properly and especially if it the table table ta table ta- ta ble has a center front opening Unusual Treatments Add Decorative Accents Be De experimental about dressing table skirts if it you want to give your room a distinctive note A Victorian or somewhat formal type room can use a skirt that looks sedate and saucy at the same time If it you have havethe havethe havethe the regular gathered skirt and then shin shir it at intervals to show a petticoat petticoat petti petti- coat In hi plaid or print at atthe atthe atthe the top of ot such a table may be finished finished fin tin with pinking shears Instead of ot hemming if it desired Plain gathered skirts can be made interesting it if you want to add small of the floral used In hi curtains curtains curtains cur cur- or draperies to them Another idea is to cut tassels from fringe which is purchased by the tha yard to sew them on a plain skirt of at taffeta or another of the luxurious materi materi- als also Several rows of ruffles sewed on ona ona ona a plain underskirt are very effective effective tive for tor feminine rooms Using a plastic material you can have ruffles ruf rut fles ties which do not wilt easily even evenIn evenin In hi hot bot humid weather and at the same time you can keep them neat simply by wiping off oU with a damp cloth If It you want a tailored appearance to the dressing table without using box pleats a good idea would be to sew colored fringe In overlapping rows on plain muslin or sateen backing Three rows raws give elve a luxurious ous look and do not involve too much work Give Expensive Look Loot To Budget Fabrics To cut the expense of covering a dressing table It its it's possible to use materials that cost little or nothing and still have them look new What about an old net formal The full tuU skirt of or this yields enough material for tor a skirt and may require re quire little sewing especially if U there are ruffles on the tho dress that can be utilized A small maU row of ruffles can edge ede tho the top of or the table while a larger row trims the tho skirt a few tew inches off aU the floor Should Just the net be b. available you ou can purchase the ruffling if It desired by the yard ard in a harmonizing ing lug color Velveteen corduroy or quality sateen teen from old draperies can a also o obe be used for covering the dressing table To give live the tho material an even eYen newer look why not oot a aspra aspray aspray spray spra of flowers flower from the draperies or a slipcover In la the room to the Ik skirl This ties Ues the room together as well as AI adds Interest to tho the skirt 1 |