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Show WOMAN'S WORLD Give Glamour to Tired Closets With Gay, Colorful Decorations By Ertta Haley Accent on White 1 IS YOUR CLOTHES closet just a place to hang clothes and to store unattractive boxes? Do you hate to open it because it's such a dark unattractive corner compared to an attractive bedroom? Closets, just like other rooms in the house, can have their own particular par-ticular charm in decorating schemes. They can be done in the tsame manner as you've done the bedroom or hall, or they can be decorated In a complimentary color scheme. The old-fashioned, cluttered storage stor-age look which many closets have is now a thing of the past. With fresh ideas put into use, the closet can be an attractive adjunct to the room, a bright and cheerful room all by itself. With proper use of storage suace you can not only get more work out of the closet but also make it possible to give the bedroom or hall a vacation from some of the duties to which it's now accustomed. For example, closets, if large enough, can become a dressing room as well as a storage center when treated properly from a decorative dec-orative point of view. Even small closets can be used in this way if the door is papered or painted and has a mirror and a small shelf for cosmetic items. Closets do not take much paint or wall paper, and neither do the accessories require much yardage Add colorful storage boxes . . . in chintz or cording, so the expense ex-pense is small. If you do the decorating dec-orating and sewing yourself, cost can be cut even more, and what a lot of pleasure you'll be able to get from an attractive closet. Add Extra Shelves For More Storage Take a critical look at the closet end see whether or not every inch of space is being properly used. Many closets are high ceilinged affairs af-fairs and all the space at the top is not in use. If space at the top is going unused, un-used, construct shelves there to use for housing blankets and extra bedding, out-of-season hats and clothing, ff you want easy access to the high shelves, you may keep a small step ladder in the closet. Smaller shelves can be constructed construct-ed on lower levels to hold such small items as purses, jewelry, belts, gloves, scarves, sewing boxes and cleaning equipment like shoe polish, brushes and cleaning fluid. If you have carpentering available, it may even be more practical to have a row or section made with small drawers for these items. Cardboard boxes in different Gilct and sleeve cuffs of white faille accent this modestly priced junior dress of black wool. The low neckline of the dress itself is collared and the pockets are set into the puckered puck-ered front of the skirt. The neck bow Is black taffeta and the belt, black patent. perky bow or a sachet at the hanger hang-er top for added effect. Shoulder covers and garment bags are wonderful for protecting suits and dresses from dust. When cutting the shoulder cover, add a little extra for garment bulk. These should be from six to ten inches long and the top should be shaped to fit the hanger. When seaming the front and back sections together, add cording to the seams for a gay decorator touch. You can make yards of this cording for trim in no time at all with the aid of the cording foot attachment for your sewing machine. ma-chine. Garment bags are good for the "best" dresses since they make such attractive storage compartments. compart-ments. These are made in the same way as the shoulder covers, but are usually cut as long as the garment itself. You may have long ones for dresses, and shorter ones for blouses. When seaming front and back pieces together, leave one side open for snaps or a slide fastener fas-tener so that you can have easy access to the bag, and at the same time, a dust-proof container. Garment bags can be made of glazed chintz or other attractive cotton prints that will compliment the bedroom color scheme, if cotton cot-ton print is starched stiffly. Plastics Plas-tics are good, too, since you can see what's in the bag. Keep Shoes Neat In Proper Compartments Shoe bags have long been popular pop-ular for keeping shoes neat and orderly. When contained in a bag, you have some protection against the dust that is so often found on the floor. A bag hung on the door of the closet, or against one of the walls of the closet is an excellent way of keeping the shoes in a place where you can get to them readily. Shoe bags which match the garment gar-ment bags will do much to make the closet an attractive place, and the bags are easy to make. It's a good idea to quilt the back of the shoe bag for extra firmness. This accessory when finished should be about 18 inches wide and long enough to house at least four pairs of shoes. If you have a large shoe wardrobe, ward-robe, and enough wall space you can make a large enough shoe bag to house all of them. It will help to insert a flat wooden piece through the top of the shoe bag to give more strength to the bag and enable it to hang straight. This is inserted like the rod to curtains. Use the binder attachment to finish tops and pocket edgings for each shoe pouch. This prevents fraying, especially when the bag is cleaned or washed. For the girl who travels a lot, individual shoe bags are an excellent excel-lent idea. Make these large enough for a pair of shoes, and have extra long drawstrings at the top for closing them. These can be hung on a row of hooks when at home, to keep the shoes in good order. The shoe bag idea is also good for keeping evening shoes and summer sandals in order. These can be hung on higher hooks when the shoes are not in use. Sew labels on tne bags so you'll know what shoes they house. Glue Fabric to Box For Storage Use To permit handy access to a storage stor-age box, it's smart to -make it with a front opening. Cut one side from a square box. Cover the three remaining re-maining sides of the box by glueing fabric in place. Now, rejoin the cut side to the box with gummed fabric labels. Glue fabric to this edge. The front side then can be dropped open for easier use. If you're using any trimmings on hat and storage boxes, such as pleating or edging, these can also be used on the shelves. and padded bangers to closet. sizes can be covered to house hats, blankets, seasonal purses, fur pieces and other clothing on the higher shelves so they will be clean. A good covering for boxes is glazed chintz because it sheds dirt and can be dusted easily. If you have glazed chintz in the bedroom, use the same material. If it's floral, and you want to use something a little different, select one of the colors in the floral and use that. Be certain to repair boxes first if they are broken. Then make a tissue paper pattern by tracing the box. When cutting the pattern from the fabric make allowances for seams. Stitch the s;ams together, turn right side out and press seams open. Smooth the cover over the box, gluing firmly in place. Cording, pleating or eyelet ruffle ruf-fle may be used as a lid trim to add a feminine touch. Protect Clothing With Garment Aids Quilted hangers are excellent for hanging clothes because they will not permit the shoulders of dresses, blouses and suits to become pressed if space is crowded. They're easy to make and add a lot of charm to closets, too. To make them, pad the hanger trame with cotton and then cover with bias strips. If you like, add a |
