Miss Betty's dress was voted to be the most charming dress of the evening.
Ever since I have heard this story I have wished that Miss Betty had known how to stencil. What a lot of time she would have saved! I am sure you will agree with me when you know how to stencil.
Have you noticed the flat gay decorations above the moulding in some houses? Well those are stencilled. A painter will cut out a design from a thin steel background; he lays this on the wall and paints over the open spaces in the design. It is the only true way in which he can keep his pattern. All free-hand designs are bound to show a difference in outline.
Stencilling for home decoration is used on curtains ([Figure 82]), portières, rugs, couch covers, table covers, lunch sets, pillow tops, ([Figure 83]), bags, counterpanes, as well as for dresses, parasols, wraps, scarfs, and in fact almost every conceivable object that allows the use of decoration.
You can get a stencil board from any artist supply shop, but the one you can make at home is cheaper even if it is not quite as durable.
Photograph by Mary G. Huntsman
A Single Motif Being Used On a Stencilled Scarf