xt708k74vt1d https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt708k74vt1d/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station.  journals kaes_circulars_004_449 English Lexington : The Service, 1913-1958. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 449 text Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 449  2014 true xt708k74vt1d section xt708k74vt1d ‘ g   COM IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
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_ U Dressing Unit UWT "’
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— Dressing Table and Storage
· lor Clothes
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i Circulor 449
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
QQ College of Agriculture ond Home Economics A
  Agricultural Extension Division ‘
  Thomos P. Cooper, Deon ond Director

 ROOM IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FOR 4-H CLUBS ·
·Have you often wished for a room of your own in which to ex- T
_ I press your particular likes in furnishings, colors, and accessories? You COIN,
may have this wish—though more will be needed, of course, than wish- _ In tl.
ing. The 4-H Room Improvement Project gives you an opportunity to 3 dm
make your room attractive, so that you will be proud to show it to hang
your friends, and so that you will enjoy working and playing in it. Spam
\/Vhether you have a room of your own or share it with another, and Whic
whether your family owns the house or rents, may make some differ not C
ence in the approach, but the final result can be the same. 1 men.
Attractive rooms are not obtained with money alone. ff the finished and
room is to be satisfactory, you must do intelligent planning before your
buying the furnishings. Many times a girl will find that with  _
5* To be well groomed and attractively dressed, you must have a
Ou convenient place for dressing, and plenty of space for your clothes.
sh` ln this unit of the Room Improvement Project you should provide
to ~ a dressing table or dresser with a mirror; a clothes closet with enough
F0 hangers, shoe rack or bag, garment bags, hat boxes, and enough drawer
IL space for clothes and accessories. The Dressing unit is a project ou
pd which most girls need to concentrate. In this unit work is to be done
U" not only on dressing table, closet, and drawer space, but on the arrange-
ment of clothing and accessories in these spaces. With careful work
ted and planning you can soon make an attractive dressing center in
me A your room.
trc»
at WHAT TO DO IN THIS PROJECT
Head H, or Study Group
`I 1; Using the references suggested and any other material obtainable,
learn as much as possible about the following:
A. Dressing —
1. Types of dressing tables for girls’ rooms.
2. Placing table for convenience, light, and appearance.
' 3. Hanging mirror for proper lighting.
j 4. Arranging top and inside of table.
B. Clothes Closet
IN? l. Types of clothes closets—built»in or movable.
mil 2. Finishes for walls and Hoor.
`II)”· 3. Rods and shelves.
ect, 4. Arranging clothes closets to save time.
ick- C. Drawer Space
md ~ l. Arrangement to save time and energy.
Om 2. Arrangement of top of dresser or chest.
You 3. Placing large pieces of furniture.
CUL 4. Refinishing different woods.
Hand H, or Work Group
Choose work from the following: _
A. Dressing
l. Make or provide dressing table and stool, or chair.
l 2. Hang mirror properly.
3

 4 .i
3. Provide satisfactory artificial lighting\
4. Arrange top and inside of table conveniently and attractively. _ `
  Provide a mirror long enough for full-length prohle to
be seen.
B. Clothes Closet
‘ ` l. Provide clothes closet.
2. Finish walls, shelves, and lloor as needed, using color scheme
planned. · ‘
3. Provide proper rods for hanging garments, and shelves for °
hats.
4. Make hat stands.
5. Make shoe rack, or shoe bag. ‘
6. Make garment protectors, garment bag, and laundry bag.
C. Drawer Space
A l. Improve condition of dresser or chest by cleaning, painting, ‘
or rehnishing.
2. Make partitions and boxes for drawers. t
` 3. Arrange top and drawers conveniently.
4. Hang picture. mirror. or other object in relation to chest
or dresser. A
D. Make a booklet for this unit or add a chapter to the Room
Improvement Booklet already started. For suggestions on Book-
let see Room Improvement Project, "Planning Unit," Circular i
445. .
DRESSING TABLES
Kinds it
Several kinds of dressing tables may be used in a girl’s room, but .
the kind you choose should harmonize with the room as a whole. An   im
elaborate dressing table would not go well with simple furnishings. » (ml
Neither would a fragile. dainty table harmonize with massive, ornate ,
furnishings. Q thei
Follt
Unfinished tables are inexpensive to buy and may be completed   (hes
at home. This type of table is usually made ol` a soft wood that has V 
little natural color or beauty of grain and therefore looks better is
painted. To hnish the table rub it with sandpaper and steel wool  
{OllOWillg the grain of the wood. Rub lirst with "O" steel wool, TINY!] . hom
“OO” and hnally “OOO." \\'hen the table is very smooth, dust it Lh01"· · the
Oughly, and apply a coat of filler. This hlls the pores of the w00·" - =“ ‘   s   V    
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Homemade dressing table with circular skirt and fitted top cover.
mt (Illustration 1.) ·
An out the color scheme ol` the room. Apply at least 2 coats. \\lhen the
Us last coat is thoroughly dry, wax the table.
  ·
lm A shelf with skirt around it also makes a good dressing table. If
the room is small, the shelf can he used on the inside of a closet door.
`Cd F0llOw the same instructions in finishing the shelf as [or hnishing the
L dressing table.
ras ·
tcr i  An old table and mirror can also he used as a dressing unit. _
aol _ . I .
Two P¤CkII1Q boxes plzued on end about l8 mches apart with 3
ren . . `
1 board for the top and one lor the base makes an attractive table. Sand
o‘- ‘ . . . .
d the boxes, cover the cracks wuh paper or strips ol wood, and paint
0 V ,
OT a er the table to match the room. Lasters at the 4 corners irevent
rrv . . .
‘ scratching the Hoor, and make u easier no more the table. l

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li] A Shelf
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inthe
Two or¤n§e crates mode into _ fymn
¤ dressing table. l Plain
(lllustrcztzmz 2.)
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Skirts for Tobles me S
che c
Gathered or pleated skirts may be used on dressing tables. They
may be tailored or dainty, depending 0n your own preference and the
other furnishings in the room. The material, color, and type skirt and
the furnishings in the room should harmonize. Accurate measuring
and careful workmanship will add much to the attractiveness of the
finished skirt. The skirt should be full and it should reach from the ‘
y top of the table to the floor. For a gathered skirt, allow 1% times
the distance across each end plus the distance across the front. For
a box pleated skirt allow 3 times that distance. Divide the flounce
in the center front. Use a heading, pleats, a double ruffle, or other °
methods of finish at the top of the flounce. Fasten the flounces to the
dressing table with thumb tacks through a tape sewed on the wrong
side of the flounce at the top edge. Place the table where it will get
the most light. The table will look better if you leave only a few
articles on top sucl1 as a small vanity box and 2 lamps. Scarfs are
not usually practical, because they make cleaning more difficult.
Stools for Tobles
Use a chair or regular tlressingtable stool. lf you have no stool,
make one from a box or keg. Pad the top and dress the stool with a
llounce of the same material as the table. V
CLOTHES CLOSET
Every girl’s room can have space for hanging clothing and for
keeping shoes and hats. Most satisfactory is a closet built into the
house. But if there is no built-in closet, and you cannot build one
in, you can have movable storage space. The walls of a built-in
closet may be either painted or papered, carrying out the color scheme A
of the room. A full length mirror can be attached to the inside of is a
_ the closet door. i bro

 V Shelf Wcrdrobe
A wardrobe can be made by fixing a shelf to the wall, about 15
inches wide and 4 to 6 feet long, and high enough to keep garments .
» from touching the floor. Attach to the edge of the shelf a curtain in
plain neutral color made of feed bags, osnaburg, cotton, or some such
material.
Packing-Box Closet
Two sets of 3 packing boxes on end, about 3 feet apart with a
board across the top, make a convenient closet. Finish the boxes in
zhe same way suggested for dressing tables, and hang a curtain over
zhe closet.
By
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nc Packing-box closet.
_ (Illustration 3.)
ll} ·
nc A rod to hold clothes hangers should be provided. lf the cl·‘»>t·t
of is at least 18 inches deep, place the rod lengthwise of the closet. A
hroomstick makes a good rod for this purpose and may be fastened

 in a socket of wood or metal. If the closet is less than l8 inches deep, A
screw a metal rod to the wall and hang the garments parallel to the Tc
wall. ln a closet 4 feet wide, use 2 such rods. if me
ing a
Shelf space should be provided forhats, and boxes for clothing dear
' ‘ not in use. Fasten a shoe bag or rack to the door, or the closet wall, i any 1;
Hat Stands Egg;
  Make hat stands from round cardboard boxes, and paper with _ wom]
wall paper which matches the room, or cut the stands from cardboartl ‘
as shown in Illustration 4. V Refi,
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' steel
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    thick
_ These hat stands are easily A Hm
. made from pieces of heavy  .. WOM
‘ cardboard. Wlfll
illiuslration 4.) Cryst
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‘ dry,
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Garment Protectors V I
Make garment protectors for garments not frequently worn, and ml;
those easily soiled, such as party clothes and best dresses. Use feed _ ams
sacks, percale, cretonne, or chintz. Cut pieces the shape of the top of R ml
a wire coat hanger and about 12 inches deep. Sew together on top edge R Sm?
leaving a hole for hook or hanger to go through. Bind the bottom ' Stall
edge of the protector. ¥ UCC;
Laundry Bags l ing
Cut 2 strips 30 inches long by 18 inches wide. Curve the top of n
both pieces to the shape of the top of a coat hanger. Make a slaSh — Dre
from the top of the front piece down l0 inches in the center crease.   .
Bind this slash. Let the lower edge of the back lap 3 inches over the , Box
front and then fasten it with buttons and loops. This makes it easier R shel
to get the soiled clothes out. Sew up the top and sides. and place bag e drat
on coat hanger. · in t
_ Reference: U.S.D.A. Farmers Bulletin lH65. "Closets and St0THL;€ `_ and
Spates." V Th'

 jj CHEST OF DRAWERS
Q The outside surface of the chest should be put in good condition.
l[ the color and condition of the hnish is satisfactory, clean it by wash- »
L ing a small area` at a time with mild soap and water and then with `
g clear water. Dry thoroughly and wax. This is a good way to clean
l- i any painted or varnished surface. lf the chest is made of cherry, wal-
nut, mahogany, or maple, it will probably be best to remove any old
paint or varnish, and finish to bring out the natural beauty of the
h wood. " V
d `
Refinishing Dresser or Chest
Remove old, thin, scaly Finish by scraping with a piece of glass or a
steel scraper. lf the finish is thick and old, it is best to use a good
grade varnish remover according to directions given on the can. Apply
thickly with an even stroke. Let stand a few minutes and scrape with
ly a flat knife. Then rub ofi the remaining sticky mass wiih a fine steel
W A wool dipped in ammonia water. If the wood is dark or stained, bleach
with a solution of oxalic acid made by dissolving l tablespoonful of the
M ` crystals in l pint ol` warm water. WVash carefully with ammonia water
j or with the neutralizer suggested on the can of varnish remover. \\’hen »
` dry, sandpaper or rub down with "OO" steel wool, until the wood is
~ smooth. Rub with the grain of wood. Fill cracks or holes with plastic
1 wood or stick shellac. in color to match the wood. Open-grained woods.
such as oak, may require a paste filler before the hnish is applied.
f lf the wood is very old and dry it may need a coat of raw linsc-ed
ld l oil. Let the linseed oil soak in. \i\/ipe off thoroughly, and apply the
yd finish. Oiling darkens the wood and brings out the grain. Stain is
,){ i not usually needed on cherry, walnut, mahogany, or maple, but it is
,6 sometimes used to darken very light streaks in the wood. On poplar a
jj, V stain to make the woodiappear darker is often used. Stain may also be
  needed to darken plastic wood. The piece is now ready to be finished.
iv I·`or directions for finishing, see Room Improvement Project "Read-
ing Unit."
of 5
sh `_ Dresser Drawer Boxes and Partitions
se. · Arrange the drawers of the chest conveniently and attractively.
he I Boxes of different sizes and shapes may be covered with wall paper,
er i shelf paper, cotton prints. or glazed chintz and used in the top
ag drawer. They help to keep handkerchiefs. jewelry, and accessories
» in order. Cardboard partitions may be made, covered like the boxes.
gc ` and used in the drawers for separating underwear and other clothing.
t These partitions may be made as follows: ‘

 lu F
Cut 2 pieces of stiff cardboard l inch shorter than the height ol _
the drawer and 3% inches longer than the width of the drawer. Measure mcssu
2 inches from each end of each piece. Place ruler on this line and with l- P
the hack of a case knife, crease along this line. Bend the cardboard (‘
. , hack along this line. Paste the middle sections of the 2 pieces together. 2 (
Put a weight on them and let them dry. Cut 2 pieces of cardboard, l '
inch shorter than the height of the drawer and 4 inches long. Spread g_ (
ends apart, and paste small pieces to ends. Weight down and dry.
Cover with same material as the cardboard boxes. 4. l
CHECK SHEET FOR DRESSING UNIT _
a. .
The check sheet is to help determine just what needs to be done i
on this phase of the room. The Club girl, the leader, the agent, and
the mother should help in making this check. A l
Name of girl   Age ______ 6
—\dd1 c ss mes!
Date of First Check _ Date of Final Check _______,_ l·
Satis— Unsatis- Will improve
factory factory as follows .
Clothes Closet · 
l. Hanging space for all dresses i 2.
and coats (rod or rods) ........................ _..—— .—-—- -I-—»——
2. Shelf space for n
Hat boxes .......................................... .1- .—-- .—-·—·
3.
Boxes for clothing out of season .... _...- .;— .—.»-{-
4 4.
  G;n»inent bags or dress protectors
for clothing not in daily use ............ ..§ ..1- ..--—»
5.
4. Shoe rack or shoe bag .......................... ._.—- .——- -_;-—-·
5. Laundry bag .___...,._________.____,.,_____,_____.__ ._i. ..——. ._.-~—-—
6
6. Hat stands or boxes ............................ .._.— 1- ...-»»~
7
7. Finish and color of walls, shelves,
. and floor .r..............._.... . ,......r._.........,.,... .__. ..i ...-·-·
S. Lighting for inside of closet ............ ...1 )—. ..--’*

 11*
CHECK SHEET (Continued)
lf _ Satis- Unsat.is— Will Improve
(G Dressing Table factory factory as follows
h 1. Placed to receive proper light i
d (day and night\ .................................,.. ...1 1 1
l`. . . . .
I 2. Condition of finish or skirt ...,............ 1 1 ..1 °
d 3. Chair or seat (condition) .................... 1 .1 ,..1
y. V .»
- 4. Mirror (hung for convenience
ztnd proper lighting; .......................... 1 1 ...1
5. Arrangement for convenience
M and attractiveness
ttl _ _
· (ly). lop of table .................................. 1 1 ..1.
(2). I)r;iivers or shelves ........................ 1 1 ..1
_ i 6. Rug in relation to group .................... 1 1 .1
" Dresser or Chest
_ . 1. Acleqtizite drawer space for
(n) L'ndergarment~ .....................l........ 1 1 1
i . (Ii) Accessories ..,. _, ,.._._..l..........,........ ,. 1 1 ..1.
2. Located for
—- (zi) (ii)ll\'(`lllljlI<* .. ...l .. ................ 1 1 ..11-
(I1) Lighting ........,....................... . ......... 1 1 1-—
3. Condition of finish ......................l....... 1 1 1-——»
/1. Arrangement ol accessories
on top of chest ................l..............l.... 1 1 1--*
5. Drawers equipped with boxes and
-· partitions for orrlerliness and
1 convenience .. ...... .. .......................... 1 1 1-.
· 6. Ru in relzition to vrotil .................... 1 1 1---
i  D I
7. Picture. mirror. or wall han in
S .
in relation to group ............................ 1 1 1-
8. Light . ...l... . ........................................... 1 1 1-7

 } 
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i
Couperutive Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics: C01-
lege of Agriculture and Home Economics. University of Kentucky, and
zhe United States Department of Agriculture, cooperating. Tumvms P.
Coopzn, Director. Issued in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June
20, 1914.
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