The art of decorating dry goods windows and interiors

HOW TO DRAPE.

Unless a window dresser is thoroughly conversant with the art of draping he will not be recognized as accomplished. Yet there are many professional trimmers who, it must be admitted, create wonders in their line while unable to put up an effective drape. This statement may be denied by many trimmers, and it surely sounds rather strange. However, I wish to argue on this subject and shall at the same time endeavor to give those not fully posted on the knack of draping some practical hints and suggestions.

If a man in a smaller town who takes care of the show windows is not acquainted with this branch of trimming, you need not feel surprised, as he has little or no chance to see and learn. It is naturally easier for him to learn pleating, puffing, and to make his wooden fixtures, than to put up an artistic drape, simply because he can acquire great ability and skill in these lines of work without being instructed, while many men will never learn how to drape until they are shown how to do it.

Draping is the foundation of the art of window trimming.

There is no window in which some kind of a drape could not be applied to good advantage. It gives the window an artistic and pleasing effect and is always appropriate. Draping is as old as the history of decorating itself, and it will never become old fashioned.

While the prettiest and most artistic effects are produced by draping, it is simple in itself, and, as in some tricks, “easy if you know how.”

PLAIN FESTOON DRAPERY.

One edge of the fabric is first pinned along the line to be draped, the distance being spaced equally, and it is an advantage to have little wooden spindles projecting a few inches, where each rosette would come, so that the material hangs clear of the wall instead of flat against it. Whatever the distance is between the pins, two or three times the same length of cloth should be allowed to make the festoon. About eight or ten inches below the pin the material is tied together tightly with a piece of string, the surplus material thus gathered together being for the purpose of forming the rosette. Removing the pin, the cloth is lifted up and the pin inserted at the same place again, but in such a way as to hold the fabric just where the knot was tied. Tacks may be more easily managed than pins. The rosette finally almost forms itself, as the bunch of surplus fabric is simply turned inside out, and pulled or patted into shape. The process is quite simple, and should be clearly understood by an inspection of the drawing, which shows at one end the fabric pinned up; the next loop has the string tied around it, and the third is finished with a neat rosette, the folds of the fabric hanging in a graceful cascade.

Quite recently a drapery hook has been invented which forms the rosettes automatically, thus simplifying the above process.

COMBINATION DRAPERY.

The drape shown in the first illustration consists of cheesecloth and is constructed in the following way: Take a thin bendable strip of wood, perhaps ¼ to ⅛ by 1½ inch, fix the lengths according to the size of your window, puff it with cheesecloth, bend it into the shape of a semi-circle, and place it in the center of your window. You may place it horizontally, vertically or slanting, to suit your fancy. If your window measures 3 yards, take from 9 to 12 yards of cheesecloth and allow 1 to 2 yards extra on each side to hang down. The festoons as shown in the sketch require about 3½ times as much cloth as the distance from one rosette to the next one. If you desire to drape deeper, allow about four times as much cloth instead of 3 or 3½ times as much for the festoons. Take the piece of cloth, divide it in two equal parts and pin it up at the middle by the edge, on the center of the semi-circle. After this form the festoons one after the other, one to right and one to left. The rosettes are made in this manner: After the cloth is pinned up and divided as indicated, take hold of it at about one foot below the pins, fold it into many pleats, each about 1½ inch wide, lift the cloth up to the pin and drive a second pin through the pleats, thus pinning it against the background. This leaves a bunch of cloth for the rosette, which you turn inside out, pull it apart and form it into the shape of a rose. After you have made the second rosette the festoon has formed itself almost to perfection, and if not your fingers must help out and complete the process by pulling and pushing the folds into proper shape, which is then easily done. The other part of the drape in our first sketch is like the one No. 3, and will be treated later. The sections No. 1a and No. 1b are made of separate pieces of cloth thrown over a short piece of curtain pole, which is projected about a foot from the background. These sections are more adaptable to silk drapery and require a square piece of very wide cloth, not narrower than 36 inches. To construct No. 1a this piece of cloth is laid upon the counter in diamond shape—like a napkin—and the cloth turned over from either end into wide pleats to and fro until the extreme points are thus folded. No. 1b is the same with the only difference that the diamond shaped piece of cloth is folded or cut into triangle shape and folded only from one side. These pieces, thus prepared, are folded again in the middle and thrown over the fixture, showing only one-half of their entire length. If you wish to have them reach down lower take a longer piece of cloth, cut the ends into diamond or triangle shape and proceed the same way. The effect of this style of draping is greatly increased by trimming the edges with tassels or fringes.

Drape No. 2 is one of the most effective, and consists of two pieces of cheesecloth, silkaline or light silk. Two contrasting but harmonizing colors are very desirable. It is the plain festoon and rosette drape projected from the wall by heavy knitting needles. These you drive in first and start with pinning up your cloth at one end (right end first) and continue with it until the left end is reached. When commencing with the second bolt of cloth do not unroll any more of it at the time than necessary to push the bolt alternately through the loops of the first piece. After you have thus covered your background, proceed to form the rosettes; pull, push and pat the folds of the drape into proper shape and you have produced a pretty and artistic effect.

Drape No. 3 can only be constructed with heavy plush-velour or rich drapery silk or any goods with two right sides—as both sides are shown—unless you cut the goods. It consists, like No. 2, of two pieces, and an endless variety of different designs may be formed with this style of drapery. The sections No. 1a and No. 1b are very appropriate with this drape, and separate rosettes, heavy silk cords, tassels and fringes will greatly enrich it. To put up this drape requires more skill and taste than the former two, as, unless it is executed to perfection it is unattractive. Throw your goods over a curtain pole projected from the background and let the first end drop down to the floor. Then fold the goods carefully into about 4 to 7 folds and form the loops as shown in illustration without ever letting the folds become uneven or irregular, something which is more difficult to avoid than the sketch exposes.

All in all, draping is easily learned, and no ambitious amateur will rest until he has acquired full ability to put up an artistic drape.

HOW TO PUFF.

It will take about four times the length and width of cloth to puff any given space. If your background is 12 feet long and 3 feet wide it will require four strips each a yard wide and 48 feet long. Very coarse puffing may be made by using as little as three times the amount of cloth that will cover the space, but for puffing such as is shown in our illustration four times the amount is required.

There are two ways to puff. For large spaces it is quicker and cheaper to cover the backing with bookbinder’s paste, and puff upon that. Always begin at the left-hand upper corner. Turn the edge of your cloth, to start with for, raw edges always look badly. Support the cloth with your right hand, and with the left spread out your thumb and fingers and claw the cloth together into an irregular puffed effect. Do not be too particular about each handful—the total effect will be all right. Work quickly and your puffing will be more uniform than when done cautiously and slowly.

If you are not covering a very large space it is best to pin your puffing. Start the same as directed for pasted puffing. Fasten a small pincushion, well covered with pins, to your vest, and use a small upholsterer’s hammer to tack with. Keep the hammer in your right hand. Push up the cloth and pin it, driving the pin in lightly with your hammer. Be sure to puff close enough to hide the pins.

PUFFING FOR HEADINGS AND ORNAMENTAL DESIGNS.

First take cloth or bunting, fold into 9-inch strips, fasten end to wall or counter by small wire nail (with head filed off and pointed), take other end, pull tight and fasten at first; next take sharp knife or scissors (knife preferable) and cut along folds to end. (This will give you a straight, clean edge.) Take 9-inch strips, pleat into small pleats and fasten as in beginning, step back eight or ten feet, place pin into pleats, then start at beginning or end and pin every five or six inches apart and so on full length of cloth.

This may be made day previous to using in window. Now to apply it to design, start at right hand corner and tack pins every three inches apart, or according to size of puffs desired, continue until all is on, then start at beginning and pull out puffs. When completed you will find that your puffs are even and of a uniform size, and the time taken will be a great deal less than anticipated.

This puffing can be used on every shaped design imaginable and with very best of results.

THE SHOGRAN PUFFING.

This wonderfully popular and useful puffing is named after its inventor, Leonard Shogran.

I feel confident the usefulness and labor saving qualities of this idea, together with the neat and artistic effect which can be obtained by its use, will be appreciated by all my readers. In connection herewith I wish to state, that the value and usefulness of this decorating device is becoming so pronounced that many decorators have begun to use it almost exclusively to give a finished effect to their decorations, where cheesecloth is used. The reason of this popularity is no doubt due to the fact that with it a display can be beautifully finished in one-tenth the time consumed in puffing the old way.

This puffing is the result of a great deal of scheming as to how to lessen the time and labor in finishing up a job of cheesecloth work. It is generally done by taking the cheesecloth loosely in the hand and pinning or tacking it in position, representing small rosettes, the tiresome and tedious operation of which every window trimmer will admit.

I have used this puffing with telling effect in building booths and floats and decorating halls, etc. In short, it has become an indispensable article with me, as well as all who have learned to use it.

In preparing this puffing, tear a length of ten-cent cheesecloth into eight strips or, if wider puffing is desired, tear it into six strips, according to width wanted. Sew them into tubes, or what I would call long sleeves, and turn them on a thin stick or rod, so the ragged edges will be on the inside. Then full them over a strip of muslin about one and one-half inches wide, and thus the article is made.

If you wish to use it in covering the ragged edge of some pleated work, where tacks and pins are usually in plain view, fasten one end of the muslin strip at a point where you intend to begin, then draw the puffing back about two feet from where you fastened the muslin; then we draw the puffing over it nicely, not too full, and fasten the puffed part in place; next, draw the surplus puffing back another two feet, and repeat the operation; and so on until finished. An illustration of this will be found in the accompanying sketches. Should the strip of muslin prove too short, pin another to it, and draw the puffing over. The sketches will give an idea of how easily it can be draped and festooned, or worked into any artistic scroll or design the inventive mind of a decorator may dictate.

Decorators who try this idea will be surprised to see how quickly the goods can be made and applied. The seam is sewn very rapidly on a sewing machine, and it is a pleasure to work with this ever ready and very pliable material.

EDGES.

Pleated backgrounds with puffed edges are very popular. To puff an edge use about one-third or one-half the width of your material, and puff and pin as before directed, taking care to turn under all the raw edges, or better yet, use the Shogran puffing.

There is upon the market a prepared puffing of colored and white cheesecloth, sewn upon strips of heavy paper. It is sold at a small advance over the cost of raw material. When you wish to put in a window in a hurry this prepared puffing is valuable; but I advise everyone to learn the art of puffing, for only by being able to do all the detail work yourself can you become a successful trimmer, and wholly independent of the supply houses.

TO MAKE SUNBURSTS.

A “Sunburst” is the effect created by a form of pleating radiating in all directions from a central point.