IRREGULAR FESTOON DRAPERY
If the top of the opening or space to be draped is not a straight line, but is curved, arching or angular, necessitating that the ends of the festoons be fastened at different heights to follow the shape of the space, irregular festoons must be used. Or, when the space to be draped exceeds five feet in width irregular festoons will present a better appearance, and add character to the decoration.
By irregular festoons we mean those in which the two halves of a festoon differ in size and shape, as when the lowest point of the bottom line falls to one side of the centre; when one pleated end covers a wider space than the other; or when the ends are fastened at different levels.
Figure5(see diagrams on opposite page) is an example of irregular festoon drapery, covering a straight space six feet wide, with the middle festoon elevated to give the whole an irregular appearance.
Having secured the measurements from floor to top of trim, from top of trim to ceiling, and the extreme width, make a scale drawing of the space in the proportion of one inch to the foot, and on it sketch the drapery, as explained for straight festoons in last chapter.
Unless the wood is unsightly it is not necessary to cover it altogether, as this style is of a lighter, more airy character than the last one, and the appearance is sometimes improved by showing enough of the trim to define the opening.
If the color of the wood interferes with the harmony of the wall and fabric, then, of course, it must be hidden as far as possible; but dispose the festoons to accomplish this without making the purpose apparent.
Correct the sketch of the drapery to conform with the necessities of light or passage, as explained before, observing the proportion the tail about one-half the height of the space, and the deepest festoon one-half the depth of the tail, and it is ready to measure.
In Figure5, on the opposite page, we have three different sizes and shapes of festoons, so that all must be measured and cut separately.
From the lowest point X on the line A——B draw a perpendicular line at right angles to the floor line to connect with X on the line C——D, top of festoon. (Festoon A, Figure5.)
Measure the distance from A to X and X to B on bottom line, following the curve, also from C to X and X to D on top line, and from X to X; record the distances on the plan in feet and inches, also the spaces covered by the pleated ends 1 to 2 and 3 to 4, and the distance between 2 and 3 horizontally (see dotted line), and the elevation from line 1——2 to line 3——4. (See dotted perpendicular line from top of trim.) Record all these distances and measure festoon B in like manner.
Festoon C is joined to tail on right side to form a pipe, but is measured in the same way, treating the bottom line as if it were continued around to the rosette (dotted line through pipe, Figure5), mark point X and measure the same as festoon A, measure the length of pipe from rosette to bottom and record the distances.
To measure the double tails draw a line through centre (dotted line, left tail, Figure5) and measure the pleated half in the same manner as the single tail in last chapter.
Lay out and cut pattern as for a single tail, and repeat from the back edge (dotted line) to give the double tail.
If necessary to piece the tail in planning the goods, make the seams where the folds will conceal them when pleated up.
If you find any difficulty in sketching the full size pleated tail from which to lay out the pattern forcutting, as explained in last chapter, Figure3, the following method, while not needed by many, will give you correctness and certainty:
The pleated top should equal one-sixth the distance from top of tail to bottom point, and the widest part, which occurs half way down, should be one and one-third times the width of the top.
Thus a tail 6—0 long would be 3—0 on the front edge and pleat into 1—0 at the top, spreading to 16 inches at the widest part.
Lay out your paper with the longest edge even with the side of the table in front of you, and from the right hand end point F, Figure5B, mark point E the length of the tail and I half way between. Draw a perpendicular line at E and on it mark G the proportionate distance, and on another perpendicular line at I locate H, Figure5B. Halve the line I——H and from its centre 1X rule to F; divide the line 1X——F into seven equal spaces, and mark every alternate point, commencing with the first one, 2X, 4X and 6X, and the points between 3, 5 and 7. At right angles from the line at point 3 mark J, the distance from 3 to 2X, or one space, and repeat at 5 and 7, locating points K and L.
Rule from points J, K and L to 2X, 4X and 6X (dotted lines, Figure5B), and from 2X, 4X and 6X draw straight lines to the top parallel with the line E——F.
Rule also from J, K and L to the dotted raking lines and from G to H, and you have a complete outline of the pleated tail from which to plan your pattern, as explained in last chapter.
The right tail joined to festoon C is cut in exactly the same manner as if it were not joined, but was complete in itself.
Lay the pattern on the goods with the side to be joined to the festoon even with the selvage. (See Figure7. Dotted lines which show festoon C cut out and the right hand tail marked out for cutting lying together for matching at the selvages.)
To cut irregular festoons it is well at first to make a paper pattern; spread out a paper sufficiently large to contain the full measurements, with the longest side even with the table in front of you (Figure6), using the edge of the paper as the line A——B, from which to project the shape of the festoon according to the measurements.
From the right-hand end point B mark X the distance recorded on Festoon A, Figure5, on your plan, and from X mark point A. Erect a perpendicular line at X as long as twice the distance from X to X, Figure5, and at right angles to the bottom line.
Draw a horizontal line parallel with the bottom line or edge of paper, passing through X, the top of your perpendicular line, and on it mark the points C and D the same distances as they appear on your plan.
From X on the bottom line, with B as a radius, strike a quarter circle from the line, and repeat on the other side with X as centre and A as a radius.
With A as a centre, and one-third the distance from A to X as radius, strike an arc to intersect with quarter circle A at point A1; and from point B, with one-third the distance from B to X as radius, locate point B1 in the same way.
Rule from B1 to X and from A1 to X on the bottom line, and from C to A1 and D to B1, which gives us the general outline.
The bottom lines must be rounded as dotted lines indicate, with greatest swell one-third of the distance from point X on each side; and the raking lines at the side must have the allowance added for trimming off three inches at top and bottom, hollowed to one and a half inches at centre, dotted lines, Figure6.
Cut out along curved lines on sides and bottom, and straight line at top, and the pattern is complete.
Spread out the goods on the tableface up, the pattern, if any, running from you, and the nap, if pile goods, running toward you, with the end of the goods, which must be square, even with the side of the table, in front of you.
Lay the pattern on it with the perpendicular line X——X positively at right angles to the straight end of the goods and parallel with the selvage.
If the width of the goods is not sufficient to cut the festoon without piecing, lay the pattern so as to leave an equal projection beyond the selvage at each side.
If the amount to be pieced out does not exceed six inches, make the join at one side only, and piece out with the pieces left from the raking sides, F——F, Figure6.
Pleat festoons A and B in the same manner as straight festoons in last chapter, the lines on the board corresponding with the lines on the plan, the elevation at 3——4 exactly as the plan calls for, and adjust the goods until it conforms to the size and shape on the plan. When one end of a festoon is attached at a higher level than the other, attach the elevated end of the pleat first, and then the lower end, for greater ease in forming the pleats nice and round.
Irregular festoons are not interchangeable any more than clothes, and will only fit the size and shape for which they are made; for this reason be careful in laying out the measurements on the board, as once pleated they will hang that way only, and a change in elevation or distance, unless very slight, will destroy the neatness of the pleats. If, in a drapery design, a festoon with the heavy fall point X to the left of the centre is repeated in another place with the heavy fall to the right of the centre, and the sizes are exact, the pattern cut for one will do for the other by turning the other side of the paper up; but be careful to mark each side and the festoons to correspond, so as not to duplicate.
It is a good plan to number or letter each festoon and tail on the plan, and the patterns to correspond; then, if the goods is cut with the face side up, the completed drapery must be the same as the plan.
If for any reason it is advisable to cut the goods with the face side down, you must be careful to turn your patterns all face down, or your drapery will be transposed, with the right tail at the left side, andvice versa, and errors of this kind are, to say the least, vexatious.
To lay out festoon C for cutting is a little more difficult, but can be easily mastered with care. Lay out the paper for pattern on the table, as explained for festoons A and B, and draw the bottom line A——B parallel with the edge of table, and about half the length of the pipe above it (Figure8). Erect the perpendicular line X——X, and find all the points on the pattern in exactly the same manner as for festoon A; round out the line from A1 to X (dotted line, Figure8) and the raking line A1 to C.
From point B1 as a centre, with the length of the pipe as a radius, strike a quarter circle from the line A——B down to a point below B1 (line 1——B1), round the line right side from X to a little above the line, and gracefully sweep to break the sharp corner where the circle intersects, as dotted line, Figure8, and rule from B1 to D, adding afterwards the allowance for trimming off after pleating.
If you have a small festoon to cut, and one of this kind, mark out the small one first, letting the pattern lie to the opposite side from the side on which you want the piece for the pipe, and the allowance for the pipe can usually be cut out of the corner, F. (See broken line, Figure8, which outlines the top of a festoon beneath the line A——B.)
In irregular festoons the line X——Xmust beat right angles to the end of the goods, or chalk line representing bottom of festoon where no pattern is used.
Cut festoon C out complete and match the pattern of the goods to the piece before cutting out the tail. (See Figure7.)
Join the straight side 1——B1 on festoon C to the left side of tail and press the seam out so that it lies flat as one piece.
Spread out on the table, and with the paper pattern mark the top and bottom points of the folds in the tail, and commencing at the middle (dotted line E——F, Figure7) pleat the outside in the way explained in last chapter. Pleat the other side toward the centre also, forming all but the last fold or pipe, and pin or baste the folds in place. Tack the top of tail on the board, which you have already chalked out to the sizes of the pleated festoon and tail on the plan, and pleat up the festoon by the method explained in last chapter, forming the last pleat of the festoon and the last fold of the tail into a pipe (Figure9), concealing the seam in the fold under the pipe. The rosette is made of a circular piece of goods, usually joined up from the waste, as the pleats will conceal the seams.
If the completed rosette is to be six inches in diameter, take a circular piece of goods seventeen inches in diameter, and in the centre cut out a three-inch circle; shirr the outside edge from the wrong side, using long stitches on the right side and short stitches on the wrong side (Figure9A), dotted and unbroken lines (dotted lines on face side of goods), use a strong linen thread or twine and draw the shirring up close, wrong side out, and fasten securely. (Figure9B.)
Turn back the small circle over this to bring the right side out, and shirr it into the other shirring, fastening both together securely. This method gives very little fulness on the back of rosette, and plenty in front; pick out the pleats to distribute the fulness evenly around the rosette, keeping the outer edge square and thicker than the centre.
The fulness is governed by the size of the hole in the centre, and the distance from it to the outer circle must equal the desired diameter of the finished rosette, with one inch allowance for shirring.
Sew the rosette to the finished festoon tail, and if it is to be suspended from a loop, as Figure5, sew a couple of lambrequin hooks beneath the rosette to take the weight. (XX, Figure9.)
Figure5illustrates a straight top opening, but this style is particularly adapted to spaces where the top is curving or angular, or in the case of a low door or window, where it is desired to give an effect of greater height without elevating the entire drapery scheme.
Sketch out and plan a number of irregular festoon draperies to your scale, complying with different requirements in the way of curves and angles, and cut out of some soft and inexpensive material, as advised in last chapter, until you have thoroughly mastered the rules and acquired the knack of forming nice round pleats from end to end. Be careful in sketching an irregular drapery not to get the festoons too thin from X to X, which you will be apt to do.
Except in some special case where a shallow festoon is required, a pleated festoon that is less than eighteen inches from X to X will not look well on this size space, and should be as much deeper in proportion as the size of the space requires.
Double tails are used in Figure5to explain the method of cutting them, and where the quantity of goods will not permit the use of double tails, single tails may be used with very good effect.
Double tails are frequently joined in the centre (dotted line E——F, Figure7), and except in goods of a striped or pronounced design may be joined even more by calculating for the seams to be in the under folds.
Fig 10
Fig 10
Fig 11
Fig 11
Fig 11A
Fig 11A
Fig 11B
Fig 11B
Fig 11C
Fig 11C
Fig 11D
Fig 11D
Fig 12
Fig 12
Fig 13
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Fig 14
Fig 14
Fig 15FLAT VALANCES OR LAMBREQUINS.(SEE TEXT ON OPPOSITE PAGE)
Fig 15
FLAT VALANCES OR LAMBREQUINS.
(SEE TEXT ON OPPOSITE PAGE)