LACE · CURTAINS
In the eyes of the housewife the lace curtains are one of the most important considerations in the furnishing of the home, and until they are properly in place the house does not seem to be settled. Considerable interest is usually exhibited in the matter of hanging them, and the discussion as to the proper method invariably hangs on the following queries:
Should they come to the window sill, a little below it, or down to the floor?
Should they hang straight, be looped back, or caught up with a rosette?
Should sash curtains, stores or panels be used next to the glass?
The answers to these and other questions will depend largely on the architectural position and style of the window, the nature of the room and the purpose for which it is to be used. The question of sash or glass curtains is usually a matter of taste, and in the majority of cases they are used for outside appearance only. The examples of different styles presented herewith cover a fair range of treatments, which can be easily added to or modified, as the occasion demands.
Sash curtains to hang straight are made as Curtain A, Figure59, and reach from the top of the window sash to nicely clear the sill. They may be shirred on a rod or attached to rings.
If the material is liable to shrink when laundered it is customary to turn in an extra allowance of one or two inches at the top (according to the length of the curtain), to be let down when required. Sash curtains hanging straight, as Figure59, reduce the apparent width and increase the height of the window, and should not be used on long, narrow windows.
If made of plain or dotted material they may be edged with lace or ruffle on the sides and bottom, or finished with a deep hem, as Figure67, with or without an insertion.
Sash curtains to loop back, as A, Figure60, are made about six inches longer than the length of the window from top to sill, with shrinking allowance added, and produce the opposite effect to straight curtains, seeming to increase the width and reduce the height. They may be made of bordered goods or of plain or dotted material edged with lace or ruffle of itself. Looped curtains give a jaunty, cheerful appearance to the exterior of a house, but do not look well on wide, short windows, unless left widely separated at the top. Stores bonne femme, as illustrated, Figure61, Curtain A, do not materially alter the apparent size of a window, and are very effective on large windows. They are usually made with scalloped bottom edge, trimmed with a frill eight or ten inches deep, and edged with lace.
For a wide window the body of the curtain is sometimes divided into panels by rows of insertion, instead of having a motif or lace pattern set into it, as illustrated.
The material used is usually a fine étamine, madras or fine net. They are hung on a rod fastened to the top or just inside the frame (see Rod E, Figure78) so that they will hang next to the glass, as sash curtains, and are usually made to just clear the sill in length and very slightly full in width.
The upper part of the window in Figure68is a combination of the bonne femme and Austrian shade, and makes a very effective sash or glass curtain for dining-room, library or bedroom. They are made in the same manner as the Austrian shade explained later, except that they hang stationary, and do not raise or lower. The material may be plain or colored silk, net, challie, casement cloth, or madras, with insertion of any desired style, and edged with lace to match. In colored materials good effects can be obtained by using a contrasting color for the insertion.
The curtains on the lower sash are attached to a rod placed at I, Figure78, and are trimmed to match the curtains on the upper sash, they hang free at the bottom and just clear the sill, the insertion across the bottom placed high enough to show clearly through the glass from without. They may be used in conjunction with the upper curtain, as illustrated, or may be used alone, and are usually sewn to rings, as Figures70or 77.
Lace panels with motif centre, as A, Figure62, are quite largely used for clubs, hotel or institution windows, and in many cases for dwellings also (though some think them too severe for the latter). Wherever used they should be perfectly proportioned and shaped to fit the size and shape of the window, the design so executed that it shall be entirely visible from without, and appear as a picture framed by the window sash.
They are generally made to order by applying lace insertion and motifs to net, and are attached to the sash by rods, tacks, or, what is still better, make a small wooden frame of strips one-half inch by three-quarter inch and wrap it neatly with cotton the same color as the net, baste the panel to the cotton and attach it to the window sash with small brads. This frame is only slightly visible through the panel on the inside and completely hidden by the sash from the outside.
To attach a panel to a door where the glass isframed by fancy moldings, the small frame is made as above to fit into the sash against the glass. It is finished to match the woodwork of the door, and has a groove on the outer edge to receive a small, soft cord, tacked or glued in place, and projecting sufficiently to permit the edge of the panel to be sewn to it (see Figure63). Care should be taken in measuring for panels, as the effect is completely spoiled by a misfit.
Sash curtains, stores or panels, when properly applied, add greatly to the exterior appearance of a house, but should be uniformly applied to all windows visible from the same quarter. For instance, if sash curtains are used on the front drawing-room windows, all of the front windows, from basement to attic, should be treated with some form of sash curtains adapted to each individual space and in harmony with the whole. Nearly all glass curtains are provided with a double hem at the top, Figure64, through which is passed a small rod fastened at each end to the stops or frames of the window in such a manner that the sash will work freely if raised or lowered. (See E B, Figure78.)
In some cases it is desirable to apply a peek-a-boo sash curtain to the lower sash to render it opaque from without and not exclude the light. This is accomplished by using a curtain with a double hem at top and bottom and attached (as illustrated A, Figure65) so that it raises with the sash and does not touch the stop on either side. (Note Rods I and G, Figure78.)
The pleats are stretched tightly from top to bottom, and the usual allowance for fullness is twice the width of the space to be covered, which may vary according to the density of the material.
It is natural that the ground floor windows should be more densely dressed than those of the upper floors, not only to impart a sense of privacy, but as following the general construction of ordinary buildings, the ground floor windows usually being larger and more heavily trimmed, and as the treatment ascends from floor to floor permit the curtains to be less weighty in character and expose a larger area of uncovered glass. By lace curtains we mean that class of furnishing familiarly known to the trade by that name and comprising all of the various styles of net and patterns.
The sizes usually carried in stock run 2, 2½, 3, 3½ and 4½ yards long, and vary in width from one to two yards.
Where the decorator has not the necessary equipment for making special sizes and designs he is compelled to employ more or less of these ready-made furnishings. Briefly stated, these for the most part consist of plain or fancy nets, scrim or muslin with a pattern of lace or muslin appliquéd thereon or woven in with the net, and the edges finished with bound or overlock stitched scallops, a lace, or a ruffle of the same material.
The method of hanging these curtains depends to a great extent on their surroundings, and on the nature, style and use of the room in which they are used, and while it is not possible for us to give positive rules that will guide the decorator in every case, we illustrate some of the effects that may be produced by the different methods, and suggest their adaptability to various requirements.
In the absence of special reasons to the contrary, it is a safe rule to hang any style of lace curtains in the way that will best display the beauty of the pattern or fabric; thus a heavily worked border and body pattern would show best hanging straight, while plain bodied goods with a small pattern would look well either way.
Setting aside for the moment all thought of the size and shape of the window, long curtains hanging straight to the floor, as Figures B60and B and C67, appear to curtail the floor space, while curtains looped back or caught up with rosettes, as 61, 62, 65 and 66, apparently increase it, therefore in small rooms it is usually an advantage to tie up the curtains, and in extra large rooms to allow them to hang straight to the floor, subject, of course, to other considerations equally desirable.
If sash curtains are used it is usually a good plan to hang the long curtains to be the opposite of the sash curtains; that is, if the sash curtains hang straight loop the long curtains, and vice versa. In this way the treatment will balance, and a neutral effect be obtained, as Figures59and 60. Bear in mind also in this connection our former statement that long curtains hanging straight reduce the width and increase the height of the window, while curtains looped or caught up with a rosette reduce the height and increase the width.
Curtains reaching only to the sill, or just below it, as Figure68, have a tendency to shorten the window, and if looped or draped this effect is increased.
Sash curtains, stores, panels, or any other style of glass curtains, are hung with the right side of the goods to the glass, unless the windows are so far removed from ordinary vision that it is impossible to discern the difference. Long lace curtains are hung with the right side to the room where sash curtains are used, or the reverse way when hung alone, subject to the above proviso in reference to the difference being perceptible from without.
We illustrated in Figures34Aand34B, chapter on scarf draping, the method of gathering back a curtain for looping and for draping with a rosette, and lace goods are manipulated in the same way. To obtain the effect illustrated in Figure61, Curtain B, attach the curtain at the top, allowing it to be from six to eighteen inches longer than to the floor, hold the edges of the curtain in each hand and pleat it forward and back from the bottom, as illustrated in Figure69, until it is pleated up to where you desire to fasten the loop; hold the outside side edge there and release the inside edge and it will fall in a fan shape, as illustrated; the loop is then passed around, the pleats still retained, and the surplus of about six inches above the tying pushed back and down behind the edge of the curtain, as shown.
Lace curtains may be shirred on to the pole or rod by making a double hem at the top, as illustrated in Figure64, the distance between the two stitchings A and B a little less than twice the diameter of the pole, to allow for shrinkage. Thus, for a one-inch pole, which would measure loosely three and one-eighth inches in circumference, you would require to allow about one and seven-eighths inches between A and B, making three and three-quarter inches of a pocket for the pole to pass through.
A pretty effect is produced (Figure70) by running a tape into a small double hem (leaving one inch for the heading and half an inch between A and B for the tape) and shirring the curtain to the width of the space it is to cover, after which rings or hooks are sewn to the back in the position indicated by letter A above Figure70.
Curtains made of soft net or muslin, with a very small border or soft ruffled edge, look well shirred, but those having heavy pattern borders look best pleated.
Where it is possible to do so the top of the curtain to be pleated should be turned over about two inches (Figure71) and a tape about one inch wide sewn along the back where the pins will be inserted. This gives strength to the delicate fabric where repeated pinning is apt to cause its destruction.
If this cannot be done, spread the curtain out upon the floor or other flat surface, face downwards, and turn over about six inches of the top, smooth this down nicely and fold it again in the middle, or three inches from the top of the first fold, press it flat with the hands and pleat and pin it while in this position, the pins being inserted about two inches from the top edge (Figure72).
Curtain B, Figure61, with Figure 73, shows a box pleat slightly gathered on a safety curtain-pin, the fullness being taken up equally in the pleats.
In curtain B, Figure59, with Figure74, the fullness of the curtain, instead of being pleated, is gathered on to the safety pin, but this can only be done with fine curtains. The fullness is equally divided among the pins, and the tops of the small pleats are spread into a small fan shape, making a dainty finish beneath the pole.
The pleat illustrated in Figure67Cand77, is a straight pleat, held in place by the curtain pin, and is most commonly used for all purposes.
Turn the pleat to the front edge of the curtain on the wrong side, which lies upwards, as you pin it, and that will make the pleats turn to the back edge on the under or right side, as illustrated in Figure72.
If a small curtain the pleats may be formed and the rings sewn on as Figure77.
Lace curtains hanging straight, as in Figure60, Curtain B, should just nicely clear the floor, and to adjust this to a nicety we have found it a good plan to pin them so as to clear the floor by about two inches (not more), and then gently stretch them down this distance.
To stretch them, place an outspread hand on each side of the curtain, and, pressing the two palms together, stretch gently, a little at a time, working across the curtain from one side to the other until it is the required length. This must be done very carefully, and if the curtain is not found pliable enough to stretch the required distance pin it over again, allowing it to be longer.
Curtains having a distinct pattern, as figure 72, are usually pleated as there indicated, without any pleats in the border, the fullness being all taken up by pleats in the body of the curtain, and where fabric over-curtains are used, as Curtain C, Figure67, the over-curtain should not be permitted to cover the border of the lace curtain.
Over-curtains are always better on a separate pole,but may be attached to the same pole as the lace curtains by using extra rings for them. In the elevation detail, Figure78, Rod B is for lace curtains and Pole A for the over-curtains, a plan that permits either curtain to be drawn without interfering with the other. Over-curtains may be used at the discretion of the decorator in almost any room, and are particularly effective in large rooms. They may hang straight or loop back, having the same effect on the apparent size of the window as already explained. They should be long enough to just clear the floor, whether straight or looped back, and should cover the back edge of the lace curtains.
When gathered back, as in Figure62, the lace curtain and over-curtain should be looped back separately, the over-curtain drawn back far enough to show a good border of lace down the front edge and across the bottom.
Narrow windows in large rooms may be made to appear wider by making the pole or cornice project at each side and pleating the curtain to cover part of the wall at each side. The pole or cornice should be placed high enough in this case to entirely conceal the top of the wood trim, as in Figure67; but in cases where it is advisable to show the wood trim at the top it should be shown also at the outside, as in Figure68, which shows the trim all around. Over-curtains are pleated to the size as illustrated by Figure72for lace curtains, or shirred on a tape, as in figure 70, and lambrequin hooks or rings sewn on. A lined over-curtain, if to be pleated for pinning, is made as the right corner of Figure75, the two materials turned in and slip stitched at the top and sides and machine stitched as indicated, about one and one-half inches from the top of the curtain. The curtain is spread out right side up for pinning, the pleats formed and a Gordon hook pin (as Figure76) is passed through the pleat between the two lines of machine stitching. Use the straight pleat of Figure72for this purpose, making as many as may be necessary to dispose of the fullness. If the over-curtain is not to be lined turn the top over as the left corner of Figure75, and stitch and pin as already explained.
Soft curtains finished with a full ruffle usually look best looped back, as B, Figure65, or if fastened with a rosette the edge drawn up near the rosette to give a full sweep to the ruffle, as Figure66.
If the curtain is made of very fine or soft net graceful effects are produced by using two rods at B, Figure78, one a little in advance of the other, and both the same height; shirr one curtain on each rod, so that when tied back the crossed effect is produced, as illustrated.
A great variety of styles can be produced in either crossed or single curtains by changing the position of the loop or rosette, and a good way to acquire the different styles is to take a pair of curtains and see how many different effects you can obtain by tying them at different heights and by manipulating the fullness in different ways. Crossed curtains are not effective unless the curtain is lacy and soft enough to drape gracefully. Heavy patterned curtains treated in this way do not produce good results.
Frilled curtains, as Figure65and66, are more particularly suitable for bedrooms, sewing and sitting-rooms, but with proper surroundings may be applied to some of the heavier down-stairs rooms during the Summer season.
Frilled curtains made up as sash curtains are also very effective next to the glass, but should be made of very soft material that will drape easily and gracefully.
Sash curtains, lace curtains or over-curtains should be pleated to the exact width of the space they are to cover, sufficient pins being used to dispose of all the fullness and hold the top edge of the curtain from sagging between each pin.
This may seem a small thing, but to those accustomed to neatness the sloppy droop of the top edge of a curtain from pin to pin is extremely distasteful and would spoil an otherwise neat arrangement.
In hanging lace curtains having a prominent pattern it does not always follow that the same distance turned down at the top of each one will bring the patterns in line, and it is well to spread them in pairs side by side and match the pattern, so that when hung the pattern will be perfectly true and not zig-zag all the way up the two middle edges.
We have given the simpler forms of pinning and tying, which may be easily mastered by practice. Numerous other forms will suggest themselves, and a proper consideration of the effect to be produced will result in the selection of the style most suited to each requirement.
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