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.