The art of decorating dry goods windows and interiors

by L. Frank Baum

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.