Cutting and draping

by John W. Stephenson

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, Figure [7]) 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 (Figure [9]), 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 (Figure [9A]), 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. (Figure [9B].)

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 Figure [5], sew a couple of lambrequin hooks beneath the rosette to take the weight. (XX, Figure [9].)

Figure [5] illustrates 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 Figure [5] to 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, Figure [7]), 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.