Cutting and draping

by John W. Stephenson

LOUIS XIII.

Make a scale drawing of the space and sketch the style of the valance upon it. Then lay out the full size on a piece of paper and cut out the pattern of the flat body or background. Spread out the buckram and transfer the outline to it, joining it, if necessary, to get the size by lapping the edges one upon the other and sewing them together flat.

If the buckram is sufficiently large without joining you can draw the design upon it without making a pattern.

Do not try to make too many scallops; allow the outside scallops to be a little wider than the others, so that they will appear about the same size when the tails are put over them. The outline of the end scallops can be made a little more straight where the tail covers it, as dotted line, Figure [11].

The illustrations show these two styles trimmed with a galloon or gimp, which, on a plain material, is an effective trimming.

Figure [11A] illustrates the method of finding the radius of three given points—as the two ends and the centre of a scallop. Having determined the width of the scallop, draw perpendicular lines at its extremities, A——A and B——B, Figure [11A], and on these lines mark X the distance you wish to raise the ends of the scallop from the line. With point of dividers at C on the bottom line strike an arc at a little more than half the distance to X on line A; then with point of dividers at X on line A strike an arc with the same radius as before to cross the other arc at the two ends. Repeat this on the other side of the centre point C toward line B, and by ruling straight lines through the intersecting extremities of each arc to where they meet in the centre you find the radius from which all three points would be touched by a sweep of the dividers.

The pipes which are attached at the top of each scallop are cut in the following manner: Measure the length of space the pipe is to cover and draw a line on your pattern paper its equivalent in length; from one end, with half its length as a radius, draw a quarter circle on each side of the line marking point D where it crosses the line. With point at D and the end of the line as a radius sweep to intersect the curved line at each side, which will give you points C——C; rule straight lines from points C——C to B and to A. The bottom line following the circle is too round for a nice pipe, and should be modified to midway between the curved and straight lines, as dotted lines, Figure [11B].

This pattern can be used to good advantage by utilizing half of it only, repeating from the line A——B for the buckram pattern and the lining, as Figure [11B], and repeating from the line A——C for the pattern for the outer covering, Figure [11C]. After being covered with the lining, as Figure [11B], it is bent round and the two edges joined together with fine thread and baseball stitch, as Figure [11D]. Cut the covering as Figure [11C], allowing a half inch all around for hem; fold together wrong side out and stitch the edges A——A and B——B together; press the seam out flat, turn right side out, and pull over the buckram form, turning in the edge around the bottom and sewing it down.

The tails are cut just as for festoon draperies, and the tops are turned over the top edge of the buckram body and sewn to the wrong side or back of it.