The tail and pipe may be cut separate from the rest or cut attached by allowing for the little connecting pieces X and X, which fold beneath and do not show. In cutting the tail for this design there is nothing to be gained by cutting it attached to the festoon, but the method is given here to explain the principle.
The plain tied scarf, Figure [27], is usually a piece of soft unlined fabric twenty-seven inches wide by about two and two-thirds yards long, and is caught up as illustrated by tying a small shirring cord which is run through the fabric and divides the front overhang into three festoons.
In large rooms there is sometimes an advantage in turning the keyboard to the wall and decorating the back of the instrument, which is then the most prominent part.
The nature of this treatment is to disguise the piano and give it the effect and usefulness of another piece of furniture.
Figure [28] illustrates a popular treatment, the back covered with a curtain of soft fabric shirred on a rod, and attached to the back of the instrument so that the heading or shirring projects slightly above the top. In making the curtain allow about as much again for fullness (or twice the length of the space to be covered), letting the bottom edge of the curtain hang free or shirr it on a rod similar to the top. To this is added an upholstered seat or bench and a few pillows.
If desired a festoon drapery can be added at the top of the curtain with good effect.
A decorative panel may be used instead of a curtain, as illustrated in Figure [29], either with or without a seat, and the drapery made to conform to the style of the panel.
The drapery may be made as a part of the panel, as Figure [29A], or attached separately after the panel is in place.
A square or grand piano is prettily treated with a flat cover, the size and shape of the top trimmed with an overhanging fringe or appliquéd edge of a depth to suit the individual taste.
The cover may be made of any medium-weight material of self or composite colorings, but preference should be given to a fabric not easily marked by the ornaments or bric-à-brac.