Cutting and draping

by John W. Stephenson

Commence in the centre of the top edge of the fabric and fasten it to the middle of the top frame, and, working from this each way, stretch the material smoothly into pleats radiating from the tied edge, and tack it all around the sweep of the frame, cover the bottom edge with a couple of flags draped as Figure [42 A, B and C], minus the sticks, and finish the outside of the circle with a puffing.

To make the puffing, fold a width of material (about 30 inch) into pleats about two inches wide, and tack one end of it to the point where the puffing is to finish. Leave a loop of the pleated material about three inches high, and with a single tack attach the goods three inches from your first tack; follow this out to where the puffing ends, and then go back over it and open each loop out nice and round, taking a selvage each way, as illustrated in Figure [43].

The sprays of flags between the columns are made as explained by Figure [44]; the flags for these and the windows of the second story, manipulated as Figure [42 A, B and C], to produce the full-draped effect.

The double drapery of alternate light and dark festoons below the second story windows are gathered as Figure [45], the hands gathering down from the top edge till they meet at the bottom edge, as explained for Figure [36A], in chapter on scarf draperies.

The banners on the second and third stories may be made of bunting, joining the different colors together, or of cotton, with the colors and patterns painted on them. The draperies on the third and fourth stories are gathered as Figure [46], the hands gathering the goods as dotted line, and meeting about one-third of the distance from the top.

With an assistant to handle one piece of the goods, the alternate effect can be easily produced by making first a festoon of one color then a festoon of the other color, crossing the goods each time a festoon is made.

If you desire to use three colors, stretch one, preferably the lighter, straight along the back as a background and drape the others over it.

The wreaths and festooning on the third story are made of tissue paper or of cedar twigs tied together, and are quite effective in contrast with other decorations.

To secure the effect illustrated at the windows of this floor, the end of the material is tied into a bunch and attached at the bottom corner of the window (Figure [47]), and then stretched up and spread along the top of the frame and tacked; treat the other side of the window the same, and finish the top with an inverted fan.