Linen draper

“ Exquisite results follow the use of a fine linen warp in white or natural colour with linen or silk for filling. Striking and beautiful also, in its way, is the very coarse linen warp.
Variety in Woof Threads.—A very pleasing effect in sash curtains or in full length window draperies is produced by weaving heavy threads alternately with fine threads, using two shuttles or bobbins, one holding the heavy thread and the other the fine one. ”

“ When purchasing your fabrics for curtains, draperies and slip covers, keep in mind the overall effect. Consider the room exposure, light, size of room, furniture arrangement and what color and design will do to create a room you will always enjoy. Since windows are a very important part of the room as a unit, the fabric chosen for curtains or draperies should also be used to slip cover a sofa or chair, a dressing table cover, or a dust ruffle for the bed. ”

“ If the store keeper sells it for union, it [198] is honest; if he calls it linen, and you pay linen price, it is dishonest. Ravel and untwist the ends of the warp and filling thread. Cotton will be fuzzy, linen should be long and lustrous. Round threads of linen are best. The linen threads appear pointed at the ends when separated. The all linens made from the tow (you have learned what that is) are cheaper than those made from the line. Why? They will not last quite so well.
Wet the linen. Water spreads more rapidly on linen than on cotton. ”

“ Most of the leading shops are here, and the decorous draper ventures a few yards from the pavement to scan the sky, or note the effect of his new arrangement in scarves. Planted against his door is the butcher, Henders Todd, white-aproned, and with a knife in his hand, gazing interestedly at the draper, for a mere man may look at an elder. ”

“ Great care should be exercised in the choice of the linen, which should be unbleached and closely and evenly woven, coarse or fine, according to the nature of the work to be done on it. The inexperienced would do well to buy their linen not from drapers, but from the best embroidery shops, stating for what purpose they require it, whether for heavy gold-work, fine floss, &c.
To stretch the linen on to the frame, cut the linen, ‘by the thread,’ rather wider than the webbing which is attached to two bars of the frame. Turn down the edges evenly. ”

“ For men, the darker tints should predominate, and for women the warmer. Very light hair may be improved by a slight tint of brown, or yellow and brown, according to the color. In coloring the drapery, the same care must be used. No rules can be laid down for all the different colors required, and the amateur had better obtain the assistance or advice of some one accustomed to the use of colors. A little white with a dash of blue or a little silver, will improve white linen, lace, etc. ”

“ A drapery of white muslin and rose- coloured silk divides this from a bedroom, also fitted up with all manner of elegances. French beds with blue silk coverlids and clear mosquito curtains, and fine lace. A drapery divides this on one side from the gallery; and this room opens into others which run all round the house. The floors are marble or stucco—the roofs beams of pale blue wood placed transversely, and the whole has an air of agreeable coolness. Everything is handsome without being gaudy, and admirably adapted for the climate. ”

“ Draperies are lined for the protection of the fabric. Linings also give weight to the draperies, causing them to hang in deeper folds. A sun-fast white, soft gray or cream colored sateen is generally used as the lining fabric.
Linings, just as drapery fabrics, must be cut straight with the crosswise and lengthwise grains.
Always start with a straight crosswise edge. This is obtained by drawing a crosswise thread and cutting on drawn thread. If fabric slopes up on one edge, then it should be straightened before pieces are cut. ”

“ Napkin of linen embroidered in white thread; ground, plain white linen; design, a conventional rectangular floriation, filled in with other floriations, and in the middle an eight-petaled flower, and in the square intervening spaces outside a fleur-de-lis shooting out of each corner, all in white broad thread. German, late 14th century. 23 inches by 131⁄4 inches.
Like many other examples of the kind, the present one can show its elaborate and beautifully-executed design only by being held up to the light, when it comes forth in perfection. ”

“ Their clothing, or rather drapery, is a mystery, for it covers and drapes perfectly, yet has no make, far less fit, and leaves every graceful movement unimpeded. It seems to consist of ten wide yards of soft white muslin or soft red material, so ingeniously disposed as to drape the bust and lower limbs, and form a girdle at the same time. One shoulder and arm are usually left bare. The part which may be called a petticoat—though the word is a slur upon the graceful drapery—is short, and shows the finely turned ankles, high insteps, and small feet. These women are tall, and straight as arrows ”

“ It will readily be understood that the natural foldings of drapery, possessing in themselves so much variety and interest, when thrown over a form so beautifully proportioned as is the human figure, gave the utmost grace of line and form, and this fact makes it all the more surprising that the natural foldings of drapery are not taken greater advantage of in modern dress. The peplum was often diapered with sprigs, spots, stars, or other patternings, and was occasionally richly bordered. ”

“ The housekeeper in selecting linen at the counter may test the linen by ravelling out some of the threads. The threads that form the woof as well as the warp should be strong, and long thread linen. Never buy linen that is stiff and glossy, as it will be thin after it is laundered. Linen should be substantial, but pliant when crushed in the hand. Never buy a table-cloth that is part linen and part cotton, as the shrinkage of linen and cotton fibre varies greatly, which causes the threads to break, and the table-cloth will soon be full of holes.
[Pg 73]
Laundry Work. ”

“ Though drapery has a picturesque effect, it interferes to a certain extent with the free circulation of air, and affords a lurking place for our insidious enemy—the microbe. If used at all, it should only be in a large, well-ventilated room, and sparingly, for a fussy, overloaded bed looks anything but restful. If considerable color has already been introduced into the room, the bed drapery, cover, and valance should be of some thin white washable material—dimity, Swiss, and the like. But with plain papers, flowered cretonne, chintz, etc., are appropriate. ”

“ If she is fond of handwork, there may be hand-embroidered linens for the bed-spreads, hand-embroidered linen scarfs and hand-embroidered centerpieces of linen. One bride we know included a twenty-yard bolster of uncut linen in her trousseau in addition to the items mentioned above. If one can afford it, it is best to start out with a generous supply of linens, as somehow the older they grow, the longer we have them, the more precious they become. ”

“ The bed, of the richest blue velvet trimmed with point lace, is beautifully shaped, and placed in a spacious and deep recess hung round with an immense profusion of ample curtains.
I wonder architects and fitters up of apartments do not avail themselves more frequently of the powers of drapery. Nothing produces so grand and at the same time so comfortable an effect. The moment I have an opportunity I will set about constructing a tabernacle, larger than the one I arranged at Ramalhaô, and indulge myself in every variety of plait and fold that can possibly be invented. ”

“ We hear of ruffs that contained eighteen or nineteen yards of linen. The fashionable depth was one-fourth of a yard. Sometimes they were as much as one-third of a yard deep. Imagine the head of a man or woman, like the hub of a cartwheel, firmly gripped in the midst of a mass of starched linen extending a foot on all sides! So cumbersome were these articles of dress that it became necessary to underprop them with a framework of wire to keep them from tumbling down of their own weight, and to prevent them from dragging their wearer's head down with them. ”

“ Pin lining to hem across the top and slip-stitch. Turn hem in lining and stitch. Allowance should be made for a 2′′ hem, overlapping the hem in drapery approximately 1′′. Use french tacks between lining hem and drapery to hold lining in place. Use either ‘sew-on’ or ‘pin-on’ weight at bottom of side hems.
When lining is machine stitched to drapery, tack seam to interlining.
French tacks hold drapery and lining together.
26 Measuring for Pleats
The use of pleats is one of the most effective ways of controlling the fullness of a drapery that is made to hang in balanced, graceful folds. ”

“ When using drawn-work instead of lace insertion, a piece of linen the length and width of the sham is taken, and the threads from this are drawn out as strips down the width, leaving five squares of plain linen between them. After working the strips over with linen thread into a pattern, narrow coloured ribbon is run down the centres of the drawn-work, and the linen squares embroidered with washing cotton of the same colour as the ribbon. An edging of lace finishes the border, and into this lace a line of narrow ribbon is threaded. ”

“ Box Pleats, extending above the heading to form a loop, make an interesting treatment for unlined curtains draping a French window or door that opens out.
Draperies hang from a rod drawn through the loops. Fabrics, such as Fortisan blends, antique satin, taffetas and sheer linens are suitable for these curtains.
Measure from top of rod to floor for length. Add 91⁄2′′ at top for seam, loops, and facing and 6′′ for a 3′′ double bottom hem. Allow 3 times the width of space to be covered for fullness.
Example: If space to be covered is 52′′, 3 lengths of 48′′ fabric are required. ”

“ White linen thread is often the material employed for linen altar cloths, coverlets, etc., and some extremely choice examples of such work are to be seen in our museums, some worked roughly with a large linen thread and big stitches, some with patient minuteness. ”

“ An ample supply of choice bed linen and towels, all handsomely marked, is no less a subject of pride with housekeepers than dainty table damask, and people of wealth in these days spend lavishly upon hemstitched linen or silk sheets, elegant towels, and elaborately embroidered letterings. ”

“ Most any type of top finish, shirring or pleats is suitable. A plain valance or cornice board may be used. For a pleated heading, allow 51⁄2′′ at the top for heading and 51⁄2′′ at the bottom for a 21⁄2′′ double hem. Cut strips of crinoline or lawn for stiffening 4′′ wide and 3′′ shorter than the width of each drapery length. Pin strip to underside of heading 1⁄2′′ from the top, starting 11⁄2′′ from the edge. Stitch along lower edge of strip, then turn top edge of fabric over stiffening 1⁄2′′ and stitch. Turn top hem to underside along edge of stiffening. ”

“ The masterly arrangement of the drapery and the exquisite finish make it one of the most celebrated ivories of the fourteenth century, but the old simplicity is quite gone, and the studied ease of the Virgin’s pose is chosen to give value to every line of drapery and figure. There is a feeling of movement in all her being, which, with the beautiful broken folds of the drapery has within it the germ of that restlessness which, rapidly increasing, became a painful fault in later Gothic sculpture. The colouring is very delicate, the pupils of the eyes are dark ”

“ Clothes closets we must have, china closets we usually have, and linen closets we sometimes have, not always. To the housewife who possesses a linen closet it is a source of particular pride, and the stocking and care of it her very special pleasure. Its drawers should be deep and its shelves wide and well apart—not less than eighteen inches, and even more in the case of the upper ones, for the accommodation of the reserve supply of blankets, quilts, and other bed coverings. ”

“ A little judicious advice along the line of superabundant decoration is sometimes profitably and kindly received, but the man who presumes to so advise must do so only upon invitation and with the utmost tact. In a great many cases, however, the mantel drapery is still an artistic necessity, and we give herewith a few styles and methods of modern treatments. Figure 30 is a flat-covered buckram pelmet, having a scalloped bottom, and a series of apertures through which a light-weight drapery is arranged in regular festoons. ”

“ ALL draperies that are not regularly cut and made, according to some design, but depend for their appearance entirely on the way in which the fabric is put up, are classed under the heading scarf draperies. They are at best but an imitation of the cut festoon drapery, and for anything permanent much better satisfaction is obtained by the use of fabric properly cut and made up. ”

“ Batiste and handkerchief linen can also be used, but it is a bit more difficult to draw the threads.
For household linens, drawn-work adds to the beauty and value of the linen and can be used alone or with hand-embioidery. ”

“ The dress is merely a linen shift, high to the throat, half-way down the leg, crimped from top to bottom, the linen being soaked in water with as much strong starch as it can hold, crimped with long laths of wood, and then put into the oven to dry, whence it issues stiff and hard as a board. ”