170 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



May, 1913 



Photographs by T. C. Turner 



HERE are always advantages worth consid- 

 ering in the use of washable fabrics for cur- 

 taining small houses, especially for curtaining 

 the small Summer home, even though wash- 

 able fabrics are, as a rule, more expensive. 

 The dust-laden air with which curtains come 

 in contact passes through them, soon showing in the texture. 

 This is true in every locality, especially during the dry season. 

 Naturally white curtains show the dust more quickly than 

 colored ones. When it is possible to do so without marring 

 the harmonious color scheme of a room, it is advisable to 

 choose, for Summer use, a washable fabric with a white (or 

 cream-colored) ground showing a figured pattern in the 

 prevailing color of the room in some material. 



Inexpensive fabrics having designs printed in color sel- 

 dom hold their color after being laundered, while the more 

 expensive materials of better quality usually retain their 

 color in full vigor after passing through the tub. 



These color-fast fabrics may be had in such a variety 

 of patterns and widths that it is easy to choose from them 

 curtains for almost any description of country house. 

 Naturally the problem of curtaining must take into consid- 

 eration the relation of the hangings to their surroundings. 

 If the house be one of many rooms, each having distinct 

 color differences in wall and furniture coverings, these must 

 be considered in choosing curtains to fit. 



The uniformity of window curtains seen from the outside 

 of the house is a thing to be desired almost without exception. 

 For small windows, curtains of dimity or swiss with a small 

 figure in yellow, blue, green, or rose color is often sufficient 

 for use in the Summer season. But if the windows are 

 large these seem insufficient in the more formal rooms of a 

 house, such as the library, the living-room, the dining-room 

 and especially in a drawing-room. A narrow width of 

 Japanese or Chinese silk with woven pattern in solid color 

 may be used in rooms of this kind, in addition to the white 

 curtains, with good effect. The semi-transparent, veil-like 

 silks used as window drapery on either side of the windows 

 are most appropriate to the handsome country villa. These 

 fabrics are the specialty of the importing shops and are 

 to be had in 36-inch, 40-inch, and 50-inch widths, with 

 prices around $1.50, $2.00 and $3.50 per yard. Where 

 a note of informal originality is desired in the curtaining 



of the small house, it is possible to employ the designs of 

 artists in the particular craft-work known as "batiks." The 

 process consists in printing by hand, by means of the stencil 

 pattern, using liquid dyes of the tints desired on hand- 

 woven fabrics, or other material having a surface not too 

 smooth. Japanese crepe and other fabrics of the sort are 

 very good materials to work out designs on by this method. 

 Unless fastened by means of a ihot iron after they are 

 completed these designs do not survive the laundry tub. 

 Much pleasure may be had, however, in the making of 

 curtains after this fashion by those i ossessed of skill in 

 handling colors and stencils. 



Another method of decoration and one borrowed by 

 American craft-workers from the East indies is that of 

 the knotted pattern made by gathering up little bunches of 

 the cloth in the fingers and twisting them tightly around 

 with thread. These knots repeated at regular intervals in 

 groups form a pattern, when the whole fabric is dipped in 

 the dye, by preventing the color from penetrating beneath 

 the twisted thread. When the material is lifted from the 

 dye-pot and has become quite dry, the thread is removed, 

 the fabric thus acquiring, in addition to the pattern, a num- 

 ber of little "krinkles" which also adds decorative interest 

 to the pattern. This style of decorated curtain fabric is 

 especially adapted to the windows of the temporary bunga- 

 low Summer home, and in the windows of such a bungalow, 

 whose walls are stained a dark brown, such curtains add 

 just the necessary note of gayety and freedom from re- 

 straint we all love so much, once we escape from town. 

 One may not think it necessary in remote places to pay 

 much attention to the problem of curtains for the bungalow, 

 but they add to the sense of cosiness absolutely requisite 

 to the informal house and even the Summer camp is the 

 more attractive by reason of well chosen curtains to add 

 to its cheeriness. Unless the bungalow to be curtained is 

 shaded by forest trees there are always some windows un- 

 protected by porches and even these in the blaze of the 

 strong Summer sun need to be screened by some suitable 

 fabrics if comfort indoors is to be maintained. 



The various household furnishing shops throughout the 

 country display a great number of beautiful fabrics for 

 Summer window curtains. These come in a variety of 

 pleasant tones in widths of 40 and 50 inches, with prices 



