May, 1913 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



171 



ranging from 12 cents to 21 

 cents per yard* for sheer 

 white barred muslin with a 

 small colored figure at fre- 

 quent intervals. Others 

 have double lines of color 

 forming cross-bars, and in 

 these the frequently recur- 

 ring figure in heavy white 

 cord is seen in a dull rose, a 

 soft green and a blue, sug- 

 gesting that of a Chinese 

 ginger jar, washable of 

 course, but color not guaran- 

 teed. For windows pro- 

 tected with outside blinds 

 these seem to be all one 

 would care for at bedroom 

 windows in the Summer 



Washable curtains lend freshness to the interior decorations of the 



Summer home 



home. Suitable for living-rooms, libraries, and halls are 

 the madras 50-inch materials in soft, clinging folds. The 

 cream white back-grounds of these may be patterns with 

 colored figures of clusters of yellow Jonquils with a few 

 pale green leaves connected by diagonals of pattern in 

 white. Other patterns more elaborate in conventional 

 figures are in shades of rose, of blue, and of green or pure 

 pale yellow. Curtains of this de c cription soften the strong 

 Summer sunlight, and particularly at north windows add 

 much to the color of the interior. The same madras cloth 



are truly delightful in the 

 natural gray tones of the un- 

 dyed material, but they can 

 also be had in colors to 

 match any color scheme. In 

 40 and 50-inch widths the 

 prices are from 50 cents to 

 $1.50 per yard. Also in 

 shops cultivating the artistic 

 taste are found the beautiful 

 French chintzes with their 

 gay birds and blossoms, the 

 materials of which the long 

 valance and narrow side cur- 

 tains over white muslin seem 

 most appropriately made 

 and the wonderful hand- 

 painted Oriental cotton 

 prints all of expensive quality 



and of most attractive appearance in "sure fast" colors. 

 The French fabrics are always made in fast colors, en- 

 during any amount of cleaning, and as far as known even 

 retaining their tints under the exposure to light. It is a 

 well-known fact that sunlight shining on silk curtains 

 through the plate glass window will burn them in a short 

 time so that they fall apart in tatters. The quality of the 

 fabric has nothing at all to do with this. Perhaps, we find 

 here, the reason for the proverbial aversion to sunlight in 

 her house on the part of the traditional New England 



in solid colors without pattern of any kind may also be had housewife with mind bent on saving her best parlor carpet. 



in 50-inch width at 85 cents per yard. Dull shades of rose, 

 gold and peacock blue are very suitable for curtains in 

 rooms with walls of low tone where a white curtain alone 

 without over curtains would seem too violent a contrast to 

 the walls. 



The same material having a conventional figure of the 

 fine black thread of the warp with the background in solid 

 color, may be had at" $1.25 per yard. Then there are the 

 multi-colored fabric suggesting "Oriental rooms" that do 

 not appeal to refined taste. 



For heavier m a .erials there are the English cotton prints 

 50 inches wide, $2.00 per yard, absolutely reliable as to 

 color and the tub. The English designers have excelled all 

 others in the bold simplicity of these flat stencil patterns in 

 two colors. A Tulip with small green leaves arranged 

 symmetrically around it, or a stem of leaf pattern with the 

 flowers balancing on either side is all one sees in these set 

 figures, but the precision and delicacy of the arrangement 

 are very satisfactory to the eye. 



One must look in special shops for the more unusual 

 fabrics, such as the coarsely woven canvas cloths. These 



The very often repeated shopping-time question when 

 selecting any window curtain material "Will it wash?" to- 

 day can honestly meet with the answer, "Certainly." This 

 is more especially true in connection with the more ex- 

 pensive fabrics in whose making every care has been taken 

 to use best dyes, than in the cheaper materials made to 

 last possibly one season. So if one prefers new curtains 

 every season for the Summer home one may select among 

 the low-priced fabrics any of those muslins having a bit 

 of color, or those having printed patterns in several colors 

 when darker ones are required without considering their 

 washable quality. 



But this is hardly thought economy, the fabrics guaran- 

 teed to be washable will, fortunately, last several seasons, 

 as a rule, and are also generally much more beautiful in 

 design. Even though the first cost may be considerable 

 more one can better afford to have them, as one gains in 

 the end. There are those who constantly grow tired of 

 their surroundings and seek by changing them as often as 

 possible to freshen up the rooms they live in. There are 

 others who form definite attachments for those material 



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There are many inexpensive washable silks and other fabrics to be had for curtaining 



