184 
Cheesecloth curtains stenciled with a red berry* design are very decorative in a seaside cottage. 
The walls are olive green and serve to throw into relief the cream curtains. 
It is important to know how much we 
can afford to spend. It is not always by any means that 
the least expensive material is the cheapest. A very coarse 
fabric that cannot be washed or cleaned when it has lost 
its freshness is an extravagance, of which no thoughtful 
housewife should be guilty. Too great an outlay on ex- 
pensive curtains may absolutely spoil a well furnished home ; 
for all should pull together. The simply furnished bed- 
room should have the simple, quaint drapery that will prove 
to be the needed finishing touch. A dining-room in heavy 
Mission furniture would look ridiculous with elaborate lace 
curtains, or even dainty white muslin. Rather the choice 
should be something that suggests sturdiness and durability, 
a fabric of rugged simplicity that will give the keynote to 
the decorations of the room. Color may be introduced by 
needlework, or by use of the block print, or the ever use- 
ful stencil onto a material of natural tone. Some of the 
following would be appropriate—casement linen and a 
certain linen known as Flemish, which has a mat finish 
and is very soft and pliable, a characteristic not often found 
in linens, which are often too stiff to make 
a well appearing and graceful fold. These 
Flemish linens come in cream and ivory 
shades and in cream gray, and the pale 
brown of unbleached linen. A sturdy net, 
somewhat heavy in weight and appear- 
ance, may be used against the glass, or 
that charming undyed Singapore lattice 
cloth that wears and washes year after 
year, and always looks well. 
Some curtains lately seen, appeal most 
strongly for the Mission room. A heavy 
net in tea-color was ornamented with an 
open pattern, darned with silver white 
floss. This was used for the sash curtains, 
the overdrapery and valance were of raw 
silk in almost a mulberry shade devoid 
of any ornament. The windows were low 
and wide, and four silk strips, less than a 
yard wide, with a valance seemed to pull 
together the soft painted buff walls into 
the scheme. A small design stenciled in 
panels above a brown stained woodwork 
dado called for portieres of Craftsman’s 
canvas to match the raw silk curtains. The 
motif in the panels was repeated in a 
about the prices. 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
May, 1911 
stronger design on the bottom of the por- 
tieres. 
A comparatively new material called 
Aleyth cloth—a transparent fabric war- 
ranted not to fade—is suitable for a room 
furnished in Craftsman’s style. It comes 
in a good line of colors and can be used 
as a summer over-curtain, or when color 
against the pane is desired. ‘The fact of 
its being sun-proof makes it invaluable, 
and it is fast superseding silk on this ac- 
count. It launders beautifully, coming up 
as fresh as new material. It is suitable 
for stenciling and having no pattern this is 
an improvement. ‘“‘Aleyth” cloth comes 
in white and ivory, as well as in colors; it, 
therefore, is used as much for sash cur- 
tains as for over-curtains. There are sev- 
eral qualities, the least expensive being 
one dollar a yard. 
Another new portiére and over-curtain 
fabric is called “Aurora cloth.’ legs 
suitable for rooms furnished in Mission 
style, or could be used in any sitting-room. 
‘Aurora cloth” is almost unfadeable. It 
may be lined or unlined; in fact it gets its name from the 
soft glow of color seen when the light shines through the 
curtains. The designs are good and unusual, and are 
conventional. The figured fabric costs $1.65 a yard, and 
the plain $1.25. ‘‘Aurora cloth” also comes with borders 
and may be purchased at $9.00 for a pair of portiéres two 
and a half yards long. ‘The curtain material without the 
borders is 32 inches wide. A pair with enough material 
for a valance 18x64 inches cost $6.50, two and a half yards 
long. This fabric comes in a wide range of colors. 
Plain walls, with cretonne draperies, especially if the 
design is voyant, give character to a bedroom, and have 
a cool summery look when used in the living-rooms. The 
sash curtains look best plain, to set off the pattern of the 
cretonne, especially when trimmed with really handsome 
edging. Irish crochet is unusual and makes sash curtains 
of best quality muslin, or scrim, very attractive. 
Cretonne draperies are much used in halls. They are 
such a pleasant change from winter velvets and tapestries, 
and the fact of their being a la mode leaves no excuse for 
Plain walls with cretonne hangings in acretonne of rather voyant design help to give 
character to a bedroom. 
their trimming of crocheted lace; when the curtains are worn out the crochet will still be in 
good condition for another term of years. 
The sash curtains of very fine muslin are unusually attractive with 
