, 1890-10-16
PRETTY DRAPERIES.
Some Dainty Curtains for
Modern Homes.
MANY WAYS OF HANGING THEM
Soft Silks and Filmy Laoes Ar.
the Best - Odd Clasps
and Catches.
ISan Francisco Examiner. |

hanging uruperles that there Ia no
excuse for the row after row of uylv
windows that confront n hanloss
wandercr I'm our streets. Thev ara
all hung in precisely the same stiff
style that was In vogue years apo,
The rage for decorative art has az
spread over the land that there /.
scarcely n household that has no,
some member who yearns for artist.
ic surroundings. The designs ara
so varied, and materials SO manv
that no one need content himself
with unsightly or even common.
place windows.
There Is only one rule the amhl.
tious decorator must follow. Hls
ideas may be bizarre, they may la
quaint, they may be commonplace
but they must be character.
istic, Tho word is ono
which Is rolled as
sweet morsel under the
tongue Of every artistic soul, and the
amateur who would achieve dis.
tinction as designer of designs and
II draper of draperies must be "char.
actcristic." When he has learned
the proper use of that shlbboleth Of
the initiated he can let his fancy
run riot in the endless varieties Of
stutls and designs.
Soft silks In all sort of shades and
fllmy laces of delicate designs are
very much used. Heavy damasks
are no longer ''the thing"
The newest and most ultra.pood
form materials are the Morris goods.
These Morris goods, be 1t known
are the latest craze. Strange to re-
late, they are not only extremel,
pretty, but extraordinarily choan.
Probably II Is the latter quality
which makes them attractive to the
wise among the Midases. Madame
| CrGsus curtains her dining.room
and sleeping-rooms with Morris
goods, In the serene consciousness
that her humble imitator will prefer
cheap silk or an imitation crepe.
Bolton sheeting IL another much
admired material. Here Is dainty
portiere designed by Mrs. Graham,
The top is Of quaint Chinese mat
ting with white groundwork,
splashed with queer figures In the
vivid blue which always adorns the
little mandarin's cap in Chinese
plate.
The curtain itself Is of white Bo.
ton shceting with band of Chinese
cloth across it; the band is white.
with blue palm trees and blue flow.
ers of all kinds. What gives char.
acter TO this drapery Is the tan leath.
er strings which weave together the
mating and the cloth. The whols
effect Is very dainty and deliciou,y
original. .t
a pretty curtain of soft silk Is ven
effectively created with silver chains
for looping, and Il big, bulglng-eyed I
dragon way up in the corner, who |
snatches the dainty stuff with his
mouth, and makes IL fall in grace
ful wrinkles. silk can not fall Ia
folds; it Is too fine.
The inside curtain has entirely
taken the place of sash curtains In
the drnwing-rooin. The inside cur
tain Is of lace, and falls straight
from the top of the window TO the
[
lated household has window seats
this year. Very cosy places they
are, too, with their soft piles Of
downy cushions and their shaded
light. The covering for this win
dow seat, by the way, should al
ways be In neutral shades; the pill.
lows can be as gay of color and
quaint of design as the owners
fancy dictates.
This Is u graceful draplng fora
single curtain. The heavy cord Is
brought from the top and catches
the curtain into big loose chou,
Then 1t twists around In some mys
torious way and holds the curtain
back.
Portleres of rope are great favor.
ties with the artists. They are made
of big, rough ropes, twisted into the
sembance of q straight. Each roIe
Is tied in n big, hard knot, and then
fringed out. Sometimes 1t Is leit ia
its natural hue, and sometimes ~ Is
dipped in tanbark and colored
lovely red brown.
Artists are indefatigable In getting
up new ideas for draperles. Inc
stork curtain Is part of Japanes
corner in very interesting studio
The curtain Is of Chinese cloth, fui
of the strange figures and indescnp
able colors of tho Celestials. Cur
tains are not allowed to touch the
floor, or rather they just touch anu
that Is all. 1t is considered vulgar
and untidy to let them sweep 'n'
carpets, us was once the mode,
III the curtain is too long for tho
window, 1t is just thrown over NV
top Of the pole, aud FORMS siiip"
drapery.
The hopelessness of the bay WIN
dow can be much mitigated py va
rious contrlvances. The best Of
these Is the fretwork Of bamboo ..
wood, which can he made to nv aly
window, and which takes away lno
bare look which renders most pa!
windows II horror. A..
There is one thing that must "
avoided ut all cost. Millinery efieo'
are the most execrable taste for WIN.
dow draperies. Stiff rosettes, riovv.
bows, and most dreadful OF all, w.
tiiicial flowers, must be consignea "
the realms of third rate scene PAIN
ers. Let Camille die In tue room
with mirror draped In white taIm
ton tied with blue ribbons. Lei Wv
tuneful Amina trill her lay in as
apartment hung with queer, coa,sM
lace curtains, held back with wrea,.
of artificial flowers. These deco,s
| tiA,u nnnn,1 x,.r,, xuall wit the Dulu