Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-17
.DRAPERY NOVELTIES
New Things for Those Who
Have Use for Them Now.
"T0OLING" MATERIALS
MAKING CURTAINS FOR A sMoK-
ING ROOM.
Takes Skill and Plenty Of Paint to
Make Permanent and Good
Effects.
Written for The Evening Star.

| Written for The Evening Star
| We are getting later and later every year
| about putting our houses into their winter
F.! garb. A few seasons ago the first chilly
! days would bring out the heavy curtains
and warm-toned furniture coverings from
their summer retirement But now we are
! often in the middle of January before we
| think of rearranging the home. Therefore
| the many dilatory housewives will hail with
! JOY the announcement that there are at last
| some real novelties in draperies. and one
| now has choice Of many beautiful and
] artistically correct materials. The winter
room should be suggestive Of the luxury Of
| f1reside cheer. with the hearthplace for its
| center, bright, warm colors being the DOM
| inant note colors which will focus every
| ray of wintry sunshine. It Is surprising
| how the most elementary changes in
| scheme will alter the whole character of
room. For instance, copper red for rose
| pink, orange for primrose, bronze green for
soft blue, work magical transformation
| from summer to winter environment.
Nothing gives a cozier or more attractive
appearance to an apartment than hand
| some and appropriately draped doors and
| windows A new and extremely beautiful
| fabric for decorative purposes and door
| draperies especially has recently been i'm
| ported. 1t is called meronac velvet and it's
| creation is Of considerable importance to
| the decorative possibilities of the class of
textiles to which it belongs. This beautiful
| velour and its many adaptations are the
work of an artistic Englishwomans brain.
She has borrowed a little from the book
| binders art in the working out Of her
| charming designs. The process to which
| this meronac velvet owes it's loneliness may
| be described as species of hand tooling on
| velvet, whereby exquisite effects Of light
| and shade are produced on its surface. To
!, ,s,,i%; t.
known quantity, but after consulting a reli-
| able authority we find that it is 'decora-
| ton applied to leather or other materials
| by means Of stamps and other metallic
tools, which are applied hot, producing i'm
| pressed patterns upon the surface" In the
new English designs the effect Is mostly
worked out in gold leaf which shades to
copper and even green and art red tones.
The whole effect is fascinatingly beautiful.
The variations Of which this meronac vel
vet is capable form another satisfactory
characteristic. 1t may be used merely as a
border or worked up into all-over patterns
Of dull rose merOnac velours, having an
| adaptation Of an old Italian scroll design
entirely carried out in tooing, a study Of
strong yet delicate line drawing on a per-
fectly plain background. The all-over eff
fects are good. but the best results are from
applied fooled velvet on ground Of silk or
some heavy material. A curtain especially
thought out by the originator Of the art Is
superb in cream meronac applied with ain
outline of gold thread to soft faded tone
of blue silk shot with gold gleamings. This
graceful motif formed the border of the
hanging.
For Cushion Covers
fooled meronac should be doubly well
coined by the woman who dotes on cush-
ions and has absolutely exhausted all her
resources on the downy comforts. A stun
ming pillow which any drawing room will
L. - t.
fly of red velvet lighting upon a ground Of
green silk. Charming, too, are the screen
panels made of ivory MORE with fooled
clusters Of La France roses. OF course it
takes a woman Of decided artistic ability
to pick up alone this tooling on meronac
velvet, but as the fad for the work in
creases it certainly promises to do,
classes will be formed to teach the new
cult.
Another new design in the liberty tap
estries is the Belvoir. In its varied har-
monies Of color it fills a long felt need for
material of moderate price for library
and dining room curtains. The smartest
and most exclusive material for window
draper1es is fashioned Of light but soft
and firm white upholstery silk trimmed
with an applique Of Irish crochet lace made
especially for the curtain In question. This
design is very deep at the bottom and at
the sides near the front of the hanging
but it gradually narrows up to nothing at
the top. 1t is the last cry now to have the
heavy lace reach about three-quarters down
the window length. The style is an awk-
ward one; still we must have something
different even If it is quite the ugliest thing
possible.
Where Skill Comes In.
Can you imagine really handsome por-
there being made Of 10-cent denim? 1t has
been most successfully accomplished by a
woman not particularly blessed with skill
full fingers. The only difficulty hes in get
ting perfectly smooth piece Of green
denim. When this is purchased measure the
length required for the hanging, allowing
fall at the top for the pole to run through
Then draw in a frieze of Indian figures,
totem poles or any kind Of odd device Pc
cular to the red man. These must be at
least two inches in depth running across
the entire width of the curtain. Paint these
You will probably find that the paints at
first leave little impression, the colors sink
ing tmperceptibly into the denim; but, with
out a thought Of being slangy, the only
thing to do is to rub 1t in until the right
depth Of tone Is reached. When this drap-
cry Is lined with red denim and bordered by
fringe OF old-fashioned macrame the eff
feet is simply stunning. 1t goes without
saying that curtain of this description is
only appropriate for a den or smoking
room. The idea is prevalent that heavy
curtains are difficult for the novice to make.
On the contrary, they are exceedingly sim
pie II little common sense is brought to
bear on the subject The essential point is
to have a long table on which to stretch
the material. If any kind Of applique de-
sign is to be used not of the tooling va
riety, it should be stenciled and then laid
on the place desired with photographers
paste. When perfectly dry the edges Of the
design couched with gold or cord of a
harmonizing color. An interlining of can
ton flannel gives weight and enables the
drapery to fall in heavy, graceful folds
Let the flannel lining be several inches
shorter than the outside fabric and loose
at the bottom. This avoids the puckery
appearance which proclaims the home made
affair, fine cream sateen lining is almost
as good as silk.
Jaspe velvets. linen plush and kindred
fabrics rank high ever in the category
OF winter draperies, especially when made
up with borders of dull gold furniture lace
or braid, a fashion which Is greatly in
favor
One other novelty must be described-the
Arabian lace curtain trimmings made with
shaped corners to form complete border
The rich, heavy texture of the lace, with
it's warm ecru tint, makes an admirable
contrast to the plain colored materials used
such as MORE or the new satin de refine.
RAILROADS.
(7m "A