The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-05-18
On Making
A Pair of
Curtains
Fdifying and Illumining
Adventure of Attempting
to Make a Pair of Window
Curtains-Why Such a
Process Is Like Eating
Bread and Molasses.

Bread and MolaSseS.
YING In 30 much easier than do
ing q great many other things
that II 10 a wonder that more
people don't do II just by way
Making curtains, for instances pair
This simple process. the mere placing
OF two hens at the top and bottom OF a
straight piece of goods. because OF its
very seeming simplicity attracts men
aud women who have never made them
selves at home with the needle. Yet It
10 10 as endless an eating -bread and
mciasses. II never comes out even'
From the viewpoint OF the inexperi-
enced. II combines two features only.
cutie similar to like duties which men
the curtain at the right length smacks
OF carpentry. a noble trade. while the
heif ming. or simple upturning OF the
seam at the bottom. requires merely the
use of a needle after the manner OF any
shoemaker.
Yet. II there Is any one in this world
both alike. by hand. for the first time,
he has never been heard or
For death. the dash for the pole. the
solving OF the pons asinorum. or the
conjugation Of a French verb-any one
Of these IL easy in comparison to the
making Of pair OF window curtains
First, for instance. the window to be
modestly shrouded In white is meas
ured. The goods Is held UP to the win
dow and a pin put in to mark the
place. Pin in goods. not window.
Then. retire to a large spot. not fur
from the window. where the discovery
that the end of the goods Is uneven
ionE side. is made. You hurry back
to. the window and measure the short
time has come to even the material. |
This may be done in a number Of ways,
but by all means on the floor. Even
then one ssts all tangled rsi g.. up p.u n tue
corner. There one ha: both the wall
and the floor as a guide.
Even FIRST one end. then the other. |
then lay the piece on the main p, of
goods. and cut the companion curtain.
Then measure both. You will find |
that all four. ends are not only uneven !
horizontally. but that they are quite DIFF
ferent in length. It is really wonder |
Now here Is where the similarity to |
eating bread and mclasses comes in. |
One may measure and cut, and cut and |
measure: Just as one always has to |
take q little more molasses to eat up |
the remainder of the bread and then n |
little more bread ia eat mn the remainder |
Of molasses, does the endless cutting |
on FIRST one end and then another Of
fhA curtains nr0rAad l
All OF a sudden one remembers that
there must be room for hens at top
window will reveal the fact that
while one edge OF one curtain allows |
for an inch hem, the other. end Of the |
same curtain allows for no hem at all
All four edges OF both curtains are
then measured. with such varying |
results that II is impossible to re- |
member them al,
Nervous people stop making the
curtains right here. but a good sport
Will continue.
4. good way is to just blind your
self to theSrequirements OF the win
dow, and make the hens. This proc
ess requires more cutting and EVENT.
may be one-haIf inch WIDE, the other
10 easily. without effort on your part.
two inches.
Merely sew 1t up Carefully stick
the needle In and out OF the goods.
The thread must be very long so as
to make a draw string. Have plenty
Of room at the right for the thread
to operate. 1t has way OF getting
tangled.
After the hens are done. draw the
drawstrinEs 1--WE could write a, whole
Fh n nfar nj dra W rinRa al0naN and tack
the result on the windows Don't meas
ure again. They. vary
BY lacking the curtains on the window
frame, instead OF hanging them, you
regulate the lengths Just as you please.
And when they are all done and YOU
stand off and look at them, the naked
not twins, provided you have tackled
your way around the window cleverly.
You are quite proud of yourself, but
you inwardiy make yourself promise.
You swear never. never. never to
make pair OF curtains again. Inciden-
tally your respect for any one who
has ever made pair of curtains by
hand Is immeasurable.
The Gentleman on our Left says
that the person who would try to
make a pair of curtains would have
the nerve to steal the very whiskers
from ones face, but that the per-
son who succeeded in making a pair
would probably be able to buy
damask ones in less than two weeks. |
Versifiers Flock To Our Rescue.
Now II only people would send in other
ideas and suggestions as quickly as they