Problem: _Window Draperies_.--Making the design, cutting the stencil,
printing, and finishing form the divisions of the problem to be worked
out. A list of necessary materials follows:
(1) Making the design
Charcoal
Pencil
Reflector
Ordinary drawing paper
Tracing paper
Carbon paper
Stencil paper
(2) Cutting the stencil
Sheet of glass
Sharp penknife
(3) Printing
Large board
Blotting paper
Turpentine
Oil paints
Bristle brushes
Pins
_The Design._--Suggestions as to the method of procedure in making
a design have been already given in the section on block printing.
The principles of design to be considered are outlined there also.
In working out this problem, however, several new things come up for
explanation: (1) The difference between a design to be stenciled and
one to be printed by means of a wood block; (2) the method of
joining units to form a border; (3) the method of turning a corner in a
border design.
[Illustration: Window Draperies With Stenciled Border. Designed and
Executed by a School Girl. Plate IV]
_The Stencil Bands._--By studying the illustrations accompanying this
section and by experimenting with the charcoal or soft pencil, it will
be seen that in a stencil design the dark spots which stand for the
color in the finished work are completely separated from one another by
bands of varying widths.
[Illustration: A stencilled pattern--portion of pillow cover]
These bands, or bridges, as they are called, serve to hold the stencil
together and are connected throughout the design. Though they may be as
wide as one desires, it is seldom wise to make them much narrower than
one eighth of an inch, as they are easily broken; and, unless carefully
pinned down when stencilling, the paint is liable to run under them and
ruin the work. In a block print design no connection of the light or
separation of the dark parts has to be considered. In the illustration
of the stencil observe that the dark and light are reversed as compared
with the stencilled pattern--_i. e._, the dark represents the stencil
paper, the light the openings through which the paint is applied.
[Illustration: The stencil for this pattern]
_The Complete Unit._--It will be readily understood that a border may
be made up by repetition of one unit which is a complete thing in
itself. The unit in such a case may be made very long and narrow, so
that in repeating it along the vertical edge of a curtain it produces
a narrow band, while along the horizontal edge the band is broad. A
border worked out in this way, with perfectly straight and practically
continuous margins, is very structural in character, emphasizing, as
it does, the vertical and horizontal edges of the drapery. The effect
is strong and dignified. The corner in this kind of border presents no
difficulty.
_The Subordinate Unit._--By studying the illustration in Plate IV it
will be seen that the unit of the border in this case is not complete
in itself, but that the very conventional flower and stem composing it
are joined to the next unit by what might be called a subordinate unit,
composed, in this case, of a leaf form. The units are so closely spaced
that a structural effect is fairly well obtained--_i. e._, the upper
and lower edges of the border are nearly straight, giving a feeling of
restfulness to the design that never accompanies one with broken or
wavy edges.
_Designing the Corner._--Having planned a design for the straight
running border of the curtains, take a reflector and experiment with
the corner. The reflector can easily be made by cutting from an old
discarded looking-glass a small rectangular piece, 3-1/2 by 6 inches
being a convenient size. The edges should be very straight and the
corners square. Hold the reflector at various points along the border
and always at an angle of 45 degrees. Study these possible corners
which will be reflected in the glass, and when one sufficiently strong
and interesting is found draw a light line along the edge of the
reflector. This line, of course, exactly bisects the corner of the
border to be made. Avoid making a border of this kind too deep or, when
turned for the vertical edges, it will form a very broad and heavy band.
_The Outline Drawing._--The dark and light design having thus been
worked out in charcoal, the next thing to do is to make a very careful
pencil-outline drawing of the same. It is well to draw the corner
and one unit free-hand and trace the rest. To do the tracing, pin a
piece of very thin paper over the finished part, and trace with a well
sharpened and fairly soft pencil. Turn the tracing paper upside down,
fitting a part of the tracing to the drawing underneath. After tacking
it down, trace the remainder, using a firm, even pressure and being
careful exactly to follow the line. Strengthen the part of the pattern
thus transferred by going over it with a sharp, hard point, and
continue as before until you have a border of which both the vertical
and horizontal sections are from 9 to 12 inches long.
_Transfer to Stencil Paper._--Now, take a piece of stencil paper and
square up one corner. Fasten the pencil drawing securely to the stencil
paper along one edge, slip a piece of carbon paper between the two, and
trace the design.
_Cutting the Stencil._--Before cutting the stencil for the curtain
a beginner should do a little practising upon an extra piece of the
paper. Trace a portion of the design upon this piece, lay it upon a
sheet of glass or very hard wood, and with a sharp penknife cut along
the outline of the pattern. The knife should be held at a slight angle
and the cut made completely through the paper. The pieces of stencil
paper should never be pulled out but will fall out without aid when the
cutting is completed. After a little practice it will be found a simple
matter to cut the design with perfectly smooth edges.
_Suitable Materials for Stencilling._--For the curtains fine cheese
cloth or batiste will be found excellent. Even unbleached muslin will
make attractive curtains where expense must be carefully considered.
Unless the woodwork of the room is white, the pure white materials
will be found less pleasing than those that are quite creamy in tone.
Scrim in a charming, grayish tan colour is obtainable, and, if of good,
soft quality, makes most satisfactory curtains. It is not advisable to
hemstitch this material before stencilling as in case of accident or
failure so much work is lost; but the hems should be carefully planned
and basted, those along the inner edges of the curtains being narrower
than the bottom hems.
_The Colours._--The color scheme of the room should be carefully
considered in deciding upon the colour or colours to be used in
stencilling. If two colours are chosen, they should be of the same
value--_i. e._, the two colours should form equally dark spots in order
that the pattern of the border may appear in the same dark and light as
the original charcoal sketch.
_Pinning the Stencil._--When ready for the actual process of
stencilling, lay a large sheet of blotting paper upon a board and over
this place the corner of the curtain. Pin the stencil securely to the
curtain so that the edge of the border when printed shall be about
half an inch from the hem and the edges of both shall be absolutely
parallel. Use as few pins as possible but enough to keep the stencil
close to the cloth.
_Testing the Paint._--Having mixed the oil paint with turpentine or
stencil mordant, using an old cup or glass for each colour, practise
stencilling upon a small piece of cloth. Put blotting-paper under
the cloth and pin the stencil down with great care. Use short, stiff
bristle brushes for the stencilling, one for each colour. Remove almost
all the paint from the brush by pressing it upon blotting-paper. When
it leaves scarcely a mark, proceed to stencil the pattern by pounding
the brush upon the exposed portions of the cloth, working close to
the edge of each spot. If, upon removing the stencil, the edges are
blurred, the paint was too thin or the stencil not carefully pinned
down. If, on the other hand, the coloured spots look thick and painty,
so that upon drying, the cloth is found stiffened in these places, you
may be sure that the paint used was too thick or that the brush was too
wet. The secret of good stencilling is to use the paint as thin and the
brush as dry as possible. Hold the stencilled sample up to the window
and see whether, when the light shines through it, the colour appears
right.
_The Real Process._--When confident that the process is understood
and that the colour is satisfactory, proceed to stencil the corner of
the curtain. Always have at hand a bottle of turpentine and a clean
piece of cloth to use in case of accident. When removing the pins from
the stencil wipe each one carefully. Clean the stencil, too, handling
it with care that none of the slender bridges may be broken. Replace
the stencil, fitting a section of it to the finished work. Put the
pins in the holes already made, otherwise the paint will get into
them and disfigure the work. Continue the stencilling, a section at a
time, until the border is completed. Do not fold the curtains until
the stencilling is thoroughly dry. If the threads of the material can
be easily pulled, a hemstitched edge will make the best finish; but
careful hand hemming will look well upon material like fine batiste.
_The Valance._--The curtains should hang in vertical folds from the top
of the window to a point slightly below the window sill. They should be
drawn back at each side of the window and the space between at the top
filled by a valance about a foot deep, perhaps deeper if the window is
very high. This valance should have the border stencilled upon it and
should be tacked just underneath the edge of the curtains. Sometimes,
as in the illustration in Plate IV, a valance running across
the entire width of the window is used. In this case it is run upon an
extra rod in front of the one from which the curtain hangs. Double
rods for this purpose can be bought.
_Other Possible Problems._--As stencilling can be employed in
practically the same place and upon the same materials as block
printing, it is only necessary to refer to the lists given at the
end of that section of this chapter for suggestions as to further
possibilities in the way of home decoration by stencilling.