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PRIMITIVE REED CURTAINS

THESE pretty rustic hangings can be made very easily and quickly. They are light in weight and the general tone of coloring, when the reeds have been carefully dried at home, is a pleasing soft gray green, with suggestions here and there of gray browns, reds, and yellows. The curtains may be either of these reeds or fresh green cat-tails, and even of the silvered gray stalks left standing from last season. The cost in actual outlay of money for several curtains need be only a few cents for cord, staple-tacks or nails, and screw-eyes, but, like the early savage whose method of work you are imitating, you must collect the

Raw Material

out in the open. So away to the spot where the finest cat-tails grow, gather a lot of them, cutting the stalks off clean and smooth at the base, that the cat-tails may not be bent or split, for as reeds in your curtain they must be as near perfect as possible. Cut the velvety brown head off from each one, making all of the stalks the same in length; then, with several long leaves twisted together for string, tie the stalks into a bundle and march home with the treasure.

Fig. 49.—Beginning a primitive curtain.

Fig. 50.—Centre of twine tied on long stick.

An old bamboo fishing-rod, a length of handle from a long-handled dusting or window brush, or any kind of a long, slender, smooth, round stick will do for the top curtain-pole from which to hang the reeds. Lay the pole across a table in front of and parallel to you; then tie the centres of four pieces of cord of even lengths on it at equal distances from each other (Fig. 49). Detail of the work is given in Fig. 50. Place a cat-tail reed up against the four ties, allowing one string from each tie to come over and the other under the cat-tail (Fig. 51). Cross the two lengths of each cord over the last cat-tail, bringing the lower string up and the upper string down (Fig. 52); then lay another reed up against the crossed strings, carrying the strings in turn over this reed (Fig. 53). Again bring the lower strings up and the upper down before placing in another cat-tail, and always alternate the large and small ends of the reeds as in Fig. 54, in order to have them equally balanced and to avoid bringing all the small ends on one side and the large ones on the other side of the curtain.

Fig. 51.—Allow one string to come over and the other under the cat-tail.

Fig. 52.—Cross the two lengths of twine.

Fig. 53.—Lay another cat-tail up against the crossed strings.

Fig. 54.—Alternate large and small ends of reeds.

Fig. 55—Primitive curtain of reeds and twine stitch.

Fig. 56.—Staple nail in top pole of curtain.

Fig. 57.—Cord fastened on top pole for rolling up curtain.

Continue Crossing the Cord

and adding cat-tails until the curtain is of the desired length. Tie the ends of the string on each line securely together and tuck them under the weave, hiding the ends on the wrong side of the curtain (Fig. 55). At equal short distances from the tips of the head-pole fasten in a screw-eye large enough to pass readily over the two hooks immediately above the window where the curtain is to hang (Fig. 55, A, A). On the centre of the space along the upper side of the top pole, between the first and second cord and the third and fourth cord, drive in a staple-nail (Fig. 49, B, B), shown more plainly in Fig. 56. These staple-nails are for holding in place the long cord used in rolling up the curtain (Fig. 57, B, B, and Fig. 58, B, B). Thread one end of a long piece of cord from the back of the curtain through one staple-nail and the other end through the other staple-nail. Bring both ends of the cord down over the front of the curtain around the bottom and up over the back; then tie the ends on the pole (Fig. 57, C, C). Dotted lines show how the cord runs along the back of the curtain. Have the cord sufficiently long to allow of the stretch between the two staple-nails B and B (Figs. 57 and 58), to hang down over the back and extend in a loop below the bottom edge of the curtain (Fig. 57, D). When you wish to raise the curtain, pull the bottom loop and up will go the curtain (Fig. 58). These primitive hangings are just the thing for outing cottages on the sea-shore or log-houses in the mountains. You can have fun weaving them while at your summer home and in place of the old-fashioned quilting-bee you might give a

Curtain-Bee Frolic.

The girls and boys could readily make a number of hangings in one afternoon, and while weaving the reeds together they would weave into the work all sorts of bright speeches and gay laughter, so that ever after the curtains would be filled with delightful associations of the charming summer afternoon. Reed curtains can be fashioned in any width. If very narrow hangings are in demand, cut your reeds to measure the length needed for the curtain-width and weave them together with the same twine cross-weave used in Fig. 55.

Fig. 58.—Cat-tail curtain raised by loop from bottom.

Fig. 59.—Small end of one cat-tail.

Fig. 60.—Large end of another.

Fig. 61.—Wide curtain, each reed of two cat-tails joined.

Doorway-Screens

hung on a swinging, armlike rod extending, when open, at right angles with the doorway, and easily moved forward or backward, are attractive when of woven reeds, especially if dull, green-colored cord is used in the manufacture in place of ordinary twine. For very wide out-of-door veranda-shades, select the strongest cat-tails and dig out about two inches of pith from the large end of one cat-tail very cautiously to avoid breaking the sides; then push the small end of another cat-tail into the opening (Figs. 59, 60, 61); weave these long pieces together as you wove the single reeds in the first curtain, using extra lines of weave. If you cannot obtain cat-tails, take other reeds; or cut some straight, slender poles from shrubs or trees, and weave them into curtains with colored cord of reds or browns. Such pole-hangings would be excellent for the open front of your mountain shack or lean-to, and they could do service in screening the sunlight, when too strong, from the central open way of your saddle-bag log-house.

Sitting in the orchard