Casements and brise bise – curtains from the 1930s

 

I found this combination of curtains in a 1933 Lace Furnishings catalogue and thought they made an interesting pair. The casement net curtain is the one with the all over pattern and was designed to be hung down the length of a window. It could have been gathered at the top or left as a panel. The householder would have bought a length of the net (35 inches wide) and made up the curtain herself, so she would have had to make an allowance for a hem at the bottom and a turn over at the top of the curtain, to make a channel for the hanging rod. The brise bise fabric (16 inches wide) was designed to be hung half way down a window rather than from the top, in the style we know as a café curtain. It wouldn’t have required any sewing as it is finished at the bottom and  there is already a channel for the hanging rod or cord at the top. I can imagine the curtains being used in a kitchen, with the brise bise across the lower half of the windows and the larger curtain over the window panels on the back door. I like the way just a small part of the main design has been used on the brise bise, to link the two curtains together without overwhelming the smaller curtains.

Both these curtains were made from artificial silk (a much more evocative name than viscose) and cotton. They were available in dark ecru or could be dyed in a variety of shades which the manufacturers guarantee to be fadeless. Dyed fabrics cost more than the standard dark ecru but unfortunately the catalogue doesn’t include prices. The householder could choose from ivory, champagne, blue, copper, rose, gold, putty, old gold, tango, green or brown. I think I’d go for ivory or champagne so they didn’t make the room too dark, what do you think?