Focus On: Contour Curtains
A Contour Curtain is made as a single panel with great fullness, usually about 200% of the curtain width. The curtain, which is made of a thin / soft fabric so that it drapes well, is raised and lowered by a series of draw lines attached to the bottom edge of the curtain and running through rings on the back to pulleys attached on the batten above the curtain. As each of the lift lines act independently, by varying the lift on the individual lines, the curtain takes on many different contours.
In this drawing, less lift is applied on the outer edge lines (noted as # 1 & # 6), and then greater lift is gradually added going toward the center of the curtain. This creates a graceful arched opening. 
Iridescent Silky Charmeuse is an excellent fabric choice for a contour curtain. The type of track or rigging required will vary depending on the size of the curtain, the number of lift lines, and whether a motorized application is preferred. A Contour Curtain can also be used as a stationery decorative set piece; in that case, since it would not need to open or close, it can be hung from a batten with fixed lift lines.
Link to this pageNo Comments yet »
RSS feed for comments on this post.