Set Design and Construction: Tear in my Grand Drape!

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Tear in my Grand Drape!

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5405
Printed Date: 11/23/24 at 1:33pm
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Topic: Tear in my Grand Drape!

Posted By: StaceySue
Subject: Tear in my Grand Drape!
Date Posted: 11/10/12 at 11:40pm

I don't know where to post this really, but tonight I saw that we have a L-shaped tear in our grand drape. It is maybe an 1" 1/2 x 1" 1/2. At some point, our curtain must have caught on a flat. I wasn't there when it happened. My space is in a high school, so I will have to tell my principal tomorrow before school starts Monday, I am thinking. The lucky part is that the tear is in a "crease" of the curtain, so it is not noticeable when it is open or closed.

I don't have a strong theatre background, but I am hoping I can call the company that installed it on Monday and set up a repair. It just makes me sick to my stomach that this happened!

Replies:

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 11/11/12 at 1:36pm

I know just how you feel. A dance studio tore an L shaped rip (6" x 8") in my Cyc. The school let me buy a new one (don't know who ultimately paid for it). I fixed it with an iron-on patch but that failed so 4 years ago I temporally put masking tape on it to keep the rip from spreading and it is still holding. The old cyc gets used most of e time, and I keep a lock on the newer one and just use it when I need a pristine cyc.

Put some good tape on the back of the curtain to keep the rip from spreading until you can get it repaired properly.

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David M

Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 11/11/12 at 2:50pm

I posted a topic on how to repair velours yourself a few weeks back. First choice (especially with a grand drape) is to have it professionally done. But if its not possible-- those instructions to repair the damage yourself could be useful.

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http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964

The theater scrim people

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 11/11/12 at 3:44pm

I had no luck finding your post about repairing velour drapes.

Could you provide a link or better clues?

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David M

Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 11/12/12 at 10:55am

The post is called "Repair of Drapes" posted 7-12-12.

I still suggest professional repair if possible within your budget. However if you need to repair these yourself its better to start with a plan. Let me know what you think of the post. I've repaired securely and nearly invisibly up to 2 foot by 1 foot L shaped tears. Its less visible if the tear is vertical only--but accidents are seldom that considerate!

And as I note in the post. If anyone wants me to post on repair of scrims, I'd be happy to.

I've just added to that post, so it should come up in active topics.

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http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964

The theater scrim people

Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 11/12/12 at 11:35am

Originally posted by David McCall

A dance studio tore an L shaped rip (6" x 8") in my Cyc. The school let me buy a new one (don't know who ultimately paid for it). I fixed it with an iron-on patch but that failed so 4 years ago I temporally put masking tape on it to keep the rip from spreading and it is still holding. The old cyc gets used most of e time, and I keep a lock on the newer one and just use it when I need a pristine cyc.

As you may know: The term cyc is a loaded term, because in half of this country a cyc is always muslin, in the other half a cyc is always scrim. I'm assuming that the cyc you fixed was scrim and probably sharkstooth. The actual method to fix sharkstooth scrim-- without a professional repair-- is messy because the repair method is what we used to call 'darning'. Its hard to make invisible, but with care can be well done. The key is to catch all the threads, because sharkstooth is a knit and --as we all know-- knits run like a stocking. An iron-on patch on sharkstooth will fail because the scrim is constantly stretched whereas the patch does not. So the threads around the patch fail, or the original patched area pulls loose from the patch. An iron on patch will work on muslin, and should be applied from behind. Then the patch should be sewn through normally in a circle shape that surrounds the original tear, then in an "X" that goes through it. Loose threads on the front of the torn muslin should be hit with fray guard (a glue intended to contain frayed material).

If your cyc had been Chameleon scrim, the repair would have been simple. You'd apply a special type of surgical tape from behind and be done. The repair is invisible on opaque uses and nearly invisible on transparent uses. Chameleon doesn't stretch, so this method works.

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_____________

http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964

The theater scrim people

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 11/12/12 at 3:02pm

It was a natural 20' x 50' muslin cyc.

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David M