Open swag styles can be designed to look formal, gathered or unstructured. Open swag types can be fabricated by either "Upright" (seams), "Railroaded" or "Bias." Each style should be planned very carefully to avoid remakes.
Depending on the design of the open swag treatment you may need to make a true sample out of the lining, to insure that the design and desired look works. Below are several examples to help you understand the different styles. Use this page, along with your client to ensure which style suites you.
Open Swags appear to be one long piece of fabric. However they are constructed in pieces. This allows the fabricator to control how each swag looks. It also allows the swags to be lined in white lining, versus self-lined. If you were to take one long piece of fabric, and wrap it around a pole, it would need to be self-lined, because as you wrap the swag, the back of the swag becomes the front of the swag.
As you wrap the swag the fabric becomes more difficult to control and keep in place on the pole. This type of treatment is called a “window scarf.” To learn more about Window Scarves, click here.
Click on any of the images for a larger view
Open Formal Swag - Image 1 - Fabrication style: Bias
Style Code #: OS-005 Classic Formal Swag Under
Style Code #: AO-PAL1 Add-ons "Panels"
In this picture, the swags were fabricated on the bias. Each swag was fabricated as a separate piece of fabric.
Once the swag is placed on the upholstered pole, the swags appear as a wrapped look. Notice how well the folds are placed on the swags, and how even each fold is. This style is called “Formal”
Fabrication style for formal swags can be upright (seams), railroad, or bias. Most of the time bias swags don’t have kinks. However this can change, depending on how wide the swag is, the finished length of the swag and the type of fabric being used.
On "upright" and "railroad," you'll always have kinks in the folds. It helps if you interline the swags.
The fabric used on this job was a Moray. There are some kinks in the fabric, but the overall appearance is the same from swag to swag. The Add-on panels are placed under the swags, by using Velcro for ease of transporting and installation.
Designer: Rocky Mountain Interiors, Ann Jackson
Drapery Workroom: Precision Draperies, Inc. http://www.precisiondrapery.com/
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Open Formal Swag – Image 2 - Fabrication style: Bias
Style Code #: OS-024 Left Formal Swag Under
Style Code #: AO-CAE1 Add-ons "Pleated Cascade"
On this treatment, the swags were fabricated on the bias. You'll notice the swags have kinks on each of the folds, but each fold is evenly spaced for the formal look. The kinks are caused by the narrow width of swag, the finished length of the swag and the content of the fabric. You can add interning to help control some of the kinks in the swags.
The swag configuration used here shows the left swag dominating first, then the other swags follow, giving the impression that the swags are wrapping around the pole. Once again, all the swag pieces are individually cut and placed on the pole.
Since this is a corner treatment, the swag style used worked perfectly, as the swag wraps around the corner. When working with a corner, the swag can usually only wrap the corner approximately 6" to 8". The cascades are placed under the swags.
Designer: Ideal Designs, Tina Bircher
Drapery Workroom: Precision Draperies, Inc. http://www.precisiondrapery.com/
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Formal Swag – Image 3 - Fabrication style: Upright (seams)
Style Code #: OS-024 Left Formal Swag Under
Style Code #: AO-CAE12 Add-ons "Angus Cascade"
On this style, the Open Swags were placed on top of a cornice. The fabrication style used was upright, so that their stripes would be in the same dirrection as the side panels.
When the fabrication style Upright is specified, the swags are placed on the fabric, so that the top of the swag runs the same direction as the selvages on the fabric.
Upright swags usually will have kinks, just as railraoded swags. It depends on width of swag (tip-to-tip), the finished length of the swag, and the type of fabric you’re using.
The cascade used was a AO-CAE12 Angus, which is a bais cut cascade. This helped offset the swags
from the panels, and give the window treatment some uniqueness.
Designer: Kd Designz Inc., Kym Davick
Drapery Workroom: Precision Draperies, Inc. http://www.precisiondrapery.com/
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Formal Swag – Image 4 - Fabrication style: Railroad
Style Code #: OS-169 Custom Design Open Swag Formal
Style Code #: AO-CAE3 Add-ons "Left Cascade - Gathered"
Style Code #: AO-CAE3 Add-ons "Right Cascade - Gathered"
On this swag, the fabrication style was railroaded, due to the width of the large swag. The folds are evenly spaced the length of the swag. There are not too many kinks on the wide swag. On the narrow swag there are kinks on the folds. This is caused by the narrow width of the swag and finished length of the swag, plus the fabric was railroaded. This is pretty common on all swags that are railroaded. Using interlining will help with the kinks, but will not eliminate them totally.
This Open Swag is somewhat different from a normal Open Swag, as the swag on the right ends straight behind the cascade. This allows the swag to have a different look & style.
When cascades are placed at different finished lengths, this layout is called “Asymmetrical.” It gives the appearance that the swag is wrapped, but only in some places, if you look at it up close.
The fabric used was 100% silk.
Designer: JLC Interiors, Jana Cole
Drapery Workroom: Precision Draperies, LLC. http://www.precisiondrapery.com/
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Gathered Swag – Image 5 - Fabrication style: Railroad
Style Code #: OS-114 Right Gathered Swag Under -5
Style Code #: AO-CAE3 Add-ons "Gathered Cascades"
Style Code #: AO-BAA1 Add-ons "Edge Banding"
On gathered swags the fabrication style is usually upright (seams) or railroaded.
You’ll notice the folds on the swags have many folds. The folds are close to each other, and there are kinks along the width of the folds. This is very common on a gathered swag.
The number of folds in the swag is determined by the fullness in the finished length of the swags.
The swag configuration on this style has the right swag dominating first, as the other swags follow, giving the impression that the swags are wrapping around the pole. Once again, all the swag pieces are individually cut and placed on the pole, and the cascades are placed under the swags.
Designer: Unknown
Drapery Workroom: Precision Draperies, Inc. http://www.precisiondrapery.com/
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Unstructured Open Swag – Image 1 - Fabrication style: Railroad
Style Code#: OS-170 Custom Design Open Swag
Style Code#: AO-PAL1 Add-ons "Panels"
This style of swag is constructed by the swag artist that is performing the work so that it appears to be free-form.
This style is hard to convey, as it solely depends on the swag artist who is performing the swaging and the communication of the designer.
The folds are uneven in places, and show signs of kinks.
Once again, all the swag pieces are individually cut and placed on the pole to give the appearance of a wrapped swag.
Tip: On this style no 2 swag artist can make the same treatment.
Designer: Unknown
Drapery Workroom: Drapery Works
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I hope these photos help explain to your client the different types of swag and fabrication styles. Please contact us if you find this information useful.