Temporary Curtain Repair

[Scott Lumley]

Hi everyone, I have a stage curtain that has torn at the top, by the grommets (pictures are attached). Does anyone have a suggestion on how I might temporarily repair the curtain until we can get a professional company out to fix it?

I don't know much about curtains and we can't afford to bring an expert in right now to repair it. They are going on 17 years old, and as far as I know, never had any maintenance or repairs. I don't have any information on them though, but have reached out to the original company that made them to see if they can send me any information on them. I know they are roughly about 20 feet tall.

A faculty member suggested we clamp the curtains with like a c-clamp for wood working. I didn't think that was a good idea because I don't feel like that would hold it together, and instead, it might fall on someone's head if they bumped into the curtain. Then they asked if there was a way for me to put like a safety cable on the c clamp to prevent that, but I don't know how I would really attach one that would for sure stay on since c-clamps weren't really designed for that. Also, if it fails (even if it doesn't hit someone in the head), it might create a shock load on the curtain from the curtain falling again that would tear it even more. I am just having a hard time thinking this might be a solution.

A staff member suggested that I sew it back together for now (even though I don't know anything about sewing). I don't think the normal thread and needles people have at their house would work for this though. The curtain is just too heavy and would rip the new threads apart I would think. Again, this would probably also create a shock load that would rip even more of the curtain if the stitching failed.

I thought about possibly getting some kind of jumbo safety pins maybe, but I worry pushing the pin through would make too big a hole and that it might actually end up tearing vertically up to the torn part of the curtain.

Any feedback or suggestions are appreciated. Thank you!

 

[DaveySimps]

You could try pinning it back to the jute cloth at the top. The bigger the pins, the better. You can certainly try and find someone to sew it. It is not that big of an area to try to mend. I would definitely not try the clamp idea, for the same safety reasons you mention.

At 17 years old, and based on the pictures you post, I would say it is time to replace it. It looks like the fabric is loosing it structural integrity, which could cause more issues down the road. It is hard to tell for sure though. When were the curtains last checked for their flame resistance (as required by code)?

~Dave

 

[JohnD]

Perhaps @Van can steer you to someone from Stagecraft Industries to provide help.
Also isn't that duvetyn tape designed for short term repairs like this?

Duve Pro Tape

A polyester/felt matte black fabric backed with acrylic adhesive, excellent for making quick repairs on your duvetyne, commando or light-weight velour soft goods.DuvePro can be used to create an instant backdrop. Also, it can be used to repair and sea...

www.musson.com

 

[Scott Lumley]

I really would like to replace them, as there are a couple others that have shown signs of this same tearing starting to come soon, but I am having some difficulty with getting the funds for this (especially with budget cuts due to COVID). We were in the bidding process for refinishing our stage floor, but then COVID hit and we went into a spending freeze. Some here think we should prioritize the floor before the curtains, so I fear we may not get to replacing them for some time. I was asked to find a solution to get us through at least the remaining academic year.

To be honest, I don't know the last time they were flame tested. I brought up the flame retardancy issue to my supervisor, but I didn't get a response back regarding that yet.

I will have to look into the Duve Pro Tape.

 

[Van]

Hey @JohnD thanks for the Tag!

Scott, is this LSSU? I looked up the job number and that appears to be correct. Unfortunately we archived info differently back than and so I don't have an overview of the whole project, at least from home.
Here comes my requisite Novel, bear with me.

First, that kind of damage happens a lot, especially when set pieces get rolled on to the leading edge of legs and the like. Second, it looks like you got really lucky beacuse the bottom gave way rather than tearing the fabric like the top sticth did. This is going to be very lucky for you.

I see three things you can do;
1. Replace the curtain in question. From what I can see I that curtain appears to be either Commando, or some other FR Cotton fabric (like I said the old way of archiving doesn't keep all the info the right way and I don't have access to the Sewing worksheets). Since these are cotton fabrics and are Flame retardant treated they are quite a ways past their 10 year life. The follow up question is usually, "can we replace just the one panel?" the answer is No, it will look drastically different. There is simply no way to color match and after hanging 18 years those curtains are not the black they started out as. This is your most expensive option and the one that would take the longest.

2. Restitch. If this curtain is on a counterweight batten, spread out a clean tarp,over-haul the batten to the deck, safety the heck out of everything undo the panel, set up a sewing machine on a portable work table hold the end piece together with the jute and stitch that puppy up. Then rehang. Almost any modern machine will do the job. You would want to buy some heavier thread than normal, but in the end, anyone with a modicum of sewing skill can do the actual job and any modern machine has the power and settings to punch through Jute and commando with a wide stitch pattern.
It's not like you're going to violate the warranty so if it doesn't come out with a perfectly straight stitch, who cares? the top edge is covered by the Valance, or Teaser anyway. This is probably the method I would use. BTW if the batten is dead hung then I would get a scissor lift under the curtain, lift the whole thing from the bottom, then undo the curtain at the top. The issue is that the fabric has obviously degraded so if you just start taking it loose from the carriers the weight on the remaining carriers is going to increase until the header rips at the other end.

3 Swap panels. this may not be possible and I can't tell because I don't have access to the sewing worksheets but..... One trick we often do is when sewing curtain panels we put 'Master carriers" at each end/side of the panels we also do a full turn-back on the leading and trailing edge of travelers. This means the grommet holes on top are like this OO O O O OO where each end has a double grommet for attaching to a master carrier which has two chains. Your's may not have this but most curtain we make do because it reinforces the curtain from the stress of having the leading edge yanked on in case of a jam-up on the track or getting yanked on or climbed (Yes I have had to repair curtains because kids tried to climb them)
Swapping panels means you are going to pull down panels from both sides then rehang them on the opposite side of the stage. the SL Offstage side will now be the SR Onstage side and vice versa. This method puts your tear on the offstage side of the curtain on the opposite side of the stage. We usually recommend this when the damage is down in the visible part of the curtain, like when a gallon of paint is spilled on the leading hem or something. Given the nature of the damage to your curtain even if you do this method you are going to want to repair the damage. That tear will continue to grow if it is not supported so you will need to hand stitch or something to relieve the load on the edge of that tear.

Ok, so those are my three ideas. In the official capacity I'll say it's time for those curtains to be replaced or Flame tested and replaced. Even if they pass a flame test they are probably degraded due to humidity and dust. Hit me with any questions or DM me if you have site specific/content sensitive questions. I hope something here helps.

 

[Scott Lumley]

Thank you Van, that was an informative response! It is at LSSU.

If we do replace the curtain, we will be replacing all the curtains, but I know that is going to be expensive. I think we do need to really consider that option though because some of the other curtains are showing similar signs and because of the whole flame retardant certification. I plan to really push this issue higher up and get it prioritized.

Unfortunately, we do not have a fly system, so everything is dead hung. I think this is what we will need to do though, as it needs to be done before it gets worse, at least until we can work on getting full replacements of all our curtains. I'm glad to hear that a modern sewing machine will be able to sew this.

This was super helpful, exactly what I was looking for. I now have something I can take higher up and a possible solution at least for now. Thank you for this information!

 

[Calc]

This comment is probably more for future readers at this point, but I wouldn't count on the Duva-Tape for this situation. I have a roll, and it comes in super handy for patching pipe-and-drape and small snags. However, I wouldn't count on it to carry any weight like in this situation. It's rather thin. More of a cosmetic product to hide damage, rather than actually repair it.

 

[JimOC_1]

Yet another thread where a thank you emoji would be nice. Then again, I’ve not found one worth recommending.

 

[Crisp image]

I would drop it off to the floor and then stitch it using the biggest needle that the sewing machine will hold and high strength thread. If you are unsure if you have the ability to do that a furniture upholstery company will be able to do it quickly and easily while you are waiting for funds to do the full replacement.

 

[RonHebbard]

I would drop it off to the floor and then stitch it using the biggest needle that the sewing machine will hold and high strength thread. If you are unsure if you have the ability to do that a furniture upholstery company will be able to do it quickly and easily while you are waiting for funds to do the full replacement.

@Crisp image Further thoughts regarding dropping your damaged curtain to the deck:
As pointed out by @Van in point 2 of post 5. With your pipes being dead hung, if you begin detaching at one side, the aging fabric is likely to tear due the additional weight accumulating on the remaining carriers and hooks.

Consider securing a stout rope around the curtain approximately 3 to 5 feet below your dead hung pipe.
Loop the rope up and over your dead hung pipe then have a helper tension the rope, lifting the curtain slightly, to take most of the weight off the carriers and hooks and create a little slack in the fabric. Once you have the curtain fully detached from the carriers and hooks, your helper can lower the curtain to the deck.
A clean drop cloth on the deck plus a 4" to 6" pulley secured to your dead hung pipe would be your friends. The pulley and rope would also prove useful for hoisting the curtain post stitching.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[Crisp image]

@Crisp image Further thoughts regarding dropping your damaged curtain to the deck:
As pointed out by @Van in point 2 of post 5. With your pipes being dead hung, if you begin detaching at one side, the aging fabric is likely to tear due the additional weight accumulating on the remaining carriers and hooks.

Consider securing a stout rope around the curtain approximately 3 to 5 feet below your dead hung pipe.
Loop the rope up and over your dead hung pipe then have a helper tension the rope, lifting the curtain slightly, to take most of the weight off the carriers and hooks and create a little slack in the fabric. Once you have the curtain fully detached from the carriers and hooks, your helper can lower the curtain to the deck.
A clean drop cloth on the deck plus a 4" to 6" pulley secured to your dead hung pipe would be your friends. The pulley and rope would also prove useful for hoisting the curtain post stitching.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

Yes @RonHebbard you are correct about getting them down. I gave the short version without going into details about how to drop them to the deck. I would do it in a similar fashion as you described.

 

[RonHebbard]

Yes @RonHebbard you are correct about getting them down. I gave the short version without going into details about how to drop them to the deck. I would do it in a similar fashion as you described.

One more thought: When you loop your stout rope around your curtain, make three or four wraps to spread your grip rather than more severely creasing your fabric in one spot.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[Jay Ashworth]

The trick here, as I suggested in someone else's thread, is to threaten the management, politely, with their own insurance carrier, who would greatly prefer prioritizing the life-safety fix over the non-life-safety one... without getting shut down or closed.

Building a case for staying in business is harder right now, but still important.

 

[Scott Lumley]

Hello again everyone, thank you for all the feedback! I finally have some news to share about this project. First, we are planning to get the curtain down hopefully in the next few weeks to try some repairing, but we are also moving forward with a bidding process to get them all replaced. So now I am looking for some help with that, as I have never needed to ask for bids on curtains. What are some things I need to specify to make sure we get something we are going to like?

I know I should specify the following:

• IFR vs FR (we are going to go with IFR)
• Lengths for each section (hoping we can find the original bid/quote/invoice that might have this info, as it will be difficult for me to measure them all)
• Heights
• How many of each type/section (we only have legs and travelers, so no need to specify borders or other types)
• Colors (black for sure, then our main will be either blue or gold - hoping for blue, it is currently a hideous gold)
• Weight (not really sure about this, thinking somewhere around 20oz.)

I feel like I am forgetting so many other things to specify though. I hope my purchasing department is able to find some of the original paperwork, but even if they do, it isn't always very detailed.

 

[JohnD]

How about some handy links:
Tobins Lake Sales Theatrical supplies and Drapery
Stage Curtains For Schools | Auditorium Curtains | Theater Stage Curtains - Stagecraft Industries
Theatrical Curtains, Track & Rigging - theater curtains, stage track and rigging designed and custom manufactured (mainstage.com)
BellaTEX • Stage Curtains and Theatrical Drapes

 

[Scott Lumley]

Thank you, I will take a look at these when putting in the bid specs!

 

[kicknargel]

At least for the main you may want to consider lining. This is common both for opacity and sound isolation when the curtain is closed, to cover scene changes, etc.