Draping A Creative Way To Use Fabrics

I got it as a Christmas gift. Shimmery Kelly green material with sky-blue ties, all of it covered with drawings in black of Buddhas, tigers, lions, winged horses, birds, dragons and hundreds of lines of a writing so foreign that I nearly mistook it for a part of the design.

“So what is this?” I asked the gracious giver as I pulled the 15-foot-by-17-inch piece of fabric from its package.

“It’s a Buddhist prayer flag,” she responded, as if I’d been lost in some other galaxy for the past 50 years. She’d picked it up on a recent trip to Bhutan - in the Himalayas - and knew I’d “appreciate” it.

I did. I did. But what to do with it? “Well,” my friend offered, “you need to get a 20-foot bamboo pole, tie the flag to it, then stick it in the ground in your yard. As the flag flutters, the prayers (all the unusual writing, she explained) are sent to the heavens.”

I had learned at an early age to be cautious when dealing with prayers, especially those written in exotic languages. Be careful what you pray for - you just might get it. … Know what I mean?

So instead of letting the prayers flutter to the heavens, I’ve allowed them to make their statement on an old wooden trunk that I use as a side table next to the living room sofa.

I folded the flag neatly so its designs show at their best, then simply draped it over the trunk. It looks gorgeous. Couldn’t have prayed for more.

For a Victorian or English country look, shop antique stores and flea markets for vintage fringed shawls. Then drape them over a piano, a table or the back of a chair or sofa. The shawl can help soften a hard surface or make a soft surface even softer.

Table draping. Pick up a particleboard round and base - from side-table size to small dining table - at a home supply store or lumber yard. Then drape it with a solid-colored fabric to the floor.

To perk up an ordinary wall-hung bedroom mirror, drape it with a colorful scarf. Knot the scarf at the edge of the mirror so you won’t block too much of the reflection.

Imported country quilts are quite inexpensive. Don’t confine them to bed. Use a quilt as a slipcover. Drape the quilt over a chair, but don’t bother to tuck it in. Let the draping work the magic. The ultimate coverup. An added advantage? Sit down and wrap up in the quilt for a cool evening of reading or TV. Your prayer has been answered.