Sheer white and black drapes on curved track dividing an exhibition room

The cloth that disappears

Sharkstooth scrim & theatre gauze, made to measure

A theatre scrim reads as a solid surface under front light, then turns transparent when the scene behind it is lit. We make black scrim, white scrim and sheer voile to measure in our Melbourne workshop.

Request a quote →

Sheer and black drapes, University of Melbourne

The Drape Selector

Spec your drape
before you call.

Answer five quick questions. The Drape Selector matches fabric, fullness and opening style to your space, then turns it into a spec ready to send to the makers.

Start the Drape Selector →
  • Five questions
  • No email gate
  • Quote-ready spec
The Drape Selector running on a laptop and a phone
Drape Selector
01What is the job?
House curtain
Masking legs
Cyclorama
02Which fabric?
VelvetIFR
Wool sergeIFR
MoltonNDFR
03How full should it hang?
Flat
75%
100%
04How does it open?
Traveller
Guillotine
Tableau
05What size?
FabricWool serge
FR classIFR
Size12.0 x 7.0 m
SpecReady →
Step 1 of 5 · The job

The scrim effect

Front lit, it reads solid.

Back lit, it disappears.

The same black sharkstooth scrim with the light behind it, now transparent, revealing the dancer standing upstage
Black sharkstooth scrim under front light reading as a solid amber surface, the dancer behind it visible only as a soft shadow
Front lit Back lit
Same cloth, same dancer. Drag the light across.
  1. Front light upLight the face and the open weave closes into a solid surface.
  2. The changeTake the front light out as the scene behind comes up.
  3. Back light onlyThe cloth turns transparent. This is the bleed-through reveal.

Specs at a glance

The numbers that decide a spec

~100gsm

Sharkstooth gauze

12m

Widest sharkstooth gauze

~60gsm

Sheer voile

3m

Sheer voile width

ClothFire retardancyWeightWidthColoursHangsUsed for
Sharkstooth gauzeNDFR. Flame retarded to AS 1530 standards~100 gsm9.75 to 12 mBlack or whiteFlown or fixed, flat and squareBleed-through reveals, scenic transitions
Sheer voileIFR. Built into the fibre, permanent~60 gsm3.0 mWide colour rangeFlown, fixed or walkalongOverlays, soft masking, floating effects

Cloths

Which cloth for which effect

Black sharkstooth gauze close up, showing its open ladder weave

Sharkstooth gauze

  • ~100 gsm
  • Up to 12 m wide
  • Black or white

Any ripple reads as a fault under back light, so a scrim is flown or fixed flat and square.

It is the most requested cloth in our hire stock. Check hire availability

Pale blue sheer voile fabric gathered in soft folds, photographed in true colour

Sheer voile

  • ~60 gsm
  • 3.0 m wide
  • Wide colour range

Lighter and translucent, voile is the cloth for overlays, soft masking and floating effects. Fly it, fix it, or hang it walkalong as a perimeter layer.

Made to measure

Cut and sewn on our own floor

Most of what we make is custom. Send the opening size, the drop and the effect, and our machinists make the cloth to suit.

The workshop floor from above: a machinist sewing white cloth at one bench, red cloth laid out along the cutting table
The sewing floor, Melbourne.
A machinist folding the edge of a white cloth panel on the cutting table, webbing tape beside her
Turning a hem on the cutting table.

  1. Brief

    Opening size, drop and the effect you are after.

  2. Finishes

    Ties, eyes and ties, or a velcro D-ring header. Hem, pipe or chain pocket below.

  3. Sewing floor

    Cut and sewn by our machinists, to your dimensions.

  4. Treatment

    Fire retardant treatment applied where the cloth needs it, with its treatment certificate.

  5. Ship or install

    Shipped Australia wide or hung by our installers. Storage bags made to suit.

In use

Sheers and scrims at work

Galleries, exhibitions, a runway and a reception room.

  • Visitor seen through copper-toned sheer drapes around a gallery screen
    Sheer panels around a gallery screen
  • Visitors in silhouette behind sheer black drapes in a darkened gallery, a projected room glowing through the cloth
    Sheer black drapes, lit from behind
  • Layered sheer panels stepping down as a ceiling above a teal exhibition wall, lit warm from above
    A stepped sheer ceilingMelbourne Museum
  • White sheer fabric gathered above a runway
    A sheer centrepiece hung over a runway
  • Sheer drapes curving around a seating area in an exhibition
    Sheer drapes on a curved trackUniversity of Melbourne
  • White and yellow sheer fabric spirals hanging from the roof of a shed beside a scaffold tower
    Sheer fabric spirals
  • White voile swags and a draped ceiling washed blue and purple behind the head table in a reception room
    White voile swags under a colour wash
  • Three tiers of sheer fabric hung as a cylinder from a ring under a studio lighting grid
    A three-tier sheer cylinder
  • A long white voile curtain hanging from a truss in the workshop, daylight showing through the cloth
    White voile, hung in the workshop

Questions

Asked before every scrim order

What is a scrim in theatre?

A scrim is an open-weave gauze that looks solid when lit from the front and turns transparent when the scene behind it is lit. Theatres use it for bleed-through reveals and scenic transitions. Ours are made in sharkstooth gauze.

What is the difference between sharkstooth scrim and voile?

Sharkstooth is an open-weave gauze of about 100 gsm, made for the change from solid to transparent. Voile is a sheer, not a gauze: lighter, at about 60 gsm, for overlays, soft masking and floating effects.

Are your scrims flame retardant?

Yes. Sharkstooth gauze is flame retarded to AS 1530 standards with a surface treatment that is renewed every 2 to 3 years. Sheer voile is inherently flame retardant, so it is permanent. Our fire treatment service re-treats cloth and supplies a treatment certificate.

How wide can you make a scrim?

Sharkstooth gauze comes 9.75 to 12 m wide, so a full-stage scrim needs few or no vertical seams. That matters: a seam shows the moment the cloth is back-lit. Every scrim is cut and sewn to your opening and drop.

Can we hire a scrim instead of buying one?

Yes. Sharkstooth gauze is the most requested item in our hire stock, and hire stock is made with FR fabrics which meet AS 1530 standards. Check availability through rentals and hire.