Sorry for the poor grammar! What I meant to say was that "I can't stand my bare windows any longer"!

It would not be a complete waste of time to handsew draperies, but it would be much easier to sew them with a machine. Using a machine isn't at all difficult, as long as you can iron your header, hems and side seams first, and sew a straight stitch on a machine! I always make my own draperies and find that I can do a better job making my own other than buying retail. I can get the fabric of my choice, color of my choice, using at a fraction of what the same drapery would cost retail.

I really want to make my own panels, but my mom says since I can barely sew a straight line, she thinks it best for me to hire someone to line and weight the panels, sew the header, rod pocket, and side seams. She's willing to concede I may be able to hem them to the length I want, so don't have to pay someone to come out, put them up, pin them and then take them back to hem them.

Of course I think custom drapes are always better than mass produced---I make curtains. But the main reason is that they are made to fit your windows, exactly, not everyone elses, and in the best fabric for your home. And by fabric I mean not only the color, but the texture is taken into consideration, as well as the types of lining. I have "undone" every drape from Pottery Barn to Restoration Hardware, to Horchow, and can tell you their linings pale in comparison to what we use in the industry, as well as how accurate their hems are, etc. But you pay for these (or learn to do yourself).
As far as handsewn, yes, I actually do handsewn side hems and bottom. But on valances, I usually use the machine. A large table and iron is my most important tools. I do have the large items made by large workrooms, and they use blindstitch machines because they don't have the "time" to do otherwise. In most circumstances, that looks fine, perfectly hemmed, etc. But there are some fabrics that it does show on rather poorly----too many stitches for the lightweight, puckers---but that's rare. I always spec out better lining unless we are wanting something lightweight for a reason.
There are some great books out there for making window treatments. I started with the Singer Book for the Home. They don't show hand sewing, I don't think, but that is something that works for me and many of us in the industry consider it high-end.
I rarely do rod pocket drapes, they are almost always pinch pleated, but not just the typical pleats if I can help it.
Getting your panels cut and hemmed straight is difficult without having the space to lay out the fabric. Then pressing is difficult if you have to move it to an ironing board. Years ago, I layed out panels on my tile floor and pined everything in place---however, my grout was not perfect, and I did have a problem with straight hems if I didn't use the tape measure every few inches!!!

Thank you all for your comments and input. Before I start the actual sewing, or purchasing of fabric, I have more reading to do, apparently. And maybe even practice up on some spare fabric.

I'll add "Singer Book for the Home" to my reading list. If there are any other book recommendations that you'd like to share on how to make your own drapes I'm all ears! It's looking like I'll be handsewing my drapes which actually gives me great relief. I still need to know the steps and process for getting it done right though so, feel free to add to my list of books. hopefully, I'll see recurring themes amongst them and that's how I'll know I'm on the right track towards understanding.

One question that comes to mind is whether there are different rules for different fabric. Silk for instance, being a more delicate fabric, must have different stitch requirements than say, linen, or cotton? This is the kind of nitty gritty level of detail I need to get to before I start my projects.

Andrea, Have you chosen a panel top style yet? Rod pockets are by far the easiest, IMO, but the 'back tabs' that I made last weekend were also easy, and gives a pleated look at the top. (pic shows just one that I put up to mark the hem)

You're right in saying that silk would have very different requirements from say, a heavy cotton, both in needle size and stitch size. If you are not confident of your abilities, I'd suggest starting with a nice decor weight cotton, and it'll be much more forgiving. Personally, I usually hand hem mine, but I wouldn't hand stitch the whole treatment.

I wish I had a large table like sallymo, but I use my 5 1/2' kitchen island as it's all I have. Ironing is SO important as she says. And, what we make ourselves (and I am just a hack, not a pro) IS so much better quality than what you'd buy non-custom in a store. I am always amazed to see a display in some nice stores and then look at the workmanship.....It makes me glad that I can make my own.

my3dogs-

Can you share the construction tecnique that you used for your draperies. (They are lovely!) What width of fabric did you use and how many repeats are there across the drape? I'm not too interested in pole pocket drapes; but I do like those that you've pictured here!

The reason you hand hem your draperies is that the hem length might not be exactly even across the bottom, or, because you want to hide the stictch? Or both?

Hi Andrea,

I have sewn all my window treatments for 4 homes (20 years).

I do think it would be a waste of time to handstitch your drapes. I doubt that this is what the author meant by handmade. It is completely unnecessary. You will already have a big project on your hands, no need to make it bigger! I do, however, hand stitch the hem on floor length drapes to make them look professional and invisible.

I have made fabric covered cornices and used a styrofoam kit made by Plaid Enterprises. It was really easy to use. Perhaps you can find something similar.

The other thing I wanted to say is that I have resolved to only make valances from now on because I found a place in PA that will make flat panels for $65. That's for 1 fabric width although they will do wider if you need that. I send them the fabric and they provide the lining and interlining for that price. I just measure the length I want. I think panels are the hardest to get perfect and decided that $65 is a bargain for the amount of time it takes. If I want a valance to go along with the drapes, I do it myself.

If anyone wants the web address, please let me know.

Lastly, I found a solution that works for me for a large cutting table. I purchased 2 6ft and 1 4 ft folding banquet table from Costco. They adjust to a height that is comfortable for cutting. I position the two 6 ft tables side by side with the 4 ft table across the end. It gives me enough length.

Good luck and happy sewing! I have enjoyed making window treatments over the years.

Also, a great valance website is Pate Meadows. They give great instructions and seem to turn out better than commercial patterns.

Dawn

Dawn - yes, *please* can you share the contact info for the workshop? Do they hand stitch the hem? If not, will they leave it unhemmed for you to do as long as you tell them how long to make the lining?

I am attaching the webite addy. Just call them and tell them that you want to send your own fabric and that you would need pricing for that. I always speak to Joe.

They will probably even help you with how much fabric to buy.

I just looked at some drapes they made for me. It has a very nice blind stitched hem and the lining is hemmed separately. I think it would be best to just have them hem them. If you are getting flat panels, you could always just shorten from the top if you need to. They really are nice quality.

Here is a link that might be useful: Drapes

Andrea - I started making my own curtains over almost 30 years ago and started with simple ones and now will tackle anything. I just finished with dining room curtains that I lined and interlined.

Start with fabric that is inexpensive and widely available in case you mess up, and soon you will have much more confidence to learn more. I purchased Singer books from my local material store which I found helpful. The Singer book "Window Treatments" is one I have, and I notice you can purchase it on Amazon for $2.50!

However, I would not recommend hand stitching the entire thing! I would definitely sew the seams on the machine. This should be fairly easy and you can hand stitch the hems. Good luck! You will get such a sense of accomplishment from your finished curtains. :)

Hmm, without selecting a fabric, using standard lining, rod pocket, 92" length, 1 width, I'm getting a quick quote of $102/panel with 10% off promised at checkout, but shipping of $10 will eat that up so it's still $100/panel. When was the last time you ordered, and was it a short panel or do you have a coupon or something? Or is using your own fabric less $$ (I did try selecting a taffeta and price went up $35)?

I am a NOVICE when it comes to sewing-- truly. But, I have a really wide LR window and no $ for custom curtains. Buying several individual panels would annoy me because I've tried it . . .it looks messy. I called Country Curtains to see how much plain ol' muslin (muslin, I tell ya!) custom curtains would cost to fit my windows . . .$150!

So, I said, too bad, I have to learn how to do this! I am a novice at sewing . . .made a few pairs of pants in college, and that was it. I finally got the courage to at least keep my mom's sewing machine in my house. I was scared to look at it! But, I decided I'd do plenty of "trial runs" and then make my curtains.

Well, I bought the fabric last May (!) and was scared to look at it, too. It was cheap ($3.95/yd) but it's nice . . .one type is Ralph Lauren and the other I've seen normally sell for $25/yd. I was intimidated to even thread the machine, but I finally did it, and you know . . .it isn't rocket science. I practiced sewing straight on scrap fabric, and then I made some very simple skirts for my girls. (Their favorite skirts since mama made them, BTW!)

My next step was to make curtains for my hallway, since no one ever looks at that area anyway. Guess what? Unless you are making complicated curtains, you are basically just sewing a rectangle. Measuring carefully, cutting straight (my husband used a plumb line to draw a chalk line for me!), pressing carefully, pinning, and FINALLY using the machine are your steps. The machine-- especially on certain fabrics (the Ralph Lauren fabric was so great to work with) just pretty much does the work for you. My hallway curtains look great, and all it cost me was $12!!!!

Now, I have to admit that I am not going to bother lining my curtains, and the fabric I am using is not something like silk . . .it's midweight decorator fabric, 100% cotton, so like my3dogs said, very forgiving. I would be afraid to work with something silky since I tried sewing a silky ribbon on a skirt and had puckering issues. I WAS going to try to miter the corners, but I think I just need to forget about it. No one is going to even see the corners!

I need to finally finish my LR curtains. I was in the process of measuring the fabric, left it out, and . . .one of my cats peed on it. I am still pretty upset about it as the cats have never done anything like that before. (I figured out which cat did it-- not the one I suspected). So, trying to get it clean appropriately has really set me back, esp. since I have very little free time as it is (4 little kids, SAHM, working at night online).

But, the reason my story has gone on and on is because I want you to make friends with your sewing machine and START sewing. I figure, if I keep going, in 10 years I will be way better than I am now. Get empowered and sew! Don't let people tell you that you can't do it. Why can't you?

I have this book (borrowed it from the library and finally bought it) and I highly recommend it, if nothing else,for the confidence and friendly tone it exudes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fun and Fabulous Curtains to Sew

I'm probably going to hang ready-made curtains I bought 2 years ago in my LR, then practice more on smaller pieces before I try to make 8ft drapes. But at even $70/panel, I could buy them at Country Curtains (OK, they're only 51" wide even though they start with 60" fabric I figure I can get 57" easy out of it so I get more fullness making/having them made). I just don't have $500 (or more, if need more fullness) for 3 windows! So I guess I make my own using $2/yd fabric (I think the lining costs more!).

Does chalk come out of polyester?

AJ - Yes, that quick quote is with their fabric. It would be less with your own fabric.

I totally understand if they're out of your price range.

$2 is a great price for fabric. I usually buy my lining on ebay. If you're using 54" fabric, buy 48" lining. You want it smaller so the curtain fabric wraps inside a bit.

Good luck!

Dawn

Dawn - is there a particular vendor on ebay you use when buying lining?

$65/panel sounds great until you look at CC and see their $139/pair panels. Aside from the fact that they're only 51" wide so I'd need 4 pair...but getting them made doesn't seem to be any less $$, except if they don't charge extra to use 1.5 widths per panel, so if I could get by with 4 panels that width - but that would probably still be $400-$500. That's as much as I spent on roman shades for 5 windows and 2 doors at JCP, and *that* was the most expensive room in the house. I've gotten shades for the other rooms for about $20-30/window, except wide window over tub I think was $45. Whole house was about $1000 for shades.

Andrea, I looked online for instructions to make hidden tab (back tab) panels and found the site I have linked below.

My fabric was $2.00 a yard from eBay, and I bought it from a seller who sells leftovers from a company that makes bedding, comforters, etc. It was 110" wide, including the selvages. The window that you see above is 39" wide, with the rod mounted a bit outside on each end. My fabric was so heavy that there was no need to line these.

I cut off the selvages on each side, and split the width down the center. I did double one inch side hems, so each side took up 2". My finished panels are 51" wide. I put 7 tabs across that width, just over 7" (on center) apart. The outside tab on each end is between the bracket and the final, so if I choose to draw them closed, the panel will stay in place, being held by the bracket.

I'd typically hand hem to hide stitches, but this fabric was so heavy and patterned that I used my machine to blind stitch them. That can be a tad tricky for a person who doesn't sew a lot, so I'd hand hem if you are more comfortable. Mine have double 4" hems on the bottom.

The valance that I made for the bay window is 170" wide for a 64" wide window. I can't use panels there as the dogs like to jump up in that window and check our the back yard.

Here is a link that might be useful: back tab panel instructions.

AJsmama,

The custom curtains are decorator quality. There's no comparison to CC.

If I were going to spend that much for CC, I would have them made. That way, I get exactly the fabric, size etc that I want and a higher quality product.

I think that making them yourself for $2 a yard will be a real bargain!

Dawn

Thank you everyone for your input, and for your encouragement! I will jump in with my sewing machine this week end! I noted that many said to start with inexpensive, cotton, widely available fabric. Which, actually suits my style just fine. I'm a cotton kind of girl anyway. (Was toying with the idea of silk for one room, but, when I really think about I think I would be just as happy with cotton). Plus, for those of you that read my last post, you know my cats' claws are an issue.) If I use a smooth cotton I think that will be even better to avoid kitty scratching issues. i do want to line and interline them though so maybe that will be the trickiest part!

"you're basically sewing big rectangles"! That's true! Thank you for that sentiment!

my3dogs-thank you for sharing your construction technique! I understood the steps you described. I have to say, $2 a yard for a 118' width fabric was a huge bargain! and you did such a nice job making the curtains! Thank you again for sharing your knowledge!

Andrea, please forgive the hijack. I'm not usually on this forum (don't know much about decorating) but was getting ready to try making some drapes when I came across this thread. Dawn, I spoke to Joe at the workroom you recommended and will probably hire them to make my drapes. Do you know if they lock stitch the interlining to the curtain fabric along the seam for panels that are 3 widths? All of the books I have recommend doing this. Thanks.

And Andrea, though you may no longer need this now, there are some very good, short instructional videos on a website/forum called my.decozo.com.

Here is a link that might be useful: Video for mitered hems

Hi Cheril,

No I do not know whether they lockstitch the interlining at the seams when using three panels as I have only ordered one width. You could ask Joe if that is what they do and if not, and they may be willing to do that for you. I can tell you that I have been very pleased with their service and quality. I have purchased three rooms of drapes from them.

Please let us know how it works out!

Dawn

Thanks, Dawn. I will certainly let you know how things go. I'm very excited about finding a workroom that's affordable. The last quote I received was over $600/window (which is why I was going to make my own...hahahahaha). I'm soooo glad I saw your post.

Cheri - please do report back! I'm still looking for enough fabric to do my LR (my cousin found some she thought was the same as the pics I emailed her, but it ended up riding to FL with her and I don't know if/when it's come(ing) back to CT). I got names of 2 local seamstresses who do drapes, as soon as I get fabric in hand I'm going to be comparing quotes but that could be a while if fabric is still in FL!

Cheri - have you pulled the trigger yet? Do you have the fabric or are you using one of theirs?

I just got all the fabric I need (well, one piece is flawed so I have to see how we can work around it). I'm thinking of calling Joe.

I emailed for a quote, they'll only use natural (silk, linen, etc.) fabrics b/c they find synthetics too much of a pain to work with. So either I use local seamstress or learn to sew. Well, I do have cushion covers to make for the porch furniture, guess I'll practice on those!

Ajsmama, I'm so sorry I didn't post sooner but I just saw this today. I just got my fabric last week and am now getting cold feet about going with the workroom Dawnp recommended. Not because I don't think they'll do a good job; I believe they will, but I haven't found a good installer yet. So, I'm still debating whether I should look around for someone who does it all. I'm afraid I don't do anything quickly...(I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted on this thread). I'm sorry to hear that they wouldn't work with synthetics. I have another workroom you can try that is even less expensive. I haven't used them but I did visit their shop and the women are very, very sweet and I've read excellent reviews of their work. I know for sure that they will work with any fabric as they most of their jobs are hotels. Email me if you want their info.