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Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Last Word On Drapes

Boy, it’s been just like old times on The Petch House Blog over the past week. There have been a lot of comments on my plan for drapes on the dinging room windows. Some good, some bad, but mostly good. The whole process has been positive and very helpful. I am so glad now that I am not going with my original idea of the swag draperies. It is not that it wouldn’t have looked nice, but I think I will be happier with what I am doing. The design meets all of my original criteria.

Not too formal.
Simple in design.
Doesn’t hide the woodwork.
It has a definite nod to the past.
It won’t break the bank.

So, here is what I’m going with. To read the back story click Here and Here.

Still a work in progress with the paint stripping


These are the windows. A few suggested a single, continuos rod, but visually I’m not sure that would work here with the picture rail. I think it would just look odd. Another person showed a picture of a rod that went across the front and sort of sliced off the bay from the rest of the room. Again, I just don't think that would look right in this setting.

I will buy unfinished wood poles and brackets and stain them to match the rest of the redwood dado and casing in the room. The poles will be mounted just below the corner blocks. You can see a selection of wood poles and brackets here. I like the “European Style Bracket”, mainly because I think they are unique, but also I saw some antique ones listed on Ebay that were very similar to those. They remind me of the Victorian era door stops.



Above is the look I’m going for. Notice how the drapes hang inside the casing and don’t hide the woodwork. They are surprisingly simple in style, yet still formal and elegant. The drapes hang from rings with the poles exposed (those look like brass). The drapes are drawn back with ropes with tassels. I’ll be doing the same thing.



The real difference between mine and what is in the photo is that I will have roller shades behind the drapes. From the looks of that house, I don’t think privacy is an issue. I bought the shades at Smith+Noble and are similar to the shade above. Ignore that drape in the photo.

The last piece of the puzzle was the fabric for the drapes. On Sunday I made my first trip in to a fabric store in my adult life. As I child I was dragged through a few by my mother, so the experience was not completely foreign. Still, it was about as close to foreign as I can get without leaving the country. It didn’t take too long for me to find what I liked, and the best part is, it was on sale at 40% off. Anyone who has read this blog long enough knows that it wouldn’t even need to be my first selection and the 40% discount would be enough to seal the deal.



So here it is. There is still more to buy. Next week drapery lining will be 50% off, so I will buy that then. I also need the rope tie-backs, and some sort of edging. I’m not sure what the proper name is. I’m referring to the dingle-balls or rope edging. I saw all of this stuff at the fabric store today. I just need to go back next week when the lining is on sale and buy it.

I still need to decide if I want to do some kind of contrasting color fabric in the drapes like in the picture above. I’ll look at what is available when I go back to the fabric store next week. Once I get the rods hung I’ll ask someone at the fabric store if they know of a seamstress for hirer and have everything sewn up. The drapes and shades won’t be hung until the messy job of floor refinishing is done, so I am weeks away before the “after” picture will be posted.

The hard part is over. Now I just need to do the actual work.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful!

Boolysteed said...

May I suggest you find your "seamstress" before purchasing your material? This may save you money and time in the long run. She may have a better idea of about the yardage, the bias, the interface material and the liner you will require to have the draperies worthy to be on your window. More importantly, she can get them on sale! This includes the tie backs and trims.

Greg said...

Hmmm, well given the fact that I just showed you the main purchase in the blog entry, the advice may be a little late in coming. And to be honest, purchasing fabric for drapes is very similar to purchasing lumber for cabinets and finish work. I mean, you know, you always order extra.

It's the same thing.

Greg said...

And didn't I just mention that the material was 40% off and the liner is 50% off.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound irritated with you, but really....

Kathy from NJ said...

That fabric is PERFECT.

Diane Irvine Armitage said...

Yeah! Just the perfect look! The fabric is just right. Your curtains will look so great with your gorgeous windows. My sister told me the panels on the Herter drapes in that photo were actually stenciled on in gold. If you really wanted to get fancy you could buy some velvet and stencil a design on there and have your seamstress put those panels in on your gold fabric. I got some fabulous stencils that I used on the walls of one of my rooms and it was EASY! This is one ... http://www.amazon.com/Plaid-Stencil-Decor-Signature-Wallpaper/dp/B001EUNOCG I got gold paint at Home Depot - Behr Premium Plus Metallic 14 Carat Gold, comes in a big JAR. You use a stencil brush which is flat on the bottom and "pounce" the paint on. See the results here ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandorasparlor/2686113582/in/set-72157606274528352/ I think the stenciled panels would add a little something extra to your gorgeous fabric and really make the room extra special! Good luck with it all - you do wonderful work!

Anonymous said...

Hi-me again! Since the creation of the curtains is a while off, I would like to suggest that (if it was Jo Ann's that you were in) that you sign up for their flier. Each flier comes with a 40% coupon on it and those dingle berries aren't cheap! That coupon (unless you haunt the store and wait for them to go on sale at 30% - 50% off) will let you make the purchase on your schedule at at *almost* your price. Plus, if you sign up, they'll send you a 'welcome' coupon good for 10% off your entire order. Up here in Michigan Jo Ann's also sends their sales fliers out in the Sunday paper.

The fabric you chose is nice. It has that rich, sumptuous look to it which goes beautifully with the woodwork in the room.

Greg said...

It is Jo Ann's and I received one of those fliers with my purchase. That is how I know about the lining going on sale next week. Thanks all.

Anonymous said...

Pretty reddish trims to tie into your other wall color
http://www.housefabric.com/categorysubview.asp?CategoryID=104&CategorySubID=675

I wish I lived closer, Greg. I love making curtains...I remember when I finally got to that point with my house...I was like OMG this is such a milestone! I'm getting to do the fun stuff! :)

You could even just do a simple band/stripe of red velvet or silk at the bottom of your curtains to tie into the reddish wall color.

Greg said...

Yes, the gimp braid or limp cord would be good.

Anonymous said...

they'll be gorgeous, good choice.

Katherine said...

Hey those kind of look familiar.

Al said...

I think those are perfect, especially with a band. Can't wait to see it.

Just out of curiosity, have there been any more feline friends hanging around outside the Petch House? Miss those posts...

Greg said...

You know, I've never had so much trouble taking in a stray. There are 2 cats - obvious strays - over the past 6 or 7 months that I started feeding and neither of them have hung around.

slateberry said...

Eureka! That inspiration picture seals the deal. It's perfect!

I'd have the seamstress sew up the curtains and only baste in the bottom hem. Then do a trial hang, to ensure the hems are all equidistant from the floor, or touching, or whatever your preference is. The critical detail is, making sure they are all the same. Then he/she can make any needed adjustments, do the final hem, and add the dinglebob trim or whatever you call it. It's an extra step, but probably worth it.
3" puddling is very popular, but I am just not a puddler. My preference is _almost_ touching the floor; anything else gives me the dust yicks (and yes, I clean my house regularly, but still...)
Just my 2 cents.
-a long time reader and fan, on the east coast or I'd be begging to sew the curtains for you, I so appreciate your blog.