Replies

1. 
   starzoe | Jan 06, 2009 11:07pm | #1

   Either get some home sewing books at the library or better still, Google for the information you need. Something like drape measurement or curtain measurements into the search should bring you all the information you need.

1. 
   ghis | Jan 06, 2009 11:14pm | #2

   Thanks a lot,how come I did not think of that?

2. 
   Kilroy | Jan 11, 2009 04:10am | #3

   Silk is damaged by ultraviolet light - so unless you have very high "E" windows that have no ultraviolet transmittance - you will want to line them with another fabric to protect them from the daylight. Otherwise they will start to shatter in just a couple of years.

1. 
   ghis | Jan 12, 2009 08:21pm | #5

   thanks Kilroy. I was thinking of bying the darkening toile and plastic drapes that is on a separate pole , do you think that they will suffice to protect the silk

3. 
   suesew | Jan 11, 2009 05:49am | #4

   You will need to figure out how long you want the finished drape to be and then add hem allowance on both ends. (a double folded 4" hem gives good weight to the bottom.) Then once you have that length figured out you just need to figure out how many widths of the fabric you will need to cover the windows. This will depend on how you are hanging them and whether or not you are doing pleats, etc. If you are using a plaid or some pattern that needs to be matched you will need to add additional for that also.

1. 
   ghis | Jan 12, 2009 08:24pm | #6

   Thank you Suesew for all the good infos I really appreciate it.

4. 
   ghis | Jan 12, 2009 08:39pm | #7

   Dear Susan, I wnt on your website and I can see that your wuork is exquisite, I also thank you for all the help. Your website gave me lots of ideas.

1. 
   Susan -homedecsewing | Jan 13, 2009 01:26am | #8

   Your very welcome, and thanks for the kudos about my work. It is actually alot of fun for me .So I'm blessed to do what I love and get paid for it. Good luck with your drapes.One more thing, if you don't have a blind hemmer machine, its not against the law to use iron on tape in the hem. It just looks great with silk to have that smooth finish at the hemline. Susan

1. 
   moira | Jan 13, 2009 02:59am | #9

   Hi Susan. I was interested in your hemming tip. I have silk waiting to get made into curtains - maybe now that Christmas is over I'll get round to that job soon. I've got interlining and was thinking I could hem the silk onto that to avoid any stitches showing. Is this a standard practice?

1. 
   Susan -homedecsewing | Jan 13, 2009 03:14am | #10

   I would not do it, and I'll tell you why. I tried it and when they were hung they looked just lousy and I sat there and restitched them by hand. The 2 fabrics need to hang independently of each other as gravity makes one stretch a little bit diferently, no matter how perfect you may have tried to measure. But thats just me. Maybe someone has a better suggestion. I certainly don't know it all... but I'm trying ! lol Susan

1. 
   moira | Jan 13, 2009 03:31am | #11

   Well, that's an answer that makes sense. I'll know not to waste time doing it. I haven't got a blind hemmer, but I don't know if I could bear to 'stick' the hems up! I know its not illegal (!) but it does seem a bit sacrilegious to do that to my beautiful silk.

2. 
   Susan -homedecsewing | Jan 13, 2009 03:43am | #12

   The iron on webbing is light and disappears. Yet you can pull it apart should you need to.Test a scrap. Its just that with silk every stitch makes a little shimmery shadow, which this method eliminates. I know, its cheating, but with great results. And it will come out with dry cleaning . but silk being so delicate, I don't recommend drycleaning them ever anyway. Sometimes I just do crazy things,I know, I'm a rebel !