How to Add Softness to your Home with Fabrics

How to Add Softness to your Home with Fabrics

Tired of the way your home looks?  Add a fresh, updated appearance to your home with fabric! Sewing for your home can be quick and easy, and you'll have professional results using timesaving methods that require a minimum of sewing skills.  If you don't sew at all, don't give up!  Many items can be created with no-sew techniques.  Guidelines are available for selecting fabrics appropriate for your project . . . whether you’re making the items yourself or having someone makes them for you. Fabric furnishings add softness and a distinctive character to any room.  You’ll discover almost limitless ways to use fabrics in decorating with curtains, draperies, upholstery, bedspreads, dust ruffles and tablecloths.  Fabrics are both attractive and practical on walls and ceilings or when used for room dividers, padded headboards for beds, wall hangings, picture frames, pillows of all kinds and shapes, storage devices and any number of other creative uses.  Look for ideas as you browse through decorating books and magazines or page through pattern books found at fabric stores.  Take time to observe the uses of fabrics in store displays, model homes and even the homes of your friends.  Don't try to copy ideas, however, but adapt them to create your own one-of-a-kind items.

 

Fabric Choices

Shopping for fabrics can be both fun and frustrating because there’s an unlimited variety of fabric colors, textures and designs available. Consider trying an idea used by professional designers by selecting a fabric in a pattern and colors that you like as the basis for a room’s color scheme.  More companies are now offering coordinating fabrics that make designing your room a real delight.  Wide fabric widths of 54", 60", 90" and even 120" mean less piecing and also reduce both cost and sewing time.  Bed sheets provide another source for wide widths of fabric in the latest colors and patterns.

Select fabrics that are appropriate for the intended use and desired method of care.  They should also look well with the other furnishings in the room.  Study design trends for current colors and patterns and be alert to new ideas that are starting to appear in stores and magazines. Then use these new colors and patterns to give your present furnishings an updated look.

How to Add Softness to your Home with Fabrics

Purchasing Pointers

As you are planning your project and selecting the fabric, consider the following guidelines:

* Know your budget limitations before you go out to buy. Having a price range established help to eliminate some choices immediately.

* Take time to plan your project carefully.  What colors are used in the room?  How will one pattern complement or blend with another?  What will this item add to the decor of the room?

* Measure carefully and write down these dimensions to take with you when shopping.  Also include a tape measure, pad, pencil, paint chips, fabric and carpet samples, so you'll be prepared for comparing colors and purchasing items that you need for the project.

* Be careful with color!  If you are considering either a bright or a dark color, will it be placed where direct sunlight will hit it?  Some dark colors fade very quickly, and bright, intense colors will stand out as new when combined with older furnishings in a room.  In situations such as this, choose more subdued or grayed colors.  And remember that colors change dramatically when viewed under different lighting or with different color combinations.  Play it safe by asking if a large sample is available to be taken out and viewed in the intended setting.  When samples are not available, purchase a yard to try out in your home in both daylight and night lighting.

* Examine the fabric construction before buying.  Remember that  fiber content, type of yarn, fabric construction and finishing techniques all play a part in determining the serviceability of the fabric.  As a rule, the tighter the yarns are twisted, the longer the wear you can reasonably expect.  The tighter the weave or higher the thread count (number of threads per inch), the stronger the fabric. It pays to use good quality fabrics for most decorating projects. The items last longer and give a finer finished look.  Consider, too, the  length of time you expect to use these items. You'll need a better quality fabric for draperies that you expect to last 10 to 15 years than you will for a pair of kitchen curtains that you plan to replace in two or three years.  Don't hesitate to ask your County Extension agent for help or guidance.

* Carefully evaluate the appropriateness of the fabric, color, pattern and texture, keeping the intended use in mind.   Is the fabric sturdy enough for the intended use?  Is it soft enough to drape if you want it to drape or crisp enough to hold a desired shape?

* Ask for and read carefully any labels and hang tags that are attached to, printed on or come with the fabric.  These are important guides in knowing how to care for your finished items.  If using a washable fabric, plan to pre-shrink it along with other materials, such as buckram or linings. Do not wash a fabric if dry cleaning is recommended.  Vacuum these items regularly to prevent dust from accumulating on the fabric surface.  It is recommended that fabrics be thoroughly vacuumed, dry cleaned or laundered after the pollen season for health reasons, especially if someone in your household has allergies.  Electronic air cleaners or regular cleaning/changing of the filter on forced-air furnaces will help to protect fabrics from dust.  Dust may also be removed by tumbling fabric items, such as drapery panels, in the clothes dryer without heat.

* Consider the size of a design when selecting fabric for your project.  Random patterns, small all over prints and stripes are easier to work with than large, strongly defined repeat patterns. Figuring the extra yardage that is needed for matching a repeat can become quite involved and add to the total cost of the project.  If you fall in love with a large or dominant pattern, be sure to purchase enough additional fabric to match patterns and complete the project.

* If a vertical line is important, such as for window curtains, be sure that any pattern is on-grain. Don't buy fabric that is printed off-grain or that has been pulled off-grain during finishing or wrapping on the bolt.  Examine the fabric carefully, and ask the sales clerk for help in determining if the fabric is grain perfect.

* If you are covering furniture or pillows, will the fabric require a lining to prevent showing through?  Most window coverings will be more durable and save energy if they are lined.

* Has the fabric been treated with a stain-repellant finish?  These finishes help in maintaining the appearance over a period of time.  To test the effectiveness of a stain resistant finish, drop a small amount of water on a fabric sample.  If the water beads up instead of soaking in, the fabric will repel stains.  After laundering or dry cleaning, this protective finish may need to be reapplied either by the dry cleaner or with a spray that can be purchased at retail stores.  However, read hang tags and warranties carefully for any precautions regarding recommended care and application of additional finishes.

* Buy all the fabric you need at one time and make a note of the dye lot number if available.  Dye lots differ, and what started as a raspberry color may turn brighter red in a later shipment. If a fabric continues to be available over a period of time and you decide to add more furnishings in the same or a coordinating fabric, be sure to check colors carefully before purchasing.

* Textile products and fabric furnishings are expected to be serviceable.  Ask yourself which of the following characteristics are most important--durability, comfort, care, appearance, fashion or price.  Use these rankings as guidelines when making your final selections.     

* Remember . . . haste makes waste.  Take time to think each project through carefully.  Allow time, too, to consider creative ways of finishing your project.  A little extra time and some imagination can turn the ordinary into the unusual and distinctive.

 

* Enjoy the creative process you are experiencing.  Then appreciate the praise and satisfaction you’ll receive for a job well done!

How to Add Softness to your Home with Fabrics

Figuring Fabric Amounts

Determining the amount of fabric that is needed for a project can be confusing.  However, it's not really difficult!  Purchased patterns and project instructions give instructions for yardage and suggested pattern placement for cutting pieces.  You can also make your own "layouts" just like those in pattern instructions to make best use of fabric if using odd shapes and sizes. To do this, use graph paper to draw rectangles to scale to represent widths of 45", 54" and 60" (or 90" and 120" widths if you know that you will be shopping for these wider fabrics).  Make a number of copies to use as "master" forms.

For each project, refer to the measurements you have taken and sketch out the pieces you'll need (fronts, backs, sides) on your master.  These sketches will tell you how many yards are needed for the width of fabric you are considering.  If piecing is necessary, you will also be able to determine how many "lengths" of fabric will be required to complete the project.  (Before you actually purchase fabric, remember to consider any additional allowances that may be needed for ½ inch seams, hems, directional patterns, fabric nap, design repeats and loft from batting or filler.)

Joining Lengths of Fabrics

When figuring the amount of yardage needed, remember that the primary rule for positioning seams is to make them as inconspicuous as possible. That usually means that seams will be placed on the side, rather than down the center of tablecloths and bedspreads.

Use selvage edges when possible for sewing lengths of fabric together.  Be sure to add ½ inch seam allowances to each piece for seams.

How to Add Softness to your Home with Fabrics

Matching Patterns

Any design repeat must be measured and figured carefully when purchasing fabrics.  Small prints may not be that noticeable, but larger prints can be as much as twenty or thirty inches in length for one repeat.  Measure the repeat on the fabric you are considering and add to the required yardage of each length to be pieced.  (For instance, there should be a full design repeat positioned along the top of each panel on fabric-covered walls or along the top of each curtain and drapery panel.)

One-Way Designs

If arranging pieces on a one-way design or napped fabric, such as velvet or corduroy, be sure that all pieces are placed in the correct (same) direction.  Check to be sure that patterns are matched when necessary and that large motifs are centered on cushions and tablecloths.

Also, check the design repeat across the width of the fabric to be sure that you will have enough fabric to complete your project as you would like for it to be finished.

Trims

Fringe, tassels, braid, cording, lace, ribbons and bows add distinction and character to otherwise plain items.  Consider the decorating style in the room as well as the weight and recommended care of fabric when you are selecting trims.  When planning the placement of trimmings, mark guidelines with either a water-soluble marking pen or a marker using ink that disappears. A glue stick will hold the trim in place while stitching.  Some trims can be attached with fusible fabric or glue.

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How to Choose Curtain Patterns

How to Choose Curtain Patterns

Today a call for of a curtain is such a trend. Indeed, when a homeowner need privacy for their house or room but still want to get the style and beautiful, they can use a curtain for covering the windows. But sometimes, they don’t get the meaning except privacy. It means that a curtain has another meaning except privacy such a beauty, elegance, glamour, and more. Then how to choose the curtain pattern?

First of choosing the curtain pattern is texture. To select the texture of fabric curtains, consider the atmosphere of the room to be created. In the formal room, you can choose the material of silk or velvet. Other fabric choices that can be more easily washable rayon fabric are a mix of fine and cotton sateen. As for the rooms that are relaxed, you can choose a bloated linen or velvet fabric wrinkled. Cotton cloth can also be easily coordinated with any room concept because such a neat texture of wool fabric.

Second, in choosing the curtain pattern is color. Color selection is based on whether the blackout curtains design will be incorporated with the design of the room to sweeten zoom. If so, choose colors that match the color of the curtain walls but darker, could also replace it with a neutral color. Meanwhile, the use of bold colors is going to make curtains stand out. Keep in mind, the rooms are much exposed to sunlight, the color of the curtains with stripes will further beautify the look of the room.

Third of choosing the curtain pattern is the style. Interior design rules, generally if the furniture of the room already has a motif, let the curtain pattern image appear innocent. Vice versa, if the furniture without motive, then choose curtains with interesting motif. Common motif that many people enjoy and look stylish is small motifs and neutral, for example, is a point and a line. Motifs like this; it would seem to have a wonderful texture when viewed from a distance. Select motif curtains that are still associated with the concept of space in order to look harmonious.

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Fabulous Synthetic Curtains and Drapery Fabrics

Fabulous Synthetic Curtains and Drapery Fabrics

Fabulous Synthetic Curtains and Drapery Fabrics

Increasingly you will find fabulous synthetic curtains and drapery fabrics in the stores. Whether it is a "concealed" plastic that is, a plastic you would never dream was plastic unless you were told, such as a velvet pile of nylon or a filmy lace or whether it is a fabric more easily recognized as synthetic, such as rubber-like shower curtain material or plastic film, there are certain advantages you should appreciate and certain things you should know about these test-tube materials. First of all, not all plastics have the same properties; try to get a brand name plastic or synthetic that is labeled and tells what it will do. Follow directions for laundering, cleaning and care. Inquire as to the fiber blend if the material is not a pure plastic.

In sewing plastic film materials, handle them lightly. Try not to baste, tack or pin, as you won't be able to repair the holes made. Use Scotch tape instead for preliminary marking, or try paper clips or weights. Don't press or crease your plastic fabric, either. Plastics of this type are easily stitched. Use a fine needle and a mercerized thread, or if sewing a nylon or other plastic fiber fabric, use nylon thread. These threads are said to possess the pliability of cotton, with the strength and elasticity of nylon.

Newest of the synthetics is orlon, a synthetic fiber which is said to be virtually indestructible by the elements that is, by sun, light and heat. Orion can be hung at windows that get strong sunlight or over radiators without fear that this will ultimately weaken them. While nylon has what is called "static electricity" and has a tendency to stick to the windows, orlon is not affected in this way. Orion is little sheerer than nylon, with a trifle more body, and because of this you can get a good drape with it.

Nylon today is being produced in a wide range of traditional weaves and in many beautiful colors; in its sheer and marquisette forms it leads the other synthetics in sheerness and softness and in the delicacy of its colors. Nylon marquisette is the most practical of the nylon fabrics, taking the place of conventional sheer cottons and rayons, but bringing a new laundering ease. Nylon ninon, more opaque than the marquisettes, is a favorite for draperies, glass curtains used without draperies, and for wall-to-wall draw curtains. Nylon lace retains its shape after washing and need not be stretched. Lighter and sheerer than lace woven of conventional cottons, it has an almost silvery sheen. Other glass curtain possibilities of nylon include a new tricot novelty weave, white on white Jacquards, satin weaves, sheer plain weaves embroidered in white with little flowers, very sheer novelty striped taffetas, and faille. There is also a closely- woven voile.

Fabulous Synthetic Curtains and Drapery Fabrics

Deterioration is not a serious factor with plastic fibers of a glossy type, and strong sunlight affects nylon, for example, less than taffeta and silk. But dull yarns are more quickly harmed by exposure to sunlight, and nylon velvets and other pile fabrics should not be hung at windows that get long exposure to sun.

Fiberglas is heavier than nylon or orlon, but because it is spun from actual marbles of limpid glass, it has a quality of translucence and a delightful shimmering quality. It is available in many pastel shades, and makes an effective wall-to-wall drapery.

You can put draperies of plastic or fiberglass away for winter or summer without fearing mildew. Plastic and glass fabrics are easy to keep clean because they shed dirt and dust. If the dyes and finishes are color- fast, then washing presents no problem, and since the fibers are smooth and don't hold water, the fabrics dry quickly. The spun nylons, cut into soft, fuzzy yarns, dry more slowly.

As you can see the subject of fabrics is a vast one, with many variations and possibilities offered the discriminating. It is foolhardy to make rules about which fabrics go with which styles of decorating, as contemporary decoration increasingly adopts materials associated with periods and schools of design no longer fashionable, and brings them up to date with modern colors and methods of manufacture. Thus brocades, taffetas, matelass6s (which are made of soft double compound fabrics with a quilted appearance) are in high style once more as decorative fashion takes its cue from far-away places or the past.

Fabulous Synthetic Curtains and Drapery Fabrics

Today, for example, there is new interest in documentary fabrics. Documentaries are not merely the small, repetitive patterns of calico for use in French Provincial or Early American rooms, that many people think them to be. They are rather those fabric designs that were worked out long ago by craftsmen as, for example, a French artist in Paris during the time of

Louis XVI, or by a pioneer farm woman in the days of the settling of our own country. Those from abroad may have found their way into American hands with our clipper ships or Nantucket whalers, wrapped around some jewel or ornament a sailor was bringing home. They are, in other words, documents of the past, and in color and pattern they bring back the flavor of other days and ways of life, and so they include not only the small-scale cretonnes but the large-scale chintzes, elegant damasks and brocades. If you have a period room, the good documentary fabrics will complement the mahogany, fruitwood, walnut, maple, pine or whatever wood you have that was used by cabinetmakers of the period you have adopted.

On the whole, however, for modern rooms, we might sum up by stating that nylon, fiber glass, marquisette and ninon nets, gauze, taffeta, satin, raw silks, moires, denims and sailcloths, monk's cloth and homespun, are good. Metallic accents are used.

For French Provincial in the country, use homespun colors, calicos and cottons, toile de Jouy and documentaries. For city French Provincial use, silks and deeper colors, more decisive patterns should be employed.

For Early American use small quiet chintzes, calicos, ginghams and other cottons of this type, hand-blocked linens and cretonnes. For Victorian consider lace, the pile fabrics and brocades.

Queen Anne, Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton and other 18th century styles can associate well with richer satins, silk brocades, damask, moire, and chintz although Queen Anne is more simple than Chippendale.

General principles when selecting a fabric are: When you shop for fabrics ask what special qualities the fabric has, whether it should be washed or cleaned, and how to care for it. If it is labeled, read the label before buying it. 

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Over-drapery Materials

In draperies by far the largest group is the cottons. Beginning with calico sized, plain-woven cotton with the pattern on one side these prints, which seem subdued, are fine for country homes. Cretonne was originally the French version of calico, and it is made with a heavier yarn. Usually cretonne, which is the same material as unglazed chintz, has larger designs than the unglazed chintz. Because of its lack of glaze, it gives a pleasantly subdued look to the print; in antique floral an authentic look, in modern designs perhaps a more subtle one.

Chintzes are cretonnes glazed with a dull or high gloss. This gloss is acquired by a wax glaze or a starch glaze, (both of which come out in the laundry) and, today, by a chemical, durable glaze. Choose this type of finish for long use. Glosheen is the name of mercerized cotton with the satin weave reversed. This gives a permanent sheen, too.

All the printed cottons lend themselves to a wide variety of colors and designs, varying from those reminiscent of the past such as toile de Jouy to the free contemporary patterns by modern painters.

Familiar shirting and dress cotton fabrics are highly suitable for informal interiors. Among these are chambray (originally used in Chambrai, France, for sun- bonnets), a fabric woven with a colored warp and a white woof, resulting in a changeable colored surface. Percale, which is highly recommended as a summer curtain or drapery material, is a cool, crisp-looking fabric similar to chambray but finer. Originally hand blocked in India, percale has a dull finish, and comes in plain solid colors and printed patterns. Gingham, another plain-weave cloth, has figures made from yarns which are dyed before weaving, and is woven in stripes, plaids and checks.

Over-drapery Materials

A fabric borrowed from working-day life is denim, made in lighter weight for draperies, and in a variety of colors and patterns. This long-wearing, sturdy, fabric dyes to vivid colors and is always stylish. Of firm, twill-weave cotton, it often has a whitish tinge obtained by using white woof yarns with colored warp yarns.

Another suiting material that is very smart for draperies is gabardine, which is a tightly-woven twilled cotton, rayon or wool, with a marked diagonal raised weave on the right side.

Homespun is the designation given loose rough fabrics imitating tweedy materials formerly loomed at home. The homespun look is obtained by using unevenly-spun fibers of cotton, rayon or wool. Monk's cloth, a heavy basket- weave cotton fabric, usually seen in its natural off-white or beige color, is used too, to achieve a homespun quality.

Pique, a heavy cotton with a corded surface is highly suitable for summer draperies, as it launders well and wears well.

Among those materials which have a lustrous appearance, and which may be made of cotton, rayon, silk or synthetics, you will find poplin, a fine, durable fabric which drapes beautifully and resembles broad-cloth. Made with a plain weave it has fine cross ribs made by using warp threads finer than the woof threads.

Rep, which is heavier than poplin but quite similar, has a more distinctive surface texture produced by heavier woof threads than warp threads. It is produced in silk, rayon, mohair or cotton yarns in plain or printed fabrics. Jaspe is a mottled looking rep, made by having a series of faint, broken stripes woven into it.

Faille, a popular drapery fabric, has a rep weave which gives a heavy corded surface to what is, in reality, a soft, slightly glossy silk, rayon or cotton fabric. Faille drapes and tailors well.

Over-drapery Materials

Ottoman is a heavy corded silk or rayon with larger, rounder ribs than faille. The ribs, or filling, of the cloth are usually cotton, but they are completely covered by the silk or rayon warp. Moire, another rep fabric, has a heavy watermark impressed by engraved rollers when the material is damp, and this results in the material reflecting light differently on the crushed and uncrushed parts. This pattern is not permanent except on acetate rayon. Bengaline is similar to faille, too, but heavier, with a fine weave.

Satin, of silk or rayon, another glossy fabric, sometimes with a cotton filling, has a smooth, lustrous face and dull back. The luster is obtained by the weave, and the finish produced by running it between hot cylinders. Made in many varieties and qualities, it can be screen-printed and antiqued, and makes a soft, rich material when quilted.

Taffeta, which is also effective when quilted, is smooth on both sides, usually with a sheen on the surface. Of silk, rayon, cotton or synthetic yarns, it may be woven in such a way that its colors seem changeable, its texture crisp.

Certain fabrics have an almost undeviatingly formal manner, and among these are the heavy brocades, brocatelles, and "pile" fabrics like velvet, velour, etc.

They should only be used as side drapes, or in cases where no light is wanted.

Damask, a firm glossy-patterned fabric with a Jacquard weave, is woven so that the right side usually has satin face designs that are reversed on the other side. Damask is similar to brocade, but flatter and reversible. It may be o linen, cotton, rayon or silk.

Brocades, which have been having an influence on wallpaper designs, have subdued patterns made of mixed yarns against a plain background. Satin weave, an allover pattern resembling embroidery, marks this fabric, Brocatelle is a fancy damask, with stuffer threads under the raised design making a thickness that looks like heavy-handed embroidery.

A variation on the plain weave in which an additional warp thread is looped on the surface and then cut, produces velvet. Velours is a further variation on velvet, in which the additional thread is made in a plain or twill weave of a different color. Plush is another kind of caught pile woven from mohair. Velveteen is a cotton fabric with a short, close pile made to look like velvet.

Toweling materials also sometimes are appropriate as curtains, when a coarse fabric with a rough, irregular surface is required. Crash is such a fabric. Usually of cotton or linen, it is obtained by weaving uneven yarns. 

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Fabrics for Lace and Nets Curtains

Fabrics for Lace and Nets Curtains

Another returning vogue is lace, especially with a renewal of home fashion interest in Victorian styles. But the newer lace curtains have more delicate designs than the older styles. Although lace is available in a great variety of patterns, familiar laces for draperies include "antique lace," which is hand-made bobbin lace of heavy thread with large, often irregular, square-knotted net on which designs are darned. It is the imitation antique lace, which is the fabric sold for draperies. Battenburg lace, a coarser form of Renaissance lace, made by hand or machine, of linen, braid or tape and linen thread brought together to form various designs, is machine-made for draperies. Brussels lace is now being made by machine in delicate patterns. But the more contemporary lace fabrics have sheer ground areas, clearer designs, and free placement of design motifs.

Fish net, cotton or linen twine knotted together with big open loops, is often recommended by decorators for seashore or country houses, for covering big open window spaces, or as a wall drapery, where it can provide a pleasing pattern of white threads against a vivid background. To provide privacy with fish net it is necessary to have overlapping lengths. For some reason an illusion exists that this is an inexpensive window treatment; actually fish net, obtained from commercial fishing supply houses at best, is relatively expensive.

Fabrics for Lace and Nets Curtains

Ordinary net, usually in beige colors or tan, is often sold as a dining room or living room curtain material and is considered durable, although in actuality its shrinkage rate is high. Breton lace, net which has designs embroidered on it with heavy, often with colored, thread, is also sold. Tambour curtain fabrics (embroidered on a drum-like device) and filet nets from England, Switzerland and France are available, and provide a filmy glass curtain through which soft sunlight filters.

Just announced is a method of weaving nylon on looms, and lace curtains of nylon are said to be light in weight and easily laundered. After the water has drained off, the curtains may be hung back on the rods to finish drying. A light pressing is only necessary at the hems.

Gauze, a thin, sheer-woven cotton fabric similar to cheesecloth, is made in different weaves of silk, cotton, rayon and synthetics. Theatrical gauze, now being produced in charming pastel plaids of green, pink and white, yellow, white and rust, hunter green, and chartreuse and white, among other color combinations, can be used for play rooms, dining rooms, or any room where a subtle, gay touch is wanted.

Fabrics for Lace and Nets Curtains

Another nylon fabric now available is a gauze of such transparent delicacy that a hundred yards of it weighs less than five pounds. Remarkably strong and dirt-resistant for all its sheerness, it is described as ideal for casement curtains, as it lets in a slightly softened light, while from the outside the close weave reflects the light and reveals nothing.

Serim, a lightweight, stiffened, coarse gauze, with an open weave, usually in ecru or white, used to be preferred to net and marquisette, since it had less tendency to shrink on washing but, as explained, this need no longer be a prime consideration, since you can get other materials which will not shrink. The rule still holds good, however, that for fabrics which are not shrink-proof, the coarser the mesh, the more chance of shrinking. Some fabrics with a coarse mesh will shrink so much at the first washing as to be practically useless.

Dotted swiss, a sheer, crisp, cotton fabric with either embroidered or raised polka dots on a plain weave, is effective for informal curtains, and for bedrooms, kitchens, etc.

Glass curtains that are more opaque include the already-mentioned handkerchief or finer linens, cam-brics or lawns; natural silk, which is naturally creamy-white or yellow, depending on its source, or dark tan if from a wild silkworm; pongee, which is a thin natural tan-colored silk with a rough, knotty weave, or shantung, which is much like pongee and was originally woven o wild silk in China but is now often mixed with rayon and cotton. All of these silk or silk-based materials have a natural resiliency and do not crash easily. There is also madras, familiar in a heavier weight as men's shirting material, which is a woven cotton fabric with a stripe, a corded or a checked effect. Nylon and other rayon fabrics that resemble silk closely can be had too, and rayon dress fabrics in interesting prints may make unusual-looking curtains. 

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Fabric for Glass Curtains or Thin Sheer Curtains

Fabric for Glass Curtains or Thin Sheer Curtains

Glass curtains, or thin sheer curtains, have come to be more and more popular hanging alone, with no over draperies. New concepts in light and space have inspired spider-web techniques in gauze with the merest suggestion of plaid; strong glass fibers spun into shimmering fabrics, woven into curtains that seem to shed dust and soil, that launder ready to hang without stretching; soft glowing weaves of acetate rayon, remarkably sturdy for all their look of delicacy; gossamer wool, nylon and vinyon weaves. These sheers are screens that, when used as casement cloths, cut glare from strong daylight, providing a decorative yet unobtrusive accent. They maintain that look of maximum space and close contact with the out-of-doors that modernists treasure.

What are some of the familiar types of materials you encounter when you go to buy fabric for sheer or glass curtains? Most prevalent are the marquisettes in silk, cotton, rayon, nylon, glass fiber, or any similar yarn, square meshed or open meshed, open weave, lightweight fabrics. The newer nylon and fiber glass marquisettes may be more expensive than cotton or rayon, but their makers claim better lasting powers, explaining that they make for economy in the long run since they need less frequent laundering than ordinary marquisette. They won't shrink, and consequently need no alterations. Also, since they won't absorb moisture, they won't wrinkle or rot.

Fabric for Glass Curtains or Thin Sheer Curtains

Ninon, in both cotton and rayon, differs from marquisette in that it is heavyweight (rather than light-weight), closely-woven, (rather than loosely- woven), filmy, and extra fine. Ninon is a type of voile, a plain weave in a cotton or rayon, usually fine and sheer, although it is available in many grades from coarse-open to fine, veil-like material.

Choosing between these two materials in draw draperies for large window expanses in modern rooms can be of more importance than it would seem at the first consideration. If your room is based on rough textures, earthy colors, with an emphasis on natural woods, potteries, and California styles, the filmy smoothness of nino might look just a trifle wrong; whereas it would be just the thing far preferable to marquisette in a room with sleek surfaces, the Far Eastern touch, lacquered ebony, polished brass, spun aluminum, and shining taffeta, or upholstery with metallic accents, taffeta or satin. And again, when choosing between a voile and a marquisette for a glass curtain, think how it will look paired with the over- drapery. A filmy smooth, translucent voile would conceivably look better next to a more formal rayon faille; a marquisette better next to a chintz.

Fabric for Glass Curtains or Thin Sheer Curtains

Grenadine is a fabric similar to marquisette made of silk, mixed with cotton. Loosely woven, it is fine, more transparent than marquisette and made with a dot or figures.

Muslin is a glass-curtain fabric, with an old-fashioned charm that is being brought back by decorators, especially in Dutch curtains for den, kitchen and dinette. Muslin is a firm, plain-weave cotton cloth ranging in weight from thin batiste to heavier sheetings such as percale. Lawn is a sheer muslin, slightly stiffened, with the pattern printed on.

Organdie, which is a sheer stiffened muslin, holds ruffles and flounces better than most sheers, and is a favorite for achieving a fresh, crisp, feminine look, for little girls' rooms, for cottage interiors, for pretty boudoirs. Used as a trimming with eyelet embroidery on chintz it is dainty and appealing. 

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How to Purchase Curtains Fabric and Materials

How to Purchase Curtains Fabric and Materials

The fabric department of your department store with its vast assortment of materials, colors, weaves, and patterns competing for your attention, is apt to prove bewildering unless you understand something about fabrics before you go out to buy them. With some knowledge of fabrics you are not so likely to be swayed by bargain prices or tricky patterns, and to buy something that is not really what you had in mind. A good precaution is to get a swatch to take home and to place it near your other furnishings to see how it goes with them.

If you like it is much when you get it home, it will probably continue to satisfy you.

How to Purchase Curtains Fabric and Materials

How to Purchase Curtains Fabric and Materials

In purchasing curtain materials it is necessary to consider their durability, texture, color, design, and how easy they will be to care for. Sometimes the cost of the fabric itself is not large, but the trouble and expense of making it up warrants getting a fabric that will wear, even at a higher price. The new synthetic finishes that make fabrics shrink fast, colorfast and sun fast, glass and plastic fibers, and plastic sheeting materials, have gone a long way in disposing of many of these difficulties. But often a room calls for a traditional material, and in such a case durability is a consideration. If you find you have fallen in love with an expensive chintz or print that you just can't afford, get a plain material that correlates well with it and use it for trimming, or for a valance or cornice covering. 

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Terms and Parts of a Curtain

Terms and Parts of a Curtain

Parts of a Curtain

Here are Terms of a Curtain:

Now let's get to know the terms and definitions of a curtain. It makes it easier to clarify what you want when you know the right expressions. Get easy with your curtain terms below.

What is "Face Fabric"?

It means the major fabric that faces the interior of the room. It is the “good” side of the fabric.

What is "Return"?

It is the part of the drapery that goes around the side of a cornice, valance, drape to sit flush and at right angles with the wall.

Head / Heading

It is the top of the curtain. It often gets called heading because of the heading tape that is used to make curtain decorative designs, ie French pleat, pencil pleat etc at the head of the curtain.

Stackback

This is the area required and used by pleated curtains when they are open on either side of the window. You need to allow for this when you measure for your curtain track.

Padded Edge

This is a roll of padding along the leading edge of a curtain.

Track or Rod

The track or rod is fixed to the wall above the window and is used to hold up the curtain. 

Hooks

Hooks are what connects the curtain to the tracks or rods.

Parts of a Curtain

Heading Tape

Curtain heading tape is how you can get interesting head designs like French pleats, pencil pleats, or the basic gathered pleats. You sew on the tape and pull through the strings to create the style or design. 

Leading Edge

This is the inner vertical edges of the curtain that meets its pair at the centre of the window, the edge that is not fixed to the end of the track when you draw back curtains and is often decorated with a contrasting lipping, braid, tasselled fringe.

Hem

The base of the curtain which has the fabric turned back up the curtain to make a neat finish to the bottom edge. It also adds natural weight which helps the curtain hang neatly. Weights can also be added into the hem to help achieve this.

Lining

Lining sits behind the curtain fabric at the window and is what helps with insulation, protects the curtain from moisture and dirt from the window, helps provide fullness in the curtain, blocks out more light and protects the fabric from UV.

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A Guide on How to Clean and Wash your Cotton Curtains Properly

Synthetic fabric curtain has a different way of cleaning cotton fabric. These are some useful guide to wash synthetic fabric curtain. And what will be the best way to wash cotton curtains? Here are some tips that you can use during the wash curtains. Curtains Design Needs

TO Handwash white cotton curtains, the first step is to shake it gently to get rid of dust as much as you can. Then let them soak for ten or fifteen minutes in lukewarm suds to loosen the soil. Without twisting or wringing them, and lift them from the water and drain away. Then carefully wash the curtains in a lather made of pure white lukewarm soap flakes or a mild detergent. Pressure on the suds through them, do not rub or scrub. If still looks dingy give them a second wash with fresh lather. Think twice before adding household bleach your first rinse. It will weaken slightly even when the fibers are used carefully and rinsed thoroughly. You need the most pure cottons to be starched to look their best, with the exception of organza with a lasting finish, so this material loses its fragility after a number of washing and the needs of starch or some other end. Use starch Blue or adds to the blue dye mixture of starch your own, taking care that it is distributed evenly.

Washing machine white cotton curtains. Soak them briefly and then give them two short washing. Device driver three to five minutes for the first wash and about two (with fresh suds, of course) for the second time. Rinse carefully, and blue, and starch. Hang them in a row to make ironing easier.

To shutters fold them lengthwise down the middle and double iron them, with the stroke length. If the Iron Curtain ruffled the first main part, to the edge of ruffle doubled, then iron, address, and the top and bottom ruffles. Iron and ruffle the other hand, and touched the body of the curtain. By this method in the main part of the curtain is finished before it has a chance to dry out. And Ruffles usually remain moist enough to be settled without constant re-hydration and it's much easier to touch until the appropriate curtain if it accumulates wrinkles to re do mussed ruffles. Do not iron curtains starched sheer when wet too. The iron capture starch and stick to the material, and often burned or torn. Curtains Design Needs

Be dealt with colored cotton curtains in the same way; provided that be colorfast, but test them if you're not sure of the reaction, always dry them indoors or in the shade. Some cotton that is fast on the water is not quick to light, and fade more quickly if exposed to the sun when wet. Very sheer curtains can be traced almost dry in the Turkish towel, then settled.

Orlon, nylon and Dacron curtains are in the bracket easy care. These are strong and if the fiber is well sew curtains; they can go in the washing machine and washed with soap or detergent in warm water heavy. If welded sensitive or bad (you can pull loose threads?) You have to do what is best for them by hand. Pat a little detergent in any of the fields, especially soiled before it starts.

If you wash materials manufacturer of hand, and you will find it easy because this is not in the blinds often heavily soiled. They usually do not require soaking, but it will not harm them. Simply wrapped in lather with lukewarm water and detergent, then press gently lather through them until they are clean. Do not wring or twist. Rinse thoroughly and then hang them over the line to drip dry. Dripping gives greater compositional freedom from wrinkles.

IF you synthetic curtains washing machine may need to mitigate them quickly with the iron set for nylon "or" rayon. "Landing in the low temperature in the dryer home had left wrinkle-free relatively. Orion, nylon, dacron blinds do not need to be starched or Blue. Washed properly, you should not need bleach than ever before, but if you were old and shade or two eggs you can bleach them as do the white cotton fabrics. This treatment is described in Chapter fabrics and finishes.

Cotton curtain gently shake to get rid of the dust. Soak them before washing. Hang them while drying to make it easier to resolve. Iron Curtain with curtains stroke length, Orlon, nylon and Dacron can be washed using the washing machine or washed. Synthetics, you can wash or be washed by hand if you are not heavily soiled. But if you prefer to wash using the washing machine, set the machine for nylon or rayon. Curtains Design Needs 

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