How to Apply Decorative Ideas to your Room

I think that there is an easy way to give a room a facelift which is to modernize hardware such as doorknobs) drawer pulls) and curtain rods.

You can put shells in baskets on a low table or show them off in glass canisters.

Store your needlework or mending in a pretty basket under a side table or in the foyer to keep it tidy and looks decorative) too.

A basketful of pinecones in front of the fireplace gives a room a feeling of friendliness.

In the fall, buy gourds at the supermarket. Use them for a month or so in an arrangement, then put them somewhere warm and dry for a while. The gourds become very light as they dry) and the colors mute beautifully with age.

Add a miniature hammock to a corner in a child's room to make a place for all his or her stuffed animals.

Keep your decorative baskets looking healthy by placing them away from dry heat.

A nonworking fireplace, primed and freshened with paint, makes a comfortable niche for a sewing machine table or an aquarium.

A stairway landing is the perfect place for an armoire. Line it with attractive fabric and fill it with linens, coats, or out-of-season clothes.

Display flowers in unusual vases-a crystal ice bucket, a fluted champagne glass, a bright coffee mug or jug. Flowers, in fact, look good in almost any container.

Turn your bathroom into a miniature gallery with pictures you don't have space for elsewhere-so long as they aren't works that can be damaged by the humidity that collects in a bathroom.

If you don't want to buy furniture, you can rent it at surprisingly reasonable rates. Furniture for rent includes everything from sofas and carpets to lamps and works of art.

A silver goblet is perfect for holding candies or cigarettes on a coffee table.

To keep drying flowers dust-free, cover them with plastic bags punched with air holes. When the flowers have dried, spray them with hair spray.

This will serve several purposes: The hair spray will give the flowers a clear matte finish, keep them from shedding, keep insects away, and protect them from moisture.

I think that there is an easy way to give a room a facelift which is to modernize hardware such as doorknobs) drawer pulls) and curtain rods.

You can put shells in baskets on a low table or show them off in glass canisters.

Store your needlework or mending in a pretty basket under a side table or in the foyer to keep it tidy and looks decorative) too.

A basketful of pinecones in front of the fireplace gives a room a feeling of friendliness.

In the fall, buy gourds at the supermarket. Use them for a month or so in an arrangement, then put them somewhere warm and dry for a while. The gourds become very light as they dry) and the colors mute beautifully with age.

Add a miniature hammock to a corner in a child's room to make a place for all his or her stuffed animals.

Keep your decorative baskets looking healthy by placing them away from dry heat.

A nonworking fireplace, primed and freshened with paint, makes a comfortable niche for a sewing machine table or an aquarium.

A stairway landing is the perfect place for an armoire. Line it with attractive fabric and fill it with linens, coats, or out-of-season clothes.

Display flowers in unusual vases-a crystal ice bucket, a fluted champagne glass, a bright coffee mug or jug. Flowers, in fact, look good in almost any container.

Turn your bathroom into a miniature gallery with pictures you don't have space for elsewhere-so long as they aren't works that can be damaged by the humidity that collects in a bathroom.

If you don't want to buy furniture, you can rent it at surprisingly reasonable rates. Furniture for rent includes everything from sofas and carpets to lamps and works of art.

A silver goblet is perfect for holding candies or cigarettes on a coffee table.

To keep drying flowers dust-free, cover them with plastic bags punched with air holes. When the flowers have dried, spray them with hair spray.

This will serve several purposes: The hair spray will give the flowers a clear matte finish, keep them from shedding, keep insects away, and protect them from moisture.

Some flowers and foliage can be placed in a vase without water and dried upright. Among them are pussy willows, wild grasses, and grains and flowers with large composite heads and sturdy stalks-for example, Queen Anne's lace and cockscomb.

Layer seeds and nuts in attractive apothecary bottles.

A branch cut from any blossoming tree or bush makes an unusual centerpiece on a dining or coffee table.

Glue corn pads or pieces of felt to the rough bottoms of vases and art objects to keep them from scratching tables.

Replace a drab string cord or light-bulb chain with a piece of satin piping or silver cord.

Thread a bright ceramic bead at the end of the cord for a finishing touch.

Use leftover dining room wallpaper to make matching place mats. Paste the paper onto sturdy cardboard, trim the edges neatly, and coat each mat with a plastic spray.

A handy deodorizer for waste baskets: Place a sheet of fabric softener in the bottom of each.

You can make unusual centerpieces in no time by floating flowers in clear glass dessert dishes.

Fill the dishes half-way with water, cut the stems from the flowers, and place them in the dishes.

Dime store bandannas make pretty, inexpensive pillow covers. Buy assorted colors for a striking effect. These bandannas also make wonderful table napkins-especially for a picnic or a barbecue.

Hot peppers threaded on long string make a beautiful kitchen decoration while drying. Garlic and onions also look attractive braided and hung on display.

Old, carved doorknobs, attached to each end of a dowel, make an attractive curtain rod.

Paint or stain the knobs to match your furniture.

A basket of Italian onions makes a striking centerpiece when serving an Italian dinner. Pomegranates are also beautiful in bowls.

A ceramic tile or tiles make a decorative hot pad for the table or kitchen counter.

Use old pantyhose to stuff pillows and toys.

There's no need to invest in wallpaper to give your walls new life. A super graphic on the wall can make a room exciting. Or, if you have artistic ability (or just ambition) design and paint your own mural.

An old kimono can be draped on a wall for an elegant splash of texture and color.

Any combination of fruits in a bowl can double as both centerpiece and dessert.

Solve a bicycle storage problem: A bicycle hanging on a wall becomes a piece of art as well as a means of transportation. A high-tech look for a teenager s room, perhaps?

An old dining table found at a flea market can make a great sofa-height coffee table. Just cut the legs to the height you need.

Change the look of an old Formica table by laminating the surface with colorful fabric.

If you're serving messy finger food-fried chicken or ribs, for instance- provide finger bowls: float lemon slices in small glass dishes so that guests can rinse their fingers. Since finger bowls are an old-fashioned elegance and seldom seen these days, be ready to enlighten anyone who assumes that you're serving a rather odd sort of cold lemon soup.

You can make cheap floor rugs by stenciling canvas with nontoxic acrylic paints.

Make an extra closet into a book nook for quiet reading. Remove the door, and install a wall lamp, shelves, and a comfortable chair.

Put an unwrapped bar of soap in a drawer or linen closet to give lingerie and linens a pleasant scent.

Also, you may create low-cost bookcases out of flue tiles or conduit pipes. The cubbyholes are perfect for storing wine. 

Read More

Innovative and Creative Interior Design ideas

Obviously any room will seem larger if you paint a big piece of furniture the same color as the walls.

A minor room can be made to appear larger if you put mirrors on a wall to reflect the rest of the room.

To give a room a lax radiance, light objects in a room instead of the whole room. For example, spotlight a piece of art or a bookcase.

Hang shiny, metallic blinds vertically or horizontally to help reflect summer sun attractively. This works especially well in south and west windows where you can't construct awnings.

Decorative shades can make an attractive alternative to drapes-and may be a lot cheaper.

You can make a curtain panel from a bed-sheet by knotting the top corners around a bamboo pole.

Your old removable-slat wooden blinds can be renovated. Spread the slats outdoors on newspaper and finish with high-gloss spray paint or brush-on enamel.

To make a quick floor covering for a beach house, stretch natural-colored painter's canvas from wall to wall, stapling it to the baseboards.

If you use the same fabric on 2 different chairs, it will tie the decor of the room together.

To add color to matchstick blinds, weave rows of colored ribbon through them.

Give a floor an exciting new look: Paint it a bright color or paint on a stencil design.

A screen of hanging plants can be a great substitute for curtains.

For an uncommon window covering, attach wooden rings to a patchwork quilt and hang it from a wide, wooden rod. Don't do this, however, if the quilt is an antique that could fade or otherwise be damaged by exposure to sunlight.

Extra high-gloss vinyl flooring like that used on submarines and ships' decks makes fine flooring for lofts, darkrooms, and photo studios. You should be able to get it at an army surplus store.

If you want to make a large room seem smaller or cozier, choose a wallpaper with a large, bold pattern. However, don't choose a large pattern for a small room because it will make the available space seem crowded.

When selecting a wallpaper for a particular room, keep in mind the dominant colors already present in that room. One or more of those colors should be present in the wallpaper to tie the color scheme together.

Matchstick blinds can disguise a wall of hobby or utility shelves for a clean, unified look.

They also can be used to partition off a closet or dressing area where you would like a lighter look than a door provides.

In a beach house, use roll-down window blinds to make a door for a door-less room.

A mural-pattern wallpaper makes a small room appear larger.

No shelf space in your office? Hang slatted boxes for storage of scissors, envelopes, even a cassette recorder. Drape a shade-loving ivy in the topmost box.

If you have an Indian print bedspread that you don't use, hang it full-width across a window.

Open it slantwise across half the window and secure it with a tieback.

For a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to recover a chair, drape a twin-size sheet over the chair, and tie or pin the corners to fit.

Use mix-and-match wallpapers to simplify the problem of papering adjoining rooms without visual clashes.

A pretty or unusual blanket can substitute for a table cloth.

Mexican serapes and Indian bedspreads make colorful, inexpensive table cloths-great for picnics) too.

Fasten bright and colorful paper shopping bags to the wall for storage of art supplies and other lightweight items.

To make a high ceiling seem lower) paper it with a bold pattern. To make a low ceiling seem higher) paper it with a small print or a texture.

To brighten up the office) put pencils and pens in a flowerpot and use a music stand for a magazine rack.

You'll never have trouble tightening screws and bolts if you remember that) for most) right is tight and left is loose.

Read More

Layered Curtains for Bedrooms

Layered bedroom curtains come in light colors and show different styles. These bedroom curtains use heavy fabrics and give you a nice feeling in your bedroom. Try to match the layered bedroom curtains with the rest furnishings of the bedroom. You can open or close bedroom curtain liners whenever you need them.

Color of Bedroom Curtains

You can match the color of the curtains with the color of the adjacent walls. Try to avoid the use of dark color on the adjacent light colored wall. You can also cut down the effect of dark window curtain with a lighter trim or alternating it with a sheer, light colored curtain. Whether you choose dark or soft hues of colors for the curtains but it has to produce the desired effect in your bedroom interior. 

Curtain Material and Curtain Patterns for Bedroom

While going to choose material for bedroom curtains, first you have to a take a look over your upholstery or furniture. If you have south facing bedroom, then it is best to choose such material and color that does not fade over time.

Traditionally cotton and silk are the most popular fabrics for bedroom curtains and are preferred by everyone. The other options for bedroom curtains are polyester and synthetic those have gained popularity in past few years. Self painted, weaved and colored patterns of bedroom curtains make the look of your bedroom pleasant.  Painted bedroom curtains give an artistic look to your bedroom interior design.  The bedroom curtains painted in blocks give a traditional touch.

Pros of Bedroom Curtains

• Controls the amount of sunlight in bedroom
• Provides privacy in bedroom.
• Creates visual effects in bedroom.
• Filters light into bedroom.

Read More

Cutting, Sewing and Lining Draperies

Cutting your overdraperies does not differ greatly from cutting glass curtains. Much depends on understanding your material. Just as a good carver understands Ms wood, you must work with the weave of your fabric, hanging your curtains straight with the warp and woof. Many materials come from the factory with the fabric rolled more tightly at one end than at the other, so that the horizontal (woof) threads are crooked, and this happens particularly in the case of loosely-woven materials and linings. When you have removed the selvages, it is a good idea to ask some one to take the other end, holding the fabric with both hands as you would a blanket you wanted to shake out, and pull it gently from corner to corner. Be careful not to injure or wrinkle the material This will straighten the threads. Press the fabric before sewing, so that it will be easier to work with.

As with glass fabrics, cut on a woof thread: keep verifying your measurements with a tape measure as you go along. You will probably save time if you cut all your panels at once.

Casings, headings and hems on draperies are made in the same way as outlined in the discussion on glass curtains. Hems at the bottom for draperies may be wider if a heavier fabric is used to hide metal weights.

Lining Your Draperies

It is generally agreed that unless draperies depend on sheerness for effect, they should be lined. Linings not only protect the fabric from exposure to weather and sun, but also help the draperies to add warmth to the room. Even though nowadays windows are weather stripped, frames fit better than in the past, home insulation methods have improved, and fabrics can stand up against the aging effects of weather, linings are still valid in older homes and are still good for many fabrics. Besides, linings help the draperies to fall in richer folds. Sateen, the most widely used lining material, is usually a cream color, but if your drapery is very white, you can get white sateen. For richer fabrics you can use taffeta, and for taffeta draperies use a silk mull or taffeta lining. Satin is recommended as a good lining fabric for velvet, but it is costly.

As mentioned in the chapter on measurements, your lining fabric is, to begin with, the same width and length as your drapery material. You will want to cut it so that it is 2 inches shorter at the top than the drapery fabric, and 3 inches shorter at the bottom hem, as well as at least 2 inches shorter than the sides. Cut all the lining panels to these measurements at the same time, and cut the selvages from the lining. To insure that the lining and drapery will hang straight and not be drawn at the edges, notch both materials about every 5 or 6 inches. Now fold your lining in half and lengthwise, so that it is divided evenly. Crease down the middle and baste a seam, down the crease. Then lay the basted lining on the wrong side of the fabric, still folded, so that the basted line will be centered on the fabric. If the lining were open to its full width at this time, you would have 2 inches of drapery fabric extending beyond the lining on either side, 3 inches at the top and 2 inches at the bottom. Now with the lining still folded, catch stitch your creased, basted line to the center of the drapery fabric, thus anchoring your lining into place. Unfold and turn the top edge of the material over the lining and baste, using long and short stitches. Turn the side edges in, and baste. Turn up the bottom hem, not in a single turn, but a hem, and catch-stitch this into place, using a strong thread if your material is heavy. Use a mitered corner. Your lining will now fall below the top of the hem and it, too, gets turned up and stitched. The lining should end, when finished, less than an inch from the bottom of the curtain. Catch the sewing line of the lining hem and that of the material together with long loops, so that the drapery and lining can be detached easily for cleaning.

For an even warmer and heavier drapery, you can interline with cotton flannel. To do this, cut your interlining to finished drapery dimensions, and fold in same manner as the lining, tacking the interlining loosely to the wrong side of the drapery material in the exact center. Then divide each side of interlining, basting the edges and catch stitching the bottom hem. The outside lining can then be tacked to the center of the interlining, and slip stitched to the interlining material along the hem edge. Interlinings, however, are rarely used, as they make a drapery difficult to clean and are very heavy. They are used in very formal rooms, and add considerably to the draping quality of the fabric.

For picture-window draperies special treatment is needed, since it is necessary to seam together enough widths of fabric to draw the draperies together. To do this, measure twice the width of the window and seam together enough sections of fabric to cover it. Cut a matching number of lining panels, seam them together, and sew to the fabric along the top edge and outside edges. Hem the lower edges separately.

With this type of drapery or any heavy drapery, such as one with interlining, there may be a tendency for the material to sag away from the lining unless caught at intervals every few inches with loose tackings. This tacking can be put on after the lining has been pinned in, with a long, lengthwise stitch. To do this, unpin the lining on one side and fold it back so that the two wrong sides are exposed. Catch the two together with a basting stitch that won't show on the right sides of either lining or drapery. Make knots frequently. Then repin and sew lining and drapery hem as described. 

Read More

Cutting and Sewing Glass Curtains

Cutting and Sewing Glass Curtains 

Always measure and cut from a perfectly straight edge. To straighten the edge in a glass curtain pull a thread and cut along this. Be careful, however, if you are not accustomed to sewing, that you don't end up by making a wide tear in your fabric. If this first thread does not appear to be a straight edge, don't keep trying; it is safer to mark your line with tape pinned to the material and to keep measuring as you go along. Be sure your scissors are sharp, to avoid pulling threads. Cut the selvage off, as this material shrinks faster than the rest, and will tend to draw the fabric to the edges.

Sew your side hems first, before finishing top and bottom. Hems at the side can be narrow, although currently it is fashionable to have at least 1 inch for large windows. It is also customary to make those hems of each panel that meet at the center o the window facing one another, at least 1 inch wide. Double stitching at the side hems insures long wear. For wide hems, turn the raw edge under one quarter inch, and crease, measuring every few inches to make certain the hem is even. Pinch, baste and then hem. Go through the same steps with your bottom hem.

When you have your bottom hems basted do not sew to the edge where the two hems overlap. Instead, pull out the loose triangular piece left at the corner, pin it on the diagonal, and cut above the pin, leaving just enough on each side of the seam to turn under. Sew the turned-over edge, starting at the lower edge and sewing toward the center. This is what is known as a mitered corner.

Cutting and Sewing Glass Curtains 

Allow a double turn of material for very sheer fabrics. If you need weights in the bottom of your curtains, the recommended kinds are the round string weights, and they can be laid along the bottom, tacked on behind the hem.

Several alternatives are possible for the top hem of your glass curtain. First, if yours is a tailored curtain, you may want just a plain casing for the rod to slip through. Allow enough material for the rod to slip in and out easily. And if you intend to attach the curtain to a brass pole, as in a sash curtain, with small brass rings, a simple, wide hem, 1 to 2 inches, will do.

Or you may want a plain heading with a plain casing. For this make a simple hem with open ends. Double your line of stitches on your side hems to prevent the stitches pulling out. Take a tuck on the wrong side of the curtain, just under the casing, for your shrinkage allowance, and if your allowance for shrinkage is large, divide the total sum in half and put half at the bottom hem in the same way, on the wrong side, just above the hem. Use basting stitches for the tuck. If you are making a heading and casing in ruffled curtains, extend the stitching through the ruffles.

If your material is too pliable or your heading is too wide to stand up by itself, then you may want to add some buckram or crinoline to stiffen it. Draw a thread on the stiffening and cut along it, making the stiffening slightly less than the finished width of the curtain. Lay it along the top edge of the heading and fold over, folding the sides in two to make them equalize with the width of the side hems. Stitch the heading and stiffening at the top and then fold over and stitch at the bottom of the stiffening again. This time you will be stitching in the stiffening and at the same time making the seam that divides heading and casing.

Another possible heading for glass curtains is to make a series of rows of fine shirring, and then hang the curtains from the back with small brass rings attached to the back. This makes the heading stand out a little, and if you cord your shirring it gives a pleasingly stiff impression. If you are using a sewing machine you can get an attachment such as the Singer gathering foot, which pushes the fabric into even folds under the needle for this work; if you are sewing by hand use fine running stitches, spacing even rows.

Cutting and Sewing Glass Curtains 

To make corded shirring, another attachment is useful, the cording foot, which makes it possible to stitch close to a raised surface. Crease or baste evenly-spaced rows across the fabric and lay a cord along the creased line on the wrong side, folding the material over it and stitching close to the cord. For either the plain shirring or the corded shirring, the procedure is the same: make a group of three or more rows of shirring, at least 1 inch from top of curtain, then skip about 2% inches, fold, make more rows of shirring, and fold over so that the two groups are even and can be stitched together.

In glass curtains various types of fancy stitching are often used at the hem or heading, as particularly with simple gauzes and muslins they are felt to add to the effect of the material. Currently, however, with the vogue for straight hanging, softly-tailored styles, an even hem or double bottom hem with, perhaps, a soft ruffle at the top, is sufficient, and the beauty of the curtain lies rather in the color and texture of the fabric than in any applied ornamentation. But there is still room for hemstitching and Italian hemstitching in informal Provincial rooms, and this type of needle-work in threads of contrasting color provides a gay detail.

A plain woven fabric is necessary for hemstitching since it depends on the cross-hatch pattern of the weave. You begin by pulling out about 5 parallel woof (horizontal) threads. Sometimes in pulling a thread you may have to prick at it with your needle as you go across the length of your material, and you should be careful not to get careless and make a hole. Then, beginning at the left, fasten your thread to the top of the hem by sewing the hem and body of the curtain together. Catch up several of the vertical (warp) threads (some four or five) starting with the furthest thread and coming back towards the left, and fasten this stitch by stitching a bit of the curtain and hem together. The Italian hemstitch is one in which you pull your thread in two directions, leaving some untouched, solid fabric in between.

Next in popularity to straight-tailored glass curtains are Priscillas, or looped back, ruffled, cottagy-looking curtains. Ruffles may also, of course, be used as trim for the straight-hung types. Whiles ruffles may be bought by the yard ready-made, they are easy to make, particularly with a sewing machine attachment that both gathers and pleats. Generally the more sheer the fabric, the fuller the ruffle should be. It is considered proper to cut strips for ruffles the length of the material, since crosswise ruffles eventually lose their stiffness. This also eliminates the problem of seams. But for pleated ruffles it is necessary to cut on the crosswise thread. The Singer Company makes the suggestion that when using the Singer ruffler it is wise to test this attachment with a scrap of your fabric and adjust it to gather up just the amount of fullness you wish. Figure on having 3 times the length of your finished raffle for a moderately full ruffle.

It is customary to hem the edges of ruffles. For an even, narrow hem, effective in a sheer fabric, use a flange hemmer, if sewing by machine. To apply ruffles to the curtain, stitch them to the first row of stitching on the hem. Crowd the gathers up slightly at the corners. This results in a heading, or row of gathered tucks, on the portion of curtain which overlaps the  ruffle overlapping the curtain. To attach a ruffle without a heading, stitch it to the curtain, placing the wrong sides together as for a French seam, turn the material over the seam, bring the right sides together, and stitch on the wrong side through the first row of stitching. Double rows of ruffles are very feminine and pleasing, and if the ruffles are narrow, as many as five rows may be used.

Read More

Valances, Cornices, Swags (Swags)

Swags

Valances, Cornices, Swags (Swags)

A swag or draped valance should be made of a material that drapes easily, as it is a formal treatment. A silk or taffeta is good. It may be lined in the same fabric or in a contrasting color, as the lining will show in some folds. It is made in three sections, and it is best to start with the center section. Cut a straight piece of muslin the width of your window and 36 inches deep at the center. Curve the bottom gently so that it is wider than the top. Drape it on the valance board and tack it in place, or place it on a table and arrange the folds, tacking them down with pins. Study the effect; if you want a deeper drape, adjust it accordingly.

Sides for the swag are made by cutting a piece of fabric, widening it 4 inches on each side to its widest point and narrowing at the bottom, 30 inches from the center of the top width. Such a piece will make two sides. Cut a piece of lining of the same size and dimension as the drapery fabric and place the two fabrics, right side down, on it ready for sewing. Stitch all around the piece, but not across the top width. At this point, you will have a bag-like piece of fabric, coming to a point at the bottom but open at the top. Now, starting from the center of the top, the open part, cut the entire piece in half, down through the point. You now have two sides. All that remains to be done is to slip stitch the top portion closed, leaving what was the center of the larger piece open. Turn right side out, fold in the appropriate folds, and hang by tacking to the valance or cornice board. You can get varied effects depending on whether or not you wish to press your swag.

Valances, Cornices, Swags (Swags)

Trimmings for valances and swags, as well as for curtains and draperies, are available in a wide assortment of fabrics and styles. Your choice naturally depends on your curtain or drapery style, your fabric, and your room. As with valances, tassels, braid, fringe, and other elaborate forms only recently thought to show old-fashioned bad taste, trimmings have suddenly become high style in some quarters, and stiff valances with gold braid, applique in metallic thread, and fringe in bold colors are seen in many period rooms and, if anything, are even more ornate than in the past. In addition, you'll find such ambitious treatment as pleating of contrasting color shown under draped valances.

More conservative trimmings such as glazed chintz piping, coarse cotton-looped fringe, striped cotton braiding, and cotton ball trim are always good however and, in contrasting color, pick up and accent the lines of draperies and the colors of fabrics in much the same way that a black line will sharpen and improve a painting.

Read More

How to Measure Over-draperies

How to Measure Over-draperies 

Length of draperies depends, like that of glass curtains, on the style of window treatment and the type of window you have. Very formal draperies call for a drape of 6 to 12 inches along the floor, whereas less formal draperies should just escape the floor. A word of caution: if you live in a sooty city where cleaning is a matter of constant vigilance, avoid the more formal draperies, which may act as dirt catchers, and remember that there is nothing elegant about a dirty drapery dragging along the floor. Also if you have very young children, this type of drapery is apt to prove a menace. Draperies may also be sill length, particularly in recessed windows, or may come to the bottom of the window apron. In measuring the length make the following allowances: 1 inch for the rod; 2 or 3 inches for the heading or stiffened pinch-pleated top, if you are not counting on a swag or valance; 3 inches for the top hem to turn under the linings or buckram; 3/4 inches for the bottom hem, or if you plan to add trim, % inch for the bottom hem.

The average drapery fabric usually comes 36 and 50 inches wide, and you will not usually want to split this width. Use one width for each side of the average window. The drapery should conceal the frame of the window. The width is always at least twice the completed width to allow for pleats and drapery effects.

How to Measure Over-draperies 

If you are using the curtain-wall idea with the draperies going clear across the room, you will want to measure the entire length of the wall, and your height should be from just below the ceiling moulding.

With figured fabrics it is necessary to allow for repeats of patterns. These must be counted and arranged to come exactly opposite one another on the same line for every piece of drapery in the room. This may require about 20 inches of additional material, according to the size of the design.

Measuring Linings

Linings are 4 to 5 inches narrower than draperies, and 6 inches shorter. The lining is attached below the top hem. If you plan an interlining buy this 3 to 6 inches shorter than the lining. The lining should come out the exact measurement of the draperies when completed.

Measuring for Valances

When you are planning your windows as a unit, you will plan to buy your valance or swag material at the same time as your curtain or drapery fabric, especially if you are going to use the same material.

How to Measure Over-draperies 

In figuring how much yardage to get for a valance, plan on a depth of at least 12 inches for a shirred valance or one with a flounce. To this add 2 inches for the bottom hem, plus 2 inches for the turn around the rod, plus 2 inches for the heading above the rod. If you are using a shaped valance, plan on about 15 inches of depth, although there are no hard and fast rules on this, as the length of your window and your wall should be taken into consideration. But as the valance will tend to reduce the light afforded by the window and will make the window seem smaller, bear in mind the ruling that the valance should not take up more than one-eighth of your curtain length.

It is generally agreed that the fuller a pleated valance looks the more attractive it is, so to have a starchy, dainty valance measure twice double your width; in fact for a full pleat or a box pleat try 2% to 3 times the width.

Measuring for a swag is easy if you follow this formula: take the length of your window from top frame to floor, add the width of the window, and the length of the other side from top of frame to window sill.

Read More