Have You Checked The Scale?

I try to step on the scale at least once a week just to keep an eye on my weight.  When working with designers on window treatments, I also keep an eye on the scale because even the best design using the most beautiful fabric can be ruined if the proportions are off.

I use Minutes Matter Studio software to make scale drawings.  The most common question I am asked is how many widths of material (WOM) are needed for stationary drapery panels?  The general rule is to make the panels look as if they are operable.  You don't want the panel to look like a piece of spaghetti hanging at the side of the window.  Nor do you want the panel stretched out almost flat so that it visually takes up more space.  These are my recommendations. 

Scale drawings also help with how long to make a valance and where to mount it on the wall.  To my eye, the last valance best fits this window and wall configuration. 

 

An innovative way to use scale drawings is to determine how to cut the fabric.  Here is an example where I showed what a shawl valance would look like with the fabric cut up the bolt and how it would look with the fabric railroaded -- the client chose railroaded. 

          

Bev Dyminski Interior Design

You know you've done it right when you compare your scale drawing to your finished product and it's hard to tell the difference!  If you want to make sure your proportions are right and have your client ask "Is it live or is it Memorex?, contact me at peggy@parkwaywindowworks.com and we'll get on the scale together.  To see more before and after examples, check out my Scale Drawings webpage.

Scale Drawing

Janis Reed - Interior Design Source

Transformers

Did you see the 2007 hit movie Transformers?  Me neither...I'm not really their target market.  But I am in the business of transforming and I know you are, too.  In the movie, cars and trucks transform into alien robots.  My transformation of fabric into beautiful window treatments might not have the flash and glitz of Hollywood but I did work a little magic on this valance transformation. 

The valance on the left was one of a pair of valances in a master bedroom, coordinating with the bedding.  When the bed and bedding were moved into the guest bedroom, the designer wanted the valances to move, too.  The fabric had to come off the board to re-size the existing valances because the new windows were narrower.  As I was looking at the cut shape of the existing valance on my worktable (shown below left), I came up with the idea of changing the hem shape to completely change the valance style (shown above and below right).  With new trim and a new shape, this valance has an updated, fresh look.

 

I'm sure all of your room transformations are as amazing as Optimus Prime's!  The next time you need window treatments to help in the transformation, contact me at peggy@parkwaywindowworks.com

Jewels

Have you ever had a dress where your necklace and earrings really made the outfit?  How about a suit where your cufflinks and tie completed the look?  Adding jewels to your window treatments can do the same thing.   

 

I discovered Diamond Head upholstery tacks in March when I attended an educational event in Texas.  Diamond Head has completely reinvented the standard nailhead commonly used to embellish furniture.  Here is a close-up of their silver diamond in a black setting.  Their diamond elite collection includes white, black, silver, iridescent, and kaleidoscope diamonds. 

This ottoman (courtesy of Haute House) utilizes the white diamond in a silver setting.  Can you picture these jewels on a cornice or upholstered headboard?  How about down the leading edge of a drapery panel?

 

A different kind of jewel is one that is made through the manipulation of fabric.  Check out this close-up of smocking.  I planned the smocking so that it worked with the stripe of the fabric.

Here is a picture of the entire valance.  The smocking is the crown jewel of this window treatment, don't you agree? 

(Bev Dyminski Interior Design)

If you are intrigued by these two examples and would like to learn more, I am giving a seminar with my colleague, Roxanne Ross, on May 22nd at 10am.  It is a CQRID approved program worth .1 CEU.  We will be covering hard jewels like grommets, nailheads, and resin ornaments along with soft jewels like bias banding, smocking, and bound buttonholes.  Design issues and business issues like material costs, labor costs, and sourcing will be discussed.  Dozens of hand samples will be passed around so you can touch and feel the products and see the many design possibilities.  This seminar will provide you with an arsenal of embellishment ideas for any window treatment in your future.  Here are the details:

Adding Jewels to your Window Treatments

May 22, 10 am - 11:30 am 

Sponsored by the Upstate NY chapter of AIDP

Free to AIDP members and $10 for non-members    

Seminar location at ArtWalk Tile, 28 Atlantic Avenue, Rochester NY  14607.

  

Who doesn't love a princess and her jewels?  If you want to learn more about window treatments fit for a palace, don't miss "Adding Jewels to Your Window Treatments".  I'd love to see you on May 22nd and share some embellishment ideas.

Too Many Curves?

It's been unusually warm this month.  The flowers and trees are already blooming with signs of Spring.  I've even been digging in the back of my closet to find capris and shorts.  This always gets me worrying about those extra Winter pounds and unwanted curves.  We usually think of those extra curves as a bad thing but with window treatments, curves can add interest and movement to a traditional style.  In this example, a curved shape was added to the top of mirror image Moreland valances by constructing an arched frame out of plywood and wiggle board.  The windows themselves are standard rectangles.  The arched shape of the design repeats the shape of the arched transom over the fireplace.

Here the curved shape projects INTO the room instead of above the window.  This is accomplished by using a curved mount board instead of dimensional lumber.  The first picture shows both a traditional mount board and the curved mount board.  The second picture shows the box pleat valance with contrast inserts as it floats around the curved mount board.  It really adds pizzazz to this powder room.

              

The curves don't have to be arches.  In this example traditional swags and jabots are taken up a notch when they are mounted on a pagoda shaped frame.

Curves are not limited to valances and top treatments.  Consider using curved hardware to make a beautiful eyebrow arch the focal point.  This Amore drapery hardware utilizes "sticky rings" that can be placed anywhere along the curved rod and will not move or slide down.  This innovation works for drapery panels on half circles and trapezoid shaped windows, too.  Another great use of sticky rings is to hold the leading edge of a tied-back panel in place to prevent the panel from sliding back.

If you want to add curves to your window treatment designs à la Kim Kardashian, contact me at peggy@parkwaywindowworks.com and I'm sure we can engineer a shapely solution!

Breaking the Rules

When first starting out in the drapery biz, I purchased Kitty Stein's Workroom Specifications.  It is a 50 plus page book of standards covering everything from hem sizes to recommended fullness to board allowances.  It is an excellent resource and I still use it today. 

I start each project by unrolling the fabric and looking at the pattern and weave.  My number one priority is to showcase the customer's fabric to its best.  Here is a lovely Thibaut print that is to be made into a tailored valance with an arched hem shape and corner pleats..   

It has a large pattern repeat with the main motif running side by side up the bolt. If the window treatment design has fullness from gathers, pleats, or shirring tape, the mix of colors in the print is highlighted and pattern placement is secondary.  But with a flat valance, the specific motif that is displayed matters a lot.

Kitty's standards tell me to plan my cuts so I can hide the seam in a design element such as behind a horn or inside an inverted pleat.  If seams are required, I should use a full width of material in the center of the treatment with seams on each side.  For this project, the motif that best fit the valance shape and size was NOT the center motif so I broke the rules...

I chose to center the largest motif and have only one seam on the left side of the front of the valance.  Can you find the seam?

Webster's dictionary defines standards as "a required or agreed level of quality".  I follow the standards to produce high quality window treatments.  After all, the customer is entrusting me with fabric they have fallen in love with.  When I break the rules, it is because (as Flip Wilson might say) "the fabric made me do it!"

Contact me at peggy@parkwaywindowworks.com.  I'd love to channel Geraldine on your next project....

Back to School

My two oldest kids are home from college this week for spring break.  I'm a big believer in continuing education and attend at least one industry event each year for my business.  Last September, I attended INSPIRE 2011, a conference and trade show sponsored by the Window Coverings Association of America.  In today's "lesson", I will be sharing a few of the conference highlights with you.   

On the trade show floor, Finestra Decorative Hardware featured button borders and decorative buttons that coordinate with the styles and finishes of their drapery hardware.  These embellishments were used on both upholstered pieces like cornices and headboards and on soft treatments like valances, panel pleats and pillows.

In the classroom, Fred Berns lectured on smart marketing and making a big splash with little cash.   He recommends developing a "killer commercial" that presents you as a unique, one-of-a-kind design professional and includes your ONLY statement--why you are different (and worth it).  Check out the updated bio page on my website where I put Fred's lessons to use.

 

In the Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory), I learned a new technique for pattern matching.  It is fast and, even better, it gives a great match.  It is really important to have a perfect pattern match when fabric will be viewed flat, like on a bedspread or roman shade or cornice.  Here is an example of a seam in a roman shade where I used the new technique. 

This year I am attending Creative Camp, a hands-on event sponsored by the Custom Sewing Institute.  Creative Camp 2012 is just a week away.  I love having my kids home but I know after our week together, we will all be looking forward to going back to school!

Wardrobe Malfunction

Just as high fashion clothes need proper undergarments for support and coverage, so too, do high quality window treatments.  Drapery linings are the undergarments of window treatments and perform many functions including protection of the face fabric from sun damage, insulation from summer heat and winter cold, noise reduction, privacy and light control, additional body/improved hand of the fabric, and uniform appearance from the outside.

The most basic lining is a good quality sateen.  A satin weave is more pliable than a plain weave.  My go-to lining is a 100% cotton sateen in pale ivory.  This is the equivalent of wearing a slip under your dress (fellas--use your imagination!).  The lining protects the face fabric and gives body to the treatment.  If the face fabric is white or has a white background, it is important

with white sateen                            with ivory sateen

to choose a white colored lining so that there is no yellowing of the face fabric.  Sateens are also available in tan or putty.  Colored linings differentiate custom window treatments from ready-mades and also have nice curb appeal on dark colored or brick homes.

Interlining is a lining that is sandwiched between the face fabric and the drapery lining. Interlining is primarily used to add body and give a rich elegant look, particularly when used with silk.  The interlining layer can be heavy flannel, English bump, or a 3-layer woven blackout.  If you have budget or space constraints and can't use multiple width panels, consider adding a layer of interlining to help plump up single width panels.  Another option for the budget conscious client is to use a napped sateen lining with silk. Napped sateen is a sateen lining that has undergone additional processing to brush and raise the fibers on one side.  Silk with napped sateen looks much better than silk with only a basic sateen but it is NOT a replacement for interlined silk draperies!

Traditional blackout linings contain several layers of acrylic foam.  The layers block light and provide excellent thermal insulation.  In recent years, there have been several advances in blackout linings making them more fluid and better draping, but they still have a drawback when used in roman shades.  Pin holes are formed when rings are sewn on the shades.  One option to overcome this is to use the technique known as French blackout where there are four layers in the window treatment: face fabric - interlining - black sateen - ivory (or white) sateen.

As a custom workroom to the trade, I stock many different linings and special order as needed. I discuss lining choices with my designer clients and quote the best fit for each project/end customer.  But I have been known to switch linings (after talking to the designer) during the fabrication process because after seeing and touching the face fabric, I just can't let a window treatment experience a wardrobe malfunction!