Thursday, March 4, 2010

Top Down Bottom Up (TDBU) shades

A friend of mine wanted shades in her library, shades that could be both raised in the normal way, and lowered from the top down.  She had EXACTLY to-the-thread enough of a warm wheat-colored woven fabric with little flowers that look like stars.  There wasn't even enough to hem the sides- a scrap of golden silk became a narrow banding/binding for the sides.  In her "stash" we found an embroidered faux-silk to make the valances that hide the mechanisms.  The lining is a khaki napped cotton sateen that enhances the golden glow when the sun comes through.
Though we've made these shades before, it had been awhile, and I spent a long time reading up and remembering how to proceed.  My brain totally froze on the subject of cord locks- I just could not visualize whether or not they would work on this style.  Thanks to my colleagues and the Drapery and Design Pro Network Forum, I got through it!
I also must acknowledge my gratitude to Terrell Designs- a wonderful shade maker in Colorado who makes art quilts into window shades, and has incredibly detailed DIY instructions on her website.  I used her instructions as a reference throughout the process.
Installing the shades was a challenge!  Though I make window treatments day in and day out, I do NOT install them myself except under circumstances like this- friends or family.  My very patient husband came along to "oversee" the process.  Luckily my friend's 3 cats convened in the library with us to keep us in line.  It took a very long time.
After we finished, we went upstairs to look at a very wonderful collection which is the subject of the following post- keep reading:

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