Fabrics for Fab Fabric Friday, and how we used them

We make a lot of shades here.  A lot, a lot, a lot of shades.  Some turn out great.  Some turn out.... just fine, okay, meh.  And some I look at and just cringe.  You know, I'm a trade workroom, and sometimes I have zero input during the design and fabric selection process, and I have to do the best with what I get.
What makes the difference between a great shade and an awful shade?...... mostly, the appropriateness of the fabric.  Fabrics for shades not only must look good, but also need to behave well and fold easily.  The best shade fabrics train themselves after raising and lowering just two or three times.

Here is a gallery of shades we've recently fabricated for Fabric Factory Outlet.  All are made with fabrics that lend themselves perfectly to their end use, and all of them just happen to qualify as Fab Fabrics.

A good quality cotton print is still the best fabric for a well-behaved shade.  This Collier and Campbell is a perfect example.
Something about this color combination just floors me.  Perhaps because it embodies the colors of my favorite autumn month, November, but for whatever reason, I can't get enough of gazing at this fabric.

After making two of these, a third window was discovered in the room.  That set off a mild panic to find two yards of this (unfortunately) discontinued pattern.  These last few inches are apparently all that is left in the world, and I'm glad it's here for me to look at every day. 

This is a beautiful crewel, with rich colors and balanced pattern.  As I raised the shade, it folded up as it it had been doing it forever.

A closer look.  Oh, I love embroidery.  Why?

I had my doubts as I started fabricating relaxed roman shades from this flocked velvet on a heavy, upholstery weight linen.  I was afraid this fabric would never fold gracefully, but I was wrong! 

The shade behaved perfectly and the fabric is stunning.

Blue ribbon wobbles its way vertically through this thickly embroidered linen.  It was hard to get a straight line anywhere on these shades, and although undeniably gorgeous the embroidered pattern is not as well balanced as I would have liked.  

The designer found a perfectly matching grosgrain to band the bottom edge, which gave a much-needed clean edge to a fabric that is beautiful but a little...... vague.

However, I never judge a window treatment until I see it in context, and here at home these shades are big winners.

Yes, I love prints.  Prints, patterns, colors, pile them on, please.  Here is one of my recent favorites, totally a joy to work with.  No idea who makes this fabric, but, well, WOW. 

Sweet.

Although a little on the heavy side, this stripe behaves well.  We made a whole bunch of these back in the spring, and now this one more for an adjacent hallway.

Love that little topper!  Nice use of the stripe.