Grosgrain ribbon binding as banding for shades

When banding is intended to go right at the edge of a shade, rather than inset, I do love the look of it wrapped around the edges, for a super clean look.
This does present challenges for inserting a weight bar, if you like your weight bar at the bottommost ring, as I do.
Here are two similar shades which were fabricated with different methods.  Yes, I know I'm showing them out of order.  That's because I like Method B better and want to show the better way first :)
For both of these shades, grosgrain ribbon was used as the wrapped binding, but the same methods would apply if the binding were a contrast fabric.
You can see that the results are pretty much the same from the front:

METHOD B- WEIGHT BAR INTERIOR POCKET

METHOD A- EXTERIOR WEIGHT BAR POCKET

METHOD B- INTERIOR POCKET
For this three-sided shade, we sewed a pocket in the lining for a flat weight bar.

 

The grosgrain binding was sewn to the shade face and pressed finished.

 A pocket was sewn in the lining to accommodate a weight bar.  The prepared lining was layered on and the bar inserted.  We used a flat bar to avoid the bulk of a heavier round bar. 

We added a second flat bar to stabilize the bottom and keep it square.  It also helps by adding a bit more weight.

The binding was hand-sewn.

The miters on the front were ladder-stitched by hand.

This was an aesthetic improvement over a previous similar shade, where we chose to tack the weight bar pocket  to the outside back of the shade.  However, the exterior pocket method does allow us to use a heavier weight bar, which helps when raising the shade, and this shade was much longer than the one I just showed.  We covered the ends of the pocket with the contrast ribbon, in case it showed from the side.  We also added a second flat weight bar at the bottom to keep the bottom edge straight.

 

In this case the ribbon was applied with Dofix fusible Bortenfix.  At the lowest fold you can see the bit of navy ribbon covering the ends of the weight bar pocket.  It's set in enough that it isn't visible from the front.

The results from the front are basically the same, but the pocket version is so much better on the back.  Also I think the sewn ribbon folds better than the fused ribbon.

P. S. I like to cover the ends of the boards with a bit of binding material, whether it is grosgrain or fabric.

Black and White Greek Key

Our first shade of 2018 featured a graphic white-on-black Greek Key:

The miters started with a paper template.  A test corner was folded, pinned to shape, sewn, and tested.

The corners were trimmed and angled in closely at the tip, like a dart in clothing.

They were pressed carefully....

and a dab of glue was applied at the points to hold down any stray fibers.

A little more pressing manipulates the miter into square.

We chose to apply this trim using Dofix Bortenfix tape.  The tape was trimmed to size with a rotary cutter.....

then applied to the back of the Greek key tape.

Blue painter's tape marked the finished size and provided a guide for applying the trim.

The sides and bottom were folded and pressed along the blue tape, and then the shade fabrication continued as usual.

The first row of rings started 9" up to allow the Greek Key shape to show when the shade is raised.

Curtains in 2017!

For someone mainly known as a Roman shade maker, I sure have had a LOT of drapery orders these last few months.  And since I acquired a few old/new-to-me sewing machines this year, I was able to handle the volume and enjoy the process.
I still LOVE sewing draperies by hand, however!  The penultimate drapery job before Christmas break was Ripplefold for 34' of window space, and these 20 widths of fabric were entirely hemmed by hand.  Nicole Gray of Suite Dream designed the treatment with 4 panels, each using 7 yards of a double-wide poly-linen blend.  Right now the Architrac rods are visible, but soon they'll be covered with a painted cornice.   This is the installation day photo- more to come after the job is complete.

 A few days before the Ripplefold, Nicole installed these 8 banded panels for a bay and two side windows.

Appropriate fabric choice is a key element of successful draperies.  Here the woven-patterned banding fabric paired perfectly with the medium-weight poly-linen blend.

The hems were pressed into the face fabric before the widths were joined, eliminating the need to table the bottom separately.

I'm loving my newly acquired machines!  From the straight stitch machine, the fabric moved to the new/old super-fast Rimoldi for the raw edges to be overlocked......

 .....then down the line to the blindhemmer for the bottom hems.

The banding fabric was basted in place with Dofix's Bortenfix K basting adhesive before sewing to keep it from shifting.  The banding was sewn at the 4" line so it could be wrapped with a full 4" on the back as well.  Although I'm showing the photo here, the banding was actually the first thing done, even before the widths were joined.  That meant less bulk to handle while sewing the band.

 I worked in pairs so I'd be sure not to make a mistake and make more lefts than rights.  The first panel took longer than it should have because I hadn't developed a method yet.  After the first one I realized I'd save time by doing as much of the bottom corner as possible before laying in the lining.  The edge was pressed, the bottom trimmed, and the panel laid into the Drawmatic clamp bar with the corner kept free.  The hemline of the band fabric was kept loose and unpressed, so the bottom line could be manipulated a bit in case there was take-up.

I shifted the corner onto the table so I could work with it more easily.  The corner weight was tag-gunned in place.

The band is folded up....

Tucked in...... (the first 4" of hem was left unstitched to allow for this step).......

And re-positioned under the clamp.

The lead edge was folded, pressed, and pinned after laying in the napped sateen lining.

The bottom corners were pinned in place.  The lead edges, with the banding, were sewn by hand, and the return edges were machine blindhemmed.

My favorite thread for hand-sewing side hems is Silamide thread.  It doesn't tangle, it glides easily, and has just a wee bit of give that keeps the seams from clenching up.   I use a single thread for most hemming, but for drapery bottom and top corners I double the thread.

The bay window panels had two lead edges with banding, for a total of 8 panels, 13 widths, and 10 lead edges.

Quite an adventure!  These 43 widths were made in addition to a set of sheer pinch pleat (14 widths), two pairs of lined and interlined top tack with decorative tape (6 widths), and two pairs of sheer lined with sheer top tack (6 widths).  A total of 69 widths in the 10 days before closing for Christmas break!  All side hems were machine blind-hemmed except for the ripplefold above, and the 10 banded lead edges.
Not shown: low-bulk method for tabling the tops, and the pleats being tacked with my new/old Chandler tacker- a super-time-saver!

Wool Ripplefold

We love Ripplefold as much for its clean, practical sensibility as for its knack for showcasing a fine fabric by allowing it to cascade in cool, serene columns.
Fabricated for Susan Marocco Interiors,  the Holland and Sherry wool panels hang from a mitered square Svelte pole in Silver Leaf from J. L. Anthony (with 8" returns) and are trimmed with wide embroidered banding from Travers.

To avoid calculation errors, we knew it was smartest and easiest to mock up the track before planning the fabrication.  With the snaps labeled, we were able to trim the widths of the wool before joining so the seams fell to the back folds.

Mocking up the lead edge also ensured correct trim placement.  With "buttmaster" carriers, the lead edges abut each other instead of overlapping, so the trim was sewn in from the edge to allow it to show on the front of the panel.

There is much more to the story of these draperies......  I'm off to the city now, so more later!

Satin draperies

I'm going to make a Christmas commitment to you, people.  I'm going to say that I'm going to do a post every day until Dec. 23.  I'm not going to say I'm going to "try"- I'm just going to do it.  This autumn has been a very busy time for me, and I'm chagrined that the blog has been languishing!  I have such a backlog of projects to show you, with a busy 3 weeks of work ahead, that there is certainly enough material to meet my promise of a daily post.   Some might be just one photo- so think of them as stocking stuffers!

I owe a lot to this blog!  First, I've had wonderful experiences meeting so many of you, either via comments, email, or in person.  Second, this blog was the springboard for teaching opportunities that have been exciting and satisfying.  Third, I've learned that the sharing in this industry is incomparable and invaluable, and works both ways, and I thank you all for that.
So, Merry Christmas to you all, and here goes..........

I'm starting with this satin drapery project because Monica also just posted a photo and I thought it would be good to follow up with the workroom's back story.

There is satin, and then there is satin.
This double-wide nearly-white satin from JF Fabrics was an excellent choice by designer Monica Plotka.
Because there are no seams, there is no distortion or rippling- just sleek, cascading columns of beautiful fabric.  It made obvious sense to also use double-wide cotton napped sateen lining.  I wish all fabrics came with a double-wide option.  You know that all sewing creates take-up in fabric, right?, no matter how minuscule.  Eliminating that take-up shows off a fabric like satin to its best advantage.

The grey band is the perfect, understated finishing touch.  These draperies were entirely hand-sewn, and the attention was well worth the time.  After the band was sewn and pressed, we basted together the very edge of the band fabric and face fabric so the layers wouldn't sag inside after the band was wrapped.  With the lining laid in, the band was hand-sewn with an invisible ladder stitch.  Did I take photos of this process?  No, I'm sorry! But you can read more about the same hand-sewing and hand-basting techniques in recent blog posts, here and here.

 Besides being ultra-modern and right on trend, two-finger French pleats are a great heading treatment when less than 2.5x fullness is desired.  These panels were about 2.25x full, so the spaces are 4" and the pleats have 5" of fabric in them- not enough to make an attractive triple French pleat.  The pleats are hand-tacked.  We use a woven buckram, rather than a Pellon-type buckram, to give a soft, natural pleat.
When I work with a double-wide fabric, I plot out the spaces and pleats as I move the fabric across the table, so there are no calculations to do afterwards- just the side hem at the end.  This ensures perfect consistency.

And there you have it!  A beautifully designed project that exceeded my expectations- doesn't get any better than that.