The Big Pink Monster

I like to launch project stories with a dramatic "after" shot, but in this case, I don't have one.  I will someday, but I want to write about this project now.   I'm going to tell this story sort of backwards.
I was asked to fabricate a treatment for a 10' high space in a rather grand 19th century home.
The space was measured previously and the dustboard assembled, for a five-sided bay area.  The frame I was given  was pretty big- about 4' high when standing on end, and about 12' wide at the front.  My job was to make a Kingston valance out of rose-colored velvet with jabots, self-decking on the back, and tassel trim sewn IN.

 I started making a bunch of sketches, because the biggest design issue was what to do with the outermost sides which were only 13" wide.  With half a horn in the corner and a full horn and jabot on the end, the remaining 6" would leave room for only a tiny, weird swag.

I thought it would be better to put a half swag on that short outer leg, and eliminate the usual horn, letting a jabot finish the end.  The designer asked for a jabot that could have some pleating on the return edge since that would be facing out into the hallway.  I suggested the beautiful Bordeaux jabot- my FAVORITE jabot!

I had thought a leg might be necessary to support the half-swag, but after the pleats were tacked by hand, the vertical edge stayed plumb.

Have you ever cut a dark velvet on a fabric-topped table?  Last time I did that it was red velvet and it was a year ago and there are still red fibers in the fabric table cover.  This time, I used a rotary cutter on a plastic-topped gridded table.  That kept the lint to a minimum and away from the fabric table!  I used an M'Fay Kingston pattern, lengthening it for a 22" long point.  And I was able to stack-cut, keeping the stress on my hands to a minimum.

The designer wanted only the tassels to show, not the trim's tape.  I really fretted over sewing the trim INTO the seam with velvet on both sides.  I considered basting it on by hand but then I tried glue-basting, not expecting it to work- surprise, what a breeze that was!  The glue bonded almost immediately.  I glue-basted both layers with the trim in between, then took it to the machine, where it sewed up smoothly and did not walk or pucker at all.

Time to staple the valance, and I was so grateful it was a Kingston and not an Empire.  With a Kingston, all the hard work is done before stapling: joining the pieces, turning, securing the folds and forming the horns- when the valance is large and heavy, it's an arduous process, but then it's relatively easy to staple.  With an Empire, the sewing is pretty simple, then all the hard work goes into stapling.  I covered the boards and marked them, then worked my way around, moving the valance as I went to get the area I was working on into the open space so it could hang freely.

The installer worked his way around the valances, dressing swags as he went.  It was a big success!

I was reminded of a sweet Kingston valance I made about 5 years ago- out of a rose-colored taffeta- which I loved then and still do.

Not as simple as it looks

For such a simple-looking valance style, there was not one step in the fabrication that was easy.

We were asked to duplicate this valance, which is made out of a nice sturdy cotton.  Our yellow stripe is a paper-thin fine silk.
Hmmmmm.

The patterns were drafted based on the photo.  There are two valances this size, and one with five sections.
The two small valances have seven individual pieces- 2 scallops, 2 returns, and 3 jabots; and the large valance has 13 individual pieces.

To help make it easier to sew the welt to the stripe without puckering I fused the fabric pieces to Rowley's fabric stabilizer- a knit interfacing that adds stability and substance without stiffness.
Oh, boy, I love this stuff.  I bought it several years ago and never used it til now.
This was as eye-opening as glue basting was earlier in the year!
Interlining might have made it easier, but the order did not call for interlining.

All the little return pieces have a painfully close curve at the bottom, so I took special care with them.  Here you see five of them in different stages of completion:  I traced the piece onto the napped lining and pinned it without cutting the curve in the lining.  Then sewed on the welting and pinned it back to the traced shape and sewed around.  After it was sewn I trimmed off the lining around the curve.  The seams were graded before turning and then the piece was carefully ironed.....

Using this pressing ham to try to keep puckers out of the curve..... with varying degrees of success.  As a 35-year vegetarian, this is the closest I get to ham.

Once all the pieces were cut, sewn, turned, and pressed, time to staple.  The little "jabots" were pleated into place and stapled.  Then to compensate for the bulk of the jabots, I built up the board edge to the same height using rolled fabric, so the top would be even.

At long last, all done!

I'm so glad I'm not installing these.  I dressed these valances a dozen times already, at different stages along the way, and now it's someone else's turn!

Fab Fabric Friday!

Look what arrived today, just in time to become the Fab Fabric Friday pick of the week.  This warm, lovely silk will become window treatments one day soon.

The red draperies and shades were installed today, and much to my disappointment, I did not have time to get to the installation and see them myself.
These were a LOT of work and a lot of fussing, as well as a lot of decision-making.
The bullion trim on the lead edges AND the hem is the reason for all the indecision, plus the fact that the fabric is a pretty heavy upholstery fabric, meant to go on a sofa.
The hem had to be faced as well as the lead edges, and because they were being tied back, I wanted to be sure the white lining would not show.
In the end, I chose to put a 6" false hem of the red fabric at the bottom of the lining, rather than encase the lining in a hem facing.  I was afraid that one or the other of the fabrics might sag or shrink, causing the panels to not hang freely.
The top picture shows the lead edge trim and facing, the lining with the false hem, and the bottom trim with the hem facing tucked under everything.  The middle shot is the beautiful lead edge corner.  And at the bottom, the two-finger French pleats.
There are two windows with hobbled shades, as well.
Perhaps I'll have a picture from the decorator to post later.

Glue basting and reducing bulk in Empire swags

Today we worked on an Empire valance, which is interlined and trimmed at the bottom with bullion fringe sewn in.
To keep the bulk of all the fabric layers from building up on the board when the treatment is stapled, we've applied several techniques.
Here is the interlining being sewn to the swag lining and trimmed far enough away from the board line to keep the bulk off the board. At the bottom edge, we basted the interlining to the lining and trimmed the interlining, then glue basted the face side, trim, and lining side so that the layers would not shift when being sewn. I never did glue basting before this job- but I'm a convert now! We also made drapery panels from this fabric with the bullion fringe on the lead edges: I knew there was no way I could sew that heavy fringe to that silk without puckering, so I plunged in with glue basting and it worked beautifully- no puckers, and I'm a believer.




Didn't I say earlier that I'd be cutting a new wave of shades today? Yes I did, and yes I did. But I'm holding out on photographing them because one of them I can already tell, even though it's only Monday, that it is going to be the Fab Fabric Friday most beautiful fabric in the world Pick of the Week.
But look at this- I don't mind showing you this embroidered faux silk that looks like it was totally made for the striped Empire valance silk- but it is for a different client, different decorator. That happens a lot around here- a whole day of projects that are color coordinated, by chance. This gold embroidered silk is on its way to becoming a tableskirt with shirred jumbo welting. Oh boy!