Ripple to Pattern

Once Pleat-to-Pattern draperies became an industry standard, Ripple-to-Pattern wave draperies were soon to follow, thanks to a variable wave tape developed by Forest Group. 
This graphic drapery, recently fabricated for Denise Wenacur Design and Decor, illustrates perfectly the striking effect possible when rippling to pattern. 

A few weeks later we used the same technique to fabricate geometric ripple-to-pattern for Cottages to Castles, installed by Scott Berniker who kindly provided photos.

All ripplefold begins with the rod.  We template the master carrier by fitting translucent snap tape to the actual hardware, using a fabric stapler.

 

This ensures a perfect fit on installation day.

We make a template of the header and plot out the placement of the pattern.  I make sure to include every detail during this step.

The header template is one reason to always order a little more fabric than the project strictly requires.  With the widths joined on the template, we can be sure the seams fall to the back of the ripples rather than show on the front.

After the drapery is on the table, we align the template to be sure everything is where it should be.

In our workroom, we prefer to fabricate with no stitching visible on the front- a huge change from the old way in which one of two rows of stitching were considered inevitable.

Our method for fabricating begins with a lock-stitch (basically an interlocking stitch which itself is actually a long, loose blanket stitch) to hold the lining and face fabric together, just past the crease on the heading side.  

Translucent 2" Dofix buckram is fused right at the crease line.

Easy-flex tape from Forest Group is secured with a narrow strip of Jewel tape down the center.

Our template show exactly where to position the 3 snaps.

The doubled heading is folded under, and the Easy-flex tape is staple-basted on both sides, through the heading only.

The ends are finished neatly (and hand-sewn after the tape is applied).

The header is opened up flat, and the Easy-flex tape is sewed on both sides.

All that remains is to hand-sew the ends, and insert the Easy-flex Hooks.

The only thing that varied between the two projects: the orange drapery is blackout, and we did not use buckram, concerned that it might not fuse securely.  Instead, we opted to hold the header down with a double-sided adhesive tape.

Did you read all the way to the end?  One thing that really super thrilled me, for the second time ever, I made pleat-to-pattern draperies AND a shade for the same room!  If you're a workroom nerd too, you'll totally get it :)

A pleat-to-pattern natural

Pleat to pattern, pleat to pattern, are we tired yet of pleat to pattern?  UMMMM...... NO!

At least not on this project for Crosstown Shade and Glass.

Pleat to pattern just keeps getting more fun.  This applique stripe is such a cool fabric, OF COURSE it had to be pleated to pattern.

The homeowner's original idea was ripplefold draperies with this fabric.  I made mockups to help the client and designer choose how to best show off this pattern and address the practical issues.

With ripplefold, half the fabric goes to the front, half to the back, just like grommet draperies.  A workroom sample like this helps everyone visualize the effect.

I did a mockup with buckram on a string to simulate the profile. 

We also made a mockup of inverted pleats, so the client could compare styles.  This creates a wave effect, which visually is very similar to ripplefold, except instead of a backward-projecting ripple, that fabric is pleated to the back and stitched down flat.

Guess what, inverted pleats were the choice.

The pleats are sewn to the back, instead of to the front as they are with pinch pleats. 

Since these draperies were unlined, we French seamed the widths together, so there were no raw or serged edges.

The pleats were flattened out and "stitched in the ditch" on the front.

The pleats lie flat, but once they're hung on a rod, the flat part rolls forward like a wave.

Everybody was happy with this project!

A motif that made its own border

Sometimes a pattern motif makes itself into a beautiful border.

For these shades, the designer left it up to me to decide on the ribbon placement.  It was total serendipity that the diamond shapes came right to the edge of the shades, so I could center them between the ribbon and the edge.  The shades are pleated to pattern, too!

After mitering the corners, I applied Dofix Bortenfix tape to the trim....

then fused it to the shade, starting at the bottom.

I use a separate square of Bortenfix tape in the corner so I have more control over its application.

After the trim is fused, I take small hand stitches in the outer corners to keep the fibers from straying.

For extra assurance, I apply a tiny dot of glue to hold down any loose fibers.

I hated to see these shades leave!

Knuckleball fabric

I love to watch a great knuckleball pitcher at work, except, of course, when he's pitching against the Yankees. (I'm thinking, of course, of Tim Wakefield.)   Hitters never know what they're going to get, so they mostly have to be lucky to get a hit.
Sometime workrooms get fabrics that turn out to be a knuckleball- for example, this embroidered fabric- and when it came in, I did need a little luck for it to work.
The stated repeat was 4", but the curve was- it turned out to be 3.5".  So I had to change my game plan during the game.
Luckily, I had just finished teaching a Hobbled Shade Master Class at Workroom Tech, so I was well versed and fluent in hobbled shade improv! 

Custom window treatments begin with a careful assessment by the workroom to determine a fabric's suitability for the project, and how it will be used.  In order to plan this large hobbled shade for Crosstown Shade and Glass, I printed up images of this embroidered pattern:

I taped them together, and worked with the repeat until I had a layout I liked.  Since the repeat was 4", I planned to make folds of 6", which meant that each fold had 1 1/2 rows of the flower motif, and every other fold would match.  Fabric requirements were based on this fabrication plan.

This was a great plan, but then the knuckleball came over the plate.  The repeat wasn't 4" at all- it was 3.5'.

That might not seem like a big deal, but, if I folded it according to the original layout, the folds would've been too small, with too little in the pleat.  It would've looked cluttered and skimpy.  I had to do it differently, but would there be enough fabric for a Plan B?

So instead I experimented with two repeats for each fold, and two full repeats in the pleat.  The folds were so much better with extra fabric in the pleats. The luck I needed came in when I re-calculated the required yardage to suit the new specs, and I realized I'd have just enough!

You might wonder, how would this shade be compliant with the safety standards, since the loop created by the fabric + hobble tape would exceed the maximum 16.9".   Well, I have a technique for that!  My students learned it last month at Workroom Tech when they attended the Hobbled Shade Master Class that I taught.  (I'll be teaching it again in August!)

Anyhow, from this point, fabrication went on as usual.  Finally it was time to hang up the shade and check out the proportions and the finished length. 
The original pattern repeat would have worked perfectly with the finished length. and the top fold would've been the same size as all the other folds.  However, the new repeat resulted in a top fold that was too big.

It looked good raised all the way..........

But the homeowner planned to keep it halfway- and it looks awkward.

I taped up a piece of paper to show the designer how it would look with a topper that was smaller than the folds.

And that was the winner!

 It looked good when fully raised....

And also partway up.

So this is a story with a lesson- build in a little luck for yourself when spec'ing out a job, in case you get a knuckleball.  Don't assume that the stated fabric specs are accurate- round a bit up when calculating cut lengths, because an unforeseen circumstance might dictate a little more fabric.