Dressing Room Curtain with Attached Valance

Here's something different from what we usually do around here!

A retail store needed curtains for a dressing room and a storage area.

 They chose an awning-striped outdoor fabric, for durability and to help keep it clean.  It was heavy fabric, and I was glad I had my new walking foot machine to handle it. 

With limited yardage, I had to find a way to make everything work with what was available.  A flip-over valance was the most efficient way to use the fabric.
I decided to use shirring tape for the panels- there was less than 1.5x fullness, so tape seemed the best way to manage minimal shirring with an unusually heavy fabric.

The valance shape was sewn before cutting.  This method helps keep the curves from stretching on the bias.  The fabric and lining were laid out, right sides together, and I drew the shape with disappearing pen. 

 I backstitched on each side of the V to reinforce the fabric.  Careful clipping right up to the point makes a clean turn.

The panel and valance were joined wrong sides together- backwards from how we normally think of joining fabrics.  Then the valance was flipped over, pressed, and sewn 2" down to form a pocket.

It was kind of bulky inside that pocket so we tested it to make sure the pole would fit through!  Because the dressing area pole was curved, there was a little more take-up than usual, going around the curves. 

We added a loop on the lead edge so the curtain can be held back when the dressing room is not in use.  With some creative piecing, we eked out enough to self-line this panel so it would be pretty when tied back!

Fitted valance with cutout

Following up from yesterday's post about the 13' one-way 175" long ripplefold panel for Crosstown Shade and Glass- that valance!
The tricky part of a 13' valance, inside mount with a fitted cutout, isn't actually the fabrication.

 It's making sure that it will fit when it gets to the installation site.

We worked closely with Jeff from Crosstown Shade and Glass, discussing every detail, to ensure that installation would go smoothly.

The basic fabrication was simple.  The valance was self-lined and interlined.  If you remember from yesterday, the fabric is a lightweight 100% linen.  To keep control of the fabric while stapling, we basted across the top at the board line.  And instead of moving the pressed valance to the sewing machine, we just ladder-stitched the sides closed by hand.

At the cutout end, we marked the board line and basted.

The excess was cut away and the fabric snipped down to the board line at the pleat.....

And at the cutout corner.
The corner was also staystitched with small backstitches to keep it from stretching out of shape.

The face fabric was folded back and the interlining was basted to the back of the valance then trimmed away.

The board was assembled, and the corners reinforced with angle irons, which Jeff could remove at the installation.

Stapling the valance was a breeze.  We added top welting to disguise any possible irregularities in the ceiling line.

NEXT UP..... that gigantic shaped tieback looks simple, which was the goal, but fabrication was anything but!  Tune in tomorrow......

The Lazy-S Valance

For a variety of reasons, our workroom is most often associated with shades.  What many people don't know, however, is that we also do a brisk production of valances which are rarely seen here on the blog. 
Sheffield, Queen Anne, scalloped kick pleat- they are all the same basic shape.

I call these the "Lazy-S" valances, because they mostly begin with a serpentine bottom shape like this.

These valances are reduced to five steps: draft, cut, mark, make, and mount.  Whether it's a one-off or multiples of the same valance, my procedure and tools are the same.
Meticulous preparation allows us to feed valances like these through the workroom quickly, efficiently, and accurately.
First, the valances are broken down into numbers.  Sometimes I'll make a sketch to scale, like these I did recently to help a client narrow down shape, size, and proportion.

On a large roll of graph paper I draft the pattern; in the case of 10 identical valances I made a full pattern, flipping the first scallop and horn to repeat.  More often, I choose from scallop and horn patterns which I have made in every size and join them together.

 The notcher is my most indispensable tool for efficient marking:

The pattern is weighted down and since these valances were railroaded I could layer the face and lining and cut them both at once.  I got two out of the width, and I cut and sewed the first two to test the fabrics and trim, before cutting the remaining 8.  These valances are white fabric with white lining, sorry it's not more visually appealing in the photos!

Then I rolled out 8 layers of fabric and lining to stack-cut the remaining valances with my electric rotary cutter.

The notches are transferred to the fabric at the bottom.  This allows me to sew efficiently, with a minimum of pinning.  These valances had lip cord at the bottom; I applied it first to the face then used the notches to align the layers as I sewed the lining.

Most importantly, before moving the valances off the table, I carefully mark the tops with black Sharpie pen.   I've standardized a system of marking for myself which allow me to staple the valances to the boards quickly and accurately after they're sewn and pressed. The permanent ink ensures that the marks will still be there when I'm ready to mount, sometimes days or a week later. 

A length of fabric is cut and sliced with a rotary cutter for the dustboard covers.  I always cut the dustboard covers when I'm cutting valances and shades!

And there you have it!  With careful preparation, the sewing is the least of the effort. 

A closer look- my faves

Of the 10 shades I made for Liz and showed off in the previous post, this little guy is probably my favorite, or should I say the one I most would like to have for myself.

I just love the valance shape.   
And I love how I used the unembroidered selvdege to make a banding around the valance, and I love how I applied the trim so the bead hangs over the band.

Can you tell that I worked out the detailing myself?   Yes, I'm slightly in love with this shade!  Also I'm obsessed with anything remotely star-shaped.

It was not easy working the plain band fabric cut on the lengthwise grain, not bias, into the curves and the inside corner.  But I was determined, and with a couple of tucks strategically hidden behind beads, it worked.

Competing against the star shade for my personal favorite is this sheer silk with horizontal jute lines.  I've used this fabric before, for flat romans, but since I had the choice this time, I made the shade relaxed instead, and tied up the bottom two rings for a permanent fold, which I think helps disguise the covered weight rod.

When I worked on this fabric last year with another decorator, we came up with using twill tape to bind the edges, since the cut edges can't be sewn.   I love binding!  This was 1" twill tape, but in the past I've also used it in larger sizes.  It's folded in half over itself, glued into place, then when dry it's topstitched close to the edge.  My gridded fabric table top helps make sheer shades a breeze- you can see right through the fabric and line up the jute.

The tassel trim made it easier to deal with the bottom.  It's hand-sewn to a row of jute, and got another layer of hand-stitching after the hem was folded up.

On the back I also ran hand-sewing along the two jute lines that overlap, to prevent them from shifting.  There was another line or two of hand-stitching to stabilize everything.  As you can see I kept it very simple.  The weight rod was covered in a tube made from khaki lining and tacked at the lowest ring so the shade is very stable.

Now that it's in the store, this little sweetie of a shade is going to get some sort of topper to hide the cord lock.  Either something out of a wonderful fabric, or a carved wood cornice from, I don't know, Bali, or someplace like that.