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.

Lining a sheer shade

I often line sheer shades with a plain sheer voile or batiste.  The sheer lining adds body and depth, but most importantly it protects the often delicate face fabric from the ring stitching.
Every once in awhile a client asks for regular lining behind sheer fabric.  (I've even lined sheers with blackout....)
This mesh fabric was used in a bedroom and the client wanted it lined.    We experimented with many lining options, but any natural/ivory/linen color just washed out the mesh pattern.  When we tried grey sateen, the mesh pattern showed up beautifully.  The grey also provided needed privacy.

The mesh is 120" wide so it didn't require seaming, thank goodness.  But at 85" wide and 57" long, we had to join widths of lining.  Since the mesh is totally transparent, I didn't want vertical seams.  I decided to railroad the lining and seam it at the weight bar pocket.  As you can see, I left the selvedge on.  Since the bottom hem isn't sewn except at the rings, I didn't want a raw edge to be visible in case anyone peeked down into the hem, and I didn't want the additional bulk from a French seam or serging.

The mesh had no substance to lend support to the structure of the shade, so I let the lining double up to provide a place for the weight bar pocket.  The weight bar tubing (from Rowley Co) is "basted" to the fabric with Jewel tape.  Later the ring stitches will secure it to the fabric layers.

Excess face fabric is trimmed out of the side hem.

Except for the seam that joins the lining widths, all sewing is by hand.

The bottom hem aligns perfectly with the lining seam.

The lining and face were basted together at the board line before sewing on the rings.  The basting not only holds the layers securely, but also shows exactly where to staple.
I forgot to take pictures of the back.  We used clear rings and ring locks from Safe-T-Shade, and grey lift cord from Rowley.  The lift

The mesh behaves beautifully as a shade.  (By the way, the "moire" look is just an illusion from the camera.)

My new method for shade bottom hems

When I learned to make shades, it was out of a book- probably a Sunset book- and the way I learned was my method for years.  Gradually I experimented with variations, and at the same time industry standards were evolving and everyone was making window treatments of higher quality.
I was never comfortable, however, with a shade that I knew would have frequent use, that didn't have the rings attached at a sturdy line of machine stitching.
After many experiments, I've now hit on this method, which mostly solves the issues that gave me misgivings.
I remembered to take photos during fabrication of this beautiful shade.

A double hem is turned and pressed.  It's a good idea to draw a line at the top of the hemline so the ring location is accurate.  Ready-made weight bar tubing is laid in behind the hem.

I catch the tube, ladder tape, hem, and face fabric with very sturdy thread.

At each end I continue hand-sewing the pocket to the fabric for that inch and a half.

The bottom rings are sewn, and then the weight bar is inserted and the ends are sewn shut.

The weight bar tubing keeps a nice straight line.  The beauty of this method is that the shade NEVER leaves the table, and thus is not subjected to shifting. 

From the back the bar is unseen.  The front is clean, with no stitching.

By the way, how about the double trim?  Isn't that cool?