All the Best, Part 2

The qualities of wool that make it luxurious are also the qualities that dictate special handling when using it for window treatments.  Wool's fluidity and drapiness make it prone to sagging and rippling, so we add internal structure to allow it to look its best.

The gridded canvas table is our most valuable workroom tool.  We ensure that the fabric is straight on grain by aligning it with the grid.  The bottom hem was calculated to be even with the top of the trim, and it was pressed and opened back up so the interlining could be layered in.

I considered options for making sure the wool did not sag below the fold line, which was even with the bottom of the trim.  Using my "best of both worlds" approach, I ran a line of Jewel adhesive tape to secure the wool and the interlining right where I wanted them.  Yes, I did consider joining the layers with a herringbone stitch.  I was still a little leery of the wool sagging below the trim, and chose the tape instead.   You'll see in a moment that the top was secured in such a way that I was confident that it would not sag.

Borrowing a technique from English curtain-making, the lining was folded up so the raw edge would be even with the raw edge of the wool, and hand-sewn into place.

Stabilizing the top edge was the key to keeping the fabric from sagging.   The interlining ends right at the board line, to reduce bulk; therefore staples won't hold it in place.  So the first step is to secure it to the lining.

A running stitch exactly at the board lines bastes the face fabric to the lining.  When the valance is stapled to the board, the layers naturally shift a bit from the "turn of cloth" but the layers shift at different rates.  They automatically grade themselves.  That's why they have to be basted exactly at the board line.  If they're secured further back, then there will be a little buckle in the layers.

 I leave the thread ends on the right side so that after the valance is stapled I can easily find the basting thread to remove it.  To keep it from loosening up or coming unstitched, I weave a bit back through the stitches.

The sides are hemmed by hand.

A variety of threads were chosen for the hand-sewing- here they are, along with the Jewel tape.

And now the valance is ready for mounting to the boards, and that will be the topic for "All the Best, Part 3," coming up later this week.

All the Best, part 1

I've been waiting a long time to do this blog post about one of my favorite projects of 2018, for designer Susan Marocco.

Last summer we created these valances that are a whole lot more than the sum of their parts.  They are the result of the finest materials, intense hand-sewing, internal structure, and special handling.

It's going to take several posts to tell the whole story, and today is the day to begin. 
Susan Marocco's clients live in a sprawling home overlooking a lake.

Accustomed to having no window treatments, but wanting the room to look finished, they chose top treatments in a sky-and-lake palette to create continuity between the indoors and outdoors.

After considering a dozen or more possible fabrics, a strié Rogers & Goffigon wool was selected.  I knew immediately that I had to plan to make these treatments entirely by hand.  A geometric border from Samuel & Sons was chosen to define the bottom and add to the layers of color.

There were 7 separate kick-pleated valances, each a different size.  Each section size was determined accordingly.  The trim's geometric pattern was centered on each.  That in turn influenced the size of the kick pleat because the motif needed to be centered in the pleat as well. 
AND there were two right-angle corners- the left corner, in the photo above, and the right corner, which ran into the bookcase and needed a little fiddling.

The only machine sewing on the entire project was joining the sections.
We decided to sew the trim to the fabric before making the valances.  Running stitches in a matching blue thread completely disappeared into the trim.

When working with fine materials, I love to use what I call the best of both worlds- a combination of fine handwork that is facilitated by the use of modern tools and materials.  In this case, we used a removable double face adhesive tape from Rowley to secure the trim so it could be sewn with more control.  After the bottom stitch line was finished, we peeled off the "basting tape" before sewing the top stitch line.  This is actually a tape that is sticky on both sides, as opposed to an adhesive film on tape.  Removing it left no sticky stuff behind. 

Here you can see why the trim had to be sewn on by hand.  Whenever sewing happens, there is a bit of take-up, because as little as a single line of thread adds bulk and slightly distorts the fabric.  Even with the most attentive hand-sewing, in this photo you can see the slightest bit of rippling behind and below the trim.  Hand-sewing allows the most control over thread tension, which minimizes the take-up.  If this had been sewn on by machine, even a walking foot machine, the take-up would've been noticeable.  This is true of any fabric, but wool especially. 

Once all the trim was sewn, it was time to layer in the linings.  The goal was to have the wool fold up enough to create the tiniest lip of trim showing on the back, as you can see here if you peer closely at the bottom edge of the back of the valance.

And that's where I will pick up on the next post- layering in the linings and adding internal structure.  Now, it's time to get back to sewing my current 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.