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.