OT- Tia Mary - sewing help!

I posted over at the sewing group with no answer, so I was hoping you could
help me. I am in the midst of my first pair of insulated drapes (1 panel
done). They are just a plain panel, no ties, about 115"x62", made of a
velvety-suede material, the innerlining and the lining, and are quite
heavy. I was going to use the clips to attach them to the rings, but the
woman at the fabric store said just to sew the ring onto the curtain fabric,
which is what I planned to do until I realized how heavy they are. Now I'm a
little nervous doing this as the drape is so heavy, I don't want it to tear
from the weight, not to mention little kitties trying to investigate! I'd
rather not put in grommets as that would take away from the length. I have
already purchased a pole and rings that I want to use. I just want
everything to hang correctly and not tear. Any ideas? I sure would
appreciate it.

Thanks,
Carolyn
(mom to Fred [she's a she], Joey and Ash, my children with fur, oh, and also
2 children without the fur!)

From: "Carolyn Wagner"

I posted over at the sewing group with no answer, so I was hoping you could
help me. ..........

You did get some answers -- I saw your original post and the responses. I
wouldn't want to just sew the rings to the velvet drapes either -- wayyyyy too
heavy. Here's what I would do.......
First off, your rings should have that little metal loop on them. This is
what you usually sew through to attach to the curtain -- IF you sew the rings
to the curtain. The easiest thing to do would be to buy the hooks that have a
pointy end that gets put through the drapery facing and header fabric. The
other end is the hook that goes through the little metal ring that is attached
to the big rings that go on the pole.
If you want to actually attach the rings to the fabric, I would make some
VERY narrow strips out of the curtain fabric OR purchase cording to put through
the ring and then sew it to the curtain. You absolutely, positively MUST have
some sort of header on the top of velvet curtains to make sure that they don't
get terribly saggy. If you haven't used any, run right down to the local
fabric store and buy some!
OK -- you have header in the top of the draperies (curtains are window
treatments that are of lighter fabric and not lined -- draperies are heavy
fabric and lined :-) ) and some sort of cording or whatever through the ring.
I am assuming you have a facing that is seamed to the top of the drapery. This
is best, especially considering that you have heavy fabric, lining and
innerlining. When you sew this top seam, leave small openings at the spots
where you want the rings attached.
So, once you know where you want each ring to be attached, you put the ends
of the cording (or whatever) through that opening you left when you sewed the
top seam. Be sure that the cording (or whatever) is long enough so that the
ends of it stick out just below the bottom of the top facing and sew the
opening closed. Next, sew the bottom of the facing down being sure to catch
the ends of the cording (or whatever) in that bottom seam. NOW you can cut off
any excess cording (or whatever).
TOPSTITCH on the front of the drapery along the top and through all
thicknesses. This is gonna be the hard part because you have lots of layers to
sew through! If I was making these draperies AND if it's possible AND if it
looks OK AND keeping in mind that I am terribly anal and worry about stuff like
this, I would do several parallel rows of topstitching just to make sure that
the cording (or whatever) stays in place :-))))!
One of the best things you can do on something like this is to leave the
cording (or whatever) longer than you normally would. What usually happens
when stuff like this undergoes an "overload" failure is that the actual
stitching stays in place but the weight of the thing being hung pulls on the
fabric of the cording (or whatever) and makes it fray and pull out! That's why
I would leave the cording (or whatever) long enough to be stitched down along
the *bottom* edge of the facing. having it stitched down at the top AND the
bottom of the facing distributes the load more evenly and will help keep
everything where it is supposed to be.
Of course, the easiest thing is to use some REALLY heavy header stuff (I
have used several layers of both header and fabric on really heavy projects)
and use the special drapery hooks made for this type of application. If you
don't have a clue as to what these hooks look like, I can troll around at the
Joanns or Hancock's sites and see if they have pictures of them.
Does all of this make sense or have I totally confused you? Let me know if I
need to 'spolain stuff more :-)))! Always happy to help. CiaoMeow ^;;^
..
PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

Carolyn Wagner wrote:

I posted over at the sewing group with no answer, so I was hoping you could
help me. I am in the midst of my first pair of insulated drapes (1 panel
done). They are just a plain panel, no ties, about 115"x62", made of a
velvety-suede material, the innerlining and the lining, and are quite
heavy. I was going to use the clips to attach them to the rings, but the
woman at the fabric store said just to sew the ring onto the curtain fabric,
which is what I planned to do until I realized how heavy they are. Now I'm a
little nervous doing this as the drape is so heavy, I don't want it to tear
from the weight, not to mention little kitties trying to investigate! I'd
rather not put in grommets as that would take away from the length. I have
already purchased a pole and rings that I want to use. I just want
everything to hang correctly and not tear. Any ideas? I sure would
appreciate it.


What if you put something strong but flexible inside the
top of the drape and sewing *that* to the rings? Or would it
screw everything up to put a rod pocket on it now?

Best wishes,
Ericka

Hi,
Yes, a rod pocket would kind of mess things up. I have counted on using
rings to attach the drapery to the pole, otherwise the drapery will be too
short and will not "fold" when open like I hope it will. I think I will have
to open up my top seam and add something.

Thanks for your suggestions,
Carolyn
(and I definitely need the good wishes with this!)


"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...
Carolyn Wagner wrote:

I posted over at the sewing group with no answer, so I was hoping you
could
help me. I am in the midst of my first pair of insulated drapes (1 panel
done). They are just a plain panel, no ties, about 115"x62", made of a
velvety-suede material, the innerlining and the lining, and are quite
heavy. I was going to use the clips to attach them to the rings, but the
woman at the fabric store said just to sew the ring onto the curtain
fabric,
which is what I planned to do until I realized how heavy they are. Now
I'm a
little nervous doing this as the drape is so heavy, I don't want it to
tear
from the weight, not to mention little kitties trying to investigate!
I'd
rather not put in grommets as that would take away from the length. I
have
already purchased a pole and rings that I want to use. I just want
everything to hang correctly and not tear. Any ideas? I sure would
appreciate it.


What if you put something strong but flexible inside the
top of the drape and sewing *that* to the rings? Or would it
screw everything up to put a rod pocket on it now?

Best wishes,
Ericka

You're right, I do have replies! But they weren't there when I had checked
before asking you. ;-)

Anyhow, I had followed a Caroline Wrey book, which didn't say anything about
a header for plain draperies, so no, I don't have a header or facing. And
the top is folded over and then slip-stitched to the lining, so there isn't
a seam on the very top.

I knew I should have taken everything to someone else to do this!! I think
I've bitten off more than I can chew. ;-) I'm going back to the fabric
store today (an hour away) and will ask them about the pointed hooks and
also about adding a header in. Looks like I'm going to be frogging seams
tomorrow instead of starting the second panel. :-( Oh well, best to get it
right than have ruined draperies in a few months.

Thanks for your suggestions.
Carolyn

"Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply " wrote in
message ...
From: "Carolyn Wagner"

I posted over at the sewing group with no answer, so I was hoping you
could
help me. ..........

You did get some answers -- I saw your original post and the responses.
I
wouldn't want to just sew the rings to the velvet drapes either -- wayyyyy
too
heavy. Here's what I would do.......
First off, your rings should have that little metal loop on them. This
is
what you usually sew through to attach to the curtain -- IF you sew the
rings
to the curtain. The easiest thing to do would be to buy the hooks that
have a
pointy end that gets put through the drapery facing and header fabric.
The
other end is the hook that goes through the little metal ring that is
attached
to the big rings that go on the pole.
If you want to actually attach the rings to the fabric, I would make
some
VERY narrow strips out of the curtain fabric OR purchase cording to put
through
the ring and then sew it to the curtain. You absolutely, positively MUST
have
some sort of header on the top of velvet curtains to make sure that they
don't
get terribly saggy. If you haven't used any, run right down to the local
fabric store and buy some!
OK -- you have header in the top of the draperies (curtains are window
treatments that are of lighter fabric and not lined -- draperies are heavy
fabric and lined :-) ) and some sort of cording or whatever through the
ring.
I am assuming you have a facing that is seamed to the top of the drapery.
This
is best, especially considering that you have heavy fabric, lining and
innerlining. When you sew this top seam, leave small openings at the
spots
where you want the rings attached.
So, once you know where you want each ring to be attached, you put the
ends
of the cording (or whatever) through that opening you left when you sewed
the
top seam. Be sure that the cording (or whatever) is long enough so that
the
ends of it stick out just below the bottom of the top facing and sew the
opening closed. Next, sew the bottom of the facing down being sure to
catch
the ends of the cording (or whatever) in that bottom seam. NOW you can
cut off
any excess cording (or whatever).
TOPSTITCH on the front of the drapery along the top and through all
thicknesses. This is gonna be the hard part because you have lots of
layers to
sew through! If I was making these draperies AND if it's possible AND if
it
looks OK AND keeping in mind that I am terribly anal and worry about stuff
like
this, I would do several parallel rows of topstitching just to make sure
that
the cording (or whatever) stays in place :-))))!
One of the best things you can do on something like this is to leave
the
cording (or whatever) longer than you normally would. What usually
happens
when stuff like this undergoes an "overload" failure is that the actual
stitching stays in place but the weight of the thing being hung pulls on
the
fabric of the cording (or whatever) and makes it fray and pull out!
That's why
I would leave the cording (or whatever) long enough to be stitched down
along
the *bottom* edge of the facing. having it stitched down at the top AND
the
bottom of the facing distributes the load more evenly and will help keep
everything where it is supposed to be.
Of course, the easiest thing is to use some REALLY heavy header stuff
(I
have used several layers of both header and fabric on really heavy
projects)
and use the special drapery hooks made for this type of application. If
you
don't have a clue as to what these hooks look like, I can troll around at
the
Joanns or Hancock's sites and see if they have pictures of them.
Does all of this make sense or have I totally confused you? Let me know
if I
need to 'spolain stuff more :-)))! Always happy to help. CiaoMeow ^;;^
.
PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

My sympathies. I've had library books on curtain/blind making out for the past
2 months and still haven't got it straight. For a process which involves,
basically, stitching 3 big pieces of cloth together and hanging them, there is
a lot of variability in terminology and methodology, although the essentials
usually remain the same. I suspect curtain/drapery books tend to be written by
interior designers, not seamstresses because they tend to be a bit heavy on the
design advice, and sketchy on practical matters.

I'm planning to interline a flowered cotton print (which I picked up at 50%
off), mostly to reduce heat loss. Local fabric stores only sell white flannel
as an interlining. What type of interlining are you using?

Dora

"Carolyn Wagner"


You're right, I do have replies! But they weren't there when I had checked
before asking you. ;-)

Anyhow, I had followed a Caroline Wrey book, which didn't say anything about
a header for plain draperies, so no, I don't have a header or facing. And
the top is folded over and then slip-stitched to the lining, so there isn't
a seam on the very top.

I knew I should have taken everything to someone else to do this!! I think
I've bitten off more than I can chew. ;-) I'm going back to the fabric
store today (an hour away) and will ask them about the pointed hooks and
also about adding a header in. Looks like I'm going to be frogging seams
tomorrow instead of starting the second panel. :-( Oh well, best to get it
right than have ruined draperies in a few months.

Thanks for your suggestions.
Carolyn

From: "Carolyn Wagner"

...... I've bitten off more than I can chew. ;-) I'm going back to the fabric
store today (an hour away) and will ask them about the pointed hooks and
also about adding a header in. ........

NAHHHH -- you'll do OK :-))). I will tell you that I absolutely HATE to
make draperies -- all that fabric and the weight of them -- YUCK!!!
Now about those hooks. The pointy ended ones aren't the only ones
available. There are some that have the regular hook on the top (the part that
goes through the little metal ring on your wooden rings) and the bottom is also
a hook but a pretty long one that isn't pointy. You use a special type of
header, often refered to as pleater tape, that is woven with little pockets in
it for these hooks to fit into.
This might be JUST the thing to use since you don't have any header in the
draperies already. Of course, you would have to open up your stitching to
insert the header inside the top hem. You would also need to be sure to leave
an opening in your stitching (to insert the hook into the header) when you sew
the header and the top hem back down again. The other option would be to just
lay the header on top of the folded over hem part and top stitch it down.
Let us know what you finally end up doing OK? There are many others here
who are making stuff like this all the time. Knowing the problems others have
run into AND the solutions used helps a lot :-))! CiaoMeow ^;;^
..


PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply wrote:
Now about those hooks. The pointy ended ones aren't the only ones
available. There are some that have the regular hook on the top (the part that
goes through the little metal ring on your wooden rings) and the bottom is also
a hook but a pretty long one that isn't pointy. You use a special type of
header, often refered to as pleater tape, that is woven with little pockets in
it for these hooks to fit into.

Wait! Those are pleater tapes for French pleats. I'm thinking of the
ones that have the built-in grooves for three-pronged hooks. She's not
pleating them.

Are you thinking the plain buckrum type header tape - without pockets
for pronged hooks - as a backing? Unless Carolyn leaves the header
untacked and spaced perfectly, she'll need to use the sharp hooks.

Am I just making more mud of this? Last summer, I walked my daughter
through drapes. I tried to warn her. She didn't listen to everything,
but they came out looking nice. It's very frustrating the first time.
She just sewed the loops, but hers aren't as heavy. And, she used a
header tape. AND, I got her to pull a thread before we started so we
could determine if the pattern was loomed straight or not. It was, so
she pulled threads on every piece she cut. Proud of that girl.

I line mine in muslin or broadcloth. Yep. Draperies are not for the
timid. But they look so nice when they're done, and they fit your
windows the way they're suppose to.

Dianne

This might be JUST the thing to use since you don't have any header in the
draperies already. Of course, you would have to open up your stitching to
insert the header inside the top hem. You would also need to be sure to leave
an opening in your stitching (to insert the hook into the header) when you sew
the header and the top hem back down again. The other option would be to just
lay the header on top of the folded over hem part and top stitch it down.
Let us know what you finally end up doing OK? There are many others here
who are making stuff like this all the time. Knowing the problems others have
run into AND the solutions used helps a lot :-))! CiaoMeow ^;;^
.


PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

From: Dianne Lewandowski

Wait! Those are pleater tapes for French pleats. I'm thinking of the
ones that have the built-in grooves for three-pronged hooks. She's not
pleating them. .........

You're correct but they DO make the single hooks thingies that are used
with the wooden rings. There are several different types of pleater tape
available and the stuff with the little pockets spaced evenly is the stuff I
have in mind. If you use the single hooks it works just fine. Problem is
often *finding* the single hooks!! The hooks I am thinking of are a lot longer
than the short ones with the pointy ends and would probably hold better. Of
course, it will all depend on what is available!! CiaoMeow ^;;^
..


PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!

I am using an off-white material that is kind of like flannel, only sturdier
and more thickly woven. Calico Corners, where I bought it, just calls it
interlining. JoAnn Fabrics had a heat-and-light-blocking, insulating fabric
with almost a foil type material on one side that was much, much thicker,
which I thought would be too bulky for my suede material. (Sorry, I don't
sew enough to know the proper fabric names!) I also hope this drapery helps
with heat blocking in the summer. It will be covering a large, east-facing
window that lets in lots of sun.

Carolyn
"Bungadora" wrote in message
...
My sympathies. I've had library books on curtain/blind making out for the
past
2 months and still haven't got it straight. For a process which involves,
basically, stitching 3 big pieces of cloth together and hanging them,
there is
a lot of variability in terminology and methodology, although the
essentials
usually remain the same. I suspect curtain/drapery books tend to be
written by
interior designers, not seamstresses because they tend to be a bit heavy
on the
design advice, and sketchy on practical matters.

I'm planning to interline a flowered cotton print (which I picked up at
50%
off), mostly to reduce heat loss. Local fabric stores only sell white
flannel
as an interlining. What type of interlining are you using?

Dora

"Carolyn Wagner"


You're right, I do have replies! But they weren't there when I had
checked
before asking you. ;-)

Anyhow, I had followed a Caroline Wrey book, which didn't say anything
about
a header for plain draperies, so no, I don't have a header or facing. And
the top is folded over and then slip-stitched to the lining, so there
isn't
a seam on the very top.

I knew I should have taken everything to someone else to do this!! I
think
I've bitten off more than I can chew. ;-) I'm going back to the fabric
store today (an hour away) and will ask them about the pointed hooks and
also about adding a header in. Looks like I'm going to be frogging seams
tomorrow instead of starting the second panel. :-( Oh well, best to get
it
right than have ruined draperies in a few months.

Thanks for your suggestions.
Carolyn