Monday, October 26, 2015

Curtains and Fabric



This post has had three different titles and themes...Basically, I have been looking for fabric for curtains as I thought I would potentially make my own.  

However, I soon realized that I would not be saving any money (and especially time) by making the curtains myself. First, I'm not a wonderful sewer. I have tried, I even have a nice sewing machine. I am not exaggerating when I say that my husband can sew better than I (add that to the list). This is because his mother was an avid sewer and as the baby of six children, he was her helper. 

As soon as I realized I would not be needing to find fabric for curtains, nor could I afford to pay someone to make them for me, I began a search for pre-made curtains. This occurred on the eve before the Labor Day sales came to an end - which left me up late into the night.  The three curtains panels draped over the door in the photo above are just a few of the results from this effort. 

It wasn't until many weeks later, as I contemplated which of my various ordered curtains would work and which would not, that it occurred to me....


...Our downstairs front rooms have very tall windows which make the window trim go straight to the bottom edge of the crown molding. This leaves no room for drapery hardware, without somehow obstructing the glass, and the natural light. 


The other  challenging factor is that there are three windows in these same rooms that are adjacent to chimneys, also contributing to drapery challenges. 

The previous owners installed valances to remedy these issues but we love the height of the windows and in no way want to shorten them or diminish the natural light coming through them. 

So very long story short, for these reasons we will not be using curtains in the two downstairs rooms after all. We are instead going to do shutters - which is actually what I had planned on using in the very beginning. 

Isn't it funny how often we come back to our first intention? 

My search for fabrics for our other projects has mostly occurred online, late at night, while the house was asleep. But I started to feel as if it would be more productive to see and feel the fabrics in person. 

So off to Zimman's we went. It's been highly recommended by many and I've been eager to see what they had. The photo was taken by my assistants (four year old dumplings). 

Here is another documentary photo taken by my helpful assistants. 

Tatyana (captured by my assistants) helped us navigate the thousands (upon thousands) of fabrics. It was really quite amazing. 


It was also wonderfully organized by style and color.  One (I) could truly spend hours in Zimman's but my assistants needed to move on. 


Zimman's also has a remnant table in the basement. I was so hoping to find something bold, brave and luxurious that I couldn't leave without, but had no such luck. 

Although I loved going to a fabric store in person, as I full time mom with two energetic dumplings, I think I prefer to shop for fabrics when the house is quiet. 

Any wonderful recommendations to offer? 

39 comments :

  1. My mom is an avid sewer (she slipcovered my dad's la-z boy and it fits like upholstery) and just made a trip to Zimman's in September. She loves it and feels they really have a different inventory than she finds elsewhere. I have accepted defeat as well on sewing. I'm terrible and it's not for lack of effort. I'm struggling to put a hem on napkins for Thanksgiving! While I have my sweatshop labor/mother making an elaborate tablecloth with a pleated skirt.
    I've had great luck finding fabric on Amazon. It requires some thorough sifting as the best fabrics don't show up in a mainstream search. The best fabrics seem to be hidden in Amazon seller's stores. I will look back through my purchases and find which sellers in particular.
    I much prefer shutters because they are so much easier to clean and require no ladder. You loved your shutters in your rental house, if I recall. They'll look perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Knew you would get shutters.

    Wonder what your choices are for appropriate style.

    XO T

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tara,
      I asked our craftsman Nate and he suggested replicating the panels from our Federal doors throughout the house. He's going to be making them for us.
      XO Catherine

      Delete
    2. Shutters will be perfect in that house ... perfecto :)

      Delete
  3. Yes, I even took a sewing class when I purchased my sewing machine and despite my efforts, could not get the hang of it. I made some simple napkins for a friend for Christmas and upon folding them up to wrap, realized that they were far from square! Your so lucky that your mom sews!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would love to know what curtains you tried (even if you're not going to end up using them). I'm on the hunt for curtains myself and, like you, I *probably* could sew them myself, but realistically, that isn't likely to happen. I think your taste is impeccable, so I'm sure you found something I'll love: )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been very happy with Country Curtains. I am hemming and hawing about a few patterns that they have. They are (for the money) the best I've found really. Most come lined and they also come in pairs - a huge savings.

      Delete
    2. Catherine, now that you're in New England, get yourself on Country Curtain's mailing list. Almost every year they have a sale (usually around May) at what they call "The Rink" in Lenox, MA -an old rollerskating venue- and all the unsold inventory, returns, and discontinued merchandise are offered at a serious discount. You have to inspect what you buy as it is final sale but the savings are worth it (I bought three sets of drapes normally at $280/pair for $100 total.)

      Delete
  5. The talented Trish Banner of "Cottage by Design" has a wonderful selection of fabrics and her handmade curtains are the best! Deni

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I've had Trish sew many things for me! I hadn't realized that she did curtains as well. Good to know, thank you!

      Delete
  6. I love the perspective of your assistants. Very edgy stuff. Lol Like you, I have had good luck with Country Curtains but I like your shutter solution for the downstairs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, all the bedrooms will have curtains and I really like what Country Curtains has to offer. For the price and quality it's a wonderful resource.

      Delete
  7. I'm in the process of making my own, cheap and cheerful for our living room:)
    i found a double sheet from a charity shop for £1.50, cut it in half and sew the sides where you cut, it saves hemming the bottoms as they are hemmed all the way around, then i just need to fold the tops over and sew, and there you have it! i don't want them lined as they are for winter to let in as much light as possible :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good for you! I have found such great fabrics at our local charity shop. Nothing big enough for curtains but lovely prints for pillows.

      Delete
  8. 4-already?! Time flies. btw...Your wee assistants did a wonderful job of capturing the trip. :)
    Hope you found the perfect fabric. And as for this lover of fabric, I could die happily in that store.

    ReplyDelete
  9. No recommendations, but wow - what a shop! Looks like you could spend a week there, easily.

    ReplyDelete
  10. In our home in Buenos Aires, all the doors and windows in the apartment were French doors.
    They all opened like doors with many panes of glass.
    For a tiny bit of privacy , I had linen drapes that I bought many years ago ( '90s) from Pottery Barn .. they fit perfectly, it was a shock how perfect they were for all windows and doors.
    Thankfully, I was living in a big old house when I bought them so they were long enough for the old doors and windows in Argentina.
    I have them in my 50s house here in NY State now- they actually help the house look a bit better. ( I am not a big fan of 50s ranch houses .. )

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't think that either of my four-year-old assistants could have gotten such good pictures. My youngest, now 13, was intent on taking pictures of his shoes and the floor all the way up through fifth grade (even while he lived in Mexico with a hose family for a week - "see mom, here are their stairs." Were you calling directions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were plenty more photos that included lots of feet, the sidewalk, closeups of prints, more of me...But no, photos were taken at will. I had my own camera and thought I would use mostly those but theirs were just too good to pass up!

      Delete
  12. i adore internal shutters. On the fabric front, if you really want bold, bright and top quality luxurious fabric I would always use Designers Guild, I use them for all my pillows and our bedrooom curtains. They are expensive, but quite often you can find some DG fabric on ebay for a fraction of the cost. Like you with children, my shopping is late at night on the internet, I have however, found sometimes it helps to not click the "buy"button until the morning!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Go on the web to the UK fabric sites.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Best decision . . .Shutters . . . and they seem to be, "you!"
    Happy the dumplings played the "assistants" roll . . .
    How many windows will you need to DRESS?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Zinman's is certainly an experience...went a few times when my daughter was living in Arlington. For a fabricaholic like me it was heaven! Have you considered using linen Panels...it's such a beautiful, classic fabric. Your shutters will be gorgeous :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. THANK YOU . . . For pointing out that custom curtains aren't inexpensive. As someone who does this I get tired of people who think it should be cheaper and who purchase fabric without consulting me first. Ever try making a pleated drape that's 22" wide out of suede cloth like fabric AND black out lining?
    Just one reason when you want custom drapes you 1) discuss style and fabric with the seamstress first and 2) custom means just that, and you are paying for time and skill!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well said!! I too am a Custom Seamstress...I've been doing this for over 30 years...I think the only thing worse than your 2 points above is the person that buys their fabric...starts cutting and sewing and then calls you to finish/fix what they started :-o

      Delete
  17. If you need a pop of color, fabric roman shades are a good choice and will not conceal the window trim.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think shutters would be appropriate for the age of the house and the interior trim design. Having run a custom sewing business for almost twenty years, we made many window treatments, including a seven bedroom Bed and Breakfast , canopies, bedspreads, even shower curtains.
    I was just a small business in a small town. Have you tried to locate local seamstresses to do the work for you. The small guys do good work too and can be very reasonable.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Another "plug" for Country Curtains, I truly believe that their presence has helped sell two of our homes. 😊

    ReplyDelete
  20. I was searching for a more inexpensive way to get curtains for our new home, and I was very happy with Tonic Living. I was able to customize size, fabric, pleats, and lining. I went with a very simple off-white linen, but they have a huge variety of fabric choices and are lovely to work with. In the end, I ended up paying less than I would have with a company like Restoration Hardware, and I find the quality and craftmanship to be even better than those samples I viewed in the store.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hey Catherine,

    Daniel Zimman here from Zimman's. First off, I want to thank you for visiting us and all the lovely things you had to say about our store. I'd also like to invite you back to our store. We have an entire team of in-house designers who would love to help you finish up this project and any future projects you may have. I've already shared this post with a few of our other designers, and they all have wonderful ideas for you...and love your blog too!

    Very Best,
    Daniel Zimman

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well hello! Did we see you that day? Thank you so much for the warm welcome to return - we certainly will! It is the most amazing fabric store and I am very eager to find some slipcover fabric. I saw some wonderful options there...
      Best, Catherine

      Delete
  22. Can't wait to see the shutters! Love shutters, especially with all the wonderful wood work in your house. I like the British cottage style of curtains that hang within the window framework or there about. Laura Ashley are in stores and on Amazon now, too.

    ReplyDelete
  23. "Any wonderful recommendations to offer?"

    Do I recall that you ordered some curtains from Ikea for the rental house bedroom? Without hunting thru your archives, I do remember them as lovely and cozy. I don't know what makes me suggest this other than intuition, but have you considered putting the curtains decision off a year until you see what the air quality is like throughout the entire upstairs after your first winter, after you've experienced whole-house up-and-down fireplace fires, after the furnace/ductwork systems have had a full winter to adjust?

    The thing about masses and masses of yardage is that all that fabric will absorb all kinds of air quality situations, most of which will be unanticipated. And I know you'll want to select natural cottons/linens which are even more absorbant than, say, the polyblends.

    This isn't a "wonderful recommendation" at all, just a cautionary note to maybe consider reordering more of those same Ikea curtains/hardware as needed for the entire upstairs - just to be sure about what your first winter in the house has in store for you.

    -Flo
    Amelia Island FL

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hello! I look forward to your posts! your new house is going to be so beautiful! thanks for sharing with us!

    I enjoy shopping online for fabric at fabric.com. i've had good luck with them, and you can even request a sample of the fabric before you purchase. their search feature is great, it narrows down your choices quickly if you're searching for "trees" or "birds" or "toile" on your fabric. For the bedrooms in our home, i bought plain and inexpensive black-out and/or insulated curtains from Target, then, i shopped online at fabric.com for material that i can sew OVER the plain panel i bought from target. with my limited sewing abilities, it still turns out pretty! i have a 2 and 3-year-old, so the pinning and sewing has to be done after they're in bed!

    good luck! brenda

    ReplyDelete
  25. I've bought lots of curtains from Country Curtains, more than 30 years, they have great shades also, in my old house I have some insulated ones, they work great in summer and winter. I love the shutter idea, we have them in some windows. I am a sewer, raised by a seamstress, so I am pretty efficient with the sewing machine. I have found most of my fabric at Fabric.com, you can order samples and see what it will be like in person before ordering. I also have had a lot of luck on ebay, if you find a designer fabric you like, sometimes you can find it cheaper. Good luck! Donna :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...