Window Dressing

just yesterday a friend asked me about drapes and where i get mine. funny thing is i had this post tee'd up for today. meant to be.

as part of the much talked about living/dining room makeover, i need to address the windows. in our previous house we had custom-made silk panels that were very generously given to us as a wedding gift. they're pretty fancy. i hung said panels in the living room of our current house. see here. i love them and they are beautiful, but they kind of don't fit into the vision/feel of these rooms. at all. :(

you know where this is going. i've been toying with the idea of white linen panels that would have a less formal effect (lined so they still have some weight). and trimming them with something. ribbon again maybe? so off i went to a local design store to get a quote on what 6 linen panels, with trim, would set me back. well, including a 20% discount, it came to $2,000. holy shizzz. then i had an epiphany. AAHHH (choruses singing):

image via pottery barn

the peyton drape from pottery barn. the fabric on these is a linen/cotton blend with a small basketweave pattern. texture = good.

what if i bought these panels (in white) and sewed them to work with my existing rods? to some this may seem a simple task but i don't sew and i don't own a sewing machine. so what if i (i.e. seamstress or other professional with sewing machine) removed the original pocket and sewed a new one so the top looked more like this:

(pic of my current silk panels, 1.5" rod pocket and 3" header)

to create fixed panels rather than curtains hanging from a rod that open and close. i think it could work! and i could get it done for less than half of the original quote. moral of the story: be creative and buy things made in mass (not custom), or use what you already have, then doctor them up a bit to create exactly what you want.

**also i will impart a little design opinion here... i really like when curtains "puddle" (that's what it's called, don't ask me why) on the floor instead of being hemmed right above the floor. it feels just a little more relaxed, not trying so hard. the amount of puddling (ha) is up to you but i might suggest an extra 3" of length.