New Living Room Drapes in a beautiful Vienna Flower print

......And I am back.  Yeah, work seriously got in the way of my fun.  Moving forward, I finished sewing up some new drapes for our living room. It only took a year to do too! 

New Living Room Drapes

      Well, I purchased the fabric last year when Hancock fabrics had a phenomenal sale....it was 50% off decorator fabric with an extra 10% coupon.  I love when that happens.  The fabric retailed for $29.99 a yard, and I purchased 8 yards, so with the coupon I ended up paying something like $100 total.  Also, I invested in 8 packages of pre-made bias tape; which I sewed and understitched to each side of the curtain panel.  I really wanted these drapes to look professional and have a finished neat look. (AND they do!)

Check out the bias tape and hem

    Fabric:  100% linen Vienna Flower print fabric.  Now our picture window is way wide, something like 110" wide, and the fabric was only 55" wide, so I ended up having to french seam extra fabric to each panel so the curtain panels would close in the center.  I don't think it is too noticeable. Check out the fabric:

100% linen Vienna Flower Print

    Time:  Well, it didn't take a year to sew.....that is when I purchased the fabric.  Prepping and sewing time was about 20 hours. Most of that time was spent sewing  down the bias tape and understitching.  It was time consuming but not hard to do. Of course, there was lots of ironing.  In addition, I purchased "Best Press" in lavender.  I love the scent when ironing but my skin didn't like it.  Yeah, it totally irritated my hands.  Oh how we seamstresses suffer! 

    Fabric care:  Ok so the label says: Dry Clean Only.   Glenn and I didn't need these drapes to look formal, so I threw the fabric in the washer and set the machine on cold delicate............and it came out fine.  Then I stuck them in the dryer....yep I did that too.   So, the fabric isn't as stiff, but for us it is fine. 

   Techniques:  I did rip these on the cross grain to keep the fabric straight, but it did take some muscle effort. French seamed half of a width of fabric to a full width to make wider.  Sewed bias tape to inside of each seam for a neat finish.  Created a 2 inch hem and sewed on my machine a blind hem stitch using blind hem foot. Oh, on the top I wrapped the fabric with a whitish bias tape to incorporate some white into the drapes to match our living room.  Also, I sewed up 5 box pleats at the top of the drapes where the curtain clips hold them. Check it out: 

white bias tape at top

   Lastly, I didn't sew up the sheers.  I couldn't find the correct fabric, yet at Bed Bath and Beyond I was thrilled when I spotted the sheers hanging on a display......it was exactly what I was looking for.  I put those in my cart and off I went. 

   Glenn payed me the best compliment, he said," Now we have a grown up living room." 

    I am so looking forward to more sewing.