To get started, ask yourself, what exactly do I need to accomplish?  Whether you need full black out drapes for sleeping and privacy or just decorative panels, both can look stunning.  Generally speaking, decorative panels use less fabric and will cost less money. In this picture, we show one width decorative panels in a grommet drape style.  This is simple and elegant with a bit more contemporary look.  We love the sleek lines of the panels which give the room dimension and subtle accent color.  Drapes don’t always have to scream “look at me”.  The color block drape seen here can be found in our custom drape department.  Using two coordinating solid fabrics can really make your drapes go from ordinary to spectacular by simply adding another color.

This room scene shows 4 panels on 2 rods.  As an alternative, this window treatment project could have been done with one continuous rod and 3 panels.  In that case, we would have recommended the 3 panels be 1.5 widths of fabric to give the center panel a bit more fullness.

If you love the “light” decorative panel look but need some privacy, you can add a sheer window treatment or sheer curtain and maintain the sleek contemporary look of this room.

]]> http://www.fabricworkroom.com/blog/how-to-handle-window-treatment-for-big-windows/feed/ 0 http://www.fabricworkroom.com/blog/what-size-custom-made-drapery-window-treatments-should-i-order/ http://www.fabricworkroom.com/blog/what-size-custom-made-drapery-window-treatments-should-i-order/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:58:39 +0000 info http://www.fabricworkroom.com/blog/?p=133 When trying to figure out the correct size for your window treatments, it can get tricky.  This is why we have measuring guidelines and detailed information throughout our site.  Custom made drapes are the most popular product we offer.  We are well aware that correctly measuring can be a challenge. The reason you are doing custom drapes is to get a perfect fit and functionality.  So we have a few tips below to help clear any confusion.

The main thing to ask yourself is “do I want decorative side panels or do I want to be able to close them to cover my windows completely for privacy?”.  Once you have answered that question, it is much easier to focus on how to correctly measure for your custom drapes.   Here are some examples:

Decorative Drapery Panels (not for use in privacy or light control)

Example 1

The window is 45” wide from casing-to-casing and 80” long from the top of the casing to the floor.  The drape use is decorative.  

The general rule is to use one width of fabric for windows up to 70″.  One width of fabric is 54″ off the bolt.  When one bolt width is made into a finished drape with side hems and pleats, the finished with is approximately 23″ inches.  In this case, you would order 46″ finished width for your pair or 1 width for each panel.   Full Custom you will order by the inch to give you exactly what you want.  In Semi and Classic Custom, you order by the width. 

Generally we recommend that you mount the rod a minimum of 4″ above your casing.  So your finished order width and length is 48″ Wide X 84″ Long.  In a width department, you would order 1 Width X 84″ Long.

Example 2

The window is 88” wide from casing-to-casing and 85” long from the top of the casing to the floor.  The drape use is decorative.  

The general rule is to use one and a half widths of fabric.  One width of fabric is 54″ off the bolt.  When 1.5 bolt widths are made into a finished drape with side hems and pleats, the finished with is approximately 34″ inches.  In this case, you would order 68″ finished width for your pair or 1.5 widths for each panel.   Full Custom you will order by the inch to give you exactly what you want.  In Semi and Classic Custom, you order by the width. 

Generally we recommend that you mount the rod a minimum of 4″ above your casing.  So your finished order width and length is 68″ Wide X 89″ Long.  In a width department, you would order 1.5 Width X 89″ Long.

Privacy and Light Control Drapery Panels

You have a window that is 80” wide from casing to casing x 75” from the top of the casing to the floor.  You would like fabric drapes that will close and cover your entire window for privacy and light control.   For privacy panels, you have to give the exact measurement of your rod from bracket-to-bracket – not your window size.    You decide how far past the window you will mount your rod brackets.  If you have a lot of wall space, you can go out approx 15” on each side.  This is your rod size bracket-to-bracket.  The total width would be 80 + 15 +15 = 110”.  You would like to mount them 4” above the casing.   The final measurement is 110” x 79” long.  This is what you would order.

You can order drapes from our Semi and Classic Custom departments in widths and still accomplish privacy and light control.  You just have to make sure you order enough widths to cover your window.

Mounting your brackets out from the window is important if you want your drape to clear the glass when the drape is opened.  We have a chart on the site that will give you the amount you should go out on each side for a pair or on one side if you are ordering a single panel.  If you wall space is limited, go out as far as you can to give you the best glass clearing result.

Let’s start with the twin upholstered headboard.  The scale of a twin bed is on the small side.  The headboard has to work with the bed(s) and its surroundings.  We believe that the standard height works well here.  Chances are that you will have two headboards in the room and you don’t want them to completely overpower the room.  You should consider adding a few inches if you plan to add a nice selection of pillows.

You should notch up the height on a full size upholstered headboard.  The width of the mattress warrants a taller board to balance the scale of the headboard.   You should consider the range of 44″ to 48″.  Think about the pillows you will add and the height of the ceiling.

For a queen size upholstered headboard, you should be looking at 50″ or more.  The bed is a bit more substantial, you will have pillow shams and more decorative pillows.  You want balance with all the other elements of the room.

King size upholstered headboards should go to the limit at 58″ whenever possible.  It is the latest fabric headboard design trend for good reason – it looks great!  Tall king size fabric headboards are in nearly all the high end boutique hotels.  Regarding scale, if you were able to fit a king bed in your master bedroom, chances you can easily accommodate a tall headboard.   If you love lots of pillow shams and oversized decorative pillows, you can really go crazy and not hide your beautiful new upholstered headboard.

To really get the height right, we recommend using blue painters tape on the wall where you will have the headboard.  Take the tape and outline the size of the headboard.  Step back and take look.  Move the tape to a couple of different heights.  You’ll know when it right.

Are you having a hard time finding a shower curtain that fits your shower or bathtub?

If you have high ceilings or a custom shower stall you may face this common problem. We can make your extra long shower curtain from the standard 72” long all the way up to 100” long.  Our custom made extra long shower curtains are a #1 seller and you won’t have to sacrifice style for your space!

Some older homes have original claw foot tubs. While these tubs can be a beautiful focal point in your bathroom room, they are often extra wide and standard shower curtains just won’t fit. If you also have high ceilings, you are in luck. We can make your custom shower curtain extra wide AND extra long to solve your shower and tub problems.

We have now added extra long, extra wide and extra long & extra wide liners cut and sewn to your exact size to protect your new custom shower curtain. It’s that easy! Our shower curtain liners come in several colors. They are made of 3 gauge vinyl, have reinforced grommets, a magnetic hem and are mildew resistant.  You can transform your bathroom with our custom shower curtains and now protect your curtain with one of our custom liners.

For those of you that love Waverly as much as we do, you can have any of our products made in any Waverly fabric. This just has to be done “offline”. Call us or email us for any special custom quotes.

Fabric is manufactured by the mills and the machinery used to make decorative fabric for drapes and home decor is primarily 54″ wide. So when we speak of a width of fabric, we are talking about 54″ wide. In making drapes, 8″ of the 54″ is needed for the hems on both sides, so we are left with 46″ of face fabric. Then in the fabrication of the drape, we use a minimum of 2 to 1 fullness to create the beautiful drape header. That simply means if you want a finished drapery panel to be 50″ wide, we will need 100″ of face fabric or two widths of fabric (54″ x 2 widths = 108″ less 8″ for hems = 100″).

Fortunately, you as the customer do not need to know the gory details of how the workroom determines the width and the math behind it. However, when you order decorative drapes on our site where we use width specifications, you should know what the finished product is going to look like. Below you will find the finished width measurement for common decorative sizes. We have also provided a chart to help you determine what width is right for your particular window.

Finished Drapery Width

1 Width Panel – the finished width of a single 1 width panel is approximately 20″ to 27″ wide. The width of two panels (pair) is approximately 40″ to 54″ wide.

1-1/2 Width Panel – the finished width of a single 1-1/2 width panel is approximately 25″ to 40″ wide. The width of two panels (pair) is approximately 50″ to 80″ wide.

2 Width Panel – the finished width of a single 2 width panel is approximately 36″ to 54″ wide. The width of two panels (pair) is approximately 72″ to 108″ wide.

Window Size Recommendations
Below is a general guideline for ordering the right drapery width for your window sizes. If your window is outside these measurements, stationary panels will still work, but you may want to call us to discuss your project.

Our favorite look for this situation is shown in the picture below. By pulling the drapes back, you create a swag effect and it frames the two windows very nicely. The insider tip here is the 12″ rule. If you have more than 12″ of wall space between the windows, you should pull them back as shown. If you have less than 12″ of wall space you can opt not to use the drapery tie-backs and have them hang straight down. Many custom drape styles such as pinch pleat, rod pocket, goblet pleat look great with drapery tie-backs. The room setting below show an elegant silk fabric in a rod pocket drape style using beautiful tassel tie-backs. A pinch pleat drape in nearly any fabric would work equally as well in this room setting. We highly recommend using drapery tassel tie-backs for a very decorative accent to your custom window treatments.

In this day and age with energy prices are soaring, people are looking for every way to conserve energy. We are finding that people are turning to insulated curtains for their window treatments. Makes sense doesn’t it. With insulated curtains and even blackout drapes or blackout shades, you can really help keep the sun out on hot days and the heat in on cold days. This in turn, keeps your air condition and heating bill lower throughout the year.

We specialize in any style drape in a huge selection of fabrics and we are offering free upgrade for thermal lining in Full Custom. Whether you are looking at silk drapes or plaid curtains, here you have the option of lining them in our insulated lining and making a difference.

Insulating drape and curtain lining is a thicker fabric lining material manufactured specifically to help keep out the sun’s heat in the summer and reduce the heat loss in the winter. Insulating lining comes in both white and ivory.

If you are interest in a window roman shade, you can also use our thermal lining which has the same effect. Our thermal lining does not change the look of your window treatments, you will only see a change in your energy bill. Make sure you keep them closed during the day on really sunny days to keep the room cool.

We have covered thousands of windows across the country in every shape and style imaginable. We get many phone calls about how to beautifully cover a corner window.

In our opinion, there is no better solution than an elegant drape and valance combination for a corner window. We love this combination for all window styles, but it works particularly well for tricky corner windows. Look how beautiful it is in the room shot to the right. What you see here is a straight tab top valance mounted on a wrought iron rod. The two rods are joined in the corner with a matching elbow bracket giving the corner a refined look. The rod ends are finished with elegant finials. The hardware choices made here completely transform a simple tab top valance into a work of art.

What really sets the finished window apart from the ordinary are the drapery panels. Since the drapery header is covered by the valance, a simple rod pocket drape header was used to keep the cost down. The panels are mounted on an inexpensive non-decorative curtain rod directly under the valance. Don’t worry, you can’t see it. We love this approach because you don’t need to purchase drapery rings and it is very easy to install.

To add extra style and flair, we like to mix and match fabrics. Shown here is a solid silk drape with a coordinating plaid valance. Doesn’t this window look gorgeous? It is hard to believe that this beautiful corner window was created with a simple tab top valance, rod pocket drapes and decorative hardware.