Christine Sews

I have re-purposed the blackout lining from my old bedroom drapes, and re-used them for these new drapes.  Finally.

I dreaded making these drapes.  The lined curtains in the family room took so long. But I must be learning, because I made these in an evening with the same process. Except, since I used true blackout lining this time, I let it hang free at the sides and bottom.  So that the front layer of fabric would hang nicely, instead of being stiff.

The bottom of the drapes are puddled.  To do this with vinyl backed blackout fabric, the blackout layer has to be cut shorter, and left to hang free.  The top layer, in this case, the French Country toile, has to be cut long enough to drag on the floor.  Then the ends need to be finished so they won’t ravel.  They can be hemmed, or serged since they will be tucked under.

I caution you against the puddling if you have a pet or child who will lie on the drapery.   If not, then leaving the fabric long makes measuring much easier.  And if you decide to move the drapery to another window, you have extra fabric to work with at the length.

See also

• Lined Drapes - Sewing Tips
• Sewing Tips - Pattern Matching
• Toile Fabric - How to Cut

I haven’t been posting a lot here this week.  But I have been sewing, and shopping.  Yesterday I drove out to Iva, South Carolina to check out All About Fabrics.  If you’re in the area, I recommend stopping by.  Iva is near Lake Hartwell.  So it isn’t a bad day trip from metro Atlanta.  And if you’re a sewing enthusiast; you might make it a monthly pilgrimage.

All About Fabrics is vast.  And I’m told that their inventory changes monthly.

There is a lot of home decor fabric in stock.  Or at least there was this month.  Some are very deeply discounted.  The very popular prints which I recognized were not marked down as much, but were still only $6.50 per yard. There were some very expensive fabrics, marked down to around $15 per yard.

There were some notions, but not a lot.  I was very pleased to see fusible thread, which seems to be sold out all over Atlanta, and a compass type marking attachment.  I also found three yard rolls of beaded trim deeply discounted.

The staff were very helpful.  Not everyone knew the location of everything.  But they were more than willing to find someone who did.  And it is worth noting that this went on for an hour prior to me identifying myself and requesting to take pictures.  Because hey, if you’re going to take pictures, you’ve got to tell people why so they’ll understand you’re sharing the link love not plotting to blow up the building.

This was a true warehouse setup.  And as such, some of the fabrics had tears, seams, and other flaws.  When encountered at the cut table; the people with the shears just pulled past the flaws and began measuring on the perfect fabric.  They calculated and charged from there - but still gave the customer, me, the flawed fabric.  I am certain I ended up with an extra quarter yard or more of two different fabrics where a flaw can simply be cut around.

In one area there are flat fold fabrics by the pound. I’m a bit confused about how many yards I ended up with.  But some of the ones I picked out were $2.50 a pound.There were not a lot of formal or bridal fabrics.  I happen to be making a ring bearer pillow for a good friend.  So I hunted through two shelves of satin, a relatively small selection compared to other types of fabrics available in the store.  And I found some silk dupioni in the fabric by the pound.

Two disclaimers:

1. This is my opinion.  It is not a paid advertisement.  I genuinely feel the two hour drive was worth the effort.  For a less glowing fabric store review, see my thoughts on Frugal Fabrics .
2. I am loath to refer you to the web site address because I do not think the site is a good representation of the quality of the goods, facility and staff.  But, you’ll need to know the open to public dates and address.  So here it is, All About Fabrics .

Lined drapes present the problem of sewing a lot of fabric.  If you are not comfortable with a great deal of yardage, there are things you can do to make it easier on yourself.  Set about cutting and sewing with these tips in mind.

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Yesterday, I shopped at Frugal Fabrics in Buford, Georgia.  For those familiar with the Atlanta Metro area, that is West of the Mall of Georgia, on Highway 20.  That location is the outlet center, Frugal Fabrics 2.

I found an excellent bargain on a bag full of trims.  They are short lengths, and varied styles, but perfect for embellishing small items like handbags.

The store is a warehouse style, and as such, looks pretty sparse in the way of lighting, wall covering, and flooring.  Fabrics by the yard are grouped by color.  And on the back left is a clearance area full of short yardages of flat fold fabrics.  Closer to the front left are trims, which are not deeply discounted and appear to be there for convenience.

I found some interesting weird fabric, and asked if it is outdoor fabric.  The employees had no idea.  I bought it anyway, because I am fairly certain that it is outdoor fabric.  And I have been wanting to make some seat cushions for the patio and do a tutorial on it.  Sometimes, I need to touch a new, strange fabric.

The flat folds were not well marked.  Several did not have labels.  And I understood the labels to read 7.99 for 2 1/2 yards 50% off.  I was then surprised by the much larger total when I was at the cash register.  Apparently, the price was 50% of 7.99 per yard.  Not the same price at all.  I then asked the cashier to remove one of the fabric items I had been uncertain about.  She blurted out “These are good prices!”

I agree.  They are good prices.  They are not clearly labeled prices.  (Just the flat folds on clearance.)

In any event, I would definitely check out Frugal Fabrics if you are in the area.  I will go again when I’m on that side of town, armed with the knowledge that the price tags might need clarification.  But I do not plan to drive out of my way to do so.

Sewing Tips and Notes:

• Frugal Fabrics carries home decor fabrics, not garment fabric.
• Photos shown are stock photos courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons, not actual store.
• For related fabric shopping tips see Thrift Shop Fabric Find.