You now have chosen your window treatment or valance style. You've scanned throught magazines, searched web pages, and scrutinized friend's homes. Now comes choosing the colors for your home. Do you like the look of sharply contrasting colors or do you prefer a muted tone on tone look? Do you like contemporary prints or traditional ones? Do you need a solid due to having so many other prints already in the room? Or do you need a print that will pull together all the colors of your room into one fabric? What scale should the print be? If you already have several large prints in a room, then a smaller, muted print might be a better choice so that it won't compete with your existing decor. A room full of smaller prints or solids might benefit from the extra punch delivered by a larger print. But no matter what your style, always remember that the final choice is based on your own personal preferences. It doesn't matter if a certain style looked fabulous in another home. Your home should reflect your own colors and style preferences. Not all fabrics are suitable for every window treatment. For example, sheers should not be used exclusively if privacy or light control is a prime consideration. And fabrics with very open weaves might not be suitable for extremely long windows, as this type of fabric tends to sag when used in very long panels. A very bulky fabric shouldn't be used on a window treatment that has lots of soft gathers, such as a shaped valance or a gathered balloon shade. Also, pleated styles benefit from a crisper fabric, such as chintz, as they hold the folds easier. If you will have floor length panels, then how easily the fabric wrinkles is another consideration. Chintzes tend to show wrinkles more than fabrics without a glazed finish. Lighter colored fabrics tend to show wrinkles more than darker fabrics. Thus, a chintz with a white background will show the most wrinkles. Linen fabrics or all cotton fabrics will require extra pressing on the rod, after the drape is hung. If you are making pinch pleated or rod pocket drapes that are intended to be opened and closed, then be aware that these types of fabrics will wrinkle with use. A good test to see if a fabric wrinkles easily or if the fabric 'holds' the wrinkles is to place the fabric in your hand and then close your hand into a fist for a few seconds. If the fabric is 'set' and stays wrinkled up, then it is probably a bad choice for your windows, or it will require a lot of time pressing. If the fabric 'relaxes' and does not hold the wrinkles, then it is a better choice for your windows. However, if the fabric doesn't hold a good crease at all (such as some rayon blends), then avoid this fabric for styles that are very tailored and need a crisp look. Always bring a fabric sample back home before buying . The light in your home is changed by the color of your walls, the type of lighting you have, the orientation of the house, and many other factors. The color that looked like a perfect match in the store with flourescent lighting might look sallow once placed in your home. It is a good idea to purchase 1/2 yard of the fabric so that you can hang the fabric at your window or drape it across your couch to get a realistic idea of how the fabric will look in your home. To hang the fabric at your window, tape or thumbtack it to the top edge of your window molding. Live with the fabric for a few days prior to making your choice. Check how the fabric looks at your window in the morning and noon and evening hours, as the light changes in your home. When you do find that perfect fabric, don't hesitate to buy a few extra yards. When you get that cute little footstool that would look great covered in your window covering fabric, you don't want to find out that the fabric isn't sold in your area any more. That extra yardage can be used for table runners, lamp shades, picture bows, pillows, footstools, and more. Now that you've got an idea of what type of fabric to buy, check out the Designer Tips page to find out some creative ideas on how to use your fabric. |
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You now have chosen your window treatment or valance style. You've scanned throught magazines, searched web pages, and scrutinized friend's homes. Now comes choosing the colors for your home. Do you like the look of sharply contrasting colors or do you prefer a muted tone on tone look? Do you like contemporary prints or traditional ones? Do you need a solid due to having so many other prints already in the room? Or do you need a print that will pull together all the colors of your room into one fabric? What scale should the print be? If you already have several large prints in a room, then a smaller, muted print might be a better choice so that it won't compete with your existing decor. A room full of smaller prints or solids might benefit from the extra punch delivered by a larger print. But no matter what your style, always remember that the final choice is based on your own personal preferences. It doesn't matter if a certain style looked fabulous in another home. Your home should reflect your own colors and style preferences. Not all fabrics are suitable for every window treatment. For example, sheers should not be used exclusively if privacy or light control is a prime consideration. And fabrics with very open weaves might not be suitable for extremely long windows, as this type of fabric tends to sag when used in very long panels. A very bulky fabric shouldn't be used on a window treatment that has lots of soft gathers, such as a shaped valance or a gathered balloon shade. Also, pleated styles benefit from a crisper fabric, such as chintz, as they hold the folds easier. If you will have floor length panels, then how easily the fabric wrinkles is another consideration. Chintzes tend to show wrinkles more than fabrics without a glazed finish. Lighter colored fabrics tend to show wrinkles more than darker fabrics. Thus, a chintz with a white background will show the most wrinkles. Linen fabrics or all cotton fabrics will require extra pressing on the rod, after the drape is hung. If you are making pinch pleated or rod pocket drapes that are intended to be opened and closed, then be aware that these types of fabrics will wrinkle with use. A good test to see if a fabric wrinkles easily or if the fabric 'holds' the wrinkles is to place the fabric in your hand and then close your hand into a fist for a few seconds. If the fabric is 'set' and stays wrinkled up, then it is probably a bad choice for your windows, or it will require a lot of time pressing. If the fabric 'relaxes' and does not hold the wrinkles, then it is a better choice for your windows. However, if the fabric doesn't hold a good crease at all (such as some rayon blends), then avoid this fabric for styles that are very tailored and need a crisp look. Always bring a fabric sample back home before buying . The light in your home is changed by the color of your walls, the type of lighting you have, the orientation of the house, and many other factors. The color that looked like a perfect match in the store with flourescent lighting might look sallow once placed in your home. It is a good idea to purchase 1/2 yard of the fabric so that you can hang the fabric at your window or drape it across your couch to get a realistic idea of how the fabric will look in your home. To hang the fabric at your window, tape or thumbtack it to the top edge of your window molding. Live with the fabric for a few days prior to making your choice. Check how the fabric looks at your window in the morning and noon and evening hours, as the light changes in your home. When you do find that perfect fabric, don't hesitate to buy a few extra yards. When you get that cute little footstool that would look great covered in your window covering fabric, you don't want to find out that the fabric isn't sold in your area any more. That extra yardage can be used for table runners, lamp shades, picture bows, pillows, footstools, and more. Now that you've got an idea of what type of fabric to buy, check out the Designer Tips page to find out some creative ideas on how to use your fabric. |
~ Selecting Fabrics ~ part 2 |
drape window treatment tab curtain valance shade cornice board balloon pinch pleat jabot pattern |
drapes window treatments tab curtains valances shades cornice boards balloons pinch pleats jabots patterns |
drapes window treatments tab curtains valances shades cornice boards balloons pinch pleats jabots patterns |
drape window treatment tab curtain valance shade cornice board balloon pinch pleat jabot pattern |
~Interior decorating made easy~ |
