Roman Shades

The Roman Shades are complete and hanging in my dining room.



I was originally making these shades for my bedroom windows. During the removal of the old curtains, I realized that one window was much larger than the other. The shades weren't going to fit. Well one would and the other would look decidedly too small. Thankfully, I had only sewn the lining and the insulating flannel fabric together. (Yes, I triple layered the curtains to keep the glare down and the elements outside). I hadn't even cut the curtain fabric.

So, then I went in search of another room that was in need of new curtains. There couldn't have been an easier task. The only set of curtains in the entire house that I don't hate is in the kitchen. Let us just say that the woman who lived here before me had a love of flower prints (I hate flower prints), dark colors (not a big fan of dark colors either) and ultra-traditional style. I love traditional decor, but she took it to the extreme. I suppose I should produce before and after pictures.

I found one. It's not a picture of the dining room curtains, but the living room curtains were done in the exact same fabric and style. Ignore the quilt in the middle.

And now for the after picture:

The gold curtains match the fabric in the dining room set that we inherited from Dan's great grandfather. The white matches all the trim and built-in corner hutches. It does seem a bit devoid of color, but I'll make up for it in the accessories.

Can you tell that the fabrics match? Not color-wise, but they match in texture. I'm not sure if you can see that in the pictures. They both have woven lines running the length of them. I couldn't believe my luck in finding the white fabric, since I purchased them after the gold ones were installed. First, I was giddy about the texture, and then I almost jumped at the $1/yard price.

Note: I did not make the gold curtains. I purchased them ready-made. Well, I purchased the two short ties and one long curtain. I then cut the long curtain in half to make two skinny curtains. You can't see, but underneath the windows is a radiator. It was important to keep the curtains off to the sides and not block the heat. My dear friend Arecia, who hates to sew, recommended that I cut the curtains in half and hem them. She's almost as bad as my sister, who also hates to sew. My sister will call me if anything needs to be sewn for the kids or her house. Which is to say, neither would think of sewing anything themselves, but love to call me and tell me what I ought to be sewing for them. Do you have friends or relatives like that?