Curtains & Pelmets
Curtains have:
• hand sewn herringbone stitches to leading & return edges to prevent them rolling
• hems are hand sewn, corners & seams weighted, corners professionally mitred
• linings are attached by chain stitches at the hem to ensure all layers stay together
Headings
There is a wide choice of headings from the more traditional goblets and French pleats to the slightly more contemporary cartridge or inverted pleat headings. All these headings are hand finished buchram headings. Each heading has a different look and a different stack back amount, but in all the basic principles remain the same:
• ensuring that no seams will come forward, remaining invisible when stacked back
• they are all pleated on pattern to ensure a stunning and uniform look that gets the very best from the fabric design, something not offered by all professional curtain makers
• they all “return” to the wall to create a fully fitted finish.
Lining
I use the best quality sun-resistant linings, attached by hand stitching. Lining is invisibly stitched to the interlining (or face fabric with lined only curtains) twice across each width and at the seams, tops and sides to ensure the whole curtain/blind moves as one.
Interlined curtains
Interlining is a soft fleecy fabric of varying thicknesses (dependent upon the window treatment it is being used for) and it lies between the main fabric and the lining. Interlining ensures curtains and blinds drape or fold well and look luxurious. It is also an excellent insulator, helping to eliminate draughts and also to protect face fabrics from the harmful effects of the sun, thereby extending the life of the curtains/blinds. Interlining is invisibly hand stitched to the main fabric, twice across each width and at the seams, this ensures that the face fabric and the interlining move as one. I use a quality range of pre-shrunk interlinings to prevent shrinkage and puckering.
Pelmets & Top Treatments
Pelmets can be made from plywood and wadded to give an upholstered finish, they can have a straight or shaped hem line and there is a wide range of detail that can be added, for example; piping, trumpets, coronets, choux, bullion and all kinds of passementerie. They can also be made from a heavy duty buchram for a more “flexible” pelmet, or they can be gathered or made up from swags and tails.
All pelmets and top treatments are attached to fabric covered laths for a professional upholstered finish. See the gallery for examples of my work.
See Curtain hardware for information about poles and finishes.