No sew? No go!

No Sew or Sewn shades: What's the difference?

Ask your seamstress if your shades are sewn or "no sew" shades.

While the difference in appearance between no sew and sewn shades is slight, the difference in quality is huge! 

I wanted to write about this because platforms like Etsy have become inundated with sellers that offer roman shades for a very low price. That seams great at first sight, but if you ask how they are constructed you might learn why the price is so low.

Even to a professional, someone who makes these shades every day, I cannot tell from an image if a shade is sewn or no sew. So I am writing this to hep those who don't know to help protect you from where you are putting your hard earned money.

No sew shades are often constructed with materials like fabric glue such as "Liquid Stitch," or fusible interfacing. Sometimes it is constructed with both. These materials break down when exposed to heat and lose their ability to stick and hold fabrics together over time. Then the shade falls apart a little at a time. 

The wear from raising and lowering the shade will also affect the stability of a shade assembled with glue and fusible interfacing. Glue and fusible facing will not stand up to the use of a shade being folded up daily or even several times a day. 

The stitching on a sewn shade will stand up to use several times a day for as long as you choose to have the shade. The seams cannot be broken down by heat and are  not at all affected by being pulled on or carrying any weight when raised or lowered several times a day. 

Be very careful when ordering ribbon trim shades as well. Some creators will apply the ribbon trim with fabric glue. Not only will the fabric glue break down over time, but the glue aso changes the color of the ribbon where the glue is applied. 

What it comes down is you get what you pay for. If you are shopping around for quotes and they are drastically different, I would suggest that you ask if you are getting sewn or "no sew" shades. Be careful with your money. You may pay more for sewn shades, but they will last longer and you won't regret the choice. 

Popular designs we recreate

Our clients often run into the problem that popular design stores don't carry the window treatments they want in their custom sized window. With an inspiration photo we can recreate anything to fit your size window. We alter the design slightly so as not to infringe on any design right issues with the companies. We will make slight alterations such as a ribbon size, ribbon placement or the fabric will be slightly different. For example, we may use a cotton canvas instead of a cotton duck or cotton twill.

We have a talented team of seamstresses and can recreate most anything with an image to replicate. Here are some samples of window treatments we have recreated based on an inspiration picture.

The curtains in the image above are lined with a pink lining. When the light shines through the window you can see the pink. It is a nice, subtle feminine touch. One of my favorite projects!

We started making the ribbon trim shades after so many of our clients had custom sized windows that this particular design from major stores could not accommodate. We changed the design slightly from the original designer store pattern by making ours with cotton canvas instead of twill for the base and using a 2.25" wide ribbon instead of 1.75" wide. We also have it inset 3" down the length sides and across the bottom.

The Greek Key design came to us from another popular design store inspiration image. The design store could not accommodate custom window sizes, so we created our own design and started applying it to shades, curtains and even pillows!

Sorry for the terrible image, but it's the design that's important :) We had a customer once send us images she took in a cafe in Europe and ask us to recreate the window treatments! The design was complicated, but came out beautifully when it was finished.

We recreated this penant valance from an inspiration photo from a client. She picked her own coordinating fabrics.

For these particular curtains, the client sent us an image that looked similar to this, but she wanted the colors to be different. So we tracked down the fabrics and found them in the specific colors: Virginia Tech colors! (Yes, the VT colors were picked on purpose). 

And one of our most asked for recreations is the Harper Shade from Pottery Barn. Pottery Barn only offers select sizes. We have changed the placement of the ribbon to be inset a little more than pottery barns. We also used slightly different sizes of ribbon and our base fabric is cotton canvas instead of twill.

We actually make a LOT of different styles of window treatments. Unfortunately, I am limited to images that clients think to send me after they have hung the treatments. So we do not have an image of all that we can do. If there is something you would like done, please don't hesitate to ask us if we can recreate it. 

See something you like somewhere? Get a picture and send it to us! I am confident we'll be able to provide you with the design you want in your unique window size. 

Ask Melissa: Ordering Custom Work, where do I start?

We get a few people every once in a while that write their first etsy message ever to us! I'm honored. Truly. And they say, "I want custom window treatments, but I have no clue what to do." And sometimes that's all the message says. So here's what to do!

1) Have an idea of what you want. Head over to Pinterest, or other design blogs and websites, and get some inspiration for your space. 

If you're like me, not tech savvy and have little knowledge of navigating the Internet, I have some other recommendations for you. These might be useful for even tech savvy folks as well.

a) Check out a design book from the library. I still do this to keep my ideas sharp about window treatments and to revive some old fashions with a fresh new twist :)

b) Go to model homes in your area. They usually have the latest in window treatment fashions as they are designs by interior decorators. Take some pictures while you're there!

2) Pick your fabric! I have a small selection in my etsy store to consider. But you may also check out my fabric supplier Lynn Chalk,

Or you may browse any of the other fabric stores on my recommendations page on my website:

THEEEEE most IMPORTANT thing to remember when you are browsing for fabrics is that window treatments should be made from a Home Decor Weight fabric. You should make sure you are in the Home Decor section of whatever fabric store you are browsing. If you are not sure if what you are looking at is a home decor fabric, please send me a link and I can tell you. Or you can look for the following indicators: the fabric should be 54" wide or more, medium weight or heavier, or indicate in the description that it is used in home decor or for window treatments. 

3) Measure your windows. I have measuring videos for roman shades here on my youtube channel. 

When measuring, it is important to remember that I will be making your window treatments to be the measurements you provide for me. So please give me the measurements you would like your shade to measure when completed. 

4) With the above information, you should be able to submit your order on the website. But you are more than welcome to contact me personally at my email, windowsbymelissa@gmail.com, or at the etsy shop.

Whatever method of contact you choose, please include the following in your message to me:

a) what style of window treatment you want

b) the dimensions you want them to be when completed

c) the fabric selection

d) the choice of lining (drapery, blackout or non for curtains and valances)

e) your location. This will help us get an accurate shipping estimate for you.

At this time you should include your inspiration images if you have any.

At this point we will then create a quote based on the information you provided. If you approve the quote, we will then give you the address for shipping your fabric, or we can purchase your fabric for you and add it to the purchase price along with our acquiring fee.

Ordering custom treatments is quite simple. The hard part, and sometimes overwhelming, is fabric choice. If you need help, I am happy to offer assistance. I just need to know what style you are going for and colors you are considering. then I will be happy to make suggestions.

I hear from a few people who have never ordered before and they are very nervous about ordering. I am sure I am only hearing from a handful out of all the people actually considering custom work. I hope this post has been informative in helping you to get past the overwhelming feeling associated with ordering custom work. 

As always, if custom work isn't in the budget, please consider Swags Galore for your window treatments. 

Friday Finds! Window Art!

Window Art?!?! Yes, please! I found the neatest curtain panels at Swags Galore!

This one is called English Garden.

This one is called Bamboo Beach.

This one is called European Cafe.

Aren't these neat? I think they are so fun! Earlier this week I wrote a blog post on how I can recreate anything if I have an in image to look at. Well, not for these. . .  These are one of a kind. And there are more options than just these ones! Head over to Swags Galore and check them all out!

Happy Friday!

Client Appreciation: See the window treatments in action!

See some of our window treatments in action and get ideas for our own space.

 

These hidden tab panels were a project I did with JSW Interiors. The fabric they are made from is called Green Bean Beads.

These Flat or Classic style Roman Shades were made for a client of ours out of Richloom Evelynne, colorway is Graphite. These shades are a good representation of how we make each shade identical so that when they are being hung next to each other or in the same room the pattern starts in the same place on each window treatment.

This is a  French door curtain that was custom made for a client with a ruffled rod pocket at the top and bottom of he curtain. It also has a 3" wide sash in the middle with Velcro attachment that can be adjusted so the gathering can be as much or little as you like. The fabric tis curtain is made out of is called Hollyhock by Shumacher. We ordered it through Lynn Chalk's discount designer fabrics.

And finally, a blackout lined flat roman shade,

 

to match these rod pocket valances,

 

and matching pillow covers and baby blanket (blanket was not created by WTbM).

A House Project with Tara, great ideas inside!

Tara first contacted me a little over a year ago to do some window treatments for her bedroom. We have since outfitted the rest of her home with custom window treatments. If you are having several custom window treatments made, it is best to have them done by the same person that they can all be uniform. Here are some things we did for her.

 

These curtains are made out of Les Touches Green Brunschwig & Fils.  We ordered it through Lynn Chalk. We lined them with a matching green liner. You can see how the light reflects the green against the lower wall and window ledge. A subtle and pleasant little surprise without affecting the true color of the main fabric.

Now this fabric was my favorite! These are roman shades, lined in blackout, made from Lotus Blossum in Spring Green.

 

These Hidden Tab Panels are also made out of Lotus Blossum in Spring Green. They are Hidden Tab Panels lined in blackout liner.

 

We also made the roman shades over the French doors. They are made from a basic ivory linen fabric and bordered in Leaf Green and Ivory greek key trim from M and J trimmings.

This is a ruffled rod pocket door curtains with a sash. It is made out of Pyne Hollyhock in Charcoal, which we were also able to purchase through Lynn Chalk at a very reasonable price.

This fabric is stunning, so Tara decided to use it in a few places in her home.

This is a set of Rod Pocket Curtains also made from Pyne Hollyhock in Charcoal. We lined it in a pink liner. It offers a subtle, feminine look when the light shines through. It is gorgeous! Tara had a wonderful idea here to line her curtains in a colored liner instead of our standard white. Turned out breathtakingly gorgeous!

You'll notice she also has an ottoman covers in the green Les Touches. We made the matching pillow covers with the leftover Les Touches and Hollyhock.

 

Of course, it was no surprise when Tara contacted me about her next set of treatments in this stunning fabric:

 

picture from Quadrille

The fabric is Quadrille's China Seas Lyford Pagoda in Orange tint. We were also able to order this through Lynn Chalk.

We will be making this into flat/classic roman shades. Stay tuned to see how they turn out!

 

Again, If you are going to go the custom route, it is best to have all the treatments made by the same person. At WTBM, I train all my seamstresses our own patterns, but even though we are all making the same product here, I still send returning customer orders back to the person that made their other window treatments to ensure that the treatments are all uniform and identical.

 

Contact me at windowsbymelissa at gmail dot com if you have any questions about anything you've seen here today and if you want to use any of the fabrics or ideas for your own custom treatments.



Ask Melissa: How to combine roman shades with curtains

I missed last weeks Ask Melissa because my children have been blessed with Fifth's Disease. Good times at my house this week. But now we're back in full swing.

 

Today's "Ask Melissa" is "How do you combine Roman Shades with Curtains?"

 

Image courtesy of Lynn Chalk

You should mount the shades inside the window frame if combining both shades and curtains. But this is not required. If you can't mount inside, you will need to make sure your curtain rod will provide enough depth so that the shade will not interfere with the functioning of the curtains. There should be some clearance in between the shade and the curtain.

 

 

Image courtesy or client Tara

I recommend mounting the curtain rod at least 5-8" higher than where the Roman will be placed and extend the curtain rod the same distance, or even as much as 10" to either side of the window so the curtains can gather beside the Roman Shades when opened.

 

Image courtesy of Lynn Chalk

If you can't mount higher than the shade you may mount the curtain rod at the same height as the shade, but, again, you need to be sure when selecting your curtain rod that it will allow for plenty of clearance between the curtain and the shade to operate correctly.

 

Image courtesy of Lynn Chalk

In the case of combining Roman Shades and Curtains, it is best to line the shades with standard drapery lining and the curtains with blackout liner. This way you are given options. If you want privacy, but still want light, you can just close your Roman Shades. If you want the room to be darkened, you may close your curtains.

Image courtesy of Lynn Chalk

When selecting fabrics for combination Roman Shade/Curtain window treatments, it is best to choose a solid color for the Romans and a coordinating patterned fabric for the curtains.

 

 

Leave your questions in a comment here or on our Facebook.

 

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