Custom drapery goes wrong when fabric is chosen first and the window is measured later. Our sewing workroom does the opposite. We settle how the window has to function, then we pick hardware, then we cut cloth. That order keeps you from buying yards of a print that cannot stack clear of the glass.
Start with how you use the room
A street-facing living room in Evansville often needs privacy at night and daylight in the morning. A bedroom may need a blackout lining. A kitchen window over the sink needs a treatment that can be wiped and that does not sit in the splash zone. Write down those jobs before you fall for a pattern.
If you are unsure, schedule the complementary interior design visit. We look at the window from inside and from the curb so the finished panel does not surprise you.
Hardware and stack-back
- Measure the width of the glass and the wall on both sides.
- Decide whether the rod mounts on the trim or above it. Mounting above the trim makes the window read taller.
- Leave stack-back space so the open drapery sits on the wall, not on the glass. A full, lined panel can eat 8 to 12 inches per side.
- Confirm the rod diameter and ring style before the fabric is cut. Rings, grommets, and pinch pleats hang at different finished lengths.
Skip this sequence and you will order fabric that is beautiful and too wide, or worse, too short.
Fabric that works in Indiana light
Southern and western windows here get hard afternoon sun. Unlined silk will fade. A lining or an interlining protects the face cloth and improves how the fold hangs. For a quieter room, we often use a solid linen-look cloth with a small trim at the leading edge. For a dining room, a print can carry the scheme if the lining keeps the color honest.
Bring a cushion, a rug sample, or a paint chip when you look at fabrics and wallpaper. Cloth that looks calm under showroom lights can go cold next to a gray wall at home. We keep the Design Center stocked so you can lay those pieces side by side. See the Design Center at Lea Matthews if you have not been back recently.
Why we sew in house
Our custom sewing team cuts to the finished length we measure on your window, not to a catalog size. That matters on older Evansville houses where one window in a pair is a half inch shorter than the other. Factory panels cannot hide that. A local hem can.
After the panels are hung, we check the break at the floor. A slight break looks tailored. A puddle collects dust. A hover of a half inch is cleaner in a household with pets. Tell us which you want before the final stitch. When you are ready to start, use the contact page or stop by at 5611 E Morgan Ave.