Headrail Systems for Roman Shades

Am always on the trail of a better mouse-trap & a way to set our workroom apart from the average workroom. These headrails look like a Hunter Douglas blind headrail and look more "up scale" than a 1x2 covered in fabric.


The headrail system is extruded aluminum with a pulley system. The front of the system is Velcro ready so you can either use the drapery pleater tape that is woven with the loop in it or attach loop to the top of your shade. Developed in Germany so that your roman shades can be taken down to be laundered.




The cords come on cassettes which fit into the headrail instead of the outside mounting that you find with Rollease which can be adjusted by the homeowner. You just specify how long your roman shade is & the cassettes come pre-wound with the appropriate length.

The Drapery Studio has decided to distribute these headrails because we love them so much. If you would like a quote for your job, just give me a call.

Off to sew....
Alicia

DRAPERY STUDIO

We are up & running!
I saw this location over 5 years ago & waited for it. It is across from the Denver Design Center, cati-corner to Ralph Lauren, across from Ann Sacks. We have off street parking in the front (Broadway is a major artery from downtown Denver), UPS parking in the alley, the Gates Rubber Company lofts 2 blocks away & in the heart of the antique district for Denver. And the real reason this was worth waiting for? Over 2000 designers pass our location WEEKLY! Several more than my basement workroom in Ft. Collins.....

We are a co-op! Currently there are 4 of us, one has dropped out to go to nursing school because her husband thinks nursing is worth more $ long term than draperies. Yes, all us baby boomers are getting older, but I prefer silk to bedpans myself.

Principals:
Barb Bock - sewing all her life (& she's not telling how long that is, but over 50 years). She's been supporting herself as a Curtain Lady for over 10 years.
Liz Bock - Barb's daughter. Great designer! Learning to be a Curtain Lady
Bonnie McCartney - She has the best quilting machine I've ever seen. She is truly an artist. Then you should see her bedding!

We are also teaching classes. Chris Watt is coming on April 16 to teach Advanced Roman Shades & Motorization.

Classes planned:
Perfect Panels
4 Pillows in an Hour
Beginning Roman Shades

Well, it's time to be off to the Studio!
Cheers!
Alicia

SMOCKED HEADER

Smocking the top of a panel is really easy, whether you are using pencil pleat tape or simply using standard header tape.

I use pencil pleat tape when I only want 4" of smocking at the top of my panels. My preference is an Austrian tape I found years ago at a show:


This tape is "Velcro Ready" meaning that there is loop woven into the back of the tape so that you can simply attach your panel to hook that you have stapled to a board. After you have sewn the tape to the top of your panel, pull cords, even up the spacing & smock using buttons or beads.

If you need more than 4" of smocking at the top of your panel, remember proportions, proportions, proportions, you may either prepare the top of your panel as if you were going to stitch standard pleats with buckram or if your fabric is stiff enough, buckram isn't necessary.

This picture shows how I measure for spacing across the top: 3" at leading edge, then 1-1/2" in the little pencil pleat, then 1" spaces. But of course, I adjust this spacing for how heaving the fabric is, how long the drapery is (if the panel is 24' long & viewed only from the bottom, then I might put 3" in each pencil pleat & make the length of the pleats 12 to 18" deep (long). Test drive your proportions before making the actual panels.


These pencil pleats were stitched with black thread so that you could see them on the photo. Then smocked with black also. This would be great with beads or little buttons over the stitching.

This picture is taken on my table the way I work on it, opposite of how it hangs. The black really looks terrible.....but you get the idea.

February Classes in Denver

February 12 -- Perfect Panels
11a-3p (Includes Lunch)
Cost: $95
Learn how to make Perfect Panels every time! We will start from the hems, learn different techniques for side hems, how to select the heading tape for the type of pleat, and how to space and stitch pleats. Bring your own fabric for samples.

February 20 -- Colorado Workroom Meeting
12-2p (Pot Luck Lunch)
Meeting and lunch from 12 to 1.
1pm -- Comparison of different headrail systems available for Roman Shades.

February 21 -- 4 Pillows in an Hour
11am-3pm (Lunch Included)
Cost: $95
The secret to making money with pillows is speed! I will teach the construction techniques I learned in the New York garment district which I have adapted to our industry. You will also learn 3 different ways to put zippers in fast.

February 27 -- Beginning Slipcovers
10am-4pm (Lunch Included)
Cost: $125
This is the method I use when going to a customer's home to pin & then sewing in the studio. You will learn cording short cuts, basic tools to take to your customer's home, how to put zippers through the skirt and other closures, and speed cushions.

Zipper through Slipcover Skirt

I'm reupping this post as I've promised someone to show her the pictures. It's really easy to put the zipper through the skirt of a slipcover!

1) Put the skirt on your slipcover. End the cording just short of the seam you want to put your zipper in. Then sew your welt cord down the seam with your cording foot. Cut the welt about 2" longer than the end of your skirt. Then open & trim out the welting.


2) Working from the right side of your slipcover, tuck the zipper under the cording & make sure you are not sewing on the teeth & that the zipper teeth are totally covered by the cording, top stitch in the ditch between the body of your slipcover & the cording. I use #3 zipper because it is easier to hide, more pliable, & as strong as the old nasty metal zipper that we used to use.



3) You will sew through the skirt & as you get to about 2" from the bottom of the skirt, you want to tuck the end of the cording back under the skirt plus fold the zipper back on itself about 3/8" (the length of the zipper pull tongue) because you want to stop the zipper just short of the bottom so that the tongue on the pull doesn't dangle below the skirt. Once you've sew to the bottom & reversed back a couple of times, go to the back of the skirt & tack the end of the cording & zipper again.


4) Now you are going to work on the other side. In my sample, the left side would be the arm section & now this side would be the back of your slipcover. The cording on the first section that we did would have been continuous across the top of the slipcover. This section is an additional piece of cording that will be tucked under the continuous cording at the top where they come together.


5) Fold the seam allowance under & stitch the other side of your zipper to this finished corded section. I normally start at the skirt section & sew up towards the top of the slipcover. As I get to the area where the 2 pieces of cording & the zipper meet, I cut the welting out of the casing so that it will fit smoothly under the other continuous welt that you have already completed. I then sew the cording & the back section of the slipcover across the zipper & under the section already completed. The working from the underneath, I sew over the end of the zipper & close up the hole where I'd tucked the zipper in.


6) After I get the top cleaned up, then I go back & sew from the skirt down & finish putting the zipper in. I usually tack across the zipper at the top & the stitching on both sections on the skirt just to make sure the slider doesn't come off the track.

No, this isn't the only way I put a zipper in a slipcover. I try to pick the installation technique to the fabric & the piece of furniture. And even though I'm the Zipper Lady, I try NOT to put zippers in slipcovers if possible.

Send me pictures of how you put zippers in slipcovers. I'll post them here.....

Happy Monday!
Alicia

ZIPPERS A to Z DVD

Zippers A to Z is now available!

This set of 2 DVD's will give you many different zipper installation techniques for pillows, shams and duvet covers. I cover #3 & #5 standard coil zipper installation as well as how to easily install invisible zippers in all your workroom projects.

No, you don't need to put color matched zippers in your pillows & duvet covers but why not set yourself apart from other workrooms and give your customers a better product? It takes less than 5 minutes to put a zipper in a pillow.

Price: $40 + shipping
Each set includes zippers so that you may practice along with the DVD's!

GREETINGS!

A Zipper Blog is Born!

I will post NEW colors, traveling workroom apprenticeship program, bits & pieces that I'd love to sell and/or get rid of.

Stand by.......