Passion Project 2018

This is a journal of my experiences learning to make drapes.

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.  In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, and how you can still come out of it.  
Maya Angelou

Week 2 October 28, 2018
DIY projects seem to be an interest of mine.  In the past I have learned to make hand scrubs, candles, and canning jams.  It is with the sewing machine that I am not as skilled.  I rely on my friends for guidance.  I have successfully made stuffed pillows.  They are 18 inches in length and stuffed.  I still have making pillow cases on my bucket list lol.  I have, with the help of an amazing friend, made a dress for my niece following a pattern.  I still feel like I do not know what I am doing.  Although, I can wing it way better than before.  Now I am raising the bar.  I have wanted to make my own drapes since I bought my house 8 years ago.  With this project, I am hoping to finally have drapes. 
I have been at Jo-Ann Fabrics paging through books and books of patterns for what seems to be forever when in reality it has only been about 45 minutes.  Who knew finding a pattern would take so long.  Although, I am not sure if I want to have them hang the way they are pictured or have metal rings.  And on top of that, I am even thinking of using clips attached to rings that I heard are available at IKEA.

Week 3  October 31, 2018

I have a very clear idea of what I want in material for drapes and I cannot find anything that resembles what I want.  What I want is a material that will allow light to come in, yet at the same time be low viability (people cannot see in).  I have been unable to find the fabric I want.  I want a brown champagne color.  However, since I am a novice seamstress, I do not want to work with a sheer material.  I am afraid it will snare and be difficult to work with.  Although, this may be the route I will be going down.  At the same time, I cannot find a material that will meet my needs.  I researched online and it seems the material I want does not exist.  The suggestions provided are to make double the panels so that the material bunches up and light will come in and allow for privacy.   

While at Jo-Ann, I did find a fun fabric, but the jury is still out because I am not planning on spending 100 + dollars on drapes.  

Week 4 November 7, 2018

Whoot! Whoot! I finally found material for my bedroom. The material I posted last week is fun, but not for drapes.  I like the blue, but that would be too much blue in my room.  I like the tan; however, my goal is to have maximum light and this color would not allow for that.  And just like Goldilocks, the third choice is just perfect.  The cream with gold lines will meet my needs.  The only hiccup is that I have to wait till Sunday to purchase the material because it will be discounted and I will be able to use coupons.  Material is more expensive than I realized.  

What I can do now that I couldn't do last week was to decide on the material for my bedroom.  I know that material for drapes is a lot harder to figure out for measurements.  I will need to purchase 5.5 yards of material.  This will make three panels.  However, I am a stickler for it being even and will want an even number of panels.  I know that measurement for drapes is confusing.  You have to double the amount of material to take into account for the gathering.   Also, you have to add three inches tot he top and bottom for the fold over.  

While I was at Jo Ann Fabrics, I picked up some material to make burp rags for a co-worker.  There is one large burp rag and two long skinny burp rags.  I have made the large burp rags before.  

Recently, at a craft fair, and I saw long, skinny burp rags and I wanted to try to make these too.  I only took a picture of this one while I was sewing and did not take a finished picture.  I plan on making these again, although I will definitely make them a bit wider because they shrink in the wash a bit.

Week 5 November 14, 2018

The cutting is happening!  I cannot believe that this day has arrived.  I am beyond excited to be making my own drapes.  

It starts with the set up.  I have to incorporate the long table with my kitchen table to have an area big enough to measure and cut the fabric.  With the help of my sewing mentor (Tracy), I first have to find the straight line. I could not understand what she was saying because I could only see partial lines.  She showed me that there are lines and we have to find the straight one in order to cut off the excess material. She explained to me that this will allow for the drapes to hang evenly.  

    I started to measure the material that would soon become the panels (drapes).  I bought the material to make three panels with the hopes to cut the third in half so I would have four total panels (two large and two small.  

The next step is to pin the sides.  I realize that I need to purchase more sewing tools. Namely a nifty tool called a fiskar that is used to keep lines straight when pinning.  This is a long and timely process. Not to mention a bit painful because I poked a few of my fingers in the process.

November 21, 2018

Let the sewing begin!! With the continued help from my sewing mentor, I am now sewing.  This is a tedious process too because I am still having difficulty making the bobbin (the thread that is on the bottom of the machine.  It took me over 20 minutes before I gave up and asked for help. My sewing machine likes me sometimes and this was not one of those times.  I have to feed the material through the machine, remembering to remove the push pins. If I leave them in, I can break the needle. As I was sewing, the material was beginning to bunch up.  I was told by another friend that if the material bunches to change the needle to a smaller size. While, I had to change the needle because I managed to bend the other needle. I switched it from a size 14 to a size 11.  I really enjoy sewing when everything flows smoothly.

Finally the panels are done! Here is one panel that is folded in half.

Week 6  December 3, 2018

Now to break out the drill and phillips bits.  It is time to hang the new rod and drapes.

I called in the best helper I know, my dad.  First we measured the width of the window to see how far out the brackets should be.  We needed to place the brackets so that they would come out about 5 inches so the drapes do not get caught on the blinds.  Unfortunately the pretty hooks I picked up will not work. So we ran out to Menards to get new hooks and anchors.

 

After picking up the supplies, we are ready to get to work.  I took out the old hooks from the white hanging rod that was on over the blinds.  My dad opened up the packages. We assembled the rod. I got started with drilling the holes because the anchors need more depth.  I had to drill new holes for the center bracket. This was not very easy and I needed to have my dad help with drilling the holes. Although, the drill bit broke, it was after we drilled the holes.  

We hung the rod over the bracket/hooks.  Then I put the clips on the rod. All 14 clips from the package were used.  I could have thought that I picked up two packages. These drapes are not hanging nicely.  When I was cleaning up, I found the other package of clips. The drapes look awesome!!