Curtains - maybe I'll weave some?

Every winter, I take on a big project, and the plan for this year is to renovate the living room.  I've got the paint colours picked out and have some thoughts on basics like trim and how to arrange the furniture (less of it and what remains is ultra-comfy).  But the thing that has me stumped is what to do about the curtains.

This is what we have now (remember, we'll be re-doing the trim).  

Personally, I hate it.  The texture of the cloth is like Phentax and it emits a wall of dust if touched.  It's probably the original from the 1960s.  

What I do like about it is that it has a string that moves the curtain along so I don't have to reach and yank to get it in place.  That's really nice.

The honeycomb blinds are great at insulating against heat and cold, so what I want is something more for privacy with mild insulating abilities.  Something that will still let in some light, but not enough to cause a glare.  

I don't know if this hanging style will work for me, but my frugal self says we have the hardware, all we need is new cloth.  I might be able to buy some... or I could go one better.  I could weave some new cloth.

This thread is about exploring that idea.  What would it be like if I wove replacement curtains for the living room?

How much cloth would I need to make?
How would I attach it?
Or would I use different hardware?
Would I pleat it like the original?
What materials would I use?
How much would it cost?
How much time would it take?
What colours?
and other questions...

I'd LOVE to see what you'd weave for them!

I've sewn drapes before from purchased material. The more multiples of the width of the window, the richer the curtains will look (within reason), with thicker fabric looking richer sooner than thin fabric.

I also really appreciate the corded system for opening and closing the drapes, so I can understand you wanting to keep that. Generally sewers will buy special material that's firmer than interfacing for the top of the drape and then fold and stitch the pleats as is shown in your picture of the old drapes. This will look crisp and formal. If you want to get a softer look, you can used something called "pleater tape" and special hooks with multiple prongs. I tend to use pleater tape when the drape is in a location and made of a material that makes washing it every few years possible/desirable.

I think weaving your own would be awesome and unique. Would you be planning on spinning your own fiber also, or weaving a commercial thread? If you're thinking that weaving that much fabric is too big a time commitment, have you considered giving up the current drapery tract and making a Roman shade instead? It's like a single flat panel with fine ropes that go through guides on the back so that when you pull the rope, the drapes pleats from the bottom up to the top. They are very inexpensive to sew, and I've always done the wood support for the top myself as it's not hard.

like this?

Yes - don't skimp on hems as the weight of the hems helps the drape hang nicely. Excellent video!

Is there something like those pinch pleats, but less pleatty?  

maybe what I am looking for is a wave pleat?

r ranson wrote:maybe what I am looking for is a wave pleat?

Agreed! I think this will show off your beautiful weave better than other styles.

note for self.
window is aprox 12 foot wide
the current drapes are apporx 6 foot high

linen because easy to wash and reduce sun damage

mild colour like "natural" linen - but check against paint chips to know if it will match

overall pattern, not sections, for easy matching.

wave pleats requires 2 to 2.5 times the amount of fabric, so the fabric width would need to be 24-30 foot wide.
Max width on the loom is 36", but with shrinkage (which we will know better with testing), the panel would be 34" wide (needs testing).  Assume overlap of 2", so ...math... 10-12 panels.  always assume the larger number.

Number of panels 12

Each panel is 6 foot high.  Plus top hem... maybe 4 inches?  Maybe more?  and bottom hem?  again, 4 inches?  more?  80" long finished length... add for shrink... 96" long on loom.

Each panel length 96" (8')

8' x 12 /3 = 32yds of fabric?  maybe?  

If a vertical stripe (subtle or more pronounced) is appropriate for your room plans, that would be in the warp so "matching the pattern" wouldn't be an issue. Similarly, if you got a little fancy with the choice of your threading pattern, you could get a texture, but not a pattern that would require matching.

Your calculations make sense. Is there a maximum number of yards your loom will hold? If so, I suppose you'll want to keep track of your multiples of the 96" panel lengths so you stop without any more wastage than necessary? If you set a panel length that can't possibly be too short, making the hem a little deeper or rolling it an extra time will get it the length you prefer. If you do screw up, my mom did a calculation for me once and didn't realize how big the pattern rep was and we were short 10 inches, so I bought solid  fabric that matched and did a wide hem/border and they ended up looking more awesome than if I'd followed the original plan!

Top hems are 4 inches. The bottom hem should be a 4 inch double folded hem, so 8 inches of fabric. This helps with the aforementioned weighty hem. I also use a drapery weight in each bottom corner of the hem. It's amazing how much more well behaved the hems are that have weights.

An example of drapery weights. Though if you have a bunch of random washers laying around, you could fold a scrap of fabric around one like an envelope and use that instead. The envelope reduces wear on your beautiful fabric. The weights are tacked inside the hem at the corners.

The loom will hold quite a few yards, but my mill (thing for measuring the yarn) really only goes to 10 yards at a time.  I'm looking at creating a better system for measuring my warp so I can do 20 or 30 yards at a time - if I do this project.

I'm thinking 2x 20 yard warp would easily give me enough for shrinkage and to cut out mistakes.  

I do strongly recommend that you use a lining with you fabric. It protects against color fading as well as dryrot.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:I do strongly recommend that you use a lining with you fabric. It protects against color fading as well as dryrot.

That's why I'm thinking of using linen in an offwhite or natural colour.  With the pattern being in the texture rather than the colour.  

Linen is traditional for window coverings as it doesn't degrade in the sunlight the same way that other textiles do.  It's also very mildew resistant - but since it's not going to be hard against the window, I don't think moisture will be an issue.

Sounds like a fun project.
I would respectfully suggest weaving a swatch before calculating how much you need (or if you have fabric that is similar to what you intend to make, hanging it up on the window to see how it looks). The transparency and weight of the fabric will help you determine how much you will need to pleat and fold it.
(I worked in a curtain store for one extremely long and boring summer in college. I thought I blocked out that portion of my life but apparently I still remember a little....)
Most curtains that are 3x, 4+x volume pleated are very very sheer, and when you have a heavier fabric you can get away with even 1.5x or 2x the length of the window. For example, in my bedroom I have dark linen curtains, 2x the length of the window, but even when I'm lazy and don't "arrange" them, just pull the one curtain pretty much flat, it is dark enough for me).
I also imagine that handwoven fabric will be a bit heavier than a voile curtain, so you might not want to make it any heavier than it has to be, since that hardware generally doesn't support a crazy amount of weight.
just 2c, look forward to seeing what you come up with!!

If I go with this project - and I'm still undecided - there will be excessive sampling.  I haven't decided on the yarn or the pattern yet.  So I'll start with small samples to get the general idea then once I hit on a combination I like, I'll be weaving up huge samples (probably 1 yard at full width) to get the feel for the way the fabric behaves.

As I weave the samples, there will be a lot of measuring of materials and time - I like this kind of time and motion study.  That way if someone wants me to weave something similar, I'll have some idea of what price to charge.

r ranson wrote:If I go with this project - and I'm still undecided - there will be excessive sampling.  I haven't decided on the yarn or the pattern yet.  So I'll start with small samples to get the general idea then once I hit on a combination I like, I'll be weaving up huge samples (probably 1 yard at full width) to get the feel for the way the fabric behaves.

As I weave the samples, there will be a lot of measuring of materials and time - I like this kind of time and motion study.  That way if someone wants me to weave something similar, I'll have some idea of what price to charge.

As you hit the patterns and colors you like for it, you can also use those pieces for extras, like pillow covers, throws, etc, for your room.