totally - 'd like to see pics of your curtains when you can post them. Becky - I've got some invisible thread, forget what I used it on but it is hard to work with. BTW, I just created new email account for GW members to contact me, I've given so many details of my life and builder that I really don't want to give my name, but you can call me Shelly ;-) my3dogs - thanks, DH is looking in another JL today (took DD to swim lessons) for more fabric, and I did email my dad's cousin in RI to see if she'd look for me. I may see if my aunt is up to making panels for me - she gave me a bunch of dress patterns for DD last year so I think she's given up on sewing, but panels should be easier than the dresses she was always making for her granddaughter. If not, as you said, $2/yd instead of $18/yd goes a long way in hiring someone. linnea - I know where the blind stitch setting is, there is no special foot on my $100 machine. It was the folding that I didn't understand when I was trying to blindstitch DH's dark brown cords, so I just used matching thread. The fabric in the link you showed was a little dark so I'm not sure I saw clearly how to do it, but I'll try on some scrap fabric. Or maybe just finish the hem so it doesn't fray, then try blind-stitching by hand? If I can't find enough for panels for the whole LR I think I'll either do inside-mount roman blinds with this material and my current blind HW, and maybe add a valance for the height though I don't think it gives the nice long line of floor-length panels, or maybe I'll go with my original curtains in the LR and use the striped fabric for the DR. The DR wall color is just 1 lighter on the BM strip than the LR. I'm also trying to make that a more "formal" room than the LR, though I don't know how formal I can get with oak furniture and open to the stairs/foyer. (That's the green panel that is same pattern as the beige panels I was going to use in LR hung over the chair) Yes, the back wall is draker (same color as LR) than the rest of the DR. I was thinking it would make the room look bigger by making that wall recede. This is the valance I'm thinking about making - more formal for DR, I may just go with panels in LR if I find enough fabric.

My3dogs - they were incredibly easy to make! The only change I made from your original directions was that I edge stitched the trim to the bottom. I placed the trim towards the back so that just the fringe hung down and top stitched a needles width from the edge. Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us. I've bought books and looked at lots of WT, but still liked this one the best. My concern with the narrow windows is that in order to have tails the center will be too narrow. I'm going to give it a try. I can always redo it if I have to. UGH. Ajsmama, it is just a rectangle. Miraculous isn't it? My3dogs is the best! The window over the sink is 40" wide including the trim and 40 inches high from top of the trim to the sill. I used a full 54" width of fabric that was 45" long. It's hung with a tension rod since there is no room on either side of the window facing. The valance is mostly over the wall portion and only drapes over the window a little.

Hi tina, Mine are 9 3/4" tall, and I got a fabulous price on them compared to most I see out there. You're right - they are pricey. I have a local lighting store that has an incredible array of parts. I go crazy in their back room choosing parts I want for each project! I bought two 12" ivory candlestick covers. Just a longer version of what you'd put on chandelier lamps. They're just plastic. I also bought 2 rubber 'things' with a hole in the center. I guess they are normally used when one wants to make a lamp out of a bottle or jug. They go in the neck of the bottle, but in this case, I shaved them down with a sharp knife and put them in the candlestick, where the candle would normally go. They are about 1" tall. I also bought 2 chandelier bulb sockets. I didn't want to damage the candlesticks by drilling them, so I elected to use an 'inline switch' that you'll see in the photo below. I put the rubber thing in the candlestick and slid the candle cover over it. I noted where the rubber thing came up inside the candle cover. Then, I took the candle cover off, and punched a small hole in it with a paper punch, just above where the rubber thing would be. That hole is where I slid the wire up through to the socket. I wired the socket and glued it into the top of the candle cover. You may need to use tape to hold it in place while it dries. I then attached the plug to the end of the wire. I put the bulb in to check my wiring, and plugged the lamp in. It worked, so then I took the inline switch and decided where to put it, so it would be hidden by the candlestick when done. The first inline switch was a little funky, but the second one went on in a breeze. Just follow the directions for using one. IF you don't mind plugging the lamp in each time to turn them on, you can omit the inline switch, and just plug and unplug them. My outlet is behind a chair and that would be awkward, so I just put the switches on. Making a lamp yourself means that you can make the cord as long as it needs to be to plug it in wherever. I usually use the clear gold tones lamp wire, as it blends in with my mantle. So now, you have a working lamp with an inline switch to turn it on. Look VERY closely at the photo below, and you will see that I used some brown covered floral wire to wrap around the candlestick, and then twisted it together, to hold the wire and switch tight to the candlestick. You have to be right on top of that thing to see the wire. Then I headed to eBay and found some shades, and that was it! I am making some now out of brass candlesticks, to try with my new/old CL mirror. But for those, I am using the 'fiber' candle covers with realistic looking drips on them. I just took a pic of that one underway so you can see the rubber thing. It starts out ribbed, but I have shaved this one down to fit the candle holder. What it will look like done, with a sample eBay shade on it.

Hi, auntjen! Actually, only 2 Karastans, one in my office and the one in the LR, and the Woven Treasures Couristan in the DR are from eBay. I bought the others locally. I stick to a brand I know - mostly Karastan. I ask LOTS of questions beforehand, if the rug is from someone without a lot of info in their auction, and not many pictures. I'll ask for extra pics, too. I 'met' a Karastan dealer from PA last year when he auctioned Karastan rug that I had been dying to see, but they were not available in my area yet. (Shapura Athena) Come to find out, the one he had, and I bought, was an early 'mill trial' - one of a test run. He assured me that I could return it if I didn't like it, but it was perfect, and I saved a LOT of money. I ordered another of that style from his bricks and mortar store, because Karastan told him to stop selling on eBay or they wouldn't supply him any for his store! I think that is why ones you see now are often 2nd hand (no prob with that!) or from a model home. I often check Craigslist for them, too, and not just in my area. I sold two Karastans last year when I bought the new ones, and one went to VA and one to AR! The buyers paid for me to ship them to them. I'd do the same if it was one I really wanted. I buy all wool, but that's just me. The Couristan was one of those rare flukes, when I hadn't seen the rug before, but the seller had ONE, and it looked like it would go with my DR wallpaper. PURE LUCK...and I paid a bit over $400 for it, brand new, where Macy's has it 'on sale' right now for $1699. You may be looking for hand-woven, but I have never bought one... I don't dare to, unless the seller has wonderful feedback and a lot of it. You never know if it's one of a container purchased from who know where, and many of them, especially the ones where the shipping costs more than the rug, may have colors run if it gets wet. I stick to the brands that I know, and am sometimes able to see locally for true color before buying. I have no favorite seller, and I would gladly buy from an individual or a 'store' on eBay, if it was one of the two brands above. I just go to eBay OFTEN, and search Karastan or Couristan and see what's there. I see a Karastan 'English Manor Stratford' out there right now in 'my' colors, with a $699 Buy It Now price. I ALWAYS check online stores before bidding or buying to see if the deal is good. In this case, the first online store I saw has it for $999, so that is a nice price on eBay. BUT, I just checked another online site (Abington) and they have it for $749.99, so the eBay price isn't wonderful. I will stoop to asking a seller if they can do better, if the rug doesn't sell in their auction after being listed a few times. If yes, I arrange to do a Buy It Now thru eBay. All that flies out the window, though, if it's one I want badly, like the Persian Treasures in my LR, because it's not made anymore. I paid $460 for it (phenomenal!) after it didn't sell in the auction, and offered him less. I sound awfully cheap, but I am professional and courteous in my dealings with the sellers, and it has paid off for me. I hope it does for YOU, too!