I've found Sunset or Singer books on window treatments to be very helpful with the photos. You should be able to find them at your local library or fabric shop.

There are tapes you can sew to the top of the drapes to give you the pinch pleats without all of the measuring and hand tacking. If you don't want to use hooks, what would you use? The three pronged type? (sorry, I forget what to call them.)

Drapes are not that difficult to sew, but they are difficult to work with because of the large amount of fabric. It would also depend on if you are going to try and match a pattern in the fabric. Would you be able to set up your sewing area to support the yardage?

I've only made drapes once, but felt I had really good success.

Gloria

The worse problem is the weight of the fabric. One thing to do to eliminate some of this is to make the lining separate & hang on another rod. Also, you can make the lining like a shower curtain & put buttonholes the same distance as your drape hooks & hang it there. I would consider these if I was using the heavy black out lining.

I don't care for the pleater tape with 3 pleats & a skip deal. I never seem to finish even.

A friend of mine got the "pencil pleat tape" & it worked very good. I has draw strings that you pull to make the pleats. It sews straight across & you at least double your window width with fabric.You would need at least 13' per panel. You sew this tape on & pull the cords. Continous pleats form about the size of a pencil. It requires very little measuring. You draw the pleats up to the width you need & tie off the cords. You can get this tape from Atlanta Thread & supply. It comes in several widths. I always use wider with longer drapes.

I make my lining 3" narrower than my main fabric. Put right sides together & seam the side seams. Turn it & smooth things out until you have the same amount on each side as your folded back/side seam. Then put pleater tape across the top& stitch it,fold it down & stitch across the bottom of the tape. Draw up the pleats. Hem your drape & lining separate. For this length, I'd hang unhemmed & let them hang a few days & mark the length with them hanging. I have hemmed many sitting in the floor rather than taking back down. You can probably get a table & sewing machine close enough to hem the lining by machine. I use a blind stitch to hem my drapes unless the fabric is one that a regular machine stitch would blend into.

I put a folding table to my left to hold as much of the fabric as possible. Having another set of hands is helpful too. I made some for our church out of upholstry fabric with the heavy black out lining & I felt like I'd been run over by a Mack truck afterwards. I used every muscle in my body wrestling with the weight.

Is each window 13 feet wide or is the total width 13 feet for 3 windows?

It will cost a small fortune to cover those windows because of the length and I don't think you can find ready made that length. I overlapped a pair of pinch-pleat sheer 96 and 78 in the center for a room long patio window with a standard 84" length...the initial cost just about killed me...still have the drapes and use them.

I would make a practice panel using a drop cloth (inexpensive) from the home improvement/hardware store to get the knack of putting the thing together. I would also get a friend or hubby to help you handle the material.

thank you all of you who have answered my question. I think I'm in over my head... it's 3 windows that cover a 13'x11' area. My husband doesn't want me to spend $500+ on fabric and mess it up. I'm in search of someone who will make it for me!!! Thanks again for you time and advice!! Maybe I will try one on a smaller window!!!