BlueMoon, I think that your labor estimate seems high and the yardage amount is not enough. For a drape 2 1/2 fullness you would need 5 widths of fabric and that requires 16 yards (without any pattern match) For 2 times fullness you would need 13 yards. I've been getting bids for around $45 dollars a width (and that is for interlined drapes) for custom work. I live in the middle of the country and perhaps that is cheaper than what you would have to pay on either coast. So anyway you look at a custom job, it probably is going to be over 500 unless you could find a supreme bargain in fabric (like at that 4.99 sale that was posted or perhaps fabric guru. I was able to buy my lining at Joanns for half price, total cost was $62 dollars for a 5 width drape. You don't need quite as much yardage for the lining as for the actual drape. My thinking on clipping together panels is that it is not going to work for drapes that you want to pull. I wonder if you could have a drapery person sew the panels together. It seems to me the labor charge would not be that much.

If Otis is planning on buying ready made panels they would have to be long enough to go up on top of the board and still touch the floor. (They would be rod pocket panels). I wouldn't even go to the trouble of picking out the stitch lines for the rod pocket, but just gather the panels by hand and staple on top of the board. (As long as there isn't a 2 story balcony that you can look down on top of the boards - you don't have to be terribly picky about how the top looks.) This is just an easy suggestion for this window configuration. I do think that 2 panels will be needed for a nice full drapery on each window. You can use iron on tape or pins to keep the drapes together and then hide that join in the folds when you dress it out. I know how to sew and of course I would do them in a more professional manner. It just depends on a person's budget as to whether they can afford custom window treatments or if they need to make them or do something creative with ready mades! You can also use pinch pleat panels on a board and hang the drapery pins from screw eyes inserted on the 3/4" front lip of the board. I have drapes made like this in my own home. I've never posted a photo on this site but I will try to take a photo tomorrow and post it.

Does anyone have experience with Ballard Design drapes? I would be especially interested if you used them for fabrication with fabric that you provided. I'm trying to get a feel for overall quality. Also, did you price out similar work with a local custom shop? I LOVE traditional drapes, but they are sooooo expensive to do in a custom fabric. Any advice in general would be greatly appreciated! I can sew, but to do a pinch/box pleat, line, weight and trim a full set of curtains is above my skill level. Thanks!!

Blackout lining will do nothing except to make your room darker. If you want them full and heavy, then they need interlining or at least a napped lining. If you hang curtains on the large window, then they should also be on the smaller windows (or a roman in the same fabric). I would not mount the rod higher than you would mount a rod on the smaller windows. The rods should all be in line. I'm not a fan of all that wall space showing between the rod and top of window. You also want the curtains to cover the glass at least an inch or two. Stacking them completely off the window makes them look like they're just hanging on the wall, rather than curtains on a window. I don't find that a nice look.