Who Knew?

{Please don't look at the paint line...there is a plate rail going up that covers it soon:)}

This is NOT a picture of something cute that I did with my drapes. This is a picture of my drapes in boot camp. Did you know that if you want consistent folds every time you pull your drapes back that you have to TRAIN them??? I sure didn't. My mom knows this little trick and she DIDN'T TELL ME! I found it in one of her sewing books and immediately yelled out "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT I HAVE TO TRAIN MY DRAPES??!!"

That is the equivalent of letting me walk around like this:





THANKS A LOT MOM! :)



I did not go to school for Interior Design. My education is in the Fine Arts and they didn't discuss training your drapes in drawing class. I am sure that had I gone to design school I would have had this tip in my pocket a long time ago. This tip may not suit your project time line for some clients because it can take up to 3-4 days for heavier weight fabrics. If your projects are anything like mine I am towing the line to get those drapes up and complete the room without three to four days to spare :) But, now that I know, I can get the drapes up and trained before I am finished.

Here is what you do :

Open the drapes and crease each pleat. Be sure the creases are even and straight. Once you are satisfied, loosely tie a length of fabric around each side of the drapes to hold them in place for at least 72 hours. I took my steamer and held it up to the pleats for just a few seconds to help the creases hold. After 72 hours, remove the fabric and open the completed drapes.

...Now my mom tells me it usually takes two people to do this. One person to make the creases and one person to hold them in place before they are tied up...Once again she tells me important information AFTER I did this by MYSELF!!

You can read more here: http://www.doityourself.com

Hope this was helpful to some of you :)

Kelle
xx