Fabric from Egypt

Recently I met with a new client who has traveled extensively throughout the world.  She had purchased some very interesting fabric in Egypt which she wanted to use for drapery panels in her family room and office.

The fabric had a 39" band of a light tan linen-type weave, followed by a 51" band of cream linen-type sheer weave, followed by a 45" band of cream linen-type sheer weave, which then repeated the three bands, yard after yard.  It was really cool fabric and I had not seen anything like it before.  The fabric was 67" wide, which is wider than the standard 54" size.

We used the fabric in two interesting ways:  first: the client wanted to align the top edge of the tan band with the window sill; second: the client liked the raw slightly raveled edge of the selvedges, and wanted to keep them (rather than cut them off and fold the edge into the side hems).

Below you can see the different colors and weights of the fabric; isn't it pretty?  You can see from the light shining through the window that the tan segment aligns with the window sill.

Below is the side hem's raw edge showing, which adds a little texture and interest and is a little bit of a surprise if you peek at the panel edges.  It also required a modification of the industry standard's method of side hems, but it was not difficult to do at all.

Both of these ideas were great examples of letting the fabric "speak" and use it in a way that showcases the qualities of the fabric.

The windows already had honeycomb shades in them, so the purpose of the fabric panels would be to soften the room and to filter the light when the shades were raised.

Since the fabric was 67" wide, and two of the family room windows were 72" wide, and the client wanted to use a single width for each panel (no seams) on those windows, I modified the spacing of the grommets.  Generally, the same size spacing is used between each grommet, but for this project, I allowed more spacing between the two grommets which would form the "front" fold, and slightly less between the two grommets which would form the "back" fold (closest to the wall).  This adjustment meant that the folds to the front did not look skimpy, while still allowing as much fabric as possible to cover the expanse of the rod.

We lined the panels in a lightweight lining and added #15 matte chrome grommets, which matched the 1 1/8" metal rod with crystal ball finials.

The client wanted to cover the full wall of this office area, instead of just the window section. This really softens the room also. The panels really finished off the room, providing a soft backdrop to the stunning art and collectibles from the client's travels.

Hope you liked this project also!

Susan