Today's sewing fun was some lined curtains for my son and daughter-in-law's dining room. They recently painted the dining room grey with a focal wall a deep blue. Very pretty. The lone window had blinds, but needed a little fun. A week ago we went to Mill End Textiles armed with a 60% off coupon and careful measurements. DIL spotted (no pun intended!) this fabric right away and I agreed it was perfect! We decided to line them to give them more body - plus it just makes any fabric look great. To finish them off, we decided to install big black grommets. I love making lined panels. They seem even easier than not lining them, because the side seams are sewn to the lining fabric. Since the lining fabric is narrower than the main fabric, the sides roll to the back and it looks very professional. I found a good tutorial for this method at http://www.alternative-windows.com/lined-curtains.htm . I didn't put in the drapery tape they call for, and I increased the top hem from a double one inch to a double 4 inches to allow for a nice hem to place the grommets. Unfortunately, after we tried to put in the first grommet, we discovered that the 6 layers of fabric (main fabric and lining and two layers of hem) were too much to handle closing the circle. So, I unsewed the stitching, trimmed off one of the hem foldovers, stitched the top hem down again, and everything worked. If you haven't tried those plastic grommets that are out in the market now, you should! They have the big ones that I used here that will look good on the fat black curtain rod, but there are littler ones, too. I have used them in handbag patterns, too. The curtain rod was installed close to the ceiling and the drapes come to the floor. I think they will be really fun. I have just a little bit of fabric left and I might use a piece as a photo mat for a black and white photo. The room will look great just in time for youngest grandson's first birthday party. Jerilynn
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