Banded Drapery Panels

Hey, Honey…how are those window treatments coming?

You would think I was deciding on a tatoo…not what kind of curtains to hang in the bedroom!

I consider Band-aid Decor a quick fix, a small investment of time and $coot$, and something I won’t mind changing…just the answer to our bedroom window problem.

I really enjoy looking out my bedroom windows, whether the view includes gently falling snow, a full-on blizzard, or watching deer snack on my hostas.

What I DON’T enjoy, is the draftiness and heat loss to that view. Since staying under the covers all winter is not an option, I needed to add a layer to those windows that would save some energy, look nice, and stop my complaining (like that would happen).

Here’s the backstory:

• Wife wanted a warmer bedroom
• Husband wanted it darker in the morning
• Wife wanted the look of custom window treatments without spending a lot of time or, especially, a lot of $
• Wife didn’t want to repaint the room but couldn’t find the “perfect” fabric or readymade curtains
• Wife finally found readymade curtains in the “perfect” shade and fabric, but they were too short
• Husband wanted wife to fish or cut bait; wife agreed
• Husband said if wife didn’t get curtains, he would buy some. Wife began to fish.

Here’s the express version of the instructions:

1. Start with Ready-made Thermal-lined Panels
2. Select Fabric for the Insert Band
3. Determine the Insert Band Location and Size
4. Cut the Readymade Panel
5. Sew in the Insert Band
6. Line the Insert
7. Hem the Sides
8. Apply Trim
9. Hang Panels

 

With a plan finally in place to grant my husband’s wish for blackout curtains in the MBR, my visit to the fabric store was a success. I found just the contrast piece I needed for my banded drapery panels (because I told myself I was not allowed to leave without finally making a decision).

Just for reference, these were the ready-made curtains I picked up at my local Homegoods store:

Here’s my fabric choice:

     

I’ve had these prints on the wall forever, and think the fabric is a great color match.

A trip to the local Home Depot was also successful. I found the perfect drapery rods with a finial (end cap) that picks up a detail in Hub’s lamp selection. So, installing the rods was the first thing I did. That way, when I finish the banded window treatment, I won’t have to wait to hang them, and, because I’m working with readymades, I can use the rods to visualize some of my choices (length, banding placement, etc.) and help me decide.

As to the banded panels, I have one triple-width window and one single.

For the triple window, I needed four panels (the ones I purchased are 40” x 84”) to cover the width. I played with the idea of leaving the four panels separate as there is a space between each window where I could have stacked them. But, I felt the readymades were too narrow for that to look the way I wanted, so, I decided to sew two sets of panels together and have everything stack to the sides.

I wanted the banding to occur at the upper part of the window in case I ended up having furniture in front of the windows…I am planning to move things around a bit.

But WHERE SHOULD THE INSERT BAND GO?

I laid it out both ways: keeping a wider border around the grommets to line up with the window molding, or a thin header (a thin grommet border at top of the panel) and chose the latter.

 

   

I sliced the panels horizontally, leaving an appropriate seam allowance.  (For the triple windows, I sewed two sets of two panels together FIRST before cutting them across.) Next, I attached the panel of selected fabric and added blackout lining to the back of the insert.  Then, I “covered my tracks”on the front with a layer of trim at the top and bottom of the insert.

SO!  In the unlikely event that you thought this post was waaaaaayyy lacking detail and you prefer the lugubrious step-by-step version (really?!!!  You want more?!), I have you covered.  I posted a complete Instructable with more detail than all the detail you would ever want to know.  

(I posted it there because I really wanted a new t-shirt to sleep in…and why spend $5 on a t-shirt when you could win one by spending more time making instructions than it actually took you to sew the damn panels…unless you were hoping to win a new serger instead of seeing it go to some tech genius bastard who cleverly made a scarf light up.)

Converting ready made curtains into banded window treatments was an economical project that had big impact on the Master Bed Room. And let’s not forget the t-shirt:

 

Anyway, here’s how my Band-aid, Ready-made Makeover Thermal Lined curtains turned out in the end (BTW: they were one sticky band-aid, because they’re still hanging in my soon-to-be-repainted MBR three-and-a-half years later).

The rest of the room is set for a redo…I have plans to update the bedding and I’ve already rearranged the room…but I’ll save that for another day.

Until, then… I’ll bask in the lack of glow from the windows in the morning, the gratitude of a grateful spouse, and the extra cash in my wallet…which I intend to use to update my bedding and decorative accents.

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