Curtains, Draperies & Shades [Paperback]

Sunset Books (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1993

This all-color revision of a popular Sunset title is packed with exciting new options in window top treatments, as well as updated projects for curtains, draperies, and shades. Features step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations for making and installing over 30 window treatments, a fabric glossary, and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sunset Publishing Corporation; 2 edition (May 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037601735X
• ISBN-13: 978-0376017352
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,161,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Interior Design > Windows

More About the Author

Christine E. Barnes is an author, teacher, and contemporary quilter in love with color. Degrees in design and journalism segued into a writing career that has produced more than a dozen decorating, quilting, remodeling, and soft furnishings books. Her latest book, The Quilter's Color Club, presents a simple, can-do approach to using color in quilts, whether the reader is part of a mini-group, a quilting class, or working solo. Three color concepts--value, temperature, and intensity--are key to her strategy and make special effects like transparency and luminosity doable, even for beginners. No matter what their experience, Christine likes to tell students and readers that success with color is more about practice than talent!

Christine's work has been published in American Quilter, Threads, Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, For The Love of Quilting, and Fabrications, a British quilting magazine. She lives in Northern California's Gold Country. You can see her work at christinebarnes.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have! Buy It Now!, May 15, 2000

By 

S. Antico (Southern California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Curtains, Draperies & Shades (Paperback)

This book is something no household should be without. Everyone who knows how to sew (from beginner to expert) will find this book useful and will save lots of $$$$ by making their own window treatments. The instructions were easy-to-follow and there were lots of pictures and drawings. I made roman shades, tab top curtains, and cornice boards for several rooms in my home. I saved hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars by doing it myself.

This book is an inexpensive investment in creating your dream home. Buy the book and start checking out fabric stores. You will love the options that suddenly open up to you when you are no longer constrained by what the department stores sell. And you'll love that you can get custom-made window treatments without paying and arm and a leg.

You'll be amazed at the variety of looks you can create with a little bit of imagination and effort. With so many different treatments to choose from, the hardest part of decorating your house will be choosing from among all the great options.

This book will pay for itself with your first window treatment!

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I recommend this book.., November 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Curtains, Draperies & Shades (Paperback)

It was first published over five years ago, but the styles in this book haven't been outdated by any means. If you are looking for popular looks for any size window, then this is the book to get. It includes an assortement of cornices, draperies of all kinds, swags, curtains, roman shades, ect., with easy to follow sewing and building instructions. I made one from this book already, I am in the middle of making another, and plan on making at least one more. This book doesn't give useless information, everything from the beginning of the book to the last page can be put to use, which is not true about a lot of books...some window treatement books seem to contain a lot of nice pictures and photography, but nothing you'd really want to use.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, easy to use even for a beginner, June 14, 2006

By 

Amalfi Coast Girl (Mid-Atlantic, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curtains, Draperies & Shades (Paperback)

An avid do-it-yourselfer that loves to work on decorating projects around the house writes this review. I purchased the first edition 20 years ago, and have been using both editions of the book for some time. I learned to make window treatments from this book. I live in an old Victorian home with 10-foot ceilings. When we first moved in, a long time ago, we couldn't afford to pay to have drapes custom made for 30 windows and no one sold them stock that long, so I decided to do it myself. The first edition of this book was my only reference. Surprisingly, all went well and according to plan.

Since that first necessary experience, I now make window treatments because I enjoy the process. I like to have control over the fabric, the embellishments and the lining and interlining. Since I redecorate periodically I don't want to waste money paying a seamstress to do something that is fairly simple. The beauty of sewing your own window treatments is that most the seams are straight and flat which simplifies the process.

The book covers most window treatments that you will want to tackle. I have found that there are many patterns available in the fabric stores that cover the atypical treatments that are not in this book. If you have a window where you want to let in light but obscure the view try the bottom up shades. They were much easier than I expected them to be.

For those of you that are new to window treatments I will warn you about a couple of things:

1. It takes much longer than you anticipate, probably double what you expect.

2. Measure your windows twice so there are no surprises

3. Always measure your fabric and lining twice before cutting

4. Drapes that are lined and interlined will always hang better and last longer

5. Roman blinds are very simple if you use ring tape

6. Send your window treatments to the dry cleaner to avoid shrinkage

If you have patience and time, you will enjoy the process.