Making lots of curtains for new home. Any templates for estimating yardage
with varyign widths of fabric?

Your post caught my eye because I have recently revived my self-employed
business of window coverings installation. I did this trade from 1983-95
before computers were quite as important to everyday life. I've thought
about creating some helpful templates, but haven't had time yet. I did a
quick Google on "Yardage estimator drapery" and found several sites that
might help you including one claiming over 19,000 different calculators on
all subjects. Check out these sites:
http://instruct.westvalley.edu/euske...net_links.html
http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/s...tain-panel.htm
http://www.seamstobe.com/Calculators.htm
http://www.hutchal.clara.net/curtain...-estimator.htm
http://www.designersketchbook.com/ca...draperyfabric/

If I have time to develop my own templates I'll post that later. If you
want to correspond directly, let me know via this posting.

"red" wrote:

Making lots of curtains for new home. Any templates for estimating yardage
with varyign widths of fabric?

"eddied" wrote:

Your post caught my eye because I have recently revived my self-employed
business of window coverings installation. I did this trade from 1983-95
before computers were quite as important to everyday life. I've thought
about creating some helpful templates, but haven't had time yet. I did a
quick Google on "Yardage estimator drapery" and found several sites that
might help you including one claiming over 19,000 different calculators on
all subjects. Check out these sites:
http://instruct.westvalley.edu/euske...net_links.html
http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/s...tain-panel.htm
http://www.seamstobe.com/Calculators.htm
http://www.hutchal.clara.net/curtain...-estimator.htm
http://www.designersketchbook.com/ca...draperyfabric/

If I have time to develop my own templates I'll post that later. If you
want to correspond directly, let me know via this posting.

"red" wrote:

Making lots of curtains for new home. Any templates for estimating yardage
with varyign widths of fabric?


Many thanks. Will look at websites and see if they help. My high
schoolmath is coming in handy at the moment, along with "eye-balling". Good
luck on your business. With today's trend of individuality in expression in
home decor, you should do well! Red

Just be careful of these places where mistakes often happen:
To dertemine your cut length, take the desired finished height and add for
the bottom hem +/- 4 inches plus an inch or two to fold in. Also add for a
top allowance to be determined by the type of heading--pleated, rod-pocket,
etc.

If there is a pattern in the fabric you will want it to match at the seams.
After you determine your cut length, measure the length of the pattern
repeat. Divide the cut length by the length of the repeat and round up to
whole number (for the number of repeats). Multiply that number (repeats) by
the length of the repeat for the total cut length with necessary waste. Use
that for figuring yardage.

For finished panel width (before pleating or shirring on rod) estimate from
2 to 4 times the finished width based on desired fullness. This is
determined by the look you want, the weight of the fabric, lined or not, your
budget, etc. Don't forget to subtract from the raw fabric width for selvage,
seams, and side fold-backs. Also with pleated drapery, allow an extra 12
inches in the total finished width of a pair to account for center overlap
and end returns. For traverse drapery, if you want it to fully stack back
off the window, you'll need to add to the finished rod width to accommodate.
If you split a width of fabric, that piece always goes to the outsides of the
panels.

Allow time not to get frustrated and stop if you get tired enough to make
mistakes. If you think it will take a couple of days, allow a week. Find a
spot with plenty of room to spread out on a flat surface. Lots of floor, a
ping pong table, or a sheet of plywood on saw horses will help you be more
accurate in your layout. Don't forget a metal straight-edge (not a wooden
yard stick) and a METAL tape measure (never use a cloth one for making
curtains). Even a builders square will come in handy. Get a good sewing
book, read it, think it through, and consider if you agree before you start.
Plan well and remember the old carpenter's adage: measure twice, cut once.

Good luck

"red" wrote:



"eddied" wrote:

Your post caught my eye because I have recently revived my self-employed
business of window coverings installation. I did this trade from 1983-95
before computers were quite as important to everyday life. I've thought
about creating some helpful templates, but haven't had time yet. I did a
quick Google on "Yardage estimator drapery" and found several sites that
might help you including one claiming over 19,000 different calculators on
all subjects. Check out these sites:
http://instruct.westvalley.edu/euske...net_links.html
http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/s...tain-panel.htm
http://www.seamstobe.com/Calculators.htm
http://www.hutchal.clara.net/curtain...-estimator.htm
http://www.designersketchbook.com/ca...draperyfabric/

If I have time to develop my own templates I'll post that later. If you
want to correspond directly, let me know via this posting.

"red" wrote:

Making lots of curtains for new home. Any templates for estimating yardage
with varyign widths of fabric?


Many thanks. Will look at websites and see if they help. My high
schoolmath is coming in handy at the moment, along with "eye-balling". Good
luck on your business. With today's trend of individuality in expression in
home decor, you should do well! Red

Thanks again. Flat surface very helpful: using floor at the moment and
realizing that it si not as easy to get up and down as it once was. Why
metal measuring tape? Do the cloth ones stretch? Like the metal ones as they
sorta 'reach out' and you don't have to hold both ends. Having fun
experimenting and have drawn out diagrams to make sure that I am doing the
right additions. Good luck to you. Red

"eddied" wrote:

Just be careful of these places where mistakes often happen:
To dertemine your cut length, take the desired finished height and add for
the bottom hem +/- 4 inches plus an inch or two to fold in. Also add for a
top allowance to be determined by the type of heading--pleated, rod-pocket,
etc.

If there is a pattern in the fabric you will want it to match at the seams.
After you determine your cut length, measure the length of the pattern
repeat. Divide the cut length by the length of the repeat and round up to
whole number (for the number of repeats). Multiply that number (repeats) by
the length of the repeat for the total cut length with necessary waste. Use
that for figuring yardage.

For finished panel width (before pleating or shirring on rod) estimate from
2 to 4 times the finished width based on desired fullness. This is
determined by the look you want, the weight of the fabric, lined or not, your
budget, etc. Don't forget to subtract from the raw fabric width for selvage,
seams, and side fold-backs. Also with pleated drapery, allow an extra 12
inches in the total finished width of a pair to account for center overlap
and end returns. For traverse drapery, if you want it to fully stack back
off the window, you'll need to add to the finished rod width to accommodate.
If you split a width of fabric, that piece always goes to the outsides of the
panels.

Allow time not to get frustrated and stop if you get tired enough to make
mistakes. If you think it will take a couple of days, allow a week. Find a
spot with plenty of room to spread out on a flat surface. Lots of floor, a
ping pong table, or a sheet of plywood on saw horses will help you be more
accurate in your layout. Don't forget a metal straight-edge (not a wooden
yard stick) and a METAL tape measure (never use a cloth one for making
curtains). Even a builders square will come in handy. Get a good sewing
book, read it, think it through, and consider if you agree before you start.
Plan well and remember the old carpenter's adage: measure twice, cut once.

Good luck

"red" wrote:



"eddied" wrote:

Your post caught my eye because I have recently revived my self-employed
business of window coverings installation. I did this trade from 1983-95
before computers were quite as important to everyday life. I've thought
about creating some helpful templates, but haven't had time yet. I did a
quick Google on "Yardage estimator drapery" and found several sites that
might help you including one claiming over 19,000 different calculators on
all subjects. Check out these sites:
http://instruct.westvalley.edu/euske...net_links.html
http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/s...tain-panel.htm
http://www.seamstobe.com/Calculators.htm
http://www.hutchal.clara.net/curtain...-estimator.htm
http://www.designersketchbook.com/ca...draperyfabric/

If I have time to develop my own templates I'll post that later. If you
want to correspond directly, let me know via this posting.

"red" wrote:

Making lots of curtains for new home. Any templates for estimating yardage
with varyign widths of fabric?


Many thanks. Will look at websites and see if they help. My high
schoolmath is coming in handy at the moment, along with "eye-balling". Good
luck on your business. With today's trend of individuality in expression in
home decor, you should do well! Red