I decided to do the ruffled valences for the windows this morning. The winds are coming up and a storm is headed this way in the real world, so inside is a better place to be today. Tessie insists that she needs the windows finished before the storm hits. I think that is just a way to get me to work on the tea shop. How could the storm outside possibly get into the tea shop?
The first order of business was to redo the pin board. It was to the point that I couldn't see the graph on the paper.
For those of you that haven't seen me do this before, the basis for the pin board is a piece of acoustical ceiling tile. I work on the smooth back side. As you can see, this one is well used.
I lay sheets of quad rule paper on it, lining it up so that the squares match up on the overlap. I tacked them down and around to the back with blue painter's tape. Then, over that, I wrap a layer of waxed paper. That is to keep the ink on the paper from running onto the fabric that you are working with.
Here you see the valences pinned to the board.
First I cut the fabric twice the width of the area that I wanted to cover and as long as I wanted the valence. In this case it was 1 3/4" X 11". The window area that I wanted to cover was 5 1/2" wide. I just arbitrarily measured the length.
The next step was to run a fine line of white glue all the way around and smear it out. This is to keep the fabric from raveling.
I stitched a gathering thread about a quarter inch from the top. You could do it by machine. I did it by hand. It was faster than getting out the machine out and setting it up.
I pinned the top and bottom of one edge in a straight line, following the graph. Then I pulled up the gathering threads to the width that I wanted to cover and pinned the top and bottom of that side.
Then I pulled in 1/2" of fabric to make a quarter inch pleat and put a pin in the top and the bottom. Each pin has the head facing away from the body of the curtain to make it tight. You should be able to run a fingernail over the center of the pleated area and have the pleats pop right back up after the nail.
Next, you spray them with pump, max hold hairspray. Don't be afraid to get them wet. Let them dry or use a hair dryer if you are impatient.
When the fabric is completely dry, take out the pins and glue them in place.
As you can see, Tessie's curtains are in place and will stand up to gale forces.
I put the shelf in place to see how it fit. Tessie said that she guessed it would have to suffice.
If I had made it any bigger, I would have to add an annex to the building.....Shush! Don't give her any ideas.
She has started a list of things with which to fill the shelves. She used an 11 strip that I cut off of the side of the graph paper......I took the pencil away from her after she ran out of room on the first side and was about to start on the second. It was a struggle, but I won.
I have to go now. She is madly searching for another pencil and I am just as madly hiding any that I can find. Her list is long enough and she hasn't even started planning the attic yet.....
See you tomorrow.