Those Drapes are STILL Hanging Over My Head..

... LITERALLY! And that is SO much better than figuratively! With some help from my husband, I got them up and we are both very happy with them. These were the easiest drapes I have ever made and are my favorite by far. I used a tutorial by Shelley at 7 Layer Studio for tab-top drapes. I had never seen drapes made this way. Using tabs gave them a polished look and was so easy! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I used black out fabric from Joann's for my lining. The weave of the black fabric was loose enough that it looked TERRIBLE if any light shone through it.

And I did make one change in constructing the drapes, mainly because I wanted to use my serger. I cut my fabric panels the size I wanted and then cut the lining to the same length but 1.5 inches narrower in width.

With right sides together I serged the length of the panel on both sides. Because the lining is narrower, the main fabric folds around to the back (about a half inch on both sides). With right sides still together, I centered the lining fabric, making sure the same amount of main fabric was folded over on both sides (and finger pressing the side seams toward the lining) and serged the top of the panel. I dummied up a small panel below.

Here is a close up of the top corner of my dummy panel after the sides and top are serged.

I turned the panels inside out and reached WAAAAAAY up to the corners at the top (these were REALLY long drapes) and used a purple thang to push out the corners. You don't have to have a purple thang, but I tell you, I have used mine a lot! Then I just pressed the drapes from the back side, flipping the seam toward the middle and steaming it a bit to make the edges crisp. My fabric was pretty sturdy stuff. I had to watch the black out lining though, because it can discolor with too much heat. Here is my dummy drape after being turned and pressed. The top edge is actually shown at the bottom of the picture.

My panels were 26 inches wide. I added five tabs to each panel. I cut the tabs out of the black out lining so they would blend. I cut them 4.5" x 6". Serged each one lengthwise. Turned them inside out and pressed them flat so the seam would run up the back. I didn't worry about finishing the edges because the lining doesn't fray. I spaced them evenly on the back and sewed them down.

I could hardly contain my excitement when I slipped the drapes on the rod! (but I had to because it was 1 am and sleepy-time people aren't into home decor) Shelley's tabs are BRILLIANT!!! Such a simple way to make an elegant window treatment! And this is coming from someone who hated and feared window treatments before!

So now we have freshly painted walls (my husband picked gray, I was skeptical at first but really like them now), new drapes... and a really old quilt on the bed. It TOTALLY doesn't go. Have no fear though, I've already got a plan bouncing around in the space between my ears...