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February 6, 2008
Parlour floor curtins - what is the best fabric to use ?
I am looking to make curtins for the parlour floor - which require custom made curtins to fit the length of the windows. What material are these curtins generally made of ? Any suggestion for fabrics - cotton ? silk ? etc etc. Thanks
Comments
Are you for real???
You can use any fabric your heart desires...it's your fricking place.
Go to a fabric place and see what you like and how it feels.
Posted by: guest at February 6, 2008 6:10 PM
I am looking for parlor floor curtains as well. For 120" long curtains, Restoration Hardware has them.
If you need longer, i have considered buying standard 108" curtains, plus an extra panel in a slightly heavier similar fabric. Then cutting the extra panel into bands to add to the bottom to create extra length.
Be aware that natural fabrics like silk, cotton, linen may fade more than polyester, especially if you start with a dark color.
Posted by: guest at February 6, 2008 10:09 PM
I just wanted to get an idea of what other people use. I will be going to South East Asia and will have the opp to have curtains made there. I find the prices of local places really unreasonable. As there are so many fabrics available in Thailand etc, I figure I should go with the tried and true. If anyone else has recommendations for fabrics do let me know. thanks !
Posted by: crownheights2007 at February 7, 2008 8:10 AM
It really depends on the look you want. A traditional formal parlor would likely have drapes made out of silk (which you should be able to find a great deal on in Asia!)
Silk is also more vulnerable to sunlight--it will fade over time. You can make your drapes last longer and look better if you line them with a similar weight cotton.
Posted by: tinarina at February 7, 2008 9:57 AM
Are you kidding, tinarina? A traditional formal parlor would have velvet curtains, or damask, but definitely not silk. I'd go with the velvet myself; sometimes it's even machine washable. Damask is too shiny for my taste.
BTW, I used silk once for a few drapery panels in some east-facing windows. In three years the color was totally faded out, so I'd never use silk.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 10:21 AM
I'd go with silk if you have them made for less (Restoration Hardwares panels are gorgeous but insanely expensive).
If you have them properly lined and interfaced, you shouldnt have much of an issue with fading.
Don't forget to have them add small weights to the hems so the panels drape nicely.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 7, 2008 10:27 AM
If you want the period lace look JR Burrows & Co. are incredible. They sell panels some up to 126" long and yardage. The stuff is really high quality and not expensive. Many different lace patterns. I bought 58" X 126" for $90 a panel with rod pockets already sewn. Remember, the original Victorian look had just one panel per window but you could certainly put two so they can be drawn open and closed.
www.burrows.com and they'll send a catalog too 781-982-1812
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at February 7, 2008 11:00 AM
Hi. Most traditonal parlors featured rich damasks and velvets. Damask will hold up better and also keep it's form better. As posted above, the curtains should be weighted at the bottom and also if you are trimming the treatment out with a coordinating valance. Also, tassel trimmings are traditional. You'll need to measure well and allow for a great deal more yardage if you wish them to pool richly on the floor.
Good luck.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 12:05 PM
Just a note to 10:21, silk is a fiber not a fabric (velvet, damask, etc). You can have silk damask, cotton damask, linen damask, etc. Also velvet can be silk velvet, cotton velvet, etc.
True, silk is very fragile and exposure to sunlight will fade it, weaken it and eventually erode it.
Yes, a velvet weave or a damask weave is more traditional. I would recommend a cotton/synthetic blend. Rayon (viscose) has a beatiful hand and appearance.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 12:47 PM
As much as I adore the look of silk, I have learned the hard way that it is a horrible fabric for curtains. I hung a few gorgeous saris in a southern window and they not only faded, but as 12:47 mentioned, the curtains actually fell apart.
But I didn't pay much for them and enjoyed them and the gorgeous tone of the light filtering through the silk. I'll probably do the same thing again.
Posted by: nosleeptil at February 7, 2008 2:28 PM
As tinarina said, it all depends on the look you want. Since much of our fabrics come from Asia now, you should be able to find damasks, velvets, and even laces in Thailand. Probably in all fibers, as mentioned earlier. If you do go with traditional Thai silks, opt for fabrics woven with thicker threads, not dress weights. And definitely get them lined, not only with cotton, but also with an inner lining of flannel, sandwiched between the silk and the cotton. That's if you are going for traditional draperies. For simple curtains, which are by definition, not as formal, you wouldn't need the flannel, but the colors will fade in time.
When you measure, consider where you are putting the rod, and whether or not you want the drapes to touch the floor, or pool, and add inches accordingly. If in doubt, it's better to make them too long, than too short. They can always be hemmed.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at February 7, 2008 2:29 PM
I love silk taffeta curtains and so do most the interior designers in NYC. The statement to never use silk on the parlor floor is bizarre. If you buy cheap silk, sure, it can rip but so can cheap velvet or cheap anything. Nothing can hold a dye the way silk can. It's the most desireable fabric for interiors or fashion because of this. The colors in silk especially if it's a pattern or print are gorgeous. Have to say, I almost never see velvet curtains in chic interiors today. The drape is too heavy and droopy. Silk is more lightweight and thus has more body, which is important when the ceilings are so high.
As for old interiors, they did not leave the velvet on the windows all year long. Velvet was for Fall and Winter. In Spring and Summer, lighter weight and brighter more cheery fabric curtains would go up. The took down and cleaned their velvet drapes during this changeover. They'd also use Summer slipcovers on furniture.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 3:19 PM
I have found that curtains get filthy - I have never had a window "treatment" (ie, sheers with shades, lined drapes, valences, tassels and the works). It's possible that all the layers could bypass some of the gummy revolting dust that manages to cling to everything in NYC after a little exposure. On the parlor floor I currently have white cotton lace-like cutwork curtains I bought in a Tibetan store. They're washable, and have been laundered a couple of times with decent results. For other windows I often have the cheapest nylon sheers you can find, wash them a few times until they look awful then buy another pair to replace them. Like the person who posted about using Saris in the window, you have to be prepared for your window treatments to be destroyed. Either sun or street grime will get them eventually. Ground floor curtains are the worst, and unless you have total air conditioning and never open windows, you are certain to have to clean or replace anything you have at some point.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 4:27 PM
just FYI re: velvet, if you have a hot radiator in the window and the curtains are touching it you will get marks on the velvet. The pile gets smushed down when it touches something hot.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 4:46 PM
The most important thing about curtains is how they are made, not what are they made from. Even quite lightweight fabrics can make excellent curtains if they are properly lined and interlined. The interlining is necessary to create added body and good drape. Obviously heavier fabrics achieve this more easily on their own. You also need to consider "fullness", ie. adding width so that your curtains fall into folds attractively and don't give the appearance of being too tightly stretched across a window. All fabrics will fade in direct sun unless you use an outdoor fabric like sunbrella -- and, lest you groan, I've seen it used quite successfully inside. Silk is entirely appropriate for parlor floors but you should really be led by your own taste. My only gripe with silk is that it is very hard to spot clean and I find it too formal to suit my eclectic decorating style. Frankly, shopping for fabric in the U. S. is a bit of a nightmare compared to in the U. K. where designer fabrics (Tricia Guild, Cole and Son, Nina Campbell, Osgood & Little, Sanderson etc etc) are easily available at retail. The "only available to the trade" crap is elitist BS, in my not-so humble opinion. Anyway, if you do decide to buy locally, Silk Trading Co in the basement at ABC has a good selection of fabrics and their cottons and cotton/linen blends are very well priced. Janovic has a wide range although everything has to be ordered. You can brave Orchard St and the LES (also the fashion district in the blocks just north of Macy's) but the stores are grubby and it's labor intensive. I would imagine you could find some lovely cotton prints in SE Asia but, as I mentioned above, I urge you to get them interlined when they are made up.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 5:07 PM
Ikea sells "Lenda" panels in something like 118" long (they come in shorter lengths, too) - so they are good for really long windows - they come unhemmed, complete with an iron-on tape to shorten them to your desired length. They come in a few different colors - somewhat heathery, so they look a bit like linen. I bought some, in a natural color, and in yellow - I haven't shortened or hung them yet (I need 104" length) - but I like the fabric.
They are all cotton, and unlined, so they are machine washable. (I'm going to hang them over basic shades in the bedrooms where I need to block out light at night, and over nothing in the living room where I don't need to block light.) They come with tab tops, but I'm going to fold the tabs inside and use them instead with curtain pins connected to wooden rings, so they will draw easily on the wooden rods I have. Best is the price - about $20 per panel. Can't beat it.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 11:09 PM
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