I've been posting on Crafster for quite a while now and I realized that I had never put up anything I have made for my work.
I did an apprenticeship as a seamstress making hand sewn soft furnishings, back when I was about 17 (which is longer ago than I'd like to admit
) and I've been sewing professionally on and off ever since.
I've just finished the living room curtains and window seat cushions for a newly converted apartment in Edinburgh's old Royal Infirmary buildings. The curtains are made from a Jacquard weave fabric (so already really thick), then interlined(lined with a thick blanket like material), Then lined with high quality cream cotton sateen lining. This makes them extremely thick, heavy and perfect draft excluders for period properties that can't be fitted with double glazing. It also means making them is a rather slow and skilled job. At the bottom of this picture you can see an off cut with the layers in place.
The client wanted eyelet headings, so I had to first stiffen the tops with buckram (can't use tape it would leave tram lines of stitching at the top which would make it look cheap), workout the placement then cut the holes and set each eyelet in place (there were nearly a hundred
).
I'm soooooooooo glad this part of the job is done, my fingers hurt!
I also made window seat cushions for the same room.
These had to hinge in the middle because the central part of each window opens like a pair of doors.
Here they are folded up, you also get to see my lovely (if cramped) work space.
I've now got to get on and finish the roman blinds for the bedrooms, one of which is over 3 meters long!
I'll post action shots when I go and hang it all soon.
