“Assistant to the Regional Manager” (Office Reference)

Sometimes our clients have a single window to make beautiful. Sometimes our clients have 39 windows to dress all at once! We love a challenge, and we were given one this year.

Preparation is the key to a challenge this size. Lots of time and planning were needed. There was an extra layer of timing since this job was 14 hours away. When you have a large job, there is a balancing act that takes place to keep other clients in production along the way and not just focus on one job for two months.

Along comes Carla, our workroom manager. She kept us organized and assigned the team projects for over two months for this client. And along the way, she kept regularly scheduled projects in production so our designers, clients and installer were able to stay on schedule. Carla takes ownership and personal responsibility in her professional and personal life. She multitasks when needed and sees the big picture which is invaluable.

When the time came for our road trip, Carla had lists and piles of draperies, shades and shutters. She had extra bags of supplies in case we had any installation emergency. Carla had everything labeled with rooms, sizes, ring counts etc. This allowed us to do our job with very little hassle. We finished installing a day early which allowed us to beat the snow storm home.

Thank you team for your beautiful work and thank you Carla, for being the best Workroom Manager.

Installers: The quiet talent

Without installers there could be no custom draperies. They are the rock in our world. To find a great installer is a blessing that we don’t take lightly. Jim is the installer at SC Draperies. He is meticulous and detail oriented. He wants to do it right even if it takes longer.

Custom draperies are by nature very heavy. The rods require heavy duty brackets and heavy duty toggles so the drapery hardware doesn’t fall out of the wall. It is rare indeed to install a rod with a stud behind every bracket. That is the reason it requires all the more talent to hang rods properly.

Measuring for brackets

Installation also requires precision. We aim to have the drapery 1/4” off the floor. Some fabrics stretch and some retract and come off the floor more than intended. It takes a patient installer to adjust to various conditions.

Some jobs require a 4 foot ladder and are straight forward. Some require scaffolding and intense set up and are exhausting. An even tempered installer is priceless.

Spiral staircase anyone?

20’ motorized velvet drapes required a separate lift to get them onto the scaffold before installing on the rod.

Some days Jim hires his son Donald to help with the installs, especially larger scaffolding jobs. He is always ready for a challenge and jumps in to help. His youth and strength are greatly appreciated. A nice paycheck and dinner out, and he is content as well.

Donald ready for the scaffold

Jim and Donald on the scaffold at Barn 8 Hermitage Farms Louisville KY

The ladies who create the custom draperies also have days in the field helping to install. This is invaluable experience to see how drapes hang and it rounds out their education.

Kenzie and Carla dressing soft shades

Carla and Kenzie dressing the drapes.

A hearty thank you to our installers. They make everything look great. We couldn’t do it without you.

You are loved!

Enjoy your day off.

Jim’s day off!

Coulisse Spring Lift Shades

Cordless is the way to go with shades. One of the many options available include a spring lift shade. It is very easy to raise and lower. Watch it in action.

International Space Station

We had an interesting contract to sew equipment covers for the International Space Station. Working with the Engineers at Techshot in Greenville, Indiana we made covers with embroidered patches and pockets for tools to cover equipment they use for experiments, when not in use. It was pretty neat to watch the payload go up in the SpaceX Rocket and to have pictures sent back from space with the Astronauts . Enjoy this unique project.

Details

Do your drapes have trouble gliding open and closed? Click on the video to view the problem.

The solution is Ring Glide Tape. See it in action.

Glide Tape can attach to wooden or wrought iron hardware to make even heavy drapes easy and smooth to operate. Contact us to learn more.

https://www.scdraperies.com/contact/

Decisions and Making the Leap

Decisions can be overwhelming.

"Do I pick option A or option B?"

"What if, after it's up, I change my mind?"

"If I am going to spend all this money, I want it to be perfect."

We have encountered these difficult decisions and it is never easy to know for sure... I always suggest that we still take the leap. Just jump and enjoy the process. 

This particular case in point was not indecisiveness on the part of the very relaxed and easy going homeowner, but for myself. I had not encountered this situation before and I wanted to make sure that I handled it the right way. I wanted it to look good when I was finished, not just passable; and I wanted the homeowner to be pleased with the result. 

The client wanted cafe shutters on two windows. One window was a double window and the other was a single window. Her window muntins (the grills on the window panes) were painted Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron, a beautiful, deep blackish blue color. The sides of the window were painted Benjamin Moore Acadia White. So... what color do we make the cafe' shutters? White would cut across the blue and give it an odd appearance; the shutters would stick out visually from the window. If we make them the deep blue color, the T-post on the double window would have a horizontal line of contrast that would be completely overwhelming...

So we took the daring leap; why not both? 

Imagination took hold and the panel door of the cafe shutters became Wrought Iron (blackish blue), and the T-post, hanging strips and the light block turned to Acadia White in ours minds.

If we did not like it, we could always repaint the shutters, so why not? With the proverbial cushion in place in case we landed hard from our jumping, we made the decision.  

Skip to install day... I was nervous but everything went smoothly. And much to our delight, we had a very entertaining five year old helper. As it all went into place and we stepped back to look at our work I held my breath. The homeowner loved it. It was  a unique, custom look. A great decision after much thought. 

And we didn't even need that cushion. ;P

Getting started. Extra Wide T-Post to match the window

Handsome Installer Man.

Double Window- Completed

Single Window- Opened Louvered

Single Window-Closed Louvered

Our Entertainment

To Pout, Puddle or Skim

Which is correct? Well, it depends on your needs, your drapery needs that is.  

A puddle, in the the drapery world, is when the hem sits on the floor... a lot.  A pout is when the panels crunch on the floor up to 2". Skimming is when the drapery rests just on the floor. 

So what do you choose? All three options have their own unique charm and each is suited to different situations.

Usually a puddle is best for stationary panels, as it is a more formal look.  It can be arranged to appear more tailored. Once arranged, it is best to leave it in place.  A pout is more casual. It can be arranged to look nice and is good for both stationary panels and functioning panels. It gives a fuller look without being messy.  And of course panels that skim the floor are best for daily functioning use and can be dressy or casual. No arranging required.

 See examples below.

Pout

Puddle

Skim

Hardware Choices

There are numerous hardware options to consider in the world of draperies.  Most drapery hardware will be customized to meet the needs of custom draperies. Custom draperies are usually quite heavy due to thicker fabrics, and the additional weight of interlining and lining. Because of this, they require sturdy hardware, perhaps even C rings for long spans. (C Rings traverse over a C bracket, allowing support for functioning drapes.)

There are many beautiful hardware options.  Any hardware option you can imagine can be found or created. Over the years I have come across many talented venders who make beautiful hardware, such as custom wrought iron with unique finishes, unvarnished brass to age naturally, or custom finishes on wood hardware including inlays if desired; and a fabulous hardware installer that can think outside the box for custom adjustments. Even the simpler looks are made to support and be beautiful. If you can dream it, we can have it made. 

New York City November 2017

We were blessed to be asked to travel to New York City to install the custom draperies that we made for our designer's client. NYC is a great city to visit, but a hard city in which to work. Finding a place to park for a large van, navigating the bridges and tunnels, finding our apartment we rented that happened to be four flights up... and that was just the first night. On install day it was carrying ladders, tools, draperies, and hardware down tiny stairs and up the back service elevator and into the apartment. There might have been a couple runs to the hardware store four blocks away:) Then, at the end, making a couple of trips carrying tools back to the vehicle parked many blocks away.  It made for a long day, but a spectacular experience.

The clients were happy and kind. The locals were very helpful. The food was unique. The sights were awe-some.

We were able to enjoy a couple days in the city before we left for home with the intent to return someday. There is so much to see and so much history to study there. 

These working radiators stuck out seven inches into the room. We had custom made returns put on an elbowed rod. Note the center support that is custom made as well. This hardware is from The Finial Company. It is hammered with bronze and grey. The panels are linen with reverse pleats at the top. The neutral lead edge trim is an added detail to finish the tailored look.

A hard roman shade made with cream linen has a soft pink banding on three sides. 

Central Park

Touring Ground Zero,  One World Trade Center and Museum. The Oculus (Transportation Hub) directly behind me.

Jim looking over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Setting sun and Lady Liberty.

Good Night New York

Tricks of the Trade

Sometimes on the job site you have to improvise. Sometimes you don't know that there is a problem until you are at the job and almost finished installing. 

We had a custom designed rod made for a set of rod pocket panels. We had five brackets securing it to the trim work of this large arched window. On the back of the rod we slit the rod pocket to allow the bracket to cup the rod and secure it to the wall. It all sounds good in theory on the drawing board, until...install day.  Once the rod was up and secured an unforeseen problem arises. The gathers keep falling down because the rod is curved so steeply. This had not occurred to me before. Being a silk taffeta, it is slippery and the gathers want to fall downward and leave flat spots. I cannot walk away knowing this will happen. My installer, Jim suggested we put ring glide tape on the back of the gathers. This is a clear tape that is very sticky on one side and slick on the other. Normally, it allows rings to pass over a rod with ease. Being clear it would never be seen from the outside. We adjusted the gathers and held them in place with the ring glide tape. Wonderful, it worked. 

Big Horn, Wyoming

Wyoming is captivating. We loved every minute spent there. We will return. Everyone says it... and it's true, it calls to you.

We visited at the end of May which is a beautiful time of year to go.  The streams were running full from an abundance of snow melt this year. The weather was warm and cool all at once.

We drove through the Big Horn Mountains, and hiked in the Tongue River Canyon. We had a picnic and napped by a beautiful stream. We caught fish, saw antelope, mule deer and moose. We feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to such a beautiful place for work and fun. Here are a few pictures of the client's lovely home and our trip. Special thanks goes to designer Weasy MacLean from Bittners in Louisville, KY.

Emily S.

Hard Roman Shades. A good solution when windows are up against a corner of a room.

Horizontal center brackets add support with a low profile for the black drapery rod seen here in the living room.

A custom 2" wooden blind is painted Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue HC-156 to match the paneling. It is mounted inside the window. A unique, cozy study.

Big Horn Mountains

A mama and her calf

Hello

Marco Island, Florida 2017

Traveling to Florida in early spring is a treat since the weather is still cold back home. Our client and friend was remodeling her home and asked us to make the draperies through a designer based out of Louisville, KY. My husband, Jim is my installer which makes road trips most enjoyable.

We drove down to install the draperies in February and took a few days off to enjoy the sunshine and visit some friends on the way home. The fabrics the designer choose were perfect with the Southern Florida atmosphere. They took us to dinner that night and we closed the "Little Bar" down, enjoying music and singing and fine food and drinks. Thank you for the opportunity to work for you. Special thanks goes to designer Ron Wolz from Bittners in Louisville, KY.

Emily S.

Dining Room. Tailored Pleats on Panels with Lead Edge Trim. Side Windows had soft Roman shades with Hem Trim. Unlacquered brass rods will age over time. 

Seashell print make up these faux soft shades on the breakfast bay area. 

Faux soft shade over master bath tub

The designer chose a beautiful watercolor print with lead edge banding to trim the sides of this bay window. The pleat style is top tacked.

Beautiful print with lead edge solid green trim accent these pinch pleated panels. Mediterranean White Washed Rods with unlacquered brass finials and rings to age over time.

Girl's room with double soft shade and cozy window seat

The local scene