Fall is rapidly approaching, and as is usually the case this time of year, I'm swamped. Mostly work right now--and for the last month or so and the coming months as well. In a couple of weeks I'll be traipsing around the northeast with my honey pie, ed-ju-ma-cating senior citizens on the American Revolution. (That's him doing the educational stuff; I'll be taking their lunch orders and confirming tour guides.) My paralegal classes start back up in mid-October. Probably the biggest thing this fall is looks like it will be a business trip--to Chennai, India! My first time traveling internationally (if you don't count Toronto, which I do). Nothing has been finalized yet, but it looks like I'll be going there to visit some vendors in November. There will be more details about that trip as we finalize them, but for now, how about some crafty stuff!
There's been some knitting (mostly on the train) of my ladybug sock...
...and Jim's Trekking socks...
...but mostly it's been about sewing--making roman shades for the house. Warm Window roman shades, so that we can get the most out of our heating oil pre-buy we did (ouch!). I've been working on a test shade for a small window in one of our bathrooms.
This "test" shade was done with muslin as my cover fabric. Good thing, because the first muslin I cut was just a little too narrow--so I had to deconstruct it and redo the muslin part from scratch. Not too painful at $2/yard.Next up with be a big shade to block off the staircase and keep the heat downstairs during the day. I even picked out some pretty fabric that matches the runner in the foyer.
Hopefully I'll get to start this one this weekend. Eventually I plan on making these for most of the window in the house. Something to counter that "40% heat loss" mantra that the house inspector muttered every time he walked in to a different room. (Single pain, not-so-tight-fitting window sashes...)Oh well, gotta go back into the muck. More crafty stuff in a few days...
4 comments:
having lived in an old house, here's another detail (easy to add as an afterthouht.)
make some small pockets (on edges) and put in steel washer.
then stick some magnetic tape to the window sash/sill.
then you can have the shades 'stuck' to the window. they won't billow (as even heavy roman shades can do, in strong breezes)
steel washers are a sometimes hard to find, (just take a small magnet with you-(or you can buy small magnets, and stick a steel stripe along the window.) either way, the shades can be stuck in place (tight) or easily pulled away.
Thanks! I am using the magentic tape/strips and a weight bar on the bottom of the shades, plus the shades are being hung up on the wall above the window so they should clear the top of the window opening. Next blog post will be include the details of my quest to make these puppies at 40% off retail.
I hear you on the heat loss...our living room windows are...get this...original to the house (built in the late 1700's, I seriously don't know how they've survived). I invested in heavy drapes last year and we saved a bunch of money (thank God...could you imagine if we hadn't?) ;o)
Post a Comment