Introduction
I show you how I made "Dressy" curtains for my dollhouse Dining Room with NO SEWING!
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LIQUID STITCH:
www.amazon.com/Dritz-PRY-653111-653111-Liquid-Multicolor/dp/B0018NA0F8
FABRIC FUSION:
www.amazon.com/Aleenes-Fabric-Fusion-Permanent-Adhesive/dp/B00178QSE6
CLOVER IRON:
www.amazon.com/s
TACKY GLUE:
www.amazon.com/2-Pack-Aleenes-Original-Tacky-Ounce/dp/B073WNCBB6
Content
Good morning, dolls and welcome to little Gretchen's Workshop.
So it's time to get on with these dining room curtains.
So in the dining room of the Roman house, there's only one window and I wanted to make the curtain treatment kind of grand and ornate, because I thought something for a dining room should be a little bit fancier than some of the other rooms in the house.
Now I have this lovely piece of silk that I bought last month online and it's the perfect shade and I'm just trying to make sure it's the right length, because again, I want to make the header pretty dramatic, but I want it to go almost all the way to the floor, so I grabbed a window frame that I'm saving for another project and use it as my template for my window curtain I just traced around it on the piece of foam board and dolls.
For me, it's just a shortcut because I don't want to measure around the window area so as long as I don't exceed the size of the frame I'm in good shape.
I want to look closely here now.
You see this Edge is like the Salvage Edge, but as I looked at it, it looked like a lovely piece of Fringe, really fine and small.
That would be perfect for 12 scale.
So I'm going to save that for later on in the project now, I am using my liquid Stitch to create a very thin hem around the piece for my panels now dials.
My original design for the window was to make one big dramatic drape to go over to one side.
So now, as I started my process by hemming the piece of fabric all the way around to create my gigantic panel now Dallas I want you to take care when you get to the corners of your panels, because you want those Corners to lay down really really flat and what I do is Snip the corners so that that one little piece will be able to fold over really nice.
And if you see where I'm cutting there I just cut snip that little corner so that when you go around it'll lay nice and flat because you don't want it bunching up in the corners and distort the look of your finished piece now.
Does the liquid Stitch glue dries pretty quickly and I did press it down nice and firm, but I wanted to ensure that it was dried or cured all the way.
So I used my Clover iron to ensure that that hem was nice and dry before I put it into my water and glue solution and I'll use Extreme Caution when using your Clover iron as I mentioned all the time it is unforgivingly hot.
The Clover iron is an amazing tool and is wonderful for working on small pieces curing the glue getting nice neat seams and hems for doll clothes and any type of fabric Furnishings for your dollhouse and I did have quite a few creases in this piece of fabric after I got my hem in and I actually tried to iron them out and then I started to laugh.
It's like what difference? Does it make you're gonna wet the fabric with glue anyway, so you won't notice any of those seams or creases, but I did Iron it a little bit trying to get them out.
So I wanted to add a little lace to this window.
Treatment and I had this lovely piece of lace that I got in my local hobby store.
I thought it was really pretty I thought about adding it on top of the shade, but I realized it was gathered and it wasn't going to look like I wanted to look so I cut a small piece and set it aside and I'll think about how to make it work a little bit later.
So, as I went on in the process, I decided that I didn't want one big panel draped to the side, I kept thinking and Drew a little sketch of what I wanted the window to look like.
So I did decide that I want the little lace panel to be in the middle of two long panels and then have a beautiful drape at the top.
So the big piece that I had just hemmed I decided I would need to split it in half to create the look that I really wanted.
So dogs I just folded it in half to make sure both sides were even and then I just split it right down the middle and hem.
The two raw edges, just like I did the original panel.
Now dolls I will be gluing both of my panels to the foam board because I don't use curtain rods, I actually glue the foam board right to the wall above the window frame.
Now I did cut the foam board a little bit bigger than the window frame, because I want to make that little window look a little bit bigger and grander than it actually is now here, I am making my water and glue solution with the tacky glue, keep in mind dials any type of PVA glue will work.
Taki glue is just my preference.
Now dials, you don't have to use a bowl this big, but this is just what I had on hand and you squeeze a nice glob of the glue into the water.
Okay, so I don't actually measure it, but the water should be cloudy sort of like skim milk.
Now your panel should be saturated, but because I didn't stir the glue in very good.
It is recommended that you stir your glue in really good, so it totally dissolves but knows if you end up with a few little glue.
Clumps, don't worry just don't stress about it.
Your project will still be fine, avoid clumps, but don't stress out about them now does I always encourage you not to rush through a project but I have to confess I actually skipped the step in this process.
I normally cover my foam board or thick cardboard with aluminum foil, so that the fabric won't stick after the glue is dry and it really well.
It was a bad problem, but the curtain kind of did stick to the foam board and I'll show you what I mean in a minute again: it's not the worst thing you can do, but if you want to be able to lift your project off of the foam board easily without a lot of sticking, you definitely want to use the aluminum foil and I'm just pinning my panel down stretching it into the shape that I want.
Don't worry about the wrinkles from when it got wet.
When you stretch the fabric to make your panels, the wrinkles will come out and it will dry absolutely smooth, and these came out really nice guys I'm so excited about how the Roman, House dining room is going to look with these beautiful drapes up I, hear both of my panels: they're all stretched and pinned and now I'm going to allow them to dry.
Now, while that's drying I'm going to go ahead and create this Cascadian header that I want to make so I just used the remnant from that original cut using the same process hemming it all the way around on all sides dipped.
It in my water and glue solution, I squeezed out the excess water and began to create my shape.
Now again, dolls don't worry about the wrinkles, because after you pull it and stretch your silk or cotton, it's going to smooth out now.
This design is very similar to the curtain.
In my original dollhouse bathroom now this piece of fabric that I'm using for the cascading Valance header piece, it's actually the same length as the regular panels, because you're going to let some of it drape I'm putting clothespins up at the parts that I want to be bent and drapey.
So they're going to help the curtain dry in the shape that I really needed to be I wanted to be straight across the top kind of drooping in the middle and the corners look like they're hanging down now that my header is dry, I'll actually be able to manipulate it and sit it in the right place at the top of my drape panels.
But if you can look closely dolls and just see how this drapes so nicely, I'm really proud of how natural the folds look and because the folds are almost like an accordion I will be able to adjust them nicely around the top of the panels.
Now Dallas, here's, the Moment of Truth me trying to remove my panels from the foam board after the glue has dried.
Now the fabric is very firm, but they are sticking a little bit, but no worries I will have to kind of slightly pry them up.
Honestly, the sticking really can't be avoided because, even if you use aluminum foil, it sticks to the aluminum foil.
Just be gentle as you pry it up, but don't worry, you won't lose the shape of your panel and you see it's just you know, I loosened it up, but I'll still be able to adjust it and put it on the foam board piece that I'm, using as my curtain.
Rod now that was for me assembling the curtain is always the most fun, because this is when I get to kind of put it on the finishing touches and really make it.
Um come to life now I'm, using that little small Fringe piece that I cut off the Selvage Edge and I'm actually going to use it as my tie backs and I'm using my fabric, Fusion to seal it off and I'm, just putting a little glob.
Now my fabric Fusion is a little bit dry, but I feel like it really works out because I don't want it to be really wet and sticky for what I needed to do today, and so there it is a perfect tie back.
So now, let's go ahead and mount this panel onto the foam board and I'm using the same dried out fabric, fusion and I'll just dried out, because I don't always close the lid tightly.
But to loosen it up, you can just put a couple drops of acetone in it: save that tip dolls.
So you see here, I'm gently placing my panel on top of the fabric, fusion and kind of pressing it in and I'm, going to use a pointed tool that I have to go in between my pleats to ensure each of the pleats is laying into the glue and you just press it gently in any kind of pointed tool will work whether it's a toothpick anything pointed this is just a tool.
I used to use to add jewels and gems for nail art, but it really works great, for this purpose now is make sure you take the time to do it.
Just your pleats on each panel before the glue starts to set up also pay special attention to the ends of your foam board.
To make sure the fabric panel covers the side and after you have adjusted your second panel go ahead and add your topper Valance.
All you need is a little dab of the fabric Fusion in each corner and in the middle and press it down.
I.
Also added that sheer lace curtain into the middle now towels, a little bit of the paper, did stick to the bottom, but you'll never see it after the curtain's installed.
Dolls, I'm so excited about adding these curtains to the dining room and the last few finishing touches to truly personalize the room.
So dolls stay tuned and I'm.
Looking forward to seeing you on the next episode of little Gretchen's Workshop bye, bye, now, dolls.