topic Re: For those that sew in Home

For those that sew

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 22:01:13 GMT

My girl friend and I were fabric shopping today. She is covering the cushions on her island stools. We found some really nice fabric and she purchased that fabric, but while looking she found something that she wants to use as a valance in the kitchen/dining area.

The fabric is upholstery fabric, heavy but not the heaviest I have seen. If she makes a valance, is it safe to spritz the fabric with water and throw in the dyrer to possibly soften up the fabric...or would that even work? The fabric is a bit stiff, she would just like to soften it up a bit. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Re: For those that sew

Kachina624 — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 22:24:43 GMT

@Mom2Dogs Upholstery fabric is not made to be used with water. There's a good chance it would be okay if lightly spritzed but there's also a chance it may shrink or worse. I'm sure your friend knows she'd be taking a chance. It may be stiffened with sizing and turn into a limp dishrag.

Re: For those that sew

SilleeMee — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 22:28:02 GMT

There's no way to know without seeing the fabric content.

Re: For those that sew

Love my grandkids — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 22:40:43 GMT

@Mom2Dogs I wouldn't chance it. Tell your friend to go back and buy a small cut, take it home and try it. I doubt her plan would work out well tho.

Re: For those that sew

dancingwoman — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 22:41:25 GMT

She can try a small piece to see what happens..DW

Re: For those that sew

dancingwoman — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 22:42:14 GMT

@Love my grandkids We posted at the same time...lol...DW

Re: For those that sew

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 22:44:25 GMT

Thanks! She was not going to saturate the fabric, just spritz with water.

Re: For those that sew

patbz — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 23:03:32 GMT

Your friend would be happier with a valance box (plywood, cover with layer of fiber - like inside of quilt ) then cover with fabric, stapling on back.

Re: For those that sew

riley1 — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 23:35:31 GMT

@Mom2Dogs - I can't see where spritzing the fabric will soften it up. Home Dec fabrics are made to be stiffer to hold up and retain their shape whether its for drapes or upholstery or pillows.

Tell her to use a sizeable scrap and spritz it. Then give it a gentle tug to see if it stretches either way. If it does, do not spritz because the fabric could become distorted.

Re: For those that sew

september — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 00:20:07 GMT

What kind of valance would this be? When I was making these years ago, decorator fabrics were used, and they were the ruffled types of valances.

For this use, an upholstery fabric wouldn't work.

Re: For those that sew

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 00:36:15 GMT

@september wrote:
What kind of valance would this be? When I was making these years ago, decorator fabrics were used, and they were the ruffled types of valances.

For this use, an upholstery fabric wouldn't work.

@september She was going to sew a rod pocket on the fabric and run the rod thru the pocket -no ruffle just a bit of fullness, the fabric will hang straight.

We will need to look at the fabric again...as we were more focused on the chair fabric.

Maybe the fabric is not as heavy as I recall. I understand that if the fabric is to heavy it will not hang properly. Thanks for the comment.

Re: For those that sew

On It — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 00:37:56 GMT

@patbz wrote:
Your friend would be happier with a valance box (plywood, cover with layer of fiber - like inside of quilt ) then cover with fabric, stapling on back.

That would be the solution to the stiffness. Stiffness would be ideal for upholstering the topper. I had one of those. It topped and hid a black out roller shade that we lowered in the evening for privacy.

Once upon a time the employees at the home improvement store would help customers measure and cut this kind of project. I don't know if that is still the case. Be sure to purchase a couple of mounting brackets to hang the finished piece. It is a fun project.

Re: For those that sew

september — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 00:45:19 GMT

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
@september wrote:
What kind of valance would this be? When I was making these years ago, decorator fabrics were used, and they were the ruffled types of valances.

For this use, an upholstery fabric wouldn't work.

@september She was going to sew a rod pocket on the fabric and run the rod thru the pocket -no ruffle just a bit of fullness, the fabric will hang straight.

We will need to look at the fabric again...as we were more focused on the chair fabric.
Maybe the fabric is not as heavy as I recall. I understand that if the fabric is to heavy it will not hang properly. Thanks for the comment.

Ok, with no ruffle, a heavier fabric might work.

Re: For those that sew

brandiwine — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:22:17 GMT

What about trying a wrinkle release spray? If she has a small, extra piece I'd try the water or the wrinkle release spray to see what happens.

Re: For those that sew

We rescue cats — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 18:08:45 GMT

@Mom2Dogs have you ever seen the Cornice Store site? They are foam and you use them as the guide for attaching the fabric and back when I used them the unit attached to a curtain rod for hanging it. If you do a search for DIY Cornice Creation you will find many companies that do this. There was no sewing required, it was all done with scissors and tucking the pieces into the foam, they turned out beautifully.

Re: For those that sew

We rescue cats — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 18:18:02 GMT

This is what the kit I used looked like when it came:

The fabric got tucked into the 'sliced' areas in the photo, I used a complimentary pattern in the smaller areas and gathered it for added interest, a solid was in the larger areas. I was really pleased with it, everyone thought I had paid $$$ for the custom windows!!

Re: For those that sew

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 22:32:15 GMT

@We rescue cats That is nice. I would be willing to do something like that, not sure I can convince my friend, but I will show her..thanks!

Re: For those that sew

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 22:33:15 GMT

Very interesting, and I like that 'it' attaches to the rod.