I am excited to share that I have signed a contract with a publisher to write a custom window treatments book, sponsored by Singer. It will cover curtains, draperies, top treatments and shades. This is a reference book, with step-by-step photographs showing how to measure, cut, sew and install a wide variety of designs. It is a dream-come-true, and a lot of work ahead but I am very excited about this project which will take six months to complete.
One of the perks of having such a major sponsor is the machinery! I received a brand new sewing machine, serger and iron to use for the book projects and photography.
There's a lot of preparation to do before I can sew, photograph and write the manuscript. I am starting with a book outline which is divided into categories of planning, getting started, basic techniques and tools and then the different styles; curtains and draperies, shades and blinds and top treatments.
Before I can design the window treatments for the book, I had to find some windows! We are so lucky to live in North Carolina, where the home furnishings industry has so many supporting businesses. In High Point, we found The Alderman Company, a photography and advertising agency with acres of room sets and props. Rodger and I spent a wonderful afternoon taking a tour, selecting sets and measuring windows.
Here is an example of a room set which has an arched window which I need to show how to make arched draperies. You can see the blue walls and no view out the window but with the magic of paint, lighting, backdrops and styling this room will look completely different as you can see in an old advertising photo of this same room. I can't wait to see how it looks with my draperies!
