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**Cat** · 3 August 2009, 14:06

Re: what's wrong

Oh my goodness Ursula, you do sound stressed. On looking at the pics. I think you have made a beautiful job of these curtains and I can't see the pattern match difference on the photo. Where is it different?

Cat C.

**crackerkelly** · 3 August 2009, 14:41

Re: what's wrong

Hi Cat C,

Stressed isn't the word for me. The curtains look fine but when hung from the landing where I could see the full drop one curtain was about an inch longer and the flower looked also about an inch below the opposite side. I've hung them in the bedroom and to the floor in the bedroom they seem to be matched so it's as it gets closer to the bottom of the curtain is the problem, (I think). The pole in the customer's house is divided by a large timber bracket and the customer wants to be able to see the frame work of the windows between so they will never be meeting in the centre as such. I know her floor is also off so I'm wondering if I go on site, close the curtains - pin the hems to suit the floor as best I can will I get away with the bottom not matching. I probably wont know until I get them up on site. They are 10ft long finished.
Ursula

**Cat** · 3 August 2009, 15:08

Re: what's wrong

Hi Ursula,

I think you are worrying too much over this problem. You have made beautiful curtains. What you have done is made curtains to the required length from the fabric supplied from the customer to the best possible match i.e. at eye level. As you say they will never be completely closed and the floor may be off anyway so it would take a keen eye to spot any difference. I'm sure when they are hung and dressed any difference will be negligible. Are you using tie backs?

Might I suggest that the only people who would notice in Ireland would be the little people

Cat C.

**helen may** · 3 August 2009, 15:10

Re: what's wrong

Hi Ursula,
Firstly, the curtains look beautiful from the photo, but I think,..... it is really better to start with the hems when you are making curtains,so once you have joined the lengths together you fold up the hem, press, and turn in the side turnings. you are not using interlining, so I would then hand stitch the hem and lay in the lining, we usually do the top headings last,whether they are hand made or tape. This way the pattern should always match at the hem. If the pattern match was ok then they should match all the way up the curtain.
I'm really sorry I know this isnt much help now, perhaps the "client" could have them puddled on the floor if you have enough fabric, that way the pattern may not be so noticeable. Pleased dont get too stressed....
Kind Regards Helen

**Cat** · 3 August 2009, 15:31

Re: what's wrong

Surely whether you start at the heading or hems of a curtain it would make no difference if a fault lay in the tension of the fabric ( between two different looms for example in woven fabric ) or the registration of the print on a printed fabric. If there are slight differences between two batches they will never match completely, all you can do is minimise the effect to the eye and I think that is what you have done, Ursula.

Cat C.

**helen may** · 3 August 2009, 16:29

Re: what's wrong

Cat,
What you check your roll of fabric,Which often takes quite a while, you should really notice if the pattern isnt going to match BEFORE you cut it out by taking part of the fabric and holding it along areas of the roll to check that the PR is ok.
Helen

**enid** · 3 August 2009, 16:46

Re: what's wrong

If you have used two cuts from another roll and put them into one of the curtains then that could be where the problem lies. It might have been better to use the cuts from the second roll on each curtain at the outside edges, but always wiser after the event and we did not see the rolls, you did.

The finished job looks good and I would suggest that you do exactly what you are thinking. Take them, hang them in situ and have another look. DON'T SAY ANYTHING TO THE CUSTOMER AS SUCH, but I would pin them across at regular points to the floor drop, take them home and sew the hems.......don't try to square them up, they probably won't be square anyway. Use the knowledge that ''the customers floors are uneven so sometimes this is the way it needs to be done.'' When one walks into a room with large, long curtains such as those, ones eyes are drawn to the middle/top of the whole effect and not the hem. ....she may have furniture that hides the problem but try not to point it out to madam. If she sees it, was it not COF?? and you did the best that you could.
Just to help you along, I have spent the last two hours on some pleats.....sewn them, not the right finished width, unpicked, worked them out three times, pinned, still not correct. I have not got a clue whats wrong and its a mates rates job, so I will not spend any more time today..........you are not the only one !!!!!!

Enid

**crackerkelly** · 3 August 2009, 17:11

Re: what's wrong

Cat and Helen points taken. I should have checked before I started but I didn't and I'll never make that mistake again. Big lesson learned when working with 2 rolls. I guess there is no point re-doing one as the top would be out if I work up. I have them hanging now above my stairs (see pic)and have pinned the hems. You cannot see the difference when closed as the sides face back (knowing the customer she will not overlap the edges ever) but if I hold together (see pic) ah............I'm going to give them a tip with the iron and wait and hem on site. still not happy as I like everything to be perfect. Fingers crossed the room is so big and curtains will be so far apart 90% of the time nobody will ever notice. Do ye think I should let the customer know the problems I had because of 2 diff rolls?

Ursula

[attachment=0:3i91chxo]ur2.jpg[/attachment:3i91chxo][attachment=1:3i91chxo]ur1.jpg[/attachment:3i91chxo]

Enid,
You've made me feel better already.

The funny thing is I was aware when I had 2 rolls they may be slightly different and in my head I had decided to use the 2 drops on the outer edges but as the customer hadn't her mind made up as to whether she wanted 4 curtains of 2 curtains Ursula went ahead and got started with getting the widths together not to be wasting time -of course completely forgetting about different rolls. Doesn' t pay to rush ahead but I had fabric everywhere and it was driving me mad hanging about and doing nothing. BIG lesson.
Ursula

**enid** · 3 August 2009, 17:35

Re: what's wrong

Have to admit that I did not suggest that you checked and tried pattern match before you cut, I just presumed that everyone did.....sorry, and I too always work hem upwards, but then there is always that occasion!!!!

I have a friend who says that the test of a good curtain maker is not the making of the mistake but the getting out of it!!

It looks quite a woven/embroidered fabric from the picture, and I think that these double weave fabrics can stretch sometimes. Just doing a JL one and its rather similar in its behaviour as well. I think that yours really do look quite acceptable in the last picture, and NO I would not say anything re problems at all. Tell her and she will be looking for things that are wrong.

Enid

**Schuhby** · 3 August 2009, 17:44

Re: what's wrong

The main horizontal pattern seems to dip towards the leading edge (See pic) Try turning the curtains left to right..

[attachment=0:wwfm05x6]ur28.jpg[/attachment:wwfm05x6]

**Cat** · 3 August 2009, 17:56

Re: what's wrong

Hi Ursula,

I agree with Enid, do not mention this problem to your customer. You will only bring attention to something that she would never have noticed. Hindsight is a great thing.......but if we were all that clever then we would never make any mistakes and life just isn't like that. My husband has been in textile quality control all his working life and can tell you that fabrics are made to a commercial match, they are very seldom perfect especially between batches. Given that you would have had this problem you have done remarkably well, they look lovely.

Cat C.

**crackerkelly** · 3 August 2009, 18:17

Re: what's wrong

Girls what a day. I hate to admit it but it took a man to sort my problem. A BIG THANKS PHILIP. I've switched the curtains round and the pattern now matches perfectly in the centre. Now why didn't I hink of that. A Miracle.

**Cat** · 3 August 2009, 18:24

Re: what's wrong

Fantastic Ursula, really pleased for you

Cat C.

**Rosie** · 3 August 2009, 18:38

NOTHINGS Wrong!

You beat me to it Philip!

Ursula, don't beat yourself up anymore over them. The impact they will create will be stunning.

As to pattern repeats changing from roll to roll, I have used some voyage fabrics (the three layer woven ones) where the PR changes throughout one roll by as much as 2.5cm in places. The reply? This is within the acceptable tollerence of this type of weave.

Give yourself a rather large pat on the back for making your first pair of HUGE curtains without the benefit of a 3m work table and professional work rooms. Well done you!!! Your customer will be blown away. Please take pictures on site - if you still have the energy after hanging them! I hope you have help at hand for that bit?

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