Matching 1/2 drop pattern

[rjd]

I am being really thick today.....
I am re-using an old material with a pretty pattern for a friend on a pair of short, 1 width each curtains.

There is a half drop pattern, and the question is, do I match the patterns as if I was going to join the widths together, or do I use exactly the same pattern drop for each, i.e. if one piece is on top of the other, the pattern is exactly the same.

Would really appreciate opinions from anyone who is on line.


Rosannagh

[Schuhby]

Re: Matching 1/2 drop pattern

I would treat it as you would a full drop repeat and follow the horizontal match as normal, though as you're making a single width set it doens't really matter if you can't/don't.

Philip

[rjd]

Re: Matching 1/2 drop pattern

Hi Phillip,
So you mean, as if I was going to join the 2 widths together ...

[Schuhby]

Re: Matching 1/2 drop pattern

Make them as a left and right curtain as you would any other curtain - They won't patten match because of the leading edge turns. I suppose you could just make two curtains the same for each side. Patterns flow one side to the other and you'd pattern match a set with more than 1 width. I think it's a judgement thing with them being single width to be honest and very much dependant on the pattern. I recently made a single width set that had a half drop repeat, the pattern was very large so I made the two curtains the same otherwise they would have looked odd. Lay the two widths side by side and see what pleases the eye.

Philip

[rjd]

Re: Matching 1/2 drop pattern

Thanks a lot Philip

[jane]

Re: Matching 1/2 drop pattern

I've got a pair to make with a half drop repeat and am being particularly dim (and nervous - it' s very expensive fabric) about how to cut the drops!

Three widths in each curtain (to be double or triple pleated). Should I cut the panels A B A - A B A so the curtains miror each other or is it better to cut them
A B A - B A B so the pattern flows across the pair (although either way they won't match exactly due to the side turnings will they?)

Please can someone sort me out!

They're to be either double or triple pleated but as it's a 45cm repeat across the fabric, that's proving to be a whole other issue!

[Schuhby]

Re: Matching 1/2 drop pattern

Jane, you should make the curtains as you would any curtain with the pattern flowing across the widths - The sides won't match perfectly due to the side turnings.

Philip

[YvonneR]

Re: Matching 1/2 drop pattern

I've had a nightmare with 1/2 drops recently - I had 6 widths (3 in each curtain to match) - 134cm repeat PLUS HALF DROP!!! Took weeks and weeks to get this sorted as they did not buy enough fabric etc etc etc but won't go into that - you should cut 123 456, this should then transpose to ABA BAB and it will work out - if you search on Half Drop Repeat here, filw gave some very valuable advice to me along with Philip!

[Julie Evans]

Re: Matching 1/2 drop pattern

I have just made up with half-drop fabric and it took an age to get it wrong! I had to attach false tops to one pair as I had cut them wrongly. The single pair I cut at the same point i:e so that they would not have matched had I tried to join them. It worked better because of the large pattern. The 1.5 width pair I made so that the pattern ran across the curtains i:e the front edges would have matched if I had tried to join them. This worked well because of the extra width.
What a nightmare though!! Good Luck
Julie