When I wrote about the laundry room no-sew drapes, I forgot to mention how I cut the fabric to begin with. Since I knew I would hem the panels after they were hung I was not too concerned about the original cut length. However, since I only got 7 yards to make two 108″ panels, I wanted to make sure I had enough excess on each panel to hem them properly.
My method was pretty simple. I had 252″ of fabric. I needed two 108″ panels. The easiest way to ensure I had two equal length panels with plenty of excess fabric for hemming was to cut my 7 yard run in half. Thank heavens for long hallways. I laid out the fabric, already folded in half lengthwise off the bolt, in one long run down the hall and into the kitchen. Then I folded it in half crosswise. I cut right on the fold yielding two 126″ lengths.
My hem tape was 1″ wide (more width than probably necessary, but I was overcompensating for my first time doing no-sew drapes). I only folded the fabric over once for each hem, top and bottom. With 2″ total for hems and 108″ finished panels, I had an extra 16″ on each panel. I guess I could have gotten away with only 6.5 yards of fabric and still had 7″ per panel to spare. That is what I get for no measuring or calculating before going to the fabric store. Oh well, I am saving the extra fabric to use as pillow covers…maybe for lumbar support in the craft room chairs or maybe I’ll use them in another room to spread the green around.
