Window Treatment Fabrics

Window treatments that solve problems are always a plus. You expect them to decorate a room, but when they also hide an unsightly view or filter harsh light, then you get your money's worth. Modern lightweight sheers are one choice that will accomplish all three tasks--a pretty look, privacy, and pleasant light. Today, many sheers are manufactured with a variety of embroidered designs integrated in the fabric, adding interest to an other wise plain organza, cotton, or chiffon background. Plus, a do-it-yourself window treatment is easy when the decorative effect is created by the fabric.

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• Around Your Home-Window Treatments from Southern Living

Get This Look

The fabric used here was a crisp white when purchased, but it was stained with tea for an antique look. To do this, fill a standard-size washing machine halfway with hot water. Then, add six large teabags. Allow the tea to steep and cool. (Different tea varieties will produce different stain colors.) Place prewashed fabric in the machine with the tea, and let soak. The color will darken according to the amount of time soaked, so check every few minutes. (The fabric shown here soaked two hours.) Lastly, remove the fabric, and rinse. Hang to dry. Let the washing machine drain; then run a standard cycle without clothes to remove any traces of tea.

For the powder room treatment shown here, only one piece of fabric was used.Looped cording attached to the top hangs from upholstery tacks to keep it in place.

To achieve this look, measure the inside window dimensions and cut the fabric to size.

This window is 23 x 32 inches, so 1 yard of 54-inch-wide fabric was used.

Finish each edge with a narrow shirt-tail hem. If you don't have a sewing machine, an iron and fusible web binding would also work.

Attach cording to the top with a machine zigzag stitch or baste by hand, adding loops every few inches. Measure and mark where tacks should be placed on the window frame, using loops as a guide. Nail tacks into the frame.

Hang treatment by placing loops around the tacks.