<p>I notice in many magazines that the windows of rooms are uncovered. It looks great. And I enjoy it that way too - BUT there are times when it is nice to have a covering - as mentioned, extreme heat or cold - in the summer if I don’t close the front of the house for a few hours not only does the house heat up, but some of the fabric on some furniture tends to fade.</p>
<p>Somemom, I have outdoor shades that I use to block the sun/heat at times, but I have been known to close them in really cold weather…they seem to add an insulating layer. However, in the interest of full disclosure we don’t get snow…</p>
<p>My husband bought me a very nice Bernina about fifteen years ago as a present to replace my well-used Singer (it was a reconditioned school machine that I bought in the late 60s). He learned how to use a sewing machine and tried all the machines in the store so he could choose the one he thought would please me the most. I adore the machine and have always compared it to the difference between a used Ford Escort and a brand-new Mercedes sport coupe. It sews smoothly and evenly. It is simple to adjust and keep clean. It has options that make it very easy to use. I have no idea how much he spent, but it has been a constant joy to use. My old Singer… not so much. I spent a lot of time fighting with it.</p>
<p>In northern Europe, at least in Scandinavia, you cannot buy curtains or drapes anywhere. It drove my sister crazy when she moved to Sweden in the early 90’s. Everyone sews them themselves. She purchased things on her visits here! They also have light killing blinds built into the windows, between the layers of glass, to keep out the sun on those loooooooooong summer days.</p>
<p>I like windows to be barely covered and curtains to be diaphanous and sheer. It’s lovely to see them blowing in the breeze.</p>
<p>On those long summer days, I want all the sun to come in, it’s those short winter days when I wish I could block the cold air</p>
<p>For the Scandinavians, it’s all about keeping that 3AM sunrise out!</p>
<p>The sun rises here around 5am in the summer, so gets light sooner, a sleep mask is a must!</p>
<p>I made all the curtains in our house - from sheets. My downstairs curtains are white cotton sheets w/a faint white striped pattern in them - thin to let light through, but thick enough to be opaque at night even with light on inside. I used a grommet thingymabobber and a hammer to install grommets on them, and hang them to a plain metal curtain rod from Target using little clips from IKEA or metal showercurtain clips (the ones with the little balls on top that help them move better.) Sheets are cheap, and sheer, and EASILY washable. The twin ones come in all sorts of cool patterns, for putting in kids bedrooms. For our bedroom, I used cheap Duvet covers from IKEA (since they are double fabric they help with light control, and again, hammered in the grommets. I am willing to bet that it cost less than $400 to do the whole house including all the hardware, and I have a LOT of windows. I find regular drapes at stores heavy and ugly and depressing, and much prefer my light and bright curtains!!!</p>
<p>We have high ceilings in the living room. I priced the longer drapes - they were almost 2x per foot compared to the “standard” ones, and the choice was very limited. I ended up bying window scarves (which were the cheapest option when it came to price per foot), cutting them in half, hemming, and my new drapes were born! They are not state of the art window treatments, but then again, the rest of my home decor came from places that can’t be considered high end - Dania and IKEA :p</p>
<p>Most window treatments are expensive, no doubt about it. I have a contemporary home and have floor-to-ceiling windows in parts of the house. I don’t have any window treatments because I’m not near the street and live on a wooded lot–we like seeing the trees. The only place I used window treatments was in the bedroom. We opted for muslin shades for the windows in the bedrooms. We used a beige linen color, which is pretty unobtrustive. This was a relatively inexpensive option. I went to a local fabric center and they gave me the name of someone who specialized in doing these types of shades. As people have pointed out, the women (and it’s almost all women) who do this spend lots of time on these jobs and the ones who are good produce a great product. This is not something I would want to do for a living; I think it takes some talent to be able to sew well enough to do window treatments.</p>
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<p>Yes it does, to some extent, take “talent”, or at least the ability to visualize the finished product and think in three dimensions. Mostly it takes patience and a LARGE workspace and a very good sewing machine!!</p>