Sew Hem and Side Seams

A note on using heavy decorator fabrics and/or Blackout lining: you need to ADD 1/4" to the cut width of BOTH the front fabric and lining in order for your sewn shade to end up the correct Finished Width. This is because it is nearly impossible to press the side seam completely flat with thick fabrics. This is especially true when you are making an Inside Mount shade. You already have extra fabric at the top of the shade, so you don't need to make an adjustment in the cut length.

How to Join Multiple Fabric Widths for Wide Shades for both the Fabric Front and the Lining:
If the required Cut Width of your fabric and/or lining is wider than the width of your fabric, you will have to join two or more fabric widths. Standard practice is to place one full width in the center of the shade and two smaller widths on each side. This is shown in the drawing above. If you will have a lift line running down the center of the shade, it is alright to have a center seam instead. I use a 1/4" seam and press to one side. Don't press the seam open since you might see light through it. I use the same rules when joining widths for the lining. However, if I can "bury" a seam in the hem, I do that. I still use a 1/4" seam and press to one side.

How to Hem both the Fabric Front and the Lining: Mark and sew a double 3” hem. (Fold up the bottom of the fabric 3”, wrong sides together. Make a second 3” fold. Top-stitch or sew the hem by hand.) Do this for both the front fabric and the lining. You are hemming the front fabric separately and you are hemming the lining separately. You do this because the bottom of your completed shade will be open. You may have been taught to sew the sides of the shade together first and then make the bottom hem. DON’T DO THAT. You first hem each panel separately and then you join the panels at the sides.

A note about Thermalsuede or Blackout lining: The foam side of the lining is the WRONG side. The front side of the lining is the woven fabric. It is very difficult to tell the correct side. The wrong side is “slick”, the right side is a little rough.

How to Sew Side Seams:

Check that the lining is 1” narrower than the front fabric. Lay the front fabric right-side-up on a work surface, with the bottom (hem) to your left. Lay the lining with the right-side-down on top of the front fabric. If you are using Thermalsuede or Blackout lining, the “slick” foam side is up. The right-sides of your panels are together. This means that the lining is one-inch short of the other side of your front fabric. Don’t center the lining on the front fabric. The bottom hems will both be to your left. The bottom of the lining should be placed 1/2” above the bottom of the front fabric. This also means that the top of the lining is 1/2" above the top of the front fabric. Don’t worry about that. You will be trimming more than an inch off the top of the shade in a later step. Pin every 2” to 3” close to the edge. You can leave these pins in while you stitch. Also pin the front fabric and the lining together every 6” to 8” several inches towards the center of the shade to stabilize and prevent pulling during stitching. This is shown in the drawing below.

	Using a 3/4" seam, sew the first side of the seam beginning at the hem edge (back-stitch at the beginning of the seam) and ending at the top edge. When you are using Thermalsuede, you are always sewing with the plastic side up. The plastic side is the WRONG side of the lining. You may need to use a Teflon or walking presser foot on your sewing machine. Or you can use a piece of thin paper under the foot (such as Adding Machine Paper, which is available in Office Supply stores or in our Online Store), and sew through it to prevent sticking. After pinning your seam, position your shade to sew the seam. Before lowering the presser foot, slip the Adding Machine Paper on the top of the fabrics, lower the presser foot and sew the seam. Remove the paper when you are finished stitching by carefully tearing it along the seam line.
	Press the seam towards the lining. Now you need to sew the other side seam. With right sides together and with the lining still on top, pin the second side seam. The hems are now on your right-hand side. Notice that your front fabric is still wider than the lining so your shade will not lay flat. Pull the lining over so that the sides are flush. Once again, make sure the bottom of the lining is 1/2" above the bottom of the front fabric. This time your will be sewing from the top of the shade to the hem. Backstitch at the hem. Be sure to start at the top of the shade when you sew the second side seam. The different types of fabric move differently relative to your sewing machine bottom plate and presser foot. You want the same sequence of fabrics. You sewed your first side seam with the front fabric on the bottom and the lining on the top. You want to sew your second side seam with the front fabric still on the bottom. Trust me, your shade will twist slightly if you reverse the order of the fabrics in your machine.
	You can see an example of this twisting, or what I call warbling, near the bottom of the OceanView French Door shades in the Gallery Section. Using an ironing board, press the second seam towards the lining. You now have a tube, so it is much easier to press the seam by slipping the fabric tube over your ironing board rather than laying it on a pressing table. Turn the shade right side out. You have a tube, open at the top and bottom. Place it upside down (lining facing up) on a large work surface. Smooth into a rectangle. You should have a 1/4” overlap of the front fabric around to the back on each side. Pull the shade firmly from both sides to achieve this.

Make sure that the bottom of the lining is 1/2" above the front across the entire bottom of the shade. Press thoroughly. Pin in several places before turning over. Press again, being careful not to iron directly on the pins. Carefully smooth the shade and measure the width in at least three places. Verify that the measurements are within ¼” of your desired Finished Shade Width. If not, decide if you can live with the “new” width or whether you need to re-sew one or both side seams. Continue the instructions by scrolling up and clicking on the next topic in the left-hand navigation column.