A beautifully designed, easy–to–follow guide to making cushions and curtains, with a dozen projects, clear instructions, and 300 color photos and diagrams.

Cushions and Curtains takes you through all the steps of learning to make these home accessories. Advancing through the basics of understanding fabrics and introducing the necessary equipment, it guides you through twelve projects, giving you the confidence and skill to make cushions and curtains with a professional finish. Cushions and Curtains will teach you how to: choose fabrics, calculate the quantity of material needed, and use a sewing machine to best effect; make square, round, boxed, and piped cushions with zippers (techniques that can also be used with footstools); create classic lined curtains finished with valences, pelmets, and tie–backs before progressing to interlined curtains and Roman blinds. Lavishly illustrated in color throughout, this is a complete handbook for beginners and a fresh source of ideas for those more experienced.

Needlecrafts teacher Openshaw here provides directions for constructing basic cushions, pillows, curtains, valances, pelmets, tiebacks, and blinds for the home. Her meticulously detailed instructions at first appear a bit overly complicated, but that is the fault of the layout, which would have benefited from a greater separation between the projects and the better-labeled figures. Amateur sewers will be well guided by this book, making it a good choice for public libraries.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.