The Silk Trading Co. is known for luxurious fabrics, creative designs and exquisite window treatments. We specialize in high end custom window treatments such as drapes, roman shades, valances, cornice boxes, swags and cascades.

We also have a trained team of design consultants help you create the right treatment for your home, from choosing the fabric from a large selection of silks, linens, wools and sheers, to the actual design and all yardages necessary to fabricate your drapes. Our workrooms are equipped with state of art sewing machines and highly skilled seamstress who are specialized in working with fine silks. While designing a window treatment can be difficult, using the trained Silk Trading Co. staff can make it a pleasant experience.

The process starts with selecting what type of window treatment is right for a specific window, taking in to consideration the purpose of the treatment: will it be decorative only or functional.

The next step involves selecting the drapery header style: French Pleat, Inverted Box Pleat, Pinch Pleat or even a Straight Top. Each style requires a different amount of fullness. The beauty of having custom drapes is that you can add any extra detail to make it look your own. Trims, borders, banding and tassels can be added to match or contrast existing colors in the room.

Once the style is decided, it is time to select the fabric. Fabric contents are also a very important factor to consider when making your custom drapes. Silks are very sensitive to sunlight, so when using this type of fabric, additional lining and even interlining is highly recommended. Another very important factor when selecting the fabric is to know the difference between solid and patterned fabrics. If you are using fabrics with large patterns it is most likely the the yardage will cost more than when using only solids. The reason is the there is a need for extra fabric to compensate the wastage in order to match the pattern repeats.

Once this step in complete, it is time to select the lining and interlining fabric. The lining fabric should be either 100% cotton or a cotton poly blend. Although all natural fibers are sensitive to sunlight, cotton seems to be one of the most resistant of all. Even so, there''s no guarantee that it won''t fade throughout the year, so selecting lighter colors will result in less fading.

Interlining is the fabric that goes between the face fabric and the lining. Different companies use different weights and thicknesses. At the Silk Trading Co., we recommend a mid-weight European flannel that gives enough body to the drapery without adding much bulk. It also helps protect against sunlight damage.

Once we''ve made all these decisions, it is time to measure the window to be dressed. It is very important to use a professional drapery installer to measure as well to install the finished product.

One very important component in window treatment is the hardware to be used to hang the drapes. There is a large selection of drapery hardware available on the market to choose from: Wrought Iron Hardware, Wood Poles, Traverse Rods, Hospital Tracks that can be draw by hand or cord, or even Motorized Rods. Once the hardware is selected, it is time to calculate the cut length based on the finished length of the drapes, including or not including a puddle. Finished width is determined considering proper overlaps and returns according to the bracket projection.

With all these steps completed, it is time to send the drapes to production. With a turnaround of 6 to 8 weeks, your drapes will be ready to be installed, creating a unique look that only a custom drape can give.