Draperies and Top Treatments - Poormans swag.

Hi to all, my wife is after information on making what she believes to be called "poor mans swags" would there be anyone out there that has heard of these and have at least some knowledge of how to make them?

hmmm.....maybe this:

measure the window. figure out how long you want the sides (called 'jabots') to be. that is, how far down each side of the window you want the sides to hang. usually it's 1/3 or 1/4 or 2/3 down. not exactly half, though. once you've decided that, run a tape measure from that point up the side of the window, over the top of the window, and back down the other side to the same point. whatever that measurement is, add about 6" for hems on each end (for a total of 12" extra inches - which you don't even need to sew - you can use the iron-on adhesive stuff!), and buy a length of 54" wide fabric that measures that long. you don't even need to hem the sides of the fabric, or line it, so long as you don't really care about how it looks from the outside (maybe it's a window on the side of your house or you live out in the boonies, etc - but if it's your front window, line it). then you just fan-fold that big long length of fabric & lay it over swagholders (decorative drapery hardware - they're just like short little arms with a decorative finial on the end) that you've mounted on each corner of the window & in between however many swags you want (odd numbers are best - better to have one big one than 2) and draw down the fabric so that it swags and tuck under the selvedge edges so they don't show. the inner fabric on the sides (jabots) will naturally draw up when you pull down on the swags and create a cascade effect. but since you put in a big 6" hem, you won't see the backside of the fabric, but instead the right side which is the hem.

is that what your wife was thinking of?

It's just another name for Scarf Swags. Nothing but a very long rectangle that will take hours (or days :D ) to dress. You can find instructions here:
http://www.alternative-windows.co.uk/scarf-valance.htm
or in the book "Swags, etc." by Creative Publishing.

^^^^ excellent info, Shadeladie!!! ^^^^ :thumbup:

Thanks Annette,
I must have been writing when you posted your directions already :)
Becky

Thanks for your replies, I'll get the wife to have a read and see if it's what she wants.
Mike.