Working with curtains demands imagination and skills to work hand in hand in order to realize trend setting designs. Think out-of-the-box and create patterns that look unique, and your 'very own'. Binding applique designs with your swish curtains could ice-break your imagination streak, adding elegance to your space. When you have the principle idea of designing your curtains the applique way, you need to think no more, right? Wrong! Your work, actually starts from now on. Skimming through patterns, designs, fabrics and the type of stitch that would suit your curtains need your attention now. Try working with applique patterns, freshly out of your head, rather than with patterns, that could be borrowed from a home decor manual. However, for you to kick-start your curtain applique project, I deliver some patterns that may suit your taste, and your curtains. Applique Designs You Could Apply For your curtains to ooze class, select the fabric that you would devote to each room. By this, I mean, that your choice of fabric must correlate with the space you would like to decorate with your homespun curtains. Thus, the way your house is set, must dominate the fabric you pick. The fabric acts as the base binder for your applique patterns. So, would you like to have applique work done, exclusively for the foyer, or intend to add a touch of applique to other spaces as well? In this section, you will read about patterns that work best and look their best, dedicated to each room. ... For a Fabulous Foyer Your foyer should be presented in the most inviting manner possible and what better way to do so, than your curtains! Curtains play the perfect hosts in lending a feel of comfort and adding a touch of classy oomph to the decor. To start with, choose the base fabric, keeping the weave in mind. The weave has to be tightly packed, and must have the ability to retain the patches designed onto it. A type of fabric that would add credibility to this idea would be cotton. It is not susceptible to a wash and shrivel up cycle. Your fabric should be design/pattern-free, in order to let your designs utilizing applique techniques stand out. Playing with colors in the right fashion is the mantra. What theme does your foyer follow; traditional or contemporary? Accordingly, make choices for the patterns you choose. You could use subtle yet, classy hued curtain fabrics with laces or sashes stitched at their extreme ends.

• Choose floral in fuschia or have a landscape design, and use lighter shades of earthy colors, such as brown, green, yellow and blue.
• Your applique pattern may also mimic a starry night considering shades of silver, white and black. When I say black, I mean soothing black and not a smothering one. A grayish-black shade would be suitable.
• If you have a budding artist within you, why not manufacture murals. It is when you draw the curtains, that you would notice the design formation. A historical chapter could also be traced on the curtains. It does need a good amount of work, but after all, what you sow, so shall you reap!
• Use of zig-zag strips that match well with the decor and theme of the room could also serve to be one amongst the best bet for applique designs.

... For a Credible Bedroom If you have a traditional theme throughout, why not add a classic vintage pattern to your bedroom curtain. Whites do justice to the bedroom, especially for couples who have romance rooted in every corner of the house.

• Choose vintage whites as the background and stitch heart and floral cut-outs.
• The stars in your eyes when you behold the sight of your beloved could alight the curtain fabric as well. This combination is best suited when the walls are draped with shades of white or blue. Concentrate on having lighter hues rather than those that have the potential to blind you!
• The children's room could have their favorite cartoon characters traced or they could have little Christmas stockings patched on the curtains.
• If your child loves to bend it like Beckham, why not have soccer as his drape theme!
• The stars and the sun-shaped applique pattern is another common yet popular idea.
• An innovative way to decorate your child's room is to have curtains with their hand prints. All you need to do is to trace the outline of their palm on a parchment paper and stick it on the material you are to make an applique with. After you are done, you could peel the appliqued fabric and hand stitch it.
• Creating patterns in shape of alphabets and numbers could also serve to be a playful idea to apply.

... For a Breathtaking Bathroom Now, for a shower curtain that caresses the senses, you need to choose nothing but fabric and mind you, not plastic, for it would prove to be a mission impossible scenario where you would fail miserably to stitch the applique.

• Curtains for your shower stall may feature aquatically inclined patterns. You may have dolphin-shaped patterns with soft blue waves to define the ebb and flow of the ocean.
• You may also have curtains with prints devoted to greens, with shapes, for instance, butterflies and birds taking a flight. You may choose to trace them out and stitch-on applique's for a few of them. This would provide a 3-D effect while the others are 2-dimensional.

Applique patterns stitched over the curtains work best when you are keen to add dimensions and demeanor to your spaces. These were just some ideas that you could ponder upon; however, I suggest, don't switch off the lights in your upper story! Keep the bulb burning to come up with more rollicking ideas and share them with me. I am waiting!