Adult & Continuing Education (ACE)

Drapery and Home Decor with Carol Krueger

Carol Krueger was an elementary school teacher for eight years and a substitute teacher for many more years; she has been a farm wife for thirty years and has four grown children and four grandchildren. She has been an organist with the Lutheran church for fifty years and has also taught piano and organ. After her last child went to school, Carol attended MATC and graduated with her degree in Interior Design in 1988. She has been teaching drapery classes for MATC ACE ever since. Carol also has her own business making window treatments and other home decor.

MATC ACE drapery classes provide instruction for draperies and individual home decorating projects such as valances, pillows, comforters, tablecloths, napkins, or student/class requests. Other classes offered during the year are Home Decorating/Unfinished Projects and Home Decorating/Accessories and Home Decorating/ Draperies- Individual Projects. No previous sewing experience is needed, and students with any level of sewing skill are welcome. Sewing machines, sergers, cutting tables and pressing equipment are available in the classroom.

Projects vary from simple, small projects to large or quite detailed projects. Beginning students usually start with a pillow or small curtain; more advanced students do curtain sets or larger draperies.

This beginner's project was made with a shaped piece of fabric lined with cording at the bottom and strung on a rod with ribbon ties on the ends.
This window treatment looks very simple, but the execution was difficult; the box pleats had to be just right.
This lined coverlet required additional planning to make certain the seams would be in the desired position.
With careful planning, Carol accomplished a soft treatment to showcase the many windows and patio doors in this dining area.

One of Carol's students designed the window treatment shown below to complement the birdhouse collection on the shelf above the window.

One of Carol's drapery students brought this fabric from Mexico to class. She's making pillow shams to accompany a bedspread.
Another drapery student used leftover upholstery fabric from a chair that she covered to create an accent pillow to match the chair. The front had scattered animal motifs and the back was a companion fabric. Cording was put around it as well as tassels on two corners; it took about 3 class periods to complete.
Carol's drapery students are from diverse backgrounds. Students from Korea, Mexico, and South Africa are pointing out their home countries for each other on a map.
This student is holding a comforter that she has put together and had professionally quilted. She is finishing the edges with cording and will continue with making the pillow shams and dust ruffle to match.
At right, another of Carol's students is holding a beautiful pillow she fabricated to match a chair that she covered.
The student shown at right has made a roman shade for her kitchen with the help of her instructor, Carol, who is helping her hold it up. This was her very first project, and she was very proud.

Last Modified: July 2, 2008

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