What fabric options do I have for making curtains for my living room?

What do you want it to look like? What do you want it to do? How big is your budget?

My tastes tend to run toward the simple... I used unbleached cotton osnaburg for living room curtains a couple of times and really like the look. It's also dead cheap. But the rough, "homespun" texture would look really out of line with a very formal living room -- but right in line with the simple furniture I like.

What's your style? What's the function? What do you have to spend? Do you need room darkening, or just screening? Are the windows a big part of the room decor or do you want them to be backdrop? Etc...

As a beginner, this would be your best bet: In a fabric store you can look in the Home Decor section of the pattern books for dozens of window treatment designs. These patterns will give you instructions, yardage requirements and recommended fabrics to use for your project.

The employees in a fabric store will be happy to guide you as to where to find the fabrics recommended on the back of the pattern envelope.

Make sure you go to the store with your window measurements along with paint chips and any other decorating aids you will need to match fabric to your room (pictures of the room, sample of couch fabric or a pillow)

Always use good quality thread and a size 16 needle. Only line your window treatments with drapery lining. You would probably do best to use cotton for your first drapery project. Do not be tempted to use anything other than drapery fabrics and linings for your windows as other fabrics will not stand up to the test of time in window treatment applications. Perhaps valances would be the only exception for using anything other than Home Decorating fabric, but still use Home Decorating lining to protect your window treatments from sun damage.,

Most cotton Home Dec fabrics are dry cleaning recommended. If you vacuum your window treatments with a brush attachment, they will last a long time. I change my curtains/drapes every five years, so they never even make it to the dry cleaner.

Although it may be tempting to purchase fabric on-line, I would hesitate to do so if I were you because you may not yet have enough fabric experience to select sight/feel unseen. But, over time, you will have the ability to do so.

I have dressed literally hundreds of windows and would be happy to answer any other questions you may have. Feel free to contact me through my avatar. Good Luck to you.

Depends on what your goals are. You can use a heavier upholstery fabric like chenille, damask or cotton twill if you want to save energy, cut sunlight, keep heat in the house. If you simply want something that doesn't function, but frames the window, you can use 100% cotton, any blend with that, silk even a non-sheen synthetic. Take a look at your local fabric stores, look at the kind of care required, dry clean or can you wash it, is it vegetable dyed (bleeding, fade and transfer problems), can you spot treat it, or vacuum dust off? Once you determine how you want them to function, the performance issues and the care you can or want to give, the range of textiles that fit those goals narrows and you can make the determination based on those factors.