Ebay Drapery Fabric!

Is this fast delivery, or what?

The William Morris drapery fabric I bought via eBay arrived from Wales yesterday morning, only four days after I paid for it!

I verified the yardage, and the seller added in a third of a yard more, for good measure-- more good news.

As it happened, there was no Customs duty (I'm still ignorant as to what the regulations are).

As to the color, I was concerned it would be too bright red. Here's how it turned out:

At least, this is the best my camera can do to show how it looks in person. The background red has a pronounced tinge of russet brown, more than you see here. And the colors are actually more subdued. My dining room window hangings definitely will not be screaming.

(The funny thing is, while I was waiting for the shipment to arrive, I'd kind of gotten used to the idea of flaming red!)

Here's the fabric with a swatch of the wallpaper I'm planning to use:
It's another William Morris pattern, "Savernake." They work well together, I think.

All I have to figure out now is, what should I use to reupholster my dining room chair seats? I had them done in a beautiful "Owen Jones" patterned cotton when I bought the chairs back in the '80s, but by now it's shot.

. . . Well, no, actually, what I have to figure out now is what to do with the dining room windows, and how to pay for it. The custom window builders' recommended carpenter called back Wednesday morning, and he's to ring again tomorrow evening to see about coming out to look at the job sometime next week.

When it comes time to make up these draperies, I'll try to remember to post pictures of the process. I'm no expert, but I had decent success making some Roman shades a few years ago. So drapes shouldn't be too difficult (she says, as she staggers under the weight of all the fabric . . . ).