Beautiful drapery is what makes your home d'©cor truly come together. Without appropriate window treatments, even a room full of fine furniture and accessories can look somehow unfinished and bare.

The style of your home, of course, will dictate the type of drapery you choose. If your style tends toward the soft and romantic, you might like sweeping, floor-length drapery panels in a luxurious fabric such as silk or velvet. If you're more of a modern type, you might choose something with clean, simple lines, like a straightforward pair of white curtains with no pleating, ruffles, or other embellishments.

While drapery can make a great statement and is an important component to any finished room, it can also be quite expensive. Many styles of drapery are created from very fine, pricey fabrics, and the sheer amount of fabric you need in order to cover a large window means that your curtains can really cost you.

Fortunately, however, if you have basic sewing skills, curtains are one of the simplest projects to make on your own. When you make your drapery yourself, you also have more control over what type of fabric to use. For the best deals on cheap drapery fabric, you might try searching for vintage finds. Vintage patterns are very much in style these days, and purchasing fabric from an earlier era can mean that you save money while scoring a unique look for your home or apartment. Whatever type of fabric you choose, be sure to measure your windows accurately before buying. If you plan to hang your drapes high or want a plush, gathered look, remember to increase your yardage accordingly.