sewing curtains

[Two_Sheds]

I thought it would be a jolly winter project, to make curtains for the new house.

I've finished one (out of 13) and am bored already. What was I thinking?

The fabric alone is expensive (plus all the thread, hooks, tape, eyelets, weights, lining etc); there's not much choice in my price range, and it's jolly hard work!

Trying to manhandle 6 metres of heavy fabric with a bad arm is just not fun. I'd rather be weeding

* breathe in, whinge out

[SarzWix]

You're a brave lass to even start it! I just go round the charity shops in Ilkley (bit more upmarket than here ) and buy the posh people's cast offs

[wellie]

Ah now Sheds, don't give up !
Making curtains is definitely 'a state of mind' job. You have to be in the right frame of mind, because you need a lot of concentration. One snip of the scissors in the wrong place on the pattern repeat, and you've bu@@ered it up a bit.

Think Twice, Cut Once is the curtain-making motto I believe?!

Plain or patterned? Long or short? Lined or unlined? Interlined too?
What heading tape have you gone for?

Wellie. Get out more.....
Very good luck with it!
X

[Alice]

Good for you Two Sheds. Yes, it is a bit of a job but think of it as a labour of love. You'll have years of pleasure admiring your curtains and thinking - I made them. Well I did. Enjoy.

[flowerofshona]

Get yourself a house brick and cover it and this will help you keep the fabric steady
Tackle one pair at a time and measure carefully !

[Irie Jan]

Hi Two Sheds!

Just think how proud of yourself you will be when they are all done and people ask you where you bought them from! You can turn around and say, well actually I made them all myself! Also you will have the satisfaction of knowing that no one else has curtains quite like yours! After all we seamstresses all have our own special touch when we make things!

[Two_Sheds]

Thanks all, esp. Wellie who knows where I'm coming from.
Mr Sheds just thinks we should buy from QD (nasty polyester, unlined). Actually, I've just been there for some curtain lining ... I got a double duvet cover for £1.99 (that's 8 metres of fabric !!!)

If I'm going to do it, I have to do it properly.

Anyway, it's taking my mind off the fact that the gas has been turned off. It's not too cold yet, but I reckon I'll be in bed shortly after five pm.

[Winged one]

Fair play TS - that's some task you've taken on. Especially with 13 windows!

Have you bought all the material yet? If not, prioritise the most important windows for yourself, and leave the others until later and you could then consider (when you are thoroughly bored) maybe buying some curtains. But only on the less important ones. Cos you REALLY ought to have the important windows done yourself - so that Mr TS enjoys them in the boudoir, and all your visitors can enjoy them in visiting rooms, and Ms TS can enjoy her very special ones all for her.....in whatever order is important to you.

definitely take your time. And winter is a long season - you still have MONTHS before you need to have them finished.

Apart from the idea of the brick, can you rig up something to hold the fabric as you are hauling it through the machine? Even something like a chairback with a broom handle might work. To take the weight and make it easier on the arm.

I did have a go at curtains for our existing house (I modified some for our first house, but I was brave enough to attempt from scratch here). I managed the sitting room ones (down to floor, very wide, and interlined cos north facing single glazed windws), and our bedroom. And then I bought cheapies for the rest of the house as an "interim measure". I have to make a blind soon (once Christmas crafts are done) for the downstairs loo we put in last winter and curtains for DD's room (decorating it for a girl, not an office, over the winter) and I am getting geared up to clear out the sunroom for enough space to move and lay things out.

Good luck with whatever you do manage - hats off I say!!

[janeyo]

Well I feel quite smug.... making curtains is what the M-in-law does as a part-time living / hobby etc. So I even got some made for Louis' playhouse!

janeyo