My Curtains

[Tally]

My mum took up my curtains for me. I wanted her to show me how to do it, but she wouldn't let me have a go in case I got it wrong. Well, now my curtains are different lengths!

[Mumble]

My mum took up my curtains for me. I wanted her to show me how to do it, but she wouldn't let me have a go in case I got it wrong. Well, now my curtains are different lengths!

 

I don't know what the 'correct' method is, but if it's simply a case of them being too long as mine were, I hung them, marked where they needed to be folded to be the right length with dress-makers chalk, tacked them up (pins, then large tacking stitches by hand). Checked the hanging again, and when I was satisfied, used a sewing machine to hem them. If they're a very light material that won't hang well, you can drop 2p coins as weights into the hem as you sew it up.

 

It's a bit more difficult if they're very long / heavy curtains or have a lining.

 

[Tally]

They were way too long, so I marked with a safety pin where they hit the floor, took them to my mum's house and let her do the rest. Unfortunately, we cut the bottom off, so I don't think we could let them down again very easily.

 

I only recently bought a sewing machine and I'm not very proficient with it yet (as in, completely rubbish), so my mum did it with her own. She used to make most of her own clothes (and many of mine when I was small), so I thought she'd know what she was doing. She took up my jeans OK

 

I think I'm just going to put up with it for now. I need to make some curtains for my upstairs windows too, so I think I might eventually use the fabric for them and make new ones for the living room.

[Kathryn]

Oops! Is it something that's really going to annoy you? Can you put a big piece of furniture in front?

 

K x

[Mumble]

Oops! Is it something that's really going to annoy you? Can you put a big piece of furniture in front?

Or, if they have the traditional tape and curtain hook fixings at the top, there's usually three 'levels' - could you hang them differently at the top and then get one of those things (can't remember the name ) that covers the top of the curtains? That won't work of course if they have a different fixing like loops.

[bid]

Or you could shorten the curtains...traditionally curtains finish at floor level, the top of the radiator or on the window sill.

 

In the past I have successfully lengthened curtains by adding a false pelmet in a contrasting fabric.

 

Bid

[Tally]

The curtains go in front of a big french window so they can't be shortened. I can't put any furniture there because it's the back door and I need to be able to get out of it.

 

They were way too long before and dragged on the floor, but if anything, even the longest one is slightly too short now as there's a space of over an inch between the bottom of the curtain and the floor. The other one is even shorter, and there isn't enough hem to take them down again. A big cold draught comes out from the gap.

 

I think I'm going to start again and do it myself this time.