Making curtains - how difficult is this?

[IIOY]

My daughter is the only one who doesn't have curtains in her room and I'd love to make some, mostly because I feel as though it shouldn't be difficult. Am I completely misguided, LOL?  Any websites/videos/etc. that might help me along?

Thank you!

[emoflamingo]

I usually find curtains cost more to make than to buy lol. BUT I have champagne taste, PBR budget.

As long as you buy them from some place that is cutting the edges straight, it should be pretty easy to just fold, iron and sew. But I know that TBM is the bomb at this stuff.

[TBM]

Thanks Emo.

Curtains aren't too difficult, although my business partner complains whenever we have curtain jobs....she thinks they are a pita to get right. 

I guess it depends on how picky you are, but there are some things that will make it easier for you.  One is to make sure that the grain is straight on the fabric; another is to make sure that the pattern is printed correctly with the grain.  If either is off, they will never lay right.  People always want to just turn under the finished selvedge edge for the side seams, but you will have nicer curtains if you cut it off and fold/turn the edges under.  The selvedge edge is a tighter weave, so the outside edges will always pull up higher than the middle and not look right.

If you look at department store curtains, one of the biggest problems is that their panels rarely match in length.  I think that is much easier to do right yourself, because you can make one panel and match the other one to it.

Lining them will help them last longer...especially if you use draper lining fabric.  It is kind of a pita, but totally worth the effort in the long run., especially if you don't have blinds on the window to block the sun.

I have curtains made from sheets in my bedroom.    I didn't have time to make any for myself, and walmart had flat sheets in the right color, the right width and for the right price.lol  I hung the rods high and used clips....all I had to do was hem them to the right length.  Actually, I may have used the large hem on the sheet for the hem, and  the part that I sewed became the header.

[IIOY]

Feb 2, 2013 19:32:54 GMT -5 TBM said:

Thanks Emo.

Curtains aren't too difficult, although my business partner complains whenever we have curtain jobs....she thinks they are a pita to get right. 

I guess it depends on how picky you are, but there are some things that will make it easier for you.  One is to make sure that the grain is straight on the fabric; another is to make sure that the pattern is printed correctly with the grain.  If either is off, they will never lay right.  People always want to just turn under the finished selvedge edge for the side seams, but you will have nicer curtains if you cut it off and fold/turn the edges under.  The selvedge edge is a tighter weave, so the outside edges will always pull up higher than the middle and not look right.

If you look at department store curtains, one of the biggest problems is that their panels rarely match in length.  I think that is much easier to do right yourself, because you can make one panel and match the other one to it.

Lining them will help them last longer...especially if you use draper lining fabric.  It is kind of a pita, but totally worth the effort in the long run., especially if you don't have blinds on the window to block the sun.

I have curtains made from sheets in my bedroom.    I didn't have time to make any for myself, and walmart had flat sheets in the right color, the right width and for the right price.lol  I hung the rods high and used clips....all I had to do was hem them to the right length.  Actually, I may have used the large hem on the sheet for the hem, and  the part that I sewed became the header.

Thanks TBM! I am not looking to make the fanciest curtains and will probably choose a simple fabric.

FWIW, we do have blinds in the windows but they are down only at night.  The sun shines in the windows during the warmest months, but for most of the year the sun rises such that it doesn't shine directly into the room. Would lining still be necessary in your opinion?

[TBM]

It really depends on the fabric that you choose...fabric meant for outdoors or decor will likely hold up better than fabric that is meant for clothing or quilting. People often like to use pretty quilting cottons, but if they are not lined the sun will kill it.

You can actually buy a separate liner that you can just hang with the curtain. I think they sell thermal and/or blackout lining....maybe just regular, but I don't know for sure. Places like Target and BB&B carry the lining, since they sell a lot of curtains that aren't lined. It is easier than actually lining them, but it will help protect them from the sun, and it will look nicer from outside.

If you aren't going to actually close the curtains during the day it is not necessary though. If I had thought of that first, you wouldn't have had to read all of this. ;p

[aprilsails]

DO you have a style that you like? Are you looking to make tab-top or a gathered top? I made all of the curtains in my house and generally I find the style that I want and then look for online tutorials to suit. For the most part I've been making them with the ckip rings which I like. My cheat is for the gauze curtains in my living room I actually bought cheap cheap tab top curtains from Ikea, cut off the top, sewed in a french pleating strip and then put them on clip rings. So feel free to be creative depending on what you want your final look to be.

[IIOY]

Feb 3, 2013 15:16:49 GMT -5 aprilsails said:

DO you have a style that you like? Are you looking to make tab-top or a gathered top? I made all of the curtains in my house and generally I find the style that I want and then look for online tutorials to suit. For the most part I've been making them with the ckip rings which I like. My cheat is for the gauze curtains in my living room I actually bought cheap cheap tab top curtains from Ikea, cut off the top, sewed in a french pleating strip and then put them on clip rings. So feel free to be creative depending on what you want your final look to be.

Good question.  What type of top would be easiest? Since this is my first time, I probably need to do the most basic.

These are for my DD's room and can be very simple.  She is 6 and will simply be happy to have curtains, period.  

[aprilsails]

Feb 3, 2013 18:48:51 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Good question.  What type of top would be easiest? Since this is my first time, I probably need to do the most basic.

These are for my DD's room and can be very simple.  She is 6 and will simply be happy to have    curtains, period. 

--------

A standard rod pocket would definitely be the easiest.  Personally, I don't like the way they look so I often make tab tops.

If you can find large grommets and are comfortable installing them it is also pretty easy to make a grommet top curtain panel.  With those and the tab tops it is all about figuring out how far apart you want the "waves" in the curtain to be.

[TBM]

Using clips is as easy as making a rod pocket, and imo, they look better.