You'll Love Making Curtains for Your Home!
Making curtains for your home can be fun. We’re not assuming that you’re an expert seamstress, but nevertheless we’re going to suggest a simple pattern. Does making your own window treatments sound like a good idea?
We already know that curtains have great decorative potential. The various fabrics and the way they are hung can look fantastic. Would you like to learn to make your own curtains?
One of the basic decisions that you have to make is whether or not you want to put in a lining. Every choice that we’re going to give can be mastered.
Two options to consider when making curtains
1.No lining
For those who don’t have the experience, the simplest curtains to make are the ones without a lining. They are easy to make and are more informal. Take into account that you need to pick opaque fabric if you don’t want the light to come in.
2. Curtains with a lining
Adding a lining has many advantages. One of them is that the fabric won’t fade. In addition, they won’t get so dirty and are fuller. In spite of being more complicated to make, they will last longer.
As a second fabric, you can use a lining as a contrasting color. This gives a more decorative effect by adding different tones and textures. One thing that you should avoid is allowing the lining to overpower the color of the curtains when they are put together.
Another positive of linings is that they function as a draft and acoustic barrier. For this, we recommend underlining. This is another layer of fabric that goes between the curtain and the lining. It increases insulation and adds makes the curtains fuller.
There are two types of lining – closed (completely sewn) and loose. The latter is easier to add to the curtains. This is because they are only sewn down the sides and along the top.
Closed linings are recommended for large drapes, but they require more work. On the other hand, loose linings are better for small curtains or those that are lightweight.
How to make your own curtains
Before starting to sew, you need to follow some steps. First, you need to take measurements, calculating the amount of fabric you will need before you buy it. When you have your fabric, you’ll need to cut it and match up the prints if it has any.
In order to calculate the quantity of fabric that you need you’ll have to take into account several things. These are the width of the window, how you’ll finish the curtains according to how they’re hung and the distance from the curtain rod to the floor.
Amount of fabric
When you want to have curtains that just reach the floor, leave a distance of 5/8 inch from the floor. But if you want them to rest on the floor, add an extra 8 inches at the bottom of the curtains. In both cases, you need to leave 6 inches of extra fabric for the hem and 3 inches for the pocket for the rod at the top.
Next, to calculate the width of the curtain, measure across the window. Take into account that you should add 12 inches for the side hems. Make sure you take these measurements with you so that you purchase the correct amount of fabric.
Then divide the number that you calculate by the width of the fabric to find out how many panels you’ll need to make the curtains.
Cutting the fabric
Once you’ve done the cutting, you mark the fabric with pins. Before the actual cutting, make sure that there are no defects. It’s important to cut the fabric on a flat surface and cut very carefully.
If using a printed fabric with a repetitive design, you’ll need to purchase extra fabric. This is because you’ll need to match the design for all panels, even if they’re hung separately. We recommend that you buy an amount of fabric that allows you to add an entire repetition of the design for each panel.
Making curtains and visual tricks
We’re going to give you some tricks for making curtains. Check this out!
- The type of opening or the height of the ceiling will determine how you’ll construct your curtains. If your ceiling is very high it’s best to hang them on the window frame so that the ceiling appears to be lower. On the contrary, if the ceiling is low, it’s preferable to place them as close as possible to the ceiling to create the opposite effect.
- Overlapping one of the panels and avoiding curtain rods that are ornate will conceal a low ceiling. Also, a narrow window will appear wider if the curtain is 12 inches wider than the actual window and the curtain is full.
- If there are two very close windows, it’s ideal to use one single window treatment. Then you can hang two curtains that are each at the far sides and one panel in the middle to hide the wall.
Are you ready to make some beautiful curtains?
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