Steep Learning Curve

[Nicola1968]

Well my first "professional" job is complete and I have to say it was a very steep learning curve.  I would much rather that my first pair of curtains, without adult supervision, would have been for myself but a customer wanted a pair of curtains very quickly so I attempted to step up

I nearly sobbed over the pattern matching - I think it probably took me most of the day - and that was after I'd felt the fear and cut the fabric anyway!  Friends assured me that once I'd pattern matched the fabric the worst was over and it was plain sailing after that.  They lied!  Sewing the triple pleats was a nightmare and at one point I did wonder just how much unpicking the fabric could stand!   I swear to you my maths is good, my arithmetic is spot on but I miscalculated these pleats more than once.  Not a single machine in my house (and we all know there are plenty) could sew through the fabric, lining, interlining and buckram.  I did as best I could, panicked, thought of crying and then begged a friend to lend me her Janome 6600p machine.  I slept easy for a night and then went away for a 24 hour endurance relay race.

The borrowed machine still wouldn't cope with it.  Cue so much swearage, then I looked at hiring a machine.  Finally I got the opportunity to hire/loan a machine from someone locally.  A Janome 1600p has pride of place on my dining room table for the time being with one on order to be delivered at the end of July.

We all know that I wasn't going to get a curtain making business going without purchasing a new machine!   We all know that, that's the only reason I'm starting a curtain making business   Sadly 1 or 2 machines will be sold to assist the purchase of this machine which will leave me without a machine to do 1-step buttonholes!  This is fine for curtain making but not quite so fine for my general garment (for myself) sewing.  The 1600p does only straight stitch (but very beautifully and very fast!)

I'm very much hoping that my next set of curtains will be for myself but I've actually had lots of enquiries (and I still have no business cards!) so I'm not sure when I'll fit them in!

Nik

[Sandra]

Well done on getting them done. I'm sure it will get easier for you.

I absolutely hate altering curtains...and I'd never torture myself by offering to make them. They're so big and heavy to work on...Ugh!

I used to work with someone who later went in to curtain making with her Mum. They were always busy with lots of orders.
Good luck with your business.

Sandra.
xxx

[DementedFairy]

ew curtains 
trust you to wangle some new expensive kit out of it though!

Get a vintage Singer and buttonhole attachment, and you';ll never need fancy tech again

[Surest1tch]

Well done for getting them done. If you've got the room have you thought about getting an industrial machine, if you are going to have full order books you will most likely benefit from getting one.

[maliw]

Well done, curtains are my least favourite things to sew.

[Marniesews]

I hate curtains too but my own badly need replacing and that's something I thought my Singer 201Ks would tackle better than my younger Berninas and almost new Pfaffs. No plans to start until next year when I'm hoping I'll have rearranged to create a bit more space for cutting out and swapping machines around.

The handcrank did a good job piercing through my DGD's school/hand bag so I can't wangle yet another machine...which just as well really.

[Nicola1968]

Unfortunately, I don't have the space for an industrial at the moment.

The 1600p is a straight stitch only machine that is the closest thing to a 'semi-industrial'.  Perhaps when I get my dedicated space (a big hut in the garden) I'll move to an industrial machine.

Nik

Well done for getting them done. If you've got the room have you thought about getting an industrial machine, if you are going to have full order books you will most likely benefit from getting one.

[Samantha]

Well done - in at the deep end!! Hopefully the next ones will be a breeze now you've done these