The Sewing Place

A lil Help with making curtains!

Iminei

A lil Help with making curtains!
« on: September 23, 2019, 08:22:21 AM »
I  had great fun yesterday rootling round a Needlework fair with Flobear and  Puzzler, spending an enjoyable couple of hours looking at all things crafty ...

There was a woman selling vintage fabrics and bits and bobs and I spied some lovely paisley furnishing fabric thinking theres a lot of that, it would make a great backing fabric ... The lady said it used to be a curtain and part of it was a bit faded and then produced its brother from behind the stall ... so I paid my £7 and put them in my basket with ideas of Indian inspired quilts swirling in my head.

When I got home and looked at the fabric I realised there was simply oodles of it, indeed they had been curtains and the woman had kindly removed all the headings, lining and stitching .... I took them upstairs and ...

Well peeps, they couldnt really have been much similar to the pattern on the poor Miss Havershams in my bedroom, just a slightly different colourway and with a border on each edge .....

So it seems I have inadvertently found my 'new' bedroom curtains!!!

I measured them this morning and each is  at least 98" long x one width wide !

That's more than enough for me to trim down to take out any cuts the lady's seam ripper made when dissembling them.

It looks like, from the remaining threads that they were used as a short curtain whereas I will be hanging them as a long curtain ....

And here I need your help .... I have a very good and helpful Interior Design shop in town who will sell me linings, headings and such ... But Please give me any advice, tips etc about how to remake them as curtains.

There are no selvages

First Question .... They smell a bit musty, which will probably disappear just from being out in a warm house but if I wanted to wash them, as all the stitching has been removed, I think they would fray terribly ... Any advice ????
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

Flobear

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2019, 09:00:48 AM »
Overlock the edges before washing?
Proud new owner of Elvistoo !!

Greybird

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2019, 09:12:05 AM »
I would cut a bit off the top end - a square of 15cm  - and wash it first. When it's dry, press it and measure it again to see if it's shrunk.

 If they've been used as short curtains, do you mean you need to put in a horizontal seam? If so, be careful about pattern matching or it will stick out like a sore thumb.

Other than that, do the hems on the curtains and lining first, pin the lining slightly above the hem line of the curtain and do the side seams. Then lay them flat and measure the length. Add a couple of inches (assuming you're going to use full depth heading tape) to fold over and press at the top and apply the header tape. Not difficult!

Iminei

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2019, 09:24:56 AM »
Hi @Greybird  ...

No the two pieces are one width long with a border along what would have been the selvage ...

Im going to be hanging them with the borders vertical, whereas from the amount of threads left along the borders I think they hung them with the heading tape along  one of the borders and the other border being the hem.

Clear as Mud?

Good idea about the washing but I dont know if I can spare 15 cms ... They are longer than I need but only by a few inches after you account for cutting off any damaged edges (which will be small strips) and new hems etc

And for your delectation .....



My curtain fabric (I have odds and sods of it but nothing long enough to repair my Miss Havershams :(  )  is on the left of the screen ..... the new wannabe curtains are slightly darker colorway with greeny/blue in them.

Link in case of invisibubble pic
« Last Edit: September 23, 2019, 09:34:44 AM by Iminei »
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Greybird

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2019, 09:31:29 AM »
Ah! OK, I see. You can do the washing/measuring bit with less fabric but it's a bit more tricky to measure, especially if it frays. You can probably tell without measuring if it has shrunk, just by the shape of it, but you won't be able to work out by how much. If it's too much of a problem, I'd hang them out on the line for a few hours and give them a spray with Febreze and see how they are.

BrendaP

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2019, 09:35:32 AM »
I would:
Unpick all the stray threads
Overlock (or zig-zag) along each cut edge
If you think it's washable throw into the machine, or the bath tub
If not maybe get the two pieces dry cleaned
Measure up and construct the curtains.
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

Iminei

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2019, 09:39:30 AM »
Hanging them on the line is a great idea and one I shall action forthwith, thanks x

Done ...

and tho its nice and sunny here today in DDD we've already had one torrential downpour ...
am I worried about another one ?

Nope, just means they'll get their wash after all!  :D
« Last Edit: September 23, 2019, 09:55:36 AM by Iminei »
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Iminei

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2019, 06:59:12 AM »
Well they certainly got washed yesterday.

I lugged them off the line about 3, put them on a spin cycle and hung them on the drying thingmy upstairs and they are fab! The musty smell is gone, they've had a rainwater rinse but not frayed at all!

Today I might get the the ID shop and purchase the rest of the stuff I need.
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sewmuchmore

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2019, 18:40:21 PM »
If you haven't already got your lining I can recommend this ebay store. I recently bid on a 50 metre roll of lining and got it for £20. It was really very good quality.
It's not easy being this perfekt

Janet

Iminei

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #9 on: September 25, 2019, 01:38:21 AM »
Thx for that linky ... Ive bought very nice heavyweight lining from the ID shop before, actually used it for backing quilts and background fabric, its nice stuff ... wide of course and about £5 per metre.

I dont know what I could do with 50 metres of the stuff tho' or where I could store it ??!!   :S    :o   :devil:
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wrenkins

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #10 on: September 25, 2019, 07:56:40 AM »
Pandora's great and they do smaller measures too. I've had some great bargains from them.
Harbouring resentment is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die!

Iminei

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #11 on: September 25, 2019, 14:23:31 PM »
Well Ive been to Moda and come away with 4.5 metres of cotton sateen lining, 2.5 metres of 3" heading tape, 4 penny weights and a lot of info as how to go about this.

I have previously relined my big blue velvet curtains which were 2 widths wide so how hard can this be at only one width ... I just need some space!
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Puzzler

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #12 on: September 25, 2019, 15:40:47 PM »
You can use my cutting table before I take it to bits, possibly post Doughty’s Road Show?

Iminei

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2019, 09:46:09 AM »

Well I was out yesterday laying out my curtain (singular) on the lovely big tables of the sewing school ...
Sadly however the girl who runs it (my friends daughter) mentioned that she would have to start charging me for the use of the space ... in the interest of fairness to others who pay to come to bitch and stitch sessions ...

So I'm afraid I will only be able to make the one curtain. I pinned it out completely yesterday so only have to machine on the heading, then slip stitch the lining to the sides (Is that the right order?)

Can someone let me know if thats right?

Unless @Puzzler I could come back to yours after Doughtys .. its tomorrow right?
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Greybird

Re: A lil Help with making curtains!
« Reply #14 on: September 27, 2019, 09:56:59 AM »
If it's the right order for you, I don't see why not. I usually slip stitch the lining to the curtain first though and then do the heading last - easier to fold the top over and pin the heading on once the lining's in place - just the way I like to do it.