The Sewing Place
The Emporia => Sewing Professionally => Topic started by: Nicola1968 on May 15, 2018, 18:02:18 PM
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Last week I did a Professional Curtain Making course. I really enjoyed it and already have a couple of enquiries.
So excited to be starting a business doing something I love.
Nik
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Nik, I wish you well in your new endeavor. That is such a neat skill to have.
When I was a child my Mom made our house curtains and draperies and they were amazing. The Conso company, which makes a lot of trims and header tape used to publish frequent decorating and how to books. I loved reading them. I have them somewhere.
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That's pretty good going, @Nicola1968 , to get enquiries so soon after training. Good luck for your business venture.
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Great news to have some orders already.....if you find you need some specific curtain advice or would like to get to know some other curtain makers then I can recommend the soft furnishings forum over at mydecozo.co.uk
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Good Luck Nicola! Wishing you all the very best.
Jessie
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@Nicola1968 - This sounds like something I need. Can I ask how what course was it, how long it was for and where did you do it? Also, did you learn enough to be confident enough to make curtains for others i.e different styles etc? It sounds exciting
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The course was Proffessional Curtain Making and was put on by Blindingly Simple. There were just 2 of us on the course and it was 4 days.
On the first day we did a lined pencil pleat curtain and on subsequent days we did a couple pleat and triple pleat lined and interlined curtains, a curtain with a border, finishing up with eyelet curtains. We did pattern matching, joining widths etc. I do feel confident enough to make curtains for others now (although I’d take it very slowly and measure lots)
I nearly forgot, the course is in Alton in Hampshire)
Nik
@Nicola1968 - This sounds like something I need. Can I ask how what course was it, how long it was for and where did you do it? Also, did you learn enough to be confident enough to make curtains for others i.e different styles etc? It sounds exciting
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@Nicola1968 thanks for that information, sounds good, I always make my curtains and although there good enough for my home there not 'professional' so I would like to learn how to make them more pro looking. I would also love to have the space to make them which I always feel would help with the 'pro' look as you could lay them out flat etc, maybe one day :'(
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Just out of curiosity do they give you an idea of what to charge because I would imagine you will be in demand. Beautifully made curtains can certainly change a room.
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Just out of curiosity do they give you an idea of what to charge because I would imagine you will be in demand. Beautifully made curtains can certainly change a room.
Yep, there's lots of information on calculating widths, charging schemes and introductions to suppliers. There's also a bit of marketing advice etc, what sort of deposit to take and to NEVER LEAVE WITHOUT FULL PAYMENT AT DELIVERY
Nik
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NEVER LEAVE WITHOUT FULL PAYMENT AT DELIVERY
And only by cash or card, not cheque as a cheque can be cancelled! If they wish to pay by cheque (although who does these days) it mush be cleared by delivery date.
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And not just card details to process later you need a handheld cars reader as cards can be cancelled too.
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The course was Proffessional Curtain Making and was put on by Blindingly Simple. There were just 2 of us on the course and it was 4 days.
On the first day we did a lined pencil pleat curtain and on subsequent days we did a couple pleat and triple pleat lined and interlined curtains, a curtain with a border, finishing up with eyelet curtains. We did pattern matching, joining widths etc. I do feel confident enough to make curtains for others now (although I’d take it very slowly and measure lots).
Wow, it took me 1 year (2 days a week) to get my soft furnishing qualification. Of all the sewing work i do curtains and blinds are were you make your money. For some reason people will pay what you ask for soft furnishings but always seem to question the price of alterations.
Nik
Wow, it took me 1 year (2 days a week) to get my soft furnishing qualification. For some reason people are quite happy to pay oodles of money for curtains and blinds making but not for time consuming dressmaking so you have definitely chosen the right path.
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Ah, but I can only do curtains, I'm not sure I could even make a cushion cover with supervision, so I'm not nearly qualified in soft furnishing.
I think generally people see curtains as an investment in their home but rarely see the investment value in good clothes. My fine motor skills aren't particularly good and once I'd started with curtains they felt like my natural habitat! No little bits to try to guide or cut round etc. No fiddly bits for me to get cack handed with :D
Nik
Wow, it took me 1 year (2 days a week) to get my soft furnishing qualification. For some reason people are quite happy to pay oodles of money for curtains and blinds making but not for time consuming dressmaking so you have definitely chosen the right path.
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and there is an app you can get on your smart phone for processing the card payments. Of course, you have to have a smart phone for that, which I do not...and there is also a mini printer you can get to do the receipts...
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I confess to being slightly envious at the space you must have available for laying out the fabric. This week I was making curtains for our bedroom, and the lack of space made it exceedingly difficult to complete the job. Got there is the end, though, and the wife is delighted with the end result
Are you using a dedicated blind hemmer?
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I'm using the dining table! Its not easy, our dining room already has far too much stuff in it as it also doubles as toy storage, the table isn't wide enough and there's barely room to walk round it. Its also too low which I think has contributed to my crippling back pain by the end of the week.
I'm not using a blind hemmer - all hems are hand sewn, the only machining is the width joining and the hem on the lining.
Nik
I confess to being slightly envious at the space you must have available for laying out the fabric. This week I was making curtains for our bedroom, and the lack of space made it exceedingly difficult to complete the job. Got there is the end, though, and the wife is delighted with the end result
Are you using a dedicated blind hemmer?
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That must be really tough for you Nik! I work for a shop making curtains, and we have a large table approx 3.5 metres by about 2 metres, and even then sometimes it is still not big enough. I hope you are managing with what space you have, It is lovely that you have a new career.
xx
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@Yellowfeather, its not the easiest way to work and I'm hoping to get considerably more space at some point soon. I can't imagine the luxury of having a table that size - magnificent - I'm getting very adept at rolling up curtains :D
Nik
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Nicola, Well done on finishing your first paying job! The first triple pleated curtains I did, were done completely by had - except joining and hemming, and it was soooo painful and time consuming.
I have to say, a Singer 201 may be the answer to your prayers - buttonholes are amazing. They are not that expensive either.
Hope your next commission is easier!
Jessie
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WooHoo!
Congratulations on your first pay packet. (Ijust sold some stuff yesterday and it's a great feeling!!).
My curtain lady 'Barbara curtains', as she's called in my phone, had her huuuuge dining room completely set up for making and her BIL made her a giant folding surface for her table which she had covered in a big thick wad of stuff (?) and topped with a cotton sheet! He is a fab carpenter and used counter top hinges. It still took two of them to shift it but she had an almost permanent work surface and if required, a dining room table.
Continued success in your new venture. :toast:
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When DD started making curtains she had to push all the furniture back and worked on the floor with a clean sheet spread over the carpet. She's now got a proper workroom (on the back of their garage so she does actually "go to work" by walking the length of her garden. She has a large cutting out table, made by her husband, which is covered with wadding/bump and topped with calico stretched out so that pins can be poked into it. Her main machine is an industrial Singer, bought second hand 25 years when she was just 16. It does straight and zig-zag but nothing else. "The best £100 pounds I ever spent" She also has a Juki overlocker, and an iron with a 5m cord.