The Sewing Place
The Emporia => House Beautiful => Topic started by: Snowgoose on May 18, 2017, 14:47:13 PM
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Please can someone advise? Is it absolutely essential to remove the selvedges on curtain fabric? I would rather not, as the fabric is the right width with them intact, allowing for seam allowance, and I'm worried about fraying.
I have yards of fabric on the line outside, nicely prewashed and blowing in the breeze - I can't put off trying to make them any longer :). I'm attempting interlined and lined :o and am petrified of cutting the fabric and making a horrible mistake :(
Thank you 8)
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When I made mine I left them on, I didn't know it was a thing not to :o
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I too was always told to remove selvedges to allow the fabric to drop evenly. However when I've had a similar problem to you, I've left the selvedges on the fabric and just clipped them at about 4" - 6" intervals. This seemed to be sufficient to allow the curtains to drop evenly across the full width, and my Nan ( curtain making tutor ), never knew 0_0
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I have made many, many pairs of curtains and I have never, ever removed the selvedge.
I've also just looked at my professionally made-to-measure curtains, and they have their selvedges intact as well.
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Brilliant! Thank you all :flower: Selvedges are staying!! :D
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If you,re leaving them on you will have to clip them as Kad says. I don't make curtains if I can help it now. But when I have I always take the selvedges off. The selvedge is much tighter than the rest of the fabric. So when they are made, although the they look fine to start with, they never hang right. I'm sure lots of made curtains have the selvedges left on. In my experience, many of the are not well made. Including the ones I had done in John Lewis. I also never use selvedges in my dressmaking for the same reason. You always get a distorted seam.
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My professionally made ones (four pairs) have been hanging in various houses for over 15 years. My me-made ones have been hanging for up to 20/25 years. None of them show the slightest distortion or wrinkle at the seams.
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Made dozens of curtains...never removed the edges...never had a problem
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I personally think this is all a conspiracy to make me do extra work.
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I've never heard of removing selvedges, but I can see why you might. I'd guess it depends on the type of fabric and density of weave whether it would affect the hang or not.
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I'm using cotton fabric, pretty fabric from eBay. It's my first attempt at curtain making - they are desperately needed!
I think for these first ones I'll try leaving the selvedges on as they will be in a room where they won't be seen very much. The others I'll probably try removing them as they will be in the living room and I would like them to hang nicely 8)
I must have watched the You Tube tutorial by Lauren Guthrie a dozen times! I think I will use the machine for the first pair though, using this tutorial http://reddoorhome.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/how-to-sew-curtain-panels-with-lining.html and then do the living room ones the 'proper' way :) My biggest fear is cutting the fabric, so nervous of making mistakes!
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It depends on the fabric as some selvedges are tighter than others.
In the grand scheme of things when you are making curtains the time taken to trim off the selvedges is not that much, but unless the selvedges look very tight I do tend to leave them on.
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Another one who has never taken off the selvedge..
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May not apply in your case, but another reason for removing the selvedges can be to take off the text etc printed on them if it might show through light fabric once the curtains/blinds are hanging at the window.
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Never removed the selvedges personally, but I can see why you would. I've snipped into them very often if they looked as if the were pulling a bit.
Also on sheers I think it may be necessary.
Jessie