The Sewing Place
The Emporia => House Beautiful => Topic started by: Sara-S on April 26, 2021, 12:13:47 PM
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Here is the problems; There is an opening under our stairs, leading to some storage space.
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It measures about 20” x 30”. Like many homeowners here, we covered it with blinds. But they have been up for close to 20 years and recently fell down. Putting them back up was quite a chore and they are almost impossible to keep clean. So if (more likely when) they fall down again, I want to replace them with a curtain, hung on a tension rod.
Curtains with no fancy ruffles or pleats are easy enough but I have a couple of questions.
1) How big do you make the bottom & side hems?
2)Since it will just be a single curtain, would you make it the exact width of the space or a bit larger? If larger, how much larger?
BTW, why didn’t I just put up a curtain in the first place? I hadn’t yet learned how to sew.
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Why not make a nice little mini quilt and hang that....
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Why not make a nice little mini quilt and hang that....
Interesting idea, but it would be a little stiff when we need to open it.
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Small roller blind, proper little cupboard door to match the surround.
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A curtain will be easier to lift aside or slide on the rod, for access, than a blind. Operating a blind from the floor up is awkward. Assuming lightweight fabric I would do the side hems about 1/2 an inch - just wide enough to fold back on itself twice. The hem I would do 3 -4 inches. Alternatively you could give it a lining and just "bag it out".
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@Greybird that is helpful. But what do you mean by “bag it out”?
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@Sara-S cut the fabric to length +seam allowance (and I don't think I said before - one and a half to two times the width of your opening*) and allow enough at the top for your slot for the rod. Cut the same in lining fabric. Right sides together, sew down the side, along the bottom and back up the other side. You then have a bag of fabric. Turn to right side, press and turn over your top for the rod.
*The amount you allow for the width depends on your fabric, its weight and how gathered you want it to be. An ungathered flat curtain or less than one and a half times just looks mean.
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We have doors over here ( in general ) much neater
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For that space I would opt for either a small roller blind which would only need one width of fabric, but would have the faff and expense of the fittings. Alternatively a curtain on a tension rod which I think should be at least twice the width of the rod. Not a sheer, but not very heavy either. and probably won't need lining as unless the space behind is illuminated you won't see through it. Half inch hems at the sides is enough but the bottom needs either about 3" double hem - or weight a smaller hem with the weights which look like a mini string of sausages.
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I'd definitely be putting a door on that :)
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Or hang a mini quilt on a small bamboo pole, just a bit wider and rest the pole on cuphooks at the sides of the frame. Lift off when you want to go into the cupboard
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Or hang a mini quilt on a small bamboo pole, just a bit wider and rest the pole on cuphooks at the sides of the frame. Lift off when you want to go into the cupboard
@Sara-S this is what I was thinking. Even a properly fitted tension rod would be easy to pop in and out. Surely you only store items you use infrequently in such an awkward space. I'd avoid a gathered curtain. In this location it would be nothing but a dust catcher. Haven't you said you have asthma? I'd prefer a solid hatch cover to a curtain.
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We actually get stuff in & out of there rather frequently. But for structural reasons, installing an actual door would be a logistical nightmare, which is why no one in these homes uses one.
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I can see where an actual door would be structurally awkward. I've had to deal with this sort of thing myself.
An easily removable tension rod would be how I'd go. A quilting fabric would even be heavy enough. I'd personally choose a simple print that would blend with the surrounding wood tone of the molding and nearby cabinet. As you can see in the photo, the darker tone of the wood trim literally outlines the existing blinds making the awkward opening stand out. A mottled print in the same color/tone as the wood would be less eye catching.
I'm not a ruffle-y fru-fru kind of person either and a roman blind matching the wall color and covering the wood trim around the opening did come to mind, but what a lot of work.
As much as I don't care for ruffle-y gathers, I never use less than a double width for this type of curtain, as 1-1/2 always looks skimpy to me. I like a 3/4" hem on the sides, with the rod pocket able to easily cover the rubber tips of the rod. I also like to sew a 1" header above the rod pocket as the installation is easier when you position the rod, rather than have the top of the rod pocket itself against the top of the opening. 2-1/2" to 3" doubled hem should give plenty of weight. Truly no need to line.
I'd also prewash and dry the fabric. If you don't, spilled coffee or the cat heaving up a hairball onto it while you've laid it to the side (guess who that happened to!) can cause it to shrink - and then you've got to do it again.
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The question has never been,"Should I use a curtain?" At this point, DH & I have already agreed that a curtain is the best option for us. We will use top & bottom tension rods & have ordered fabric. We found something we liked, yesterday.
The question on which I seek advice is how to sew a curtain. Advice on things like how big to make the side hems & such would be helpful.
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1/2" - 3/4" for the side seams, top and bottom hems deep enough to take the widest part of the tension rods easily but no more, and at least twice the width of the opening.
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What about a mini bead curtain
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The question has never been,"Should I use a curtain?" At this point, DH & I have already agreed that a curtain is the best option for us. We will use top & bottom tension rods & have ordered fabric. We found something we liked, yesterday.
The question on which I seek advice is how to sew a curtain. Advice on things like how big to make the side hems & such would be helpful.
That's us told then.
I'd say it depends on the size of your hole, do what you think looks right to you.
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If I were to also use a rod on the bottom, I would also have a 1" footer to match the 1" header at the top - again to ease inserting the curtain into the space.
To determine rod pocket size, wrap an edge of the fabric you're using over the rubber tipped end of the tension rod. It should be slightly loose around these tips and then measure the fabric. Divide the amount in half and that is how wide the rod pocket should be. (Probably 1-1/4" to 1-1/2", but that's just a guess) then add an inch.
So turn up a 1/4" edge, then turn a 2-1/2" hem up. Press in place. Then edge stitch at the 1/4" turn up and again 1" from the top and bottom edge. Do all of this after you've turned and stitched both sides.
The reason for the 1" header is so it can be neatly placed against the top of the opening. If you only use a plain rod pocket there will usually be a gap at the top as the fabric hangs lower over the rod itself than it does at the rubber tipped ends.
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I have done most of the sewing now. Given the small space, I only made it 1.5 times the width of the opening. I put it on the rod to see how it looked & I can see that it was right about the size. Any bigger and it would look cluttered and would be hard to open.
When we can remove the blinds that are there, I will hang it and then check the length. But so far, so good. Pics when it's done.
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They’re done & up. I am pretty happy with the result. The fabric was a good choice for the room. It’s called Fossil Fern, in a color called Mango Cream. I have used this design before, in a few colors. I even had thread that was a perfect match for it.
The only problem was one hem-the bottom one- that I just couldn’t sew straight. All the others are fine. I’m not too concerned about it however. As I already said, the thread is a good match so it doesn’t stand out. Also, when the curtain is on the rods and ruffles up, as curtains do, you can’t see it at all.
Here it is;
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Well done @Sara-S - it looks lovely.
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It's doing the job beautifully. I think one and a half widths on such a small space was a wise decision @Sara-S Double width would have looked uncomfortably squashed imo.
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Thanks @Flobear That was my though as well, about the width. In addition to looking squashed, it would have been hard to open.
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Nice job @Sara-S . But, but, but, I'm nosey. What is that safety pinned in the upper left corner? ;)
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It’s a little jingley bell that scares away the staircase creature who lives in my husband’s imagination.
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It’s a little jingley bell that scares away the staircase creature who lives in my husband’s imagination.
:thumbsup:
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@Renegade Sewist I was wondering if/when someone would ask about that.
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I did notice it, but decided it was a chain for a curtain tie-back - which doesn’t really make sense as the curtain is tethered top and bottom ...
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@Renegade Sewist I was wondering if/when someone would ask about that.
We were all being British and much too polite. :laughing:
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We were all being British and much too polite. :laughing:
I was being American and asking my Yankee friend. We expect that here. :laughing:
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I downloaded the picture and enlarged it, but I couldn't figure out what it was, so I waited for a friendly American to pass by and ask for me. ;)