How to sew curtains correctly
Today in stores you can find curtain fabrics and ready-made curtains of different lengths. Usually you can try to hang them right away, but often people are faced with a problem when the canvas turns out to be too long for the room and wonder how to hem the curtains from below.
In this case, you can give the curtains to a seamstress who, for a certain (not very high) amount, will do everything in a couple of days. Or you can do everything yourself, so to speak, at home.
How to sew curtains with your own hands (step by step instructions)
To hem the curtains to the required length with your own hands, you need to carefully prepare and measure everything, and then double-check.
It is simply necessary to do this, because you can accidentally make the wrong stitch on the curtain at any time, thereby irrevocably ruining the curtain - you can, of course, try to rip it off and do it all over again, but traces of work remain on many fabrics, and the thinnest materials like organza and it is not worth ripping off at all - they can be torn in the process and then all that remains is to go to a special store for new fabrics, because the torn ones will no longer be suitable for anything.
Preparation and measurements
Before starting work, you need to straighten the curtains - wet them and hang them on the window for a couple of days. After the curtain becomes smooth, you need to pick up threads that match the color, thin pins (so that there are no visible holes on the fabric after the work is completed).
Having prepared the fabric, you can take measurements. The formula is something like this: the length of the curtains = the distance from the floor to the cornice - about 7 centimeters (this way the fabric will not drag along the floor). Depending on the fabric, add eight to fourteen centimeters to the hem. Here it is also important to take into account the purpose of the room in which the curtains will hang - for example, in the kitchen, the curtains usually reach the windowsill, not the floor.
Shortening process
The first thing to know is that you can cut off only that part of the curtain that is definitely superfluous. That is, if you need a curtain 2.5 meters long, and the length of the canvas is 3 meters, then 25-30 centimeters can be safely removed, but not more. The rest is better to bend and hem, because then they can be made longer again if necessary.
To trim the fabric of future curtains, you need to take large sewing scissors and do not lift the fabric while working. It is better to immediately mark the cutting line, cut off more of the fabric at a time and not take it in your hands, then everything should turn out well and the fabric will not be damaged.
On a sewing machine
The undoubted advantage of the sewing machine is its ease of use: working with this tool will go much faster and easier, and you will not have to keep track of the seams. The recommended seam length for sewing curtains is from three to seven millimeters, from the modes it is better to choose "straight stitch" or "small zigzag". The zigzag is less noticeable (on the "face" of the curtain it will not be visible at all, but it is more difficult for them to sew.Asking the question “how to sew the curtains correctly on a sewing machine”, you should refer to the corresponding instructions.
To sew a curtain on a typewriter, you need:
- Fold up the edge.
- Secure the edge with pins (you can use a coarse stitch).
- Place under the sewing machine foot and stitch, leave "thread ponytails" at the edges.
- Tie the left ponytails in knots.
- If necessary, use the overlock in advance on the fabric - for example, if the material is crumbled.
Manually
It is always more difficult to sew curtains by hand, because you need to adjust and monitor everything: the length of the stitches, the distance between the stitches, and their straightness. To hem curtains with your own hands, you need:
- Spread the straightened fabric on the floor so that nothing interferes with the work.
- Mark the work on the canvas.
- Cut off the extra piece of fabric (if it is quite large).
- Fold over an extra piece of canvas (if it is small).
- Secure everything with pins.
- Sew on pins, leaving 2-3 centimeters of thread at the edges.
- Tie ponytails into knots.
Without trimming
If you really don't want to cut the canvas (for example, there is a risk of shortening it too much or getting off the straight line), you can simply bend it several times. To do this, you need to choose a piece of fabric that will be a maximum of twenty centimeters longer than the required distance and bend the excess inward several times. After that, you need to flash everything manually or on a typewriter (it is advisable to do this several times to be sure of the reliability of the work performed).
You can choose a decorative ribbon or ribbon to brighten the resulting piece a little along the bottom edge. In the same way, small, subtle errors that may have occurred during work can be masked.
Edge processing
Why do we need to finish the edges of the fabric? Firstly, after processing, the threads will not crumble, like the fabric itself (some materials need to be additionally processed with an overlock to avoid this problem in the future, and, secondly, this way the edge of the curtain will look more beautiful.
Methods for processing curtain edges are presented below.
Regular seam
The fabric must be bent, secured with pins or large stitches, then sew so that the fabric does not stretch (otherwise it may deform). The edge of the fabric can be secured more firmly with the aforementioned overlock.
Using adhesive tape
You need to bend the curtains twice and lay this braid between the layers, then iron it with an iron. The tape will hold the fabric together. This method is not suitable for heavy material as the glue will not hold it.
Edging with tape or other decorative element
You need to take a ribbon or lace, fold it along, iron it and place the edge between the curtain layers. After that, fix and sew everything on a typewriter or manually.
How to avoid mistakes
To avoid mistakes, you should always check your work before cutting / stitching on a typewriter and make sure that the fabric or threads do not get confused and do not pull too hard, otherwise the work will turn out to be crooked and it will have to be redone.
How to shorten curtains without hemming (features of curtain tape)
If there is absolutely no desire to be engaged in shortening the fabric, then the well-known curtain tape will serve as the answer to the question of how to shorten the tulle without cutting or hemming. There are several ways to use it:
- Method one. Make folds on the curtains, draw a horizontal line (not at the very bottom), pierce the fabric along the folds and thread the threads - this way you can adjust the height of the curtains by simply pulling the string.
- Method two. Sew a narrow curtain tape along the vertical lines to adjust the height.
- Method three. Use special magnets.Assemble the curtains at the bottom and fasten between the two magnets or on the wall.
- Method four. If you need to make the curtain shorter for a short time, you can simply sew the edge of it with a large stitch. When the need for short curtains disappears, just remove the thread.
Thus, you can hem the curtains yourself without resorting to the services of a seamstress. Hemmed curtains look very beautiful in any room and become an interesting decor element in every room.
Video: how to shorten and hem curtains
