Make Your Own Curtains, Part 1
I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP
At Curtain-Tracks.com, our customer service is top notch. Not only do we have customer service reps ready to help you Monday-Friday from 8am – midnight, and Saturday-Sunday from 9am-9pm (EST), those reps know what they are talking about. Call during service hours and you may be lucky enough to talk to Brenda, who is an expert on curtain tracks and accessories, and also makes custom curtains for our customers. She has been a seamstress for over thirty years, and has made over 150 curtains for Curtain-Track.com customers. She is also your over-the-phone guiding hand for do-it-yourself-track installers, and for those of you who want to make your own curtains.
WORK CUT OUT FOR YOU
Making your own curtains all starts with good measurements. Brenda recommends that you carefully measure the window’s height and width, then do a little math. Add 20% to the window’s width measurement, and three to four inches to the length, for the fabric measurement. If you plan to put in pleats, add 25% to the width, plus another four inches. (For example, for a 60-inch window, your fabric will need to be 79 inches wide.) To make pleats, pinch the pleat in the front, fold the fabric into an accordion shape, and sew a small seam top to bottom. You can put Tail Slides into the pocket of the pleat (which will slide directly into the track), or slide a Drapery Hook into the middle of the pleat, which will attach to a carrier in the track. Don’t forget to finish the edges with a double fold on the top and bottom.
MAKE IT NEW
Brenda has helped many customers plan, design, and create the look they want with the right track and curtain. She stresses that you can really change the look of a space with a well-made curtain, especially in small spaces like boats or RVs, and that when curtains need replacing you don’t have to replace with a replica – try a different length or color, or put in some pleats where there were none before.