How can I make curtains stretch?

scotrae

We seem to have enormous windows (lounge window is 100" wide, taking the curtain pole into account) and having made do with curtains from our last house barely closing, or clipping them with trouser-hangers at night time, it really is time to sort out a proper solution - in other words, curtains that fit properly.

We can't afford made-to measure this time and although I've been looking out at charity shops and car boots for 6 months I haven't seen anything remotely suitable or big enough. The ones that would suit our room seem to go for silly money on ebay, particularly with p&p. And we have to have pencil pleat ones because DH is not prepared to change the curtain pole (and a new one in that size would be as dear as the curtains).

Would the 90" width of curtains be enough? Someone told me it would look dreadful because there would be barely any gather. Or is my only option to buy more than one pair and sew them together. (Or ask M-i-l very nicely, more likely!)

phizzimum

if you bought the extra pair would you have to sew them together? couldn't you just hang the four curtains up? I don't think it would notice when opened or closed.

having said that, I'm no expert on soft furnishing! so please feel free to correct me...

McKneff

phizzimum wrote: »

if you bought the extra pair would you have to sew them together? couldn't you just hang the four curtains up? I don't think it would notice when opened or closed.

having said that, I'm no expert on soft furnishing! so please feel free to correct me...

I think thats a blumming good idea, open or shut, no one would notice.
Get the widest curtains possible, all four of them so they look nice and gathered when they are closed.

Woofles

I think the accepted rule of thumb is two and half times the width of your window, so 250 inches, two 90 x90 curtains would certainly fit with some gather, but not a lot, why not find a pair you like and try them, if they don't look right then buy another matching pair.

sparkle83

Hiya

Curtains in most shops listed as 90" width are per curtain, so at max stretch with no gather would cover a 180" window. I've worked in a bedding and curtains shop for 20 months, so I'm a bit of an interiors nut. I have 66" curtains on my 98" window though, because its a dual aspect room and I'm not buying two new pairs when my last two for the old house cost me £50. They cover the window, though when pulled have very little gather (total width for 66's is 132). We usually recommend that your total curtain width is 1.5 to 2 times the window (so 150-200 inches in your case, and if you were in my shop, I'd be recommending the 90's :-D

hope this helps some

phizzimum

McKneff wrote: »

I think thats a blumming good idea, open or shut, no one would notice.
Get the widest curtains possible, all four of them so they look nice and gathered when they are closed.

thanks McK - I thought I was going to be shot down in flames as an idiot

sunflower76

We have four curtains at our bay window (i.e. two pairs) as I wasn't going to fork out the high prices for extra wide curtains. They don't look funny - or at least I don't think so, I just have to make sure that they meet at all of the edges when I close them but it's no more trouble than normal curtains.

linni

I just pinned mine together at the top (on the inside) with a nappy pin and no-one even noticed they were 2 seperate sets of curtains.

scotrae

Brilliant Folks! Thank you all. I did see some nice ones (affordable too) but they only had one pair in stock so I didn't risk it. Based on Sparkle's guidelines though perhaps the 90" width would be fine.

I shan't mention to DH that I spent two hours looking today without buying any, but I feel confident enough to go back and know what I'm looking for now.

Thanks again

McKneff

perhaps if you go to somewhere where there are curtains hanging up and imagine them at your windows (and ask what width they are)

valk_scot

I've got two sets of curtains across my wide lounge window. I remember my mum having six curtains on her vast bay window, with tie-backs at the central pillars. Who says you only have to have two curtains at a time?