Help for a Bloke making Curtains?

Mr_Proctalgia

My hallway is bloomin freezing so after reading about door curtains on here I went to Dunelms and asked about curtains, the lady said I needed a "Portiere". I explained that I already had one under my bed and that I really wanted to hang some curtains over my front door, she then patiently explained what one was (I thought she was taking the michael at first) So relieved of £22 and a half hour later it is fitted but I need some curtains to dangle off it.

So how much fabric do I need and how much "oversize" should it be, what about that tape stuff at the top, should I get some lining material, should it be attached to said curtain or loose. In short HELP I have never made a curtain before

I looked at some of my other curtains it it ain't straightforward is it, There does seem to be a lot of fabric folded up and a lot of hemming involved, also the said curtain will have to "stick up" at the top to cover the rail thingie as the door is in a recess so I coudn't put the rail way up the wall either.

Would someone talk me through it pretty please?????

Rikki

Do you need a Portiere or could you get away with two curtains? One at either side?

How wide is the recess? What width is the curtain rail? Lined curtain will be warmer.

Mine goes from one side of the hall to the other. The curtains are from the ceiling to the floor.

Rikki

If you are talking about using one of these?

If so you only need to make one curtain and they are not as difficult as they look.

Mr_Proctalgia

I have already fitted the Portiere and it is 91cm between the end eyelets and the finished drop will have to be 200cm, the front door is recessed about 20cm and right on one side of the hall so your idea coudn't work here.

Thanks for your idea anyway.

HappyIdiotTalk

I had to make some curtains once and I'm a bloke. So if I can do it anyone can. The process involves taking an old blanket and nailing it to the wall above the window. You'll need a nail at each end and one or two in the middle to stop it sagging. When you need to open them you'll need to gather up the curtain as best you can and rest it on any nearby draws or book sheleves.

Not sure sure what a portiere is, maybe you can smoke this afterwards while you admire your handywork!

stilernin

I looked at some of my other curtains it it ain't straightforward is it, There does seem to be a lot of fabric folded up and a lot of hemming involved, also the said curtain will have to "stick up" at the top to cover the rail thingie as the door is in a recess so I coudn't put the rail way up the wall either.

Would someone talk me through it pretty please?????[/QUOTE]

Hi, relatively simple to do, much more complicated to explain.

Drawing yourself a plan with all measurements will really help you understand what you are doing.

Measure floor to ceiling (or top of finished curtain), also floor to curtain hook (this varies depending how the hook fixes to the rail), also curtain hook to ceiling (or top of finished curtain). Now draw this onto your plan and you will get an idea of what you are trying to achieve.

The curtain tape (the bit at the top that gather the curtain up and that you put your hooks into) may have more than one level to attach hook to. You sew it to the curtain, leaving enough fabric to give you the desired height above the level of the hook.

Regarding the 'folds', you usually allow twice the width to gather up. This isn't set in stone, but the gathers trap the heat and look nicer.

Are you starting from scratch or will you look for curtains in a charity shop or on freecycle? If you can get some old curtains that are too thin. You could always line them with an old blanket. Purpose made fleecy lining material is available but any thicker fabric will do.

All of this is more complicated to explain than do. There will be books in the library with simple diagrams I'm sure.

Shout again if you need any more help.

EDIT... I see you put up the measurements whilst I was typing this.

Had another thought... do you have any local skill swapping scheme locally. You could do some DIY or something in return for someone making this for you. Local supermarkets might have a board where you could put up a card for a few weeks asking if anyone could do this for you in exchange for something.

Rikki

So you just need the one curtain.

At 91cm accross you would need to buy a fabric of a width of 173cm.
( In old money a width and a half)

At a drop of 200cm you would need to buy a length of 225cm.

For the top you will need 3" header tape. Matching cotton.

To line them you need equal width lining and length, its just easier.

flea72

if your door is in a recess, why not just buy a normal cheap curtain pole, and put it on the outside of the recess? alot cheaper, and also easier to make a curtain for.

i usually make the pole overhang one side of the door by about 8", so that it gives room for the curtain to be pulled back, when you want to open the door.

Flea

stilernin

I have edited my original post above.

hardpressed

Why not just buy a ready made curtain?

jojo3_2

Making curtains is easy when you know how - but first have a look in your local charity shops to see if they have any nice thick lined ones you could use.

If there is no joy there, then measure the height from floor to where you want the curtain to sit at the portiere and add ten cms for ....

no... try this link instead!

https://www.alternative-windows.com/curtainindex.htm