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Curtain Making Information

Do you want to make curtains for your home?

Do you want to make your own curtains? We’ve collected together all of our tutorials about curtains and nets to give you the information you need to get started!

The Livingstone Textiles Team

If the idea of making your own is too daunting, we have a made to measure service which will give you the perfect professional result. You can now order made to measure curtains from our website using our simple online form. First choose fabric for your curtains, then click on ‘buy made to measure curtains’. You’ll find help with all the information you need to order with confidence right here.

You’ll find more sewing information and fabric information on our tutorials page, including everything you need to know for perfect roman blind making.

Preparation for Curtain Making

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Curtains are not just a piece of fabric at a window, they’re a major part of the style of your home. From traditional to contemporary, the curtains you choose will showcase your taste, soften your room, improve acoustics, keep you warmer and add to your sense of wellbeing.

Before you start to make curtains, the first thing you will need to consider is the type of curtain heading you want. This will depend on what pole or track fixings you have in place or are planning to put up. Visit our Curtain heading tutorial to learn all about how to make this decision. Once you have decided what heading you are using, you are ready to measure your window. Instructions on how to measure for curtains are available here.

Choosing Your Fabric

Once you have taken all your measurements you will need to choose your fabric. We have a wide selection of curtain fabric online, plus a massive amount of roll stock in our fabric store. Just go to our online fabric store and choose your fabric using our helpful filters. To help you make your mind up we’re always happy to send out free fabric samples! We even have a wide range of sustainable curtain fabric which we are continually expanding. Make sure to note down the vital information about the width of the fabric and any pattern repeat before you start your calculations.

Now you have your measurements and all the details of your fabric you can use our handy tool to calculate the curtain fabric needed for your window. If you are buying from us we can help with this step if you are finding it too daunting.

If you are having your curtains made to order by us, we will complete all the calculations and give you a price for your finished curtains. Simply start by choosing your fabric from the range above and clicking on ‘buy made to measure curtains’. You can see some examples of our professional hand curtain finish on our Made to Measure Photo Gallery. Alternatively if you are local, please come and visit us in Bridport! You will need to provide us with your measurements taken as per our guide.

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Making your own

Do you just want a simple window covering? For an easy guide on how to make curtains, you can watch a video here from the wonderful Debbie Shore on how to make lined curtains.

Make a lined pencil pleat curtain
How to make cushions curtains and blinds step by step

If you need some help, we recommend this book to our customers, which you can buy in our Bridport fabric store or by phone. We also really like the written tutorials at sewhelpful.com

Curtain Header Styles

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The first in our series of how to guides for specific curtain headers is How to Use Eyelet Header Tape. Our made to measure curtains with eyelet header come with pressed metal eyelets, but as this uses a special press it’s not possible to do it yourself at home. Instead you can create the same look for light to medium weight curtains using eyelet header tape which is very easy to sew in place and gives a great, contemporary look to your windows..

To help you sew like a pro, look out for more in our series of step by step tutorials. You can subscribe to our newsletter to be notified as new tutorials are added. New subscribers get a 15% discount off their first order too!

Sign up to our newsletter here

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Hanging Your Curtains

Once your curtains are finished, the final step is to hang them at your window to dress your room.

We are all familiar with pencil pleat curtains, as they are the most common type of header. But how do you go from the finished curtain provided by your curtain maker or from your sewing machine to a beautifully dressed window? Here is our guide to how to hang pencil pleat curtains

All About Nets

The purpose of nets is to give privacy in your home. Net or voile type curtains can also be used to soften a window where full curtains are not needed. We have a guide on how to measure for net curtains. Our skilled makers can also alter these curtains for you to get the perfect fit. This is helpful if the standard drops do not fit your window. We also have a range of voile type fabrics in store and to order that can be made up into non traditional net-type curtains.

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