Sewing Circle Tips - Making curtains easy!

Gathering tape sewn onto curtain, with hooks

For years when funds were tight in mission areas I used to make extremely cheap curtains swiftly and easily in the following way;
I purchased two single sheets in a pretty cotton fabric at the local store selling cheap linen. 
Then I would buy some cheap heading gathering tape and white plastic cotton hooks from the local sewing store.
 Measure the heading gathering tape to fit the top of each sheet exactly with 1cm to spare on either side, then cut off the gathering tape. 
Note there is a right side, and an underside to the gathering tape.
The side you want facing upwards on the back of the curtain is the side which has extra pieces of tape where the hooks go in.
Turn under the raw ends of the gathering tape to the length of 1cm of the heading gathering tape, and pin and tack the tape to the top of the sheets on the wrong side (the back of the sheet with the underside of the pattern). 
Pull out the cords at the end of the curtain which will be at the middle of the window, 
and knot them together. 


Sew the tapes on. If you don't have a sewing machine, sew them on by hand. I have done this when I didn't have a sewing machine, it takes a long time and you need both patience and a thimble. 
A sewing machine gets the job done quickly. 
Sew along the top of the gathering tape, and the bottom of the gathering tape in order for the tape to be firmly fixed to the curtain; it will last well.


Take care when stitching not to stitch over the loose cords. 
When stitched, gently pull up the gathers by pulling at the loose cords which were unknotted, at the end of the curtain which will be at the end of the window. 
Do this until the curtains measure the correct width. Knot the cords together. 
Space your gathers evenly. 
Insert curtain hooks fairly closely together and mount the curtains on the track.  
You make this kind of curtain for curtain pelmets with tracks suited for hooking the hooks through.


You can line the curtains if you wish, to make them even stronger and to let less light in. Curtain linings help to protect the main fabric from dirt and direct sunlight and to provide additional insulation, handy in winter. We will show you how to make curtain linings in a later post.


Another option to buy curtains is from your local Charity store. Beautiful curtains are often on sale there, cleaned, pressed and ironed for use for a small sum of money. 


*Photograph taken by Catherine Nicolette
*Please sew carefully. Get someone to show you how to use a sewing machine properly if you have never used one before. Never pull on the sewing machine needle while sewing on the machine, as it may snap. Always sew safely! Good luck with your curtains