Welcome to my sewing world

You’ve just moved into a new house or apartment, or maybe you’ve just decorated, but the problem is the same, a great big picture window or even a cute little window, naked as the day it was built just waiting for a beautiful dressing.

So whether you have a bare bedroom, bathroom or kitchen window, what are your options?

Let’s go into your lounge and take a look at your huge patio door or picture window.

You could go with vertical blinds, they’re certainly practical but where’s the style and beauty?

No, what you really want are gorgeous drapes, the sort that make your friends and neighbours drool with envy.

Perhaps you’ve had a price for these curtains in the past and nearly fainted, they don’t come cheap, but why are they so expensive?

To a certain extent it’s the cost of the fabric but the bulk of the price is in the labour needed to make them up, and don’t forget the shop adds a percentage as well.

What if I told you there is a way you could save 75% of the price, would that make a difference? You bet it would.

But where or how could you make that sort of saving?

The same place I do, at home, by making them yourself.

Before you say ‘I’m no good at sewing’ or ‘I really wouldn’t know where to start’, it isn’t rocket science, it’s just knowledge which you haven’t acquired yet.

Just think of the benefits:

Your money goes much further, instead of dressing just one window you can afford to dress four for the same cost;

You’ll have a huge pride in the finished job, and best of all you can have them now, no waiting around weeks, or even months, for your job to be made and delivered.

Now you’re thinking ‘ok, I’m sold, but where can I go to learn this new skill?’

This is where I come in, I’ve been making curtains for the best part of 30 years and now I’ve started to train others, just like you, in the art of curtain making.

Through my website I market a growing range of ebooks that detail, by way of actual photographs and captions, every single step.

But the best part is you’re not on your own, if you run into a problem or there’s something you don’t understand then ask me – try doing that with a hard-back book author!

And if that’s not enough then I’ll upload a video that’ll show the solution to your problem area in even greater detail.

With the power of the internet, my help and your resolve that you can do this there will be no stopping you.

Look through a magazine and decide what you would like and go for it, you won’t regret it.

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When you’re looking at those house interior magazines and admiring the beautiful window dressings do you find yourself thinking ‘wouldn’t it be great if I could have something like that at my windows’. Then you tell yourself not to be silly, they are way too expensive. But have you ever considered that maybe you could make your own?

When you’re looking through those house interior magazines and admiring the beautiful window dressings do you find yourself thinking ‘wouldn’t it be great if I could have something like that at my windows’.

Then you remind yourself not to be silly, they are way too expensive.

But have you ever considered that maybe you could make your own?

Making your own curtains, or drapes, as they’re sometimes called can seem like a very daunting prospect, but with practice you really can do it.

With a little patience stitching straight lines on a sewing machine, or handstitching, can become second nature to anyone.

And it’s not just plain curtains, you can create lined, interlined, thermal or insulated, they are all within the reach of the beginner.

Other accessories include tiebacks, curtain headings and valances of differing styles such as pencil pleat, goblet pleat and pinch pleat.

Now that you’re thinking that it might just be possible what do you need to make it happen?

The first thing is somewhere to make them, a spare room is ideal, or perhaps a converted garage or basement.

You can erect a simple table and leave it up (you’re bound to have friends ask you to make theirs!), and the lighter and airier the room the better.

If it’s on the ground floor you won’t have to lug great rolls of fabric up or down the stairs. It needs to be at least 8ft x 16ft, or maybe a little less in length if you have somewhere to tuck your sewing machine.

Also make sure it has decent lighting, I use a strip light as bright as daylight.

The biggest piece of equipment you’ll need is a suitable table and a sewing machine.

My table is 8ft x 4ft, the biggest sheet of wood available, and even then it could be bigger, perhaps an extra couple of feet both ways, this is easily achieved by having a couple of drop-down hinged extensions.

Another option if you don’t have a spare room is to get by with a collapsible table which you could put up as required.

One of the easiest designs I’ve seen is a flat board and a couple of builder’s trestles to rest it on, but this isn’t really ideal.

The dining room table is probably the worst choice, although it’s big and flat you can’t stick pins into it and it certainly isn’t big enough to measure your fabric on.

If you have no choice measure your fabric out on the floor, you can even make your curtains on the floor but oh, your poor back and knees!

Your table needs to be covered in curtain interlining and topped off with curtain lining, this gives a firm but soft surface.

I have two sewing machines, one small commercial machine which is perfectly capable of handling most fabrics but will struggle with thicker fabrics, and an industrial machine.

An industrial machine can be bought pre-owned if necessary, they really are built to last.

Other smaller items are a steam iron, cottons, needles and glass-headed pins and a tape and ruler. A weight, or clamps, are also useful.

If you have any experience with fabrics, either mending your spouse’s clothing or perhaps even making clothing, then it’s quite easy to build on that experience.

A good source of information can be found in books or the internet, some resources, of course, go into more detail than others, more help on a personal level can be found on the internet.

If you’ve never sat behind a sewing machine though don’t worry, curtains are straight lines after all!

A certain amount of dexterity can be useful as there is some hand-stitching involved in the better quality curtains.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with a sewing machine then it’s a good idea to practice runs on a piece of fabric which you’ve drawn straight lines on. This will help you to gain experience as well as confidence.

Probably your best skill is going to be patience and the ability to follow instructions. With these qualities beautiful curtain and drapery creations can easily be within your grasp.

See you in the sewing room.