Nicola Foreman Quilts
  • BLOG
  • BAGS
  • CUSHIONS
  • QUILTYSTUFF
  • QUILTS
  • TABLERUNNERS
  • WALL HANGINGS
  • CONTACT ME

Curtains Not Quilting

9/3/2014

1 Comment

 
A few weeks ago, Mr F was busy decorating (with me supervising of course!) and after all the walls were freshly painted and the new carpet was laid, it was time to think about new curtains. Normally I make my own, and in our first home together I busied myself making soft furnishings galore. The windows were adorned with festoon blinds and curtains and pelmets and there was a huge array of cushions on the sofa, and yes, it did rather resemble a Laura Ashley catalogue, but it was the 1980's and  was very fashionable at the time! And our first home together was a small Victorian house that lent itself to that style of décor. Then 13 years ago we moved to a very modern 1950's built military-style bungalow and all the window treatments that I'd lovingly made stayed put, as our new windows were HUGE - I mean really HUGE, and nothing that I had would fit. And so I set about making new curtains for the lounge. The windows were nearly 3 metres wide. And over 2 metres tall. And then there was another pair for the French doors at the opposite end of the room leading into the conservatory. Well I can honestly say that making those curtains nearly killed me! I resolved then NEVER to make another pair of curtains for all those windows! So after the decorating was completed, I started my search for some ready-made curtains, and discovered that those HUGE windows were going to be a devil to find curtains to fit. Either I'd have to do some minor alterations to the length, or make the whole things my self. After about 2 minutes of thinking about that, I ordered 2 pairs of HUGE curtains from Glasswells, that only needed to be shortened by a few inches. It's so much easier to alter curtains from the top than fiddling about with hems on curtains (and don't even get me started on hems in linings!) so I bought some extra deep heading tape from Barretts of Woodbridge, (no, I wasn't going to spend hours unpicking the original heading tape) and set about turning over the tops of the curtains...
Picture
Picture
...leaving the original heading tape in place when I turned the tops over means the top of the curtain is a bit thicker, but it gathers up beautifully. Sewing these with a walking foot also made this task so much simpler, as there was no risk of the layers puckering underneath. This heading tape from Barretts of Woodbridge was extra deep, and as the curtains are so big, it makes them hang really well...
Picture
Picture
...and a final photograph taken this morning, with the sun shining just a bit TOO brightly! Before I'd altered the curtains, I'd hung them up for a few days to see if I could live with them being "extra long" but Jasper decided he could curl up behind the curtains and make himself a copy bed while he waited for Mr F to come home from work, which wasn't my idea of a nice neat window dressing. Now I've finished my alterations, Jasper will have to find somewhere it curl up and sleep during the evenings ;) Well hopefully that will be the end of "normal" sewing for a few years and now I can get back to quilting again!
Picture
1 Comment
Sally Spragg
9/3/2014 03:41:12 am

Our windows are not normal sizes either and it makes sewing a real pain. The window in the hall is full length and we live in a house!! Makes them sooo heavy to work on and to hang!! Your curtains look lovely. Enjoy your patch working today!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    About me...

    Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! 
    ​​I live in Suffolk, not far from the coast, surrounded by the beautiful countryside.  
    ​If you want to share or pin any of my pictures, please link back to my blog.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture

    Blogs I follow

    A Quilt Lady
    A Quilting Life
    Abyquilt
    Anne-Grethe's quiltblog
    Anne Marie Quilt
    Bente Malm Quilte-Design
    Bloom
    Cinderberry Styitches
    Daisy made it
    Dilly Dimple
    Karis Quilterier
    Evas Quilterom
    Erickaeckles
    Fantasia Yarns
    Gail Pan Designs
    Hanne's Quilt Corner
    Halfpenny Home
    I'm a Ginger Monkey
    J-quilts
    Just Jude Designs
    Kviltstina
    Leanne's House
    Liv Aagots Quilteblogg
    Lily's Quilts
    Litamora's Quilt & Design
    Lynette Anderson Designs
    Merete's Quiltestue
    Mona's quiltblog
    Pam's Paradise Stitching
    Pia Si Sia
    Random Ramblings
    Sigrun's blog
    Sølvi's blog
    U-handblog
    ZewNice

     UK shops

    These are the UK shops that I use to purchase my quilting supplies - fabrics and threads etc.
    Bramblepatch
    Buttonberry
    Coast and Country Crafts
    Craft Den
    Cross Patch
    Emma's Fabric Studio
    Fiona's Fabrics
    Glenroy Designs
    Halfpenny Home
    Hulu
    J-quilts
    KIS Quilting
    Patchwork Chicks
    Quilter's Cloth
    Quilters Haven
    Sew and So's
    The Eternal Maker
    The Fat Quarters
    The Quilt Room
    U-handbag

    Australian links

    Cookies and Cream Craft
    Homespun magazine
    Little Quilt Store
    Quilt Fabric Delights
    Under The Mulberry Tree

    Scandinavian links

    Lapp-Elisa Quilts HB
    Lappedesign
    Lappedilla AS
    Myquilt
    Northern Quilts
    Quiltegården
    Quiltekroken
    Quiltemagasinet
    Quiltespecialisten
    Sy-Sammen