It has happened, I knew it would and I’ve been trying to avoid it but that doesn’t work forever. Having taken up sewing I knew the time would come when other people would start asking me to do sewing jobs for them.
I was at my sister’s house at the beginning of the year and she got out a pair of curtains handed them to me and asked if i would take them up (once I was already holding them – she’s no fool). So after measuring the length she wanted them to end at from the curtain pole I took them home dumped them on a chair and ignored them for a month.
When my sister chased me about them a month later I ask her what length I was shortening them to (as I not written it down so forgotten I decided I had better get on with it.
She had purchased some cute black out curtains from Dunelm for my niece’s room but they needed to be shortened to 151 cm.
I could have done some research and found out if there is a way you are meant to do this but I just wanted to get it over with so I made up my own way keeping things as simple as possible.
I enlisted the help of my husband and his long tape measure to mark out two lines at 149 and 158 on the wrong size of the curtains. I cut both layers at 158 unpicked the side seams to a little above the 149 line and then ran the black out layer through my overlocker cutting and sewing it up. I decided to leave that raw edge exposed – as its just the back of the curtain.
The curtain went back on the floor and my husband helped me mark another two lines, this time on the right side of the fabric, at 156 and 151. Using these lines as a guide I ironed a double fold and pinned.
Starting a little away from the unpicked edge I sewed up the double fold. Then when back to the edge tucked in all the folds and edges, I held the corners in place and ran a quick line of stitches to keep everything in place.
I repeated the whole process for the second curtain – and I was done.
To be fair it wasn’t anywhere near as time consuming or difficult as I though it might have been though I would not have wanted to measure and mark out my cutting lengths without help.
The end result is good and I don’t think you can tell the were shortened.
My sister would like me to point out these pictures were taken when we hung the curtains but she knows she has not pulled them to make the pinch pleats so they are not yet looking as good as they will, I’m just pleased I got the length correct.
softyp 