NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Do you want professional standard curtains, but don’t want to pay the price?

Believe it or not, it’s possible to make your own with Gemma Moulton’s top tips. And no, they won’t look like the product of a haphazard DIY project.

If you follow this step-by-step guide, you will be surprised at the end result. What are you waiting for, get your fabrics out!

The DIY project: Making curtains

The expert: Gemma Moulton is the founder of East London Cloth and one of the newest and most sought-after makers of soft furnishings in the UK today.

She has just launched her first ever online course, How To Make Beautiful Curtains, with Create Academy and launches her own fabric collection this summer.

The reason: Bespoke curtains can be expensive but with the right guidance it is possible to make your own.

What you’ll need: Fabric, pins, chain weight, fabric scissors, clamp, tape and hooks.

Here, Gemma reveals how to make a very simple, unlined, machine-sewn curtain with a pencil pleat tape heading.

With curtains it’s all about the gather. As a general rule your flat, ungathered curtain should be around 1.5 to 2.5 times the width of your pole, depending on the look you’re trying to achieve.

A more detailed equation can be found via my Create Academy course.

Measure from the base of your curtain ring to the floor. For each ‘drop’ of fabric, add an additional 30cm to allow for hems.

As your curtain is unlined, you won’t want to see the raw seams on the reverse, so I use a ‘French seam’.

This involves sewing the two pieces together, face side to face side, with a small seam allowance; folding the curtain back, so the back is facing the back and sewing another line, enclosing the first seam.

Add a simple side hem to each side of your curtain (typically double 2cm.) You can sew this by hand, using a slip stitch, or run a machine stitch down it.

Your curtain will need weighting to ensure it hangs nicely. The simplest way to do this is by using a ‘chain weight’, these can be purchased by the metre or on a roll – you will need slightly more than the total width of your curtain.

Change your sewing machine foot over to a piping foot and roll your chain weight into the base of the curtain, stitching it into place in the same way you would sew a piece of piping for a cushion.

Trim away any excess fabric and press in a double 5cm hem. This will leave your chain weight enclosed, sitting neatly in the bottom of your curtain. Pin in place if needed and machine stitch the hem into place.

Clamp the curtain square on to a table. Keeping the hems nice and straight and flush, use a tape measure to measure up in straight lines and add a pin to mark the total drop of your curtain.

Add pins at 10cm intervals along the width of your curtain. Fold over and press the line formed by your pins.

Cut away excess fabric above the pin line, leaving a neat 5cm flap. Prepare your tape – a more detailed lesson can be found on the course – essentially one end needs to be stitched into place and the strings at the opposite end need to be free to move.

Pin and stitch your tape on to the reverse of the curtain, following the line made by your pins.

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Tie the strings together, being sure to keep them even. Secure in with a knot once your curtain is pulled to the same width as your pole. Add hooks and hang your curtain.

These are simplified instructions. Refer to Gemma’s online course with Create Academy – How To Make Beautiful Curtains – for in-depth advice and videos to help.

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