When purchasing curtains or in connection with moving to a new place of residence, a situation may arise when the dimensions of the window opening and the curtains themselves do not correspond to each other, the canvas turns out to be longer.
In this case, it needs to be shortened. For this, there are ateliers where the work will be done by specialists, but you can do it yourself, knowing the methods and some of the subtleties of shortening products.
Shortening the curtains
It will not be difficult for an experienced housewife to shorten the canvas. In this case, there is no need to have a sewing machine; it will only make it easier to carry out your plans.
It is recommended to hang the fabric on the curtain rod, it will take its final shape, after which you can take measurements. The method of processing the bottom of any product directly depends on the fabric used. Using a double hem, you can hide up to 30 cm of fabric without cutting, thereby shortening the curtain.
Important! If the curtains are made of thin materials (organza, silk), then on their surface after basting there may remain traces of punctures with a needle.To avoid this, it is recommended to use a special adhesive strip “cobweb”, which is carefully ironed, fastening the folded piece and the canvas itself. In this case, you only need to iron through gauze and lay the fabric on a towel.
The bottom of the fabric is also hemmed with edge processing of various edgings. The edging itself is a ribbon of fabric that is folded in half, and its raw edges are folded inward. The bottom of the curtain is inserted into the resulting pocket, fixed there with pins, then basted and stitched on the machine.
An option is to process the top edge of the curtain. For this purpose, special tapes with ready-made fastenings are used. Such curtain tapes are distinguished by the variety of materials from which they are made, their width, and the number of fastenings. In addition, they are equipped with special threads that allow you to create folds in the upper part of the fabric. This opens up a wide range of drapery possibilities.
What will you need for this?
To shorten you will need: the canvas itself, a needle, threads, braid, scissors, iron, measuring tape, tailor's soap.
Process
The first step is to trim the edge. Rushing at this stage is unacceptable, as it can lead to deformation of the canvas. The side edges are processed first, the fabric is folded and ironed, and then stitched.
The next stage involves attaching the braid to the top of the future curtain. Evenness and neatness of the edges is ensured by folding the fabric by 2-3 cm, as well as ironing. The curtain braid is folded in exactly the same way at both ends. The main thing is that the threads responsible for the formation of the drapery are released from the hem.After the prepared tape is applied to the wrong side of the curtain, it is sewn on. Moreover, the number of seams themselves directly depends on the width of the tape. The algorithm here is as follows: with a tape width of 5 cm, two seams are enough, top and bottom; for a 10 cm braid, it makes sense to make three seams, etc.
The bottom edge is processed using the double hem method.
Important! After any stitching for which preliminary overcasting was done, it is necessary to pull out the overcasting threads.
After the curtains are shortened and hemmed, the stage of forming the drapery begins.
In what cases should curtains be shortened?
Shortening curtains may be necessary in several cases:
- if desired, make changes to the interior;
- if the size of the window opening and the existing curtains do not match (for example, due to moving);
- if necessary, remove the edge of the woven fabric worn out during operation, etc.
How to shorten curtains without cutting
In order to shorten canvases without trimming, you will need the following:
- the canvas itself with processed edges to which the tape is sewn;
- threads to match the fabric;
- needle;
- scissors.
There are several ways to shorten. With the first method, you must first hang the curtains on the cornice. Then, using a hand stitch, stepping back from the edge 5 cm, stitch the sides vertically.
At the very beginning, i.e. from the middle of the height of the entire canvas, the thread must be secured. Next, on the way to the bottom, the stitch is slightly rounded. After this, the center is determined and then stitched in exactly the same way as the sides were stitched, only the beginning should now be 20 cm higher. The curtain will be shortened by folds if you pull the threads one by one, the ends of which are left loose at the bottom.Once the required height is reached, the threads should be fixed. By analogy, the procedure is carried out in the second part.
Another way is to use a sewing machine with the stitches set to the maximum pitch.
Another option, more suitable for thick fabrics. This method is similar to the first, with the only difference that instead of manual stitching, transparent curtain tape is used, sewn from the inside out. Thanks to this tape, you can adjust the length of the curtain, creating spectacular folds.
And finally, there is a way to shorten curtains using special magnets, crabs and other devices.
How to shorten curtains without hemming
In order to do this, you need to purchase a special adhesive tape - “cobweb”. The sequence of steps for this shortening method will be as follows:
- the length that needs to be removed is determined and the fabric is folded;
- the fold line is carefully ironed;
- a “cobweb” is laid between the resulting layers of fabric, ironed, and the adhesive tape backing is separated (if any);
- The folded fabric is ironed, the “web” heats up and glues the layers together.
If the length that needs to be shortened is large, you should use several layers of adhesive tape, or distribute it over the entire folded fabric in small increments.
Attention! The method of shortening curtains without hemming does not provide a long service life, since after several washes the adhesive tape begins to peel off. In this case, the gluing procedure should be repeated.
How to shorten roller blinds to width
Sometimes purchased roller blinds may be wider than the window opening. The problem is solved as follows.The canvas is brought into an unfolded state, and the plugs are removed from the shaft on which it hangs.
The bottom of the roll is equipped with a weighting agent that must be removed. Next, using a ruler and pencil, markings are made on the curtain itself. Using scissors or a stationery knife, cut off the excess part according to the markings. The top tube is cut, but with the expectation that it should be 7-8 cm longer than the canvas itself.
A hacksaw for metal is quite suitable as a tool. The weighting material is also shortened, but it should only be 1-1.5 cm shorter. At the final stage, the parts are assembled together, and the fabric is tightly wound around the shaft. This way you can easily shorten the roller blinds and then mount them in place.
“If the old interior is boring and no longer pleasing to the eye, do not rush to make repairs. First, try changing the curtains." – this is the advice given by popular design publications. But is it that simple? Decorating window openings is an easy task only at first glance. Even when working with a ready-made “salon” project, difficulties arise, because any typical room can unexpectedly have its own unique characteristics.
Making window decorations yourself raises even more questions for needlewomen. However, guided by the information presented above, it is quite possible to understand the methods of shortening, how to do this without subjecting the fabric to cutting or hemming, how, finally, to hem and trim classic fabric curtains, and what to do if the rolled ones do not fit in width.
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