New Curtains

Never underestimate a job. Akin to that thinking is to never undervalue the effort that goes into something you are paying for. Again, easier said than done, and sort of against an ingrained mindset to find the best value. So when we pondered making new curtains, I did think “how hard can that really be”. The answer...much harder than you think.



Keep in mind this is from an amateur perspective, a skilled seamstress/seamster would probably view this job as child play. I however, are far from that skill level. Nonetheless, the search for a new fabric forged ahead. We wanted a fabric that would be pet hair friendly, as black certainly is not, as well as a colour that would lend an air of openness to the Alto when the curtains are drawn. We happened upon a nice fabric, something called a soft touch polyester. It does indeed have a nice feel to it, and as a bonus, it has a sort of shiny backing, which may provide a teeny tiny bit of reflective quality, for hot days when we close the curtains. Another bonus...on sale! We bought what was left on the bolt (already into the lingo).

When #80 got stored for the winter, all the curtains came out, to be used as patterns. It was not until a close examination of the various pieces occurred that it started to dawn on me that perhaps I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

There were seams to allow for, folded over edges to allow for, curves to allow for...every thought I had seemed to include the words “allow for”.

Our fabric was a little narrower than the original, so any pieces to make up a needed height, were different than the originals, another thing to allow for. After much thought about how this was all going to come together, out came the sewing machine.

I won’t bore you with too many of the challenges faced, but the total job was daunting. So many things for an amateur to figure out how to do, it was endless. After the first panel was done, I found I was getting braver, and perhaps slowly discovering little tricks of the trade. The pace soon picked up.

I ordered the fabric strip of snaps from SC, and these were sewn into place. I also ordered magnetic snaps, to replace the snap rings that are more often than not a bugger to pry open. Now was the time to make those tiny improvements to the design to make usage a bit easier.

After finishing all the curved pieces, the bench curtains were a relative breeze to create. I built in a little extra fabric to areas where it always seemed to be a bit short. In particular, the back curtains are now a couple of inches wider, making closing up at night so much easier.

Once done, I had to wait for spring, and the return of #80 to the driveway, to see if my efforts had paid off.

It was great to get them installed, and our hopes of achieving what we set out to change/improve, seems to have worked. We like the new look, it feels a bit less confined when all closed up, certainly more Barley friendly, and overall, we are pleased with the results. The negatives are few...look close and you may find a crooked stitch line or some bunched up threads, and the fabric tends to show wrinkles a bit more. All very liveable concerns.

If you want a new look...go for it! It is a doable project, but be prepared for a bit of work to figure it all out.