If you need to sew two pieces together to make one curtain, do it first. Make sure you match patterns or stripes, and sew with a 2.5 cm seam and iron the seam open. If you have 3 pieces to make up two curtains, cut one in half lengthways, and sew one to each of the whole pieces to make two curtains of equal width.
Next sew the side hems. These should be selvedge edges so won’t need finishing, but if they aren’t, double hem to create a neat edge. It’s a good idea to make a small snip in the selvedge about every 45 cms to make sure the hem doesn’t pucker. Iron the hems.
Sew the top next. If you’re making tab top curtains, make the tabs first. To do this you make a tube, and turn it inside out and iron flat with the seam running down the centre back. Make one of these for each tab. You can then tuck the raw edges into the hem at the top of the curtain. Measure the spacing between tabs carefully so they are equally spaced.
For tape top curtains, or curtains with rings, make a deep double hem at the top of the curtain, and attach the rings or sew on the tape afterwards. Tape usually needs to be about 8 or 10 cms down from the top edge so the curtain will stick up above the rail when the curtains are hanging.
Pull the strings in the tape to the actual width of the window and tie loosely. Don’t cut the strings, as you might want to alter the width later, for example, if you use the curtains for a different window in the future.
It’s a good idea at this point to hang the curtains, so you can mark the bottom hem accurately. If you’re hanging heavy curtains, you’ll need someone else to help take the weight of the fabric until the curtain is hung, or you can find that the curtain is hanging from one hook or tab for a while and this puts huge strain on that one hook or tab and can rip the fabric. If you have to hang the curtains alone, let the top of the step ladders take the weight of the rest of the curtain, until you’ve got most of it up.
With heavy curtains, wait a couple of hours to let them ‘settle’ before you measure for the bottom hem.
Measure and turn up a double hem at the bottom, and sew. If you’re using weights, place these in the hem, and hand stitch in place.
Traditionally, the bottom hem was hand sewn so the stitching didn’t show on the front of the curtain. You may find your machine has a hem-stitch which is ideal to use for this type of hem.
