Remember that, for fabrics with a staggered pattern match, if you are making a pair of curtains with a half-drop in each curtain (example: 2 ½ drops per curtain) special care is needed – refer to Step 14 above. I was able to use the selvedge of the fabric, so folding it under twice wasn’t necessary, since the selvedge won’t fray. Finish off the hem by stitching the facing down along the sides and across the pressed edge of the facing.

My curtains needed to be 80″ long, so I marked the fabric at that point and folded it under twice, so that the finished curtain would be 80″ long.Carefully selecting a suitable thread colour, machine a straight stitch through all layers across the top and across the bottom of the heading tape, handling the curtain through the sewing machine with heading tape uppermost. On the WRONG side of the fabric, press both sides by ½ inch (12mm) and then ½ inch (12mm) a second time to form a double fold hem.

Once you know how long you want your finished curtains to be, add 16 in (41 cm) to reach your curtain fabric length. The blackout lining ensures that you have complete privacy and blocks out sunlight, making these curtains perfect for your bedroom or any room that requires extra privacy. Now that the tape is pinned in place, cut away from under the heading tape any excess fabric or lining, turning in such a way that the trimmed line of fabric and lining is just within the depth of the heading tape, which will then act to hide the raw edges. Your curtain will now be square again at the corner, with a neat flat join on the back angled up from the corner where the side turning meets the hem. Don't try and sew really heavy fabric with a domestic machine as it might be too thick on the hems, where you have to sew through a few layers.

Please Note: Should you find that your finished curtains are slightly creased then before hanging them you may decide to iron them. The pole pocket with hook belt and back tabs allows you to easily hang these curtains and customize the length to your liking. You will need to have planned how many widths of fabric (drops) you need and the required finished length of the curtains. Sew as close as you can to the folded-in edge of the hem, about an inch in from the edge of the fabric; if you’re not using a sewing machine, make sure you’re using a backstitch and not a running stitch to anchor the hem and remove potential issues with the stitching later. This is easy – you sew on pencil pleat curtain header tape to the top of your curtains, pull the strings attached to the header tape, and voila!

If there is a risk of this, cut off the selvedge edges that have writing on, but do not go too close to your sewn seam.First of all, before you can learn how to make curtains, check you have all of the tools and materials you will need. For instance, cotton voile can make breezy sheers while a heavy damask can add opulent texture to your windows. To make a mitre, unfold along the crease lines that you have made for the second hem turning and for the side of the curtain. The unlined design allows natural light to filter through while the room darkening fabric blocks out unwanted light, making them perfect for bedrooms, nurseries, or any room where you need to control the light.

Measure from the top side of the curtain rod down to where you want the hem of your curtain panel to sit. Pencil Pleat tape – by pulling out the gathering strings from one end and knotting them securely together on the reverse (non-pocket) side of the tape. Make sure you don’t have any eyelets touching the left and right sides of your curtain panel, since 4 in (10 cm) of fabric will be used for the hems on either side.If the fabric is more than about 10cm (4") wider than the lining, you will need to allow extra drop(s) of lining to fully span the fabric width.