Make Simple Wave Curtains & Dress them ! ...

* Dressing a window - details at end of write-up

Another pair of lined curtains have just been finished - basically made from oddments & costing less than £30.00!

For a spare bedroom, the curtains were designed for a window (appx. 5'  /1.5m wide) above a radiator. In the past I've normally had colourful walls & paintwork but having moved into a modern & relatively new house, I've decided to decorate/furnish it in a different way. I'm treating the house much like a 'blank canvas' with it being redecorated in magnolia & white. Boring?? no ... I shall be using COLOUR & introducing it into the room by way of a variety of 'other means' to 'bring it alive'.

In this particular room, the window doesn't allow much light to enter the room as it overlooks an adjacent brick & house wall & has no impressive view either! However, inheriting a modern chandelier (from the previous house owner), I decided to use some of my 'stash' of fabric (rather than buy new) & begin to create a few illusions! I loved this fabric when I first got it so this is where I'll begin! So to start:

Bought a few years ago: 4 panels of furnishing fabric. In a heavy ribbed cream calico, it had an embroidered purple flower motif (appx. 3" / 70cm diameter) at 10"/ 250mm intervals. These 'display' panels (section as per image left) were ideal for narrow windows but not a wide one. The fabric was unusable lengthwise as its width was too short for the curtain's drop.

For this reason, a complimenting fabric needed to be found as a 'trim' as an additional wide edging for the side(s). Looking at various furnishings in TK Max, I first came across a pair of wonderful ethnic-style cushions in bright colours that included purple. turquoise, pink & orange. They would be an ideal focal point & would integrate & visually 'vibrate' alonside the cream panels. A few days later (whilst buying paint in the local B & Q decorating store), I came across a single 'demo' curtain that perfectly colour-matched (packaging & sample at right) the floral motif. A medium-weight polyester with a metallic paisley design, they 'linked' to the ethnic cushions as well as having a design to visually 'lift' the calico (by highlighting & emphasising the sheen of the embroidery).


Also inheriting a metal pole with rings & only needing a basic & simple window covering, I decided to opt for making 'wave' curtains. They take less fabric, are less bulky & (if I could also somehow adapt some pleated heading tape from my store), I would additionally be further 'in pocket'.


Each curtain was made by cutting the lavender curtain lengthwise in half & stitching it to one edge of the embroidered panel. As I only needed the curtains to be lightly lined, I used a new polyester/cotton duvet cover (bought from Homebase) for the linings (I didn't want the extra weight or bulk of conventional lining fabric). My pleated heading tape was stitched on the curtain's upper edge & plain metal hooks inserted along the tape on every 5th 'hook pocket' (see image above). After finishing, the curtains were hung & then * dressed (click if you want more information relating to this). I'm now just waiting for the curtains to 'hang' so that a final image can be taken!

(NOTE: All measurements/calculations here are based on the rod, pole, hooks & tape that I was using - if referencing this for your own curtains, please ensure your own measurements etc.)