Ready-made curtains bought in the store are rarely the right length. And even custom-made curtains may require additional processing (for example, if you installed a different curtain rod for some reason). How to properly hem the curtains so as not to redo the work several times? Use the tips below. The easiest way to hem a curtain is with a sewing machine, but you can also do it by hand. In this case, you will spend a little more time, but the aesthetic side of the item will not suffer at all.
General tips
For all types of edging, there are a few rules to make the process easier.
- Choose the thread to match the fabric. On most fabrics, her straight stitch will be invisible.
- For fabrics with a lot of fraying, finish the edge with a sewing machine using a zigzag stitch at the maximum pitch.
- Double hem can be used on all types of curtains except those with lining. How to hem lined curtains, see below.
- To make the hem look beautiful, and the threads were not visible from the front side, use a hiddenthe seam. For its implementation, one warp thread is captured with a needle. Most sewing machines also have a blind stitch function.
- Be sure to baste the hem. Make long stitches and use additional pins.
- After basting, iron the fold. To avoid distortion, pin the fabric to the ironing board with pins or spread a smooth blanket on the floor and iron the curtain on it.
- How to hem the curtains with your own hands, so that in the end they hang evenly? Special weights are sewn into the lower edge of the curtains, then the curtain hangs evenly and does not wrinkle from below. Weights come in the form of a weighting cord, metal discs or a solid chain. They are hidden in the hem, in the corners, or small pockets are sewn to the wrong side. Some have holes and can be attached to the fabric like buttons. For curtains made of thick fabric, heavy weights are used, and for tulle, a weighting cord is used along the entire length of the hem. To prevent the cord from dangling, it is attached to the fabric manually through segments of 20-30 cm.
Sew by hand
First iron the curtains and hang them over the window. If the fabric is heavy, let it hang for a few days. Measure the desired length, pin it with pins or measure centimeters with a ruler. How to hem curtains? The most common way to process the bottom edge of both curtains and tulle is a double hem. The allowance will be 7 + 7=14 cm. Add it to the length of the curtain, mark two lines with soap. One is the cut line, the second is the length of the finished curtain. Cut the fabric and starttailoring. Tuck the allowance twice, focusing on the marking line, sweep the hem. Press with an iron and start sewing with a blind straight or hem (oblique) stitch.
For thick fabric at the corner seam, the hem is cut at an angle of 45 degrees. Thin material can not be cut. First, the bottom is hemmed, then the side edge. But if you are hemming ready-made curtains, you can do the opposite so as not to mess with the side seam - there will not be much difference in appearance.
Type stitch
Now let's talk about how to hem curtains on a sewing machine.
- Double hem is sewn with a straight stitch to the edge, stitch length is about 3 mm.
- Another way is to process the hem with a small zigzag. The folded hem is turned to the front side so that it protrudes 2-3 mm. Sweep the fabric, then set the machine on a zigzag seam and attach it, grabbing the edge of the curtain (where 2-3 mm protrudes). From the front side, the thread will be invisible.
Seamless edging
How to hem organza curtains if the line spoils all the beauty? Perform a seamless edge finish. To do this, use a double-sided adhesive tape made of non-woven fabric. It is put into the hem and ironed. From temperature, the tape is glued to the fabric. Follow the recommended ironing schedule for synthetic fabrics.
How to hem lined curtains
First prepare the curtain. The bottom line is to hem without lining,otherwise the seams will be very thick. The bottom edge is cut off with an allowance of 12.5 cm. The lining is also cut off so that it is 12.5 cm shorter than the front fabric. To make the corners of the curtain even, the side seam of the fabric is made at an angle of 45 degrees. A hem is made by 5 cm, the second - by 7.5 cm. After that, the lining is smoothed. Turn the hem to the right side and hem to the lining fabric.
In the event that there is no need to perform a blind seam (if the line on the front side is invisible), perform a single hem of the curtains and lining, stitching them to each other with a straight line.
In some cases, the design of the curtain allows you to hem the bottom edge using braid or fringe. They also perform a double hem of the bottom, only from the inside they hem in addition a braid or additionally trim the front side with a fringe.
