Something useful - A secret - And How to shorten pinch pleat curtains
So I thought I'd share a little secret with you. I do sewing! Yes, I'm a man that sews for a living. No, I don't sew seeds, I sew fabric. Anything to do with soft-furnishings to be precise.
Ok, it may not be the most masculine of jobs, but I don't care. It's far from being my dream job but I know how to do it, and it earns me money, so it's all good
Anyway….
As I'm sure you are aware it's virtually impossible to buy curtains that actually fit your windows. Like many people, You probably end up buying curtains that are too long and have to get them shortened.
That's not the secret though!
No the secret I'm going to reveal here is one that is pretty much guaranteed to save you time and money. If you can use a sewing machine that is! - Obviously, going by the title, this secret is to do with shortening pinch pleat curtains. (or drapes if you speak American 😁). .
These curtains to be exact...
This method will only work with curtains that have header tape / rufflette. It won't work for eyelet curtains.
So just to be clear...
Got it!... Good, let's crack on then!
The big secret!
The easiest way on plant earth to shorten your pinch pleat curtains, is to get someone else to do it!
But If you want to prove to your family and friends just how clever you really are - follow these simple steps. It's Easy… honest!
1. Fold down the Top of your curtain the amount you wish to shorten it by. In my case 4", then pin along close to the fold.
Yes! - I did say the TOP of your curtain! By doing this you can shorten both the face fabric and the lining at the same time... genius! For course if your curtains are not lined, you might as well shorten them from the bottom and not waste your time reading the rest of this waffle.
2. Rip off that header tape!
That's right, Rip that header off. Unpick the double stitching at one end of the header tape. Then holding the header in one hand and the curtain in the other, give it a sharp tug. That header will come right off. Then you have the boring job of removing all those little threads from the header tape. Or not, it's up to you.
3. Pin the header tape back on.
This can sometimes prove to be a little bit tricky. I would suggest pinning the two ends first then working your way to the middle. You will probably need to stretch the header as you go because sometimes, without stretching, you may find that it doesn't quite fit.
Personally, I like to get some kinda yoga pose going on here. After pinning the two ends of the header, I hold one end with my left hand (because I'm right handed), and put my right foot on the other end. Stretch the header out and using the pin you put along the fold, remove them one at a time, then put them back to anchor the header.
Once you've finished your game of Twister…
4. Time to break out that sewing machine.
With the header all nicely pinned in place, it's time to sew it to your now shorter curtain. Start by sewing along close to the fold. Giving all layers a little stretch as they go under the needle can help. You can remove the pins as you go.
5. Cut off excess fabric.
Lay your curtain out flat and flip the folded part back up so that you're looking at the lining. Then cut the excess fabric off along the center of the header. Be Very careful not to cut through the header gathering strings.
6. Back to the machine.
Well that's just the same as the first row of stitching, just further down.
Important note:
While using your sewing machine, try your best not to let this happen…
It happens to the best of us on the odd occasion!
It happened to me twice!
See!… oh, ok, it was three times, but that was all… honest!
Right… back to the task at hand.
7. Trim any random threads.
Yeah, do that, then make your favourite beverage, or check this one out!, sit down, take a look at your workmanship and admit to yourself how awesome you are!
8. Do the other curtain.
It's not compulsory, but I would recommend that you repeat the process on the other curtain. Unless of course you only intend to hang one.
The final step!
Hang your curtains, take some pics and brag to the world of steemit how you just did that all by yourself!
That's it for now folks! - Thanks for looking!
Regards and best wishes - @sivehead
Ps. Apologies for some photos being upside down. Hey, I'm human I can't help it when shit happens sometimes! I was using a new smartphone camera. I guess it's not as smart as advertised. 😋
Don’t be surprised if this one rewards you more than your comedy post @sivehead, you did a great job here dude. Anything someone can explain step by step as simply as you did, to a point where we can actually handle it ourselves, the community really appreciates it regardless if we own a sewing machine or not. Which, by the way I do not own one and it doesn’t make you less manly at all. Running a sewing machine in 6” pumps and watching repeat housewife episodes well... I’d probably rephrase that sentence.
I had that issue with my images too awhile back. What I learned was if I go to the image in my phone and ‘edit’ the image by flipping it 90 degrees one time, save it, (that’s step 1) then edit it again to whatever position you’re looking for, save it again.. in a 2-step process like that the image is proper when you post it.
Hope you don’t mind the winded response dude, great post! (I would’ve been this friendly even without the Beverage pic but dang whoever the guy is that made it must be a cool dude!)
Thanks @dandays, I thought it was about time I posted something use for a change. Thanks for the tips on the photos too. 👍
Oh, and just so you know, I only ware the 4" pumps and I've already seen most of the housewife shows, now I'm on to My kitchen rules... the aussy one. Gotta get ideas for #fff 😁
Good morning @sivehead. Your post didn’t do what I thought I would do yet, hu? Wth is that all about?! Dang market.. you just never know.
Well.. I really like it!
Well that settles It then... There needs to be more of you on this blockchain!
You rock dude! Even if you miss an entire Friday.
Thanks a lot for stopping by @sivehead.
Wow! I am thoroughly impressed sir. My god, how did you learn to thread like that? I mean, I can sew a button back on a shirt or shorten some pants but have never tried my hand at a sewing machine. Bravo @sivehead, the ability to impress and surprise us is a wonderful attribute to have.
Thank you @puravidaville. I guess we all take different classes in the university of life. I just happend to do a few terms in sewing. I find with a little pperseverance I can turn my hand to almost anything... well, that and Mum taught me 😁
That’s right, school of life teaches everyone. Moms have a way of teaching us stuff too. Great post!
Um, what are curtains for?
Well here in the uk, we tend to put them up at windows. They seem to be designed to stop people outside from taking snap shots while you and you're show each other intimate affection. 😉😉
Ah, I think we do that here on this side of the pond too, I'd always just thought they were climbing toys for cats... How can you put on a show for you neighbors if you cover up the windows?
Honestly, I don't think they'd want to see my hairy ass bobbing around anyway lol.
That'd learn'em not to look in people's windows!