fabric for curtains

[feather]

I'm looking for fabric for curtains. This can be cotton and or poly or ??, or blankets, or sheets. I'm not looking for a quilting fabric which might be lighter weight than I want. Where might I find inexpensive fabric for this? Is my best bet going to a JoAnne Fabrics place and scoping out the sale tables? Anyone?

[grannyg]

I have used pretty rag rugs, draped them over the rods....rugs for the floor when tired of them...flat sheets in colors...

[sugarspinner]

I'd try the JoAnne's sale table. You didn't say how much you'd need, you know, a curtain, 3 long curtains, 10 short curtains or what. There's a possibility that you could find something at Goodwill that would work. If you go there, be flexible; think outside the box; be ready to re-purpose. How about towels? Blankets? Sheets?

[Maura]

I usually use good quilting fabric with a liner, either white cotton or something very dark, depending on where in the house they are.

[feather]

Currently, I have one bedroom with 3 windows, at least 4-5 feet long curtains, needing to shut out the light and insulate. Another bedroom with 2 windows, same issues, not quite as long. The family room, a double patio window to the floor, and two 4-5 foot curtains on the opposite end.

I'm replacing blinds with curtains. I've come to dislike the blinds in a terrible way, besides them being old and difficult to clean, they seem to have a personal vendetta against me, collecting dust and breaking up. I have some responsibility in all this, they were getting old and I didn't notice that they needed to be replaced. They aren't easily fixable.

Have you ever felt regret for a purchase? I regret the blinds, all kinds of blinds, horizontal, vertical, plastic fabric. DH regrets that I ever put them up, even though it was before I met him. They degrade in the most fantastic disgusting way.

I have lace liner type curtains on 5 windows downstairs, which I really like. They have served me well for at least 10 years. I've washed them and rehung them--but they are now fragile, which I didn't realize, we found out during the wasp epidemic.

So there are probably all told, 20+ windows that need curtains I need to make. I don't want them all the same. Each room different fabric/sheets/blankets, to have it's own personality (except the downstairs rooms, they need to be a little of the same in brown tone).

I have 2 working usable sewing machines and one excellent serger, so it is just fabric I need. The downstairs I mostly want a background of medium/dark/light browns with highlights of color, the bedrooms will have more personality in each room and be better insulators (2 layers or blanket type).

The hardware we've talked about and it will be plain non decorative upstairs and possibly more decorative pole w/finials downstairs.

I need to find 'pull backs' so I can pull the curtain to the side when the windows are open and we need more air or sunlight in that room (especially upstairs). I want something metal, curled, screwed into the wall next to the window, no tassles/strings/extra fabric/rope. So I'm looking for 40+ of those 'pull backs'. I ought to find a black smith to make them, utilitarian, the size of the curl, a 'C' shape between a persons thumb and index finger, curled to hold a handful of curtain. One end with a hole to put a screw into the wall, smooth metal any color.

I don't have an unlimited budget for these things and in order to keep my motivation up I need to like them. If I see a pattern/floral fabric, that I like, whether it is a sheet or blanket, or just fabric, then I'll go with it. I don't intend them to be any part of 'better homes and gardens' type of atmosphere. Though I must say I like leaves and vines and florals but not in a pretentious way. I just like florals and leaves and vines that remind me of the beauty in nature when I am outside. I've tried solids, stripes, polka dots--this is boring to me after a short time.

If the fabric isn't thick enough (for insulating or darkening the room), I'll put dark fabric as a liner and make them 2 fabrics thick. Twice the work at hemming, twice the price of fabric. Still better than too thin curtains.

Things I need to do. Wash the fabric to remove excess dye, so that when the 2 layer curtains get washed, one fabric doesn't discolor the other fabric and everything is preshrunk. Plan for 2-3 times the width of the window to give the curtains enough fabric to drape nicely. If they are two layers, they need less width.

Anything else I've forgotten since the last time I made curtains/drapes? It's been years.

This is just going to be a fabric finding journey.

[frogmammy]

My sister makes all her own curtains and swears by good quality queen/king size flat sheets. They always look VERY good, like they'd been bought at some high end store.

Seems like if you make out a list for when you're going to the fabric store...each room seperated into number of windows, colors, amount material needed...it would make it easier to shop for what you need.

Mon

[themotherhen]

frogmammy, I have made curtains out of flat sheets too, usually found at the thrift store.

[Deleted]

I made curtains out of that off-white drop cloth one gets to cover the floor while painting. It was for a hunting cabin but given the size and price it turned out pretty good. A pair of scissors, a measuring tape, and a hot glue gun was most all I needed. Note: there weren't any ruffles in the design.

[here to stay]

I'd look at discounted upholstery fabric, which tends to run heavier and denser weave. Also cotton or linen unprimed artists Canvas Fabric runs less than many for width of it but you need to make sure the weave is tight enough- it shrinks big time.

Also used draperies like on ebay are possible but of course it has to be sold by some really reliable. The pu cigarette smoke factor.

[wildhorseluvr]

Nov 20, 2017 0:38:40 GMT @deerjohn said:

I made curtains out of that off-white drop cloth one gets to cover the floor while painting. It was for a hunting cabin but given the size and price it turned out pretty good. A pair of scissors, a measuring tape, and a hot glue gun was most all I needed. Note: there weren't any ruffles in the design.

What...you couldn't manage ruffles with the glue gun? 

[feather]

Nov 20, 2017 2:05:55 GMT wildhorseluvr said:

Nov 20, 2017 0:38:40 GMT @deerjohn said:

I made curtains out of that off-white drop cloth one gets to cover the floor while painting. It was for a hunting cabin but given the size and price it turned out pretty good. A pair of scissors, a measuring tape, and a hot glue gun was most all I needed. Note: there weren't any ruffles in the design.

What...you couldn't manage ruffles with the glue gun? 

I snorted all the way to the kitchen. It gives me great fear to imagine what our curtains would look like if he was making them.

[feather]

Okay, well, these are going in the SE bedroom, where I have a quilt that is red, black, white, made by my aunt, for us. So the curtains will be blankets of black and white.

[feather]

The NE bedroom, where we are now. It gets the least wind and stays warmer. 6 panels. I'm ridiculously happy about the 2 fabrics so far.