I measure everything and cut the length. Try your best to sew close to the pressed edges. Trim off the selvedge edge. LET'S GET STARTED Cut off the selvage part of your fabric. May 7, 2018 - 12:52 pm . Please follow the link below! (Remember, fabric is most often 45-55″ selvage to selvage, so no special accommodations are necessary.) And along with new curtains for me, comes an easy-sew tutorial for you! Reply to comment . Since industrial loomed fabric often has selvages that are thicker than the rest of the fabric, the selvage reacts differently. For the bottom edge hem, you can make this as deep as you would like. Then you can still do this trick with a ruler. This process is different for patterned curtain fabric than it is for plain. Place your fabric wrong side up. Did you double-check your calculations? Selvage edges occur when crosswise grain threads, called the weft threads, turn back and forth as they are woven along the length of weft threads, which stay in place (secured at their ends) during the weaving process.Tiny loops are formed where the weft threads make each turn, and it is the little loops that keep the fabric's edges intact. Sew the bottom edge. Will the fabric shrink? When you trim off your selvage, know that that edge of the fabric is a true straight edge, so use it as a guide when you cut. Then Keep a wide ruler along the cut edge, with a side flush with the selvage. 1 1/2 times for thicker, and 2 for flimsier, which would mean 30" or 40" You don't have to be a professional seamstress to hem your curtains; there are plenty of simple ways to hem sheer fabric. The way you do this is by making a cut a little past the selvage (see above), taking a crosswise thread and pulling it until it gathers the fabric. Before I do any sewing the last thing I do is cut off the selvage, following it's line as closely as I can. Making Curtains with Plain Fabric: Measure down the side of your fabric. Along either side (perpendicular to the cut edge) are the factory-finished edges called the selvage (or selvedge). You are *almost* done now! Is there a way to stabilize the material. Before You Make Your Final Purchase . I’m definitely going to use that idea. A man at church had told me that he made the curtains for his home and described the process, but I was still oblivious. Reply. In knit fabric, the grain is there but it is different – it is called ‘direction’ in knits. If you didn’t cut yours off, I can guarantee you that’s the problem. Question: how should I cut the fabric? I love the idea of straps! I am Making full length lined linen drapes. Press once that full width of the selvage, then fold the outer edge again towards the first press line that you made. The greatest ever is if you have a cutting mat with grid lines. This will make a double-turned hem. Then pull the thread so that the fabric gathers (right). Cut one fabric width to length measurement B from "Calculating Fabric Yardage." Thank you! The next step is to cut your fabric into lengths a little longer than the finished length of the curtains you are making. Yippie! When making curtains, placing your pattern properly on the fabric is an important step in making your panel come out right. I didn’t forget.) If you are making a panel that’s wider than the width of your fabric, cut two lengths as described above and sew them together length-wise to make … With that said, for each curtain panel, cut a length of fabric that is the distance from your curtain rod to the desired bottom of the curtains, plus 8”. If not you will need to cut off as little as possible to straighten it up. Don’t fall into the trap of believing you can just cut a perfect square with a ruler and a rotary cutter. You can usually use the selvage as a guide. On the fabric both the selvedges will be finished to prevent unraveling of the fabric edges and is a hard edge which you cut off before using the fabric for sewing. I like the first answer, but here is another tip for sewing all soft washable fabrics. To make these softly gathered curtains I used 3 yards of fabric which I cut in half to create two panels that were 1 1/2 yards wide. Trim the selvage the length of the fabric; the tightly woven outer edge can cause puckering when you join pieces of fabric, so just cut it off. Thank you very much for this detailed tutorial about making curtains. 1. Measure three times, cut once. 0 0. Sometimes you will see it waver just a bit but it pretty much gives you a straight line. Anonymous. Using this piece as a guide, cut additional widths needed (E from "Calculating Fabric Yardage"), matching design repeats on subsequent panels. Here are the ingredients that you need. Sandy payne. I am having a lot of trouble with the linen stretching. You want your curtain to look right, don’t cha? You will typically find it on both the top and bottom edges of the fabric. These edges are bound to … Attached Thumbnails Reply. When you buy fabric off the bolt (in store or online), they unwind however many yards you want, then cut it off with scissors. I think I remember in my 4H class that you had to cut it off or it could pucker. 12-21-2014, 02:41 PM #2 nvb50 . You could either serge the … I would recommend cutting off the selvage next time. So, cut off the line of selvage in a straight line….and you have your straight edge of fabric to work from. Repeat for the second selvage edge. The answer regarding the fabric choice was pretty close, but you must cut off the selvage. Once the sheet is completely cut up the right side, you will do as you did on the other edges – tuck the curtain under the pre-ironed curtain seam, pin it all the way down the edge, and then sew it. 2. Do it. Or counter corner. Very often fabric near the selvage is unused and discarded, as it may have a different weave pattern, or may lack pile or prints that are present on the rest of the fabric, requiring that the selvage fabric be cut off or hidden in a hem. Hem the fabric onto the interlining using a slip stitch, and finish off the herringbone stitches on the side hems. Next, we need to make sure that the cut end is a straight cut. This is all about the fabric itself and its anatomy. July 17, 2015 at 4:44 pm. Start on the selvage edges (lengthwise, on each side) and press 1/2″ toward the wrong side. STEP 5: Squaring up a Corner (90 degree angle) My favorite method for creating a nice 90 degree cut on my fabric, is to match it up with a perfectly square table corner. This edge is usually white or off-white and might feel slightly thicker than the rest of your fabric. The selvage will warp when washed. April 14, 2015 at 3:50 pm. Cut your fabric. When I make curtains I use the selvage as a guide. It's meant to be cut off. You need to get all the materials before you know how to sew curtains. if you are sewing two pieces of cloth together…do you cut off the selvage or leave it on? Tina A says. Plus, it’s a whopping $4.99 a yard — if you’ve ever purchased enough fabric to make curtains, you know that’s a bargain. Cut your fabric the width of your window +4″ and the desired length of your curtain +4″ Iron fabric front and back. Traditionally, the original tab top curtains used to be made to fit the exact width of the window with no extra. Laying the pattern on-grain (parallel to the selvage edges) is essential. Do all the windows receive the same amount of sun or is one set of panels likely to fade more than the others? If you bought sheer curtains that don't fit your windows properly, take care to avoid ruining the fabric in your sewing machine when shortening. Tammy says. (Fig.25) You can now go to my new blog post, How to make interlined curtains … Some curtains have a bottom hem that’s as deep as 3 or 4 inches. Ok now i get it! In other cases, it may look frayed. On many printed cottons, the selvage edges are left white and unprinted. Fabric can also become off-grain in the dryer, when one selvage can shrink more than the other. Join Date: Sep 2012. Not every one has a cutting mat. Keep the following information in mind when laying out your pattern on the fabric: Pretreat and iron your fabric before cutting or placing your pattern are vital steps. Reply. Note these curtains are unlined — they definitely let in a lot of light and offer little privacy. The length of the fabric is measured along the selvage. Not cutting off the selvages before folding and pressing the side hems. From here, sew the curtain sides down from top to bottom with a 3.0 mm straight stitch. I cut off one scalloped selvage to create the top of the curtains (you could keep this on if you want longer curtains but I wanted my scalloped hem to fall just above the bed which sits against the wall). 2. The threads need to be perpendicular, and just straightening the edges won’t help. Use a long ruler and pencil to draw a line (or a rotary cutter and straight edge, if you have one) and make your first cuts parallel to both selvage edges. Step 1: To begin making curtains, straighten one edge of decorator fabric; cut off selvages. Location: Kankakee County in Illinois. You just have to align the selvages with it and cut off the extra. First off, do you have all that it takes to complete the sewing process? This is the main cause of that problem, and it happens almost 100% of the time that I forget to cut off the selvages. On each side of your curtains mark 1″ from the edge and 2″ from the edge with a pencil. Always measure twice to be positive before you cut. Your goal is to push the gathers until you reach the other side/selvage of the fabric. Cabinet height – 24 1/4″ (interior measurement from top to bottom shelf directly behind the cabinet frame) PLUS 4 inches extra to allow for the curtain rod casing. Is it better to cut long stripes parallel to selvage lines, or cut vertical pieces and connect them? Cut the selvage off. Do people deliberately cut off more just to make the selvage string quilts? The selvage edge is the densely-woven strip along the top and bottom edges of the fabric. Cabinets in Process. (Fig.24) You now have a completed interlined curtain panel ready for lining. Your curtain is ready for hanging (you will figure out the bottom hem in a minute. Thank you… you wrote all of it out in a way I could understand. Because we wouldn’t want you hacking your fabric in to unusable pieces, we feel this process needs a reasonably detailed explanation! It’s time to ask our friend, and home décor expert, Donna Babylon. The weight/texture of the fabric. It is woven different than the rest of the fabric and often puckers when the curtains are cleaned or steamed. I am making a new quilt and noticed the video suggests to be sure to cut off the selvages. GET YOUR FABRIC ON GRAIN: Cut a little past the selvage and grab a thread (left). It adds strength to the weave. Technically, 5 1/2 yds, cut into two, should leave you with 2 pieces that are 99″ long. I know in a lot of fabrics the selvage obviously should be cut off because it is white (off color compared to the fabric),and/or there is writing on it and that showing would not look good! Now this next bit is where things differ depending on whether you have chosen plain fabric, or patterned fabric, to make curtains with. 1 decade ago. Senior Member . In some cases, it may have a clean, finished edge. Trim it off to avoid puckering when you are sewing. After the shrinkage from the wash and squaring off the ends, I found that my fabric measured about 96″. like so many other things "it's personal preference" you're supposed to do it the way you are comfortable, it has become a novelty to make things from selvages. Those are really cute curtains. So do knit fabric have a grain? And the sides are rippling. Posts: 494 I cut an inch total Reply. Always preshrink the fabric before you cut it. No, because then you’d also have to give up sewing duvet covers, curtains, slip covers and anything else requiring fabric wider than what comes off the bolt. Once you finish one of the long sides, repeat those same steps to sew the other side of your curtain panel. Fold the fabric lengthwise selvage to selvage. If E is an odd number, cut one width in half lengthwise to create two half widths. 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