How to add length to curtains

Have you ever bought some curtains and when you got them home they were too short for your windows? Or moved to a new place and your curtains were not long enough, but you didn't want to get knew ones? This blog post is going to take you step by step in adding length to your curtains so that you don't have to replace them.

Sewing Terms

First, supplies...

- a sewing machine (and all it's necessities and accessories)
- scissors
- pins (and a pin cushion for convenience)
- matching thread
- your curtains
- an extra matching curtain OR any fabric you want

Initial Settings

 When stitching a straight line these settings work best for me.

The grey ring tells me how long each stitch will be. The white/pink ring tells me which stitch style I am using. Fortunately, my sewing machine has a pictogram of all the stitch styles and their corresponding numbers.

For a single stitch you don't need a drastic width, if at all. So, I set to be in the middle so that my needle is centered.

Step One

Once you have your curtains, decide how long they need to be. Take a ruler or tape measure and measure from the bottom of the curtain to the bottom of the window sill. You need to cut strips of fabric to that length plus at least two inches. I had five curtains, but I only needed four. The fifth was beginning to unravel so I cut it into the segments I needed.

The length I needed was at least 8.5 inches so I cut 15 inch segments off of the end of the unraveling curtain. I made mine so long because I had to take off four inches before I could add on. If you are using a different fabric then you will need to finish the outside edges of the fabric so that its width matches the curtains.

**I will demonstrate how to finish an edge later in this tutorial.

Step Two

Find the end, or bottom, of your curtains. Mine has three layers and they are tiered, which means they are not the same length.

Take one of the segments you cut and one curtain and line them up along the bottom of the curtain.

Then, pin them, front sides together. You should see the back of the curtain/fabric. Use as many pins as you need to keep the two pieces in place. Since the layers of my curtain are not even I had to line up my segment with the shortest layer. If your curtain doesn't have multiple uneven layers then you should be able to just pin your segment to the very bottom. If that's the case, line up one edge of your segment with the bottom edge of the curtain.

 Sew them together. You can use to pins to help keep your line straight, but as long as you aren't making a zigzag line the front should look okay.

When you sew the two pieces together make sure you have about 1/2" to 1" of seam allowance.

Once you've sewn your fabric together it should look something like this.

 

Step Three

My sewing machine has a surge setting. I bought the machine off of a friend and I didn't receive a manual so I've had to figure it out on my own. Surging is what finishes a messy edge, like I have shown in the pictures above.

You need to cut any excess fabric you have so that your seam allowance is all the same length.

Once it is even all the way across, surge your edge. Here are my settings. I like to have max width for these stitches.

It should look something like this afterward.

You can clean this edge by cutting off the fly aways or using a lighter to burn them off. Be careful not to cut/burn the stitching that you just made though. Not all fabrics fray like this. Some are more co-operable and some are more difficult to deal with. Fabric like satin, seen above, likes to fray, unravel, and snag easily, but it's not impossible to work with. I just takes a little more care.

Now that your edge is clean, fold it down in the direction of the bottom of the curtain, which is now the unsewn edge of the segment you just attached. Sew it in place with a single, straight stitch.

This will help your curtain to lay more flat instead of being poofy.

Step Four

**There are two ways that I like to finish an edge. One, by rolling the edge over itself. Rolling the edge means that you lose length. If you decide to go this way you need to compensate by cutting longer segments. Two, by adding bias taping to the edge. Bias taping allows you to keep the length you have, but it's a little more time consuming. You can buy bias at Wal-mart or any craft store. (Bias taping is not tape, it is fabric)

Rolling...

This is how you do it. Mine is about an inch wide. Then pin it in place.

Once it is sewn, it should look something like this.

Bias Taping...

I had enough extra fabric, from the curtain I cut up, to make my own bias tape. Like I mentioned, you can buy bias tape. It comes in many different colors and widths. I cut strips the width of the curtain and about 5" long.

That gave me two inches of length on each side and about a 1/2" to roll under.

It should look like this when you put it on the unfinished, bottom edge of your curtain. You can move the bias tape up or down to make the curtain a little bit longer or shorter.

Pin your bias tape in place, but make sure that it is lined up on both sides.

Now before you do any stitching, you need to make sure that all of your curtains are the same length. Lay them out and line them up. If you they are not the same length, adjust the lengths by lowering or raising the bias.

(Mine were obviously not all the same length. So, I had to do some major readjusting.)

Once the curtains are as close in length as you can get, sew the bias in place. It should look something like this.

Step Five

I will be putting my curtains into the dryer in a protective drier bag and a dryel sheet to get out wrinkles and dog hair and to make them smell good again. This is cheaper than dry cleaning, for me. Any wrinkles left will be ironed out. I also iron them so that the fabric lays flat and isn't poofy. It makes the sewing work look more professional rather than homemade.

Alright...

That's all there is to it. Now, you have longer curtains that now fit your windows. Share your own projects in the comments below or ask questions about the process.

À bientôt. :]