Making a door curtain - what do you think of my plan?

[TheProvincialLady]

I am not very good at making things [massive understatement] but we have such a draughty front door that I have decided to make a door curtain. My plan is to buy these: ready make Ikea curtains and then interline them with a lambs wool blanket I got for 99p from Oxfam this morning. So how does this sound:

1. Cut blanket to size, 2 pieces 138cm x 3m ish
   
2. Tack the blanket halves onto the curtains using stitches that are quite large on the inside but tiny on the outside so you can't see how crap my sewing is them
   
3. Put the two curtains together with the blanket on the inside and stitch them together all round the outside with a sewing machine
   
4. Buy some cheap dark material to sew on the bottom because it is bound to get dirty and frayed
   
   Is there method to my madness? Have I forgotten anything important? Please advise this very uncrafty person, thanks

[OneLieIn]

Sounds good to me. You might want to put some weights like pennies into the corners to hold them in place best. You could also sew or glue a leather piece onto the bottom to avoid the dirt.

Alternatively you could just buy that tape from the shop that goes inside the door to keep the draughts out. It is infinitely easier!

[KatyMac]

Instead of tacking you could either pin or use wonderweb type stuff

I would only sew the top & the sides - but I understand about the material at the bottom to hide the dirt

Remember the curtains will probably need shortening

I am guessing that together the curtains cover 1.4m - so individually they will only cover width of 70cms - is that wide enough for your door?

[TheProvincialLady]

OneLieIn thanks for the tip about the pennies - I will definitely try that. Unfortunately just using weather proofing strip isn't enough because the front door opens straight onto the dining room and has some stained glass panels (It's Victorian) so the whole door lets the cold in, not just round the edges IYSWIM?

KatyMac each curtain is 1.4m thankfully, so that should easily be wide enough for our door. Do you think that wonderweb is strong enough for blanket material then? It would be a great help if I didn't have to do all that sewing. Why wouldn't you sew the bottom up, out of interest?

[IotasCat]

IMHO a single door curtain is better than a pair for blocking draughts

[pushchair]

Hi I have made a curtain for my door and got a 'rising portiere' for it to hang from. It is a curtain pole that lifts and opens with the door. I need to re-sew mine though cos it is pulling away from the curtain tape cos it is heavy.

[KatyMac]

It will hang better with the bottom open

Difficult to know about wonder web

What are the colours? Is it worth making an actual sandwich?

TBH I would only sew it up along the top as a sandwich - curtain, blanket, curtain

Are you going to cut the loops off one curtain?

[OneLieIn]

Oh yes pushchair, rising portieres are brilliant. I saw one a long time ago and was impressed.

[snowleopard]

Have you thought about how you're attaching it, and allowed the right length at the top for that? Otherwise sounds good.

[KatyMac]

What gap between door & curtain? I seem to remember there is an optimum distance - but I can't remember what it is - sorry

[TheProvincialLady]

Oh pushchair you have made my life so much easier by giving me the proper name for what I was looking for....rising portiere (what a fab name it is too). I have been googling but never finding the right thing because I wasn't using the right term. Where did you buy yours?

KatyMac I will leave the bottom unsewn then. I might not try wonderweb and just sew the flipping thing. I'm 7m pregnant so there's not much else to do in the evenings. The curtain material is beige and the blanket is very pale blue - I just got it out of the bag and it is a Harrods blanket FGS (but not exactly in mint condition so I am still happy to chop it up). I don't get what you mean about whether it is worth making an actual sandwich, sorry! And as regards the loops - hadn't thought that far ahead As the curtain will be quite heavy maybe I should sew the loops together to make them extra thick?

Snowleaopard I hadn't given a lot of thought to the attaching bit but once I know how to fix a rising portiere thing that should give me some pointers.

Thanks all for your tips and thoughts.

[KatyMac]

You wouldn't be able to sew the loops together (or at least I wouldn't)

I would really just do one seam at the top and let the curtain flow - if it is too thick or unevenly sewn it won't hang well

By a sandwich I meant to sew the 3 layers together at the edges so you can see the middle bit (like ham in a sandwich?)

[pushchair]

I went into a local shop that sold things to make curtains-track,material,poles etc and described it and the rather upmarket man said oh you mean a rising portiere. I know it sounds very,very doesnt it. It was very easy to fix up.

[blithedance]

By the way, lined door curtains are only £15 in Dunlem, I discovered at the weekend. We just plan to put it on a short aluminium curtain track (about £15 too) that is bent around the corner so it pulls clear of the door.

I was having the same thoughts about some old curtains and a blanket, but the lure of buying off the shelf was too strong!

What you are proposing will make a very thick curtain and loop-tops don't slide very easily (from experience!), will you have space to pull it clear of the door when it's not cold/you need daylight?

[TheProvincialLady]

Oh don't say that blithedance Although our door is very tall so maybe a standard height would not work for us? Luckily we do have space for the thick curtain and I had actually taken that into consideration in one of my rare practical moments.

KatyMac my only concern with not sewing the blanket to the blanket is that if there is only one seam holding it all up, it will eventually give due to the weight of the blanket. I can see what you are saying about it hanging better though.

[KatyMac]

Once you are sure it is right sew the seam (next to each other) 5 or 6 times - or buy super strong thread - I know you can get it for sewing denim etc

[Mercy]

pushchair, can you explain how the rising portiere works - I can't work out where it would be attached.

Thanks

[pushchair]

just popped in to check messages am off to nursery will write on return.

[quickdrawnandquartered]

I haven't read all the other posts but I made a pair of no sew curtains for our bedroom. I got paint sheets from local diy (they were nice cream and yellow stripy ones) and cut to size. I ironed the seams with wonderweb.
I got those curtain eyelets where you cut a hole in the material and snap the eyelets in.
hey presto, perfect curtains for next to nothing.

[katch]

Can I suggest egging the pudding with a bobble trim where the curtains and the bottom fabrics join, for added prettiness?

Dunelm sell them, or sometimes curtain fabric shops sell it by the metre, or get it online.

[pushchair]

have looked at my portiere and one part is screwed into the door frame and other end into door. i seem to remember vaguely that I tried attatching it originally to wall but plaster was crap and nothing to hold onto- wanted it to cover whole of door including frame . now it covers door inside frame. must make new curtain soon so that I have a spare when one in wash. I have thought cheap fleece blanket in the past.

[soremummy]

How much was the portiere?

[pushchair]

sorry cant remember. couldnt have been extortionate[sp] though or I wouldnt have got it.

[soremummy]

Thanks have looked on ebay and they seem to be around £30.

[Mercy]

Thanks pushchair.

I've also found 2 companies which do velvet door curtains, just need to get my measuring tape out now!

[pushchair]

do you have a link to velvet door curtains?