AIBU to want long curtains ?

[Rosemary46]

New flat, tall ceilings, high windows, small budget.

Impossible.

Ikea , H&M etc only sell curtains that are 250cm long. Why??? There must be tens of thousands of properties like mine across the UK.

Everything “made to measure” is a bloody fortune. I have spent all my money on boring things like central heating and rot treatment for the bathroom floor.

AIBU to try to stick a bit of fabric onto the end of Ikea curtains somehow? Iron- on tape maybe ? I haven’t a clue- I can hardly sew on a button let alone make curtains.

I was gutted when I saw the length of Ikea curtains here. They are still 3m in France if you ever fancy a holiday.

The other thing to do is to get the plain Ikea ones and sew a contrasting panel on the bottom.

Unfortunately for the OP, they probably shortened them, for the UK market at least, because of low demand for curtains that long, and people complaining that the curtains were too long.

Also to reduce the amount of material used, Ikea seem very big on efficient production and 'marginal gains' type cost cutting - a few pence saved per item adds up to huge extra profits when you are working at the scale they do.

I’m struggling to get bedroom curtains I want some with a good thick lining as have French Doors in my bedroom, I saw exactly what I want in next but they don’t do them long enough

Long shot but if you are going to France the DIY chain, Leroy Merlin does really, really long ready made curtains.

I've tried to give you a link, but their site is down for maintenance. There is a big store at Calais.

Try curtains made for free - if you get a cheaper fabric it might not be too bad

Helpful to know magimedi , Ikea curtains are thin and I lined them myself - not the best. Wanted to replace some day with heavy ones. Trip to France vs cost of bespoke curtains might be a bargain!!

I've had door curtains from Dunelm. So quite long.

Local listings type free papers or newspapers are worth a try. My DSis got some great ( huge)curtains that way and I have had luck in unwanted bins in Laura Ashley and John Lewis. It's worth a look .

It is also worth keeping an eye out in charity shops.

I think John Lewis do them?

Basic curtains are quite easy to make - as pp said, perhaps time to learn how to sew.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=7cihK-Q2nBI
Many years ago I did this by hand as I had no sewing machine, just used a hemming stitch. Curtains were still being used 20 years on.

Curtains247 also does a wide range and their made to measure is not that much more expensive than off the shelf (and in our experience, was very good quality)

Do you have a TK Max near you? Mine sells a lot of American brands and they’re all at least 3m long

I got some from Amazon UK for some French doors with a big drop, as the IKEA ones were too short. I don't know why they are still long in France, as they are all shortish in Belgium. I wanted thermal lined as we live in a 1770s property, which can be draught. It cost me £200 for the set for the French doors, and a shorter set for the sitting room windows. They are plain, but do the job of keeping the draughts out very effectively.

Go on curtains.com. I just bought 300cm curtains from there for £67

EBay is your friend here. Some amazing bargains in designer fabrics. Keep looking regularly. The quality will be so much better than off the shelf

Laura Ashley do long sizes.... look at ex display ones in store or in one of their never ending online sales

Another vote for eBay.

Don't buy Laura Ashley, they sell you so many problems. They think two identical patterned curtains make a pair, which they don't. They don't pattern match either.

I'm not a professional curtain maker, but I do make my own curtains and blinds, and use professional methods. I'm slow, but people like the results. I'm so slow I've been in my new house for 15 months and haven't started the living room curtains (including huge double patio doors) yet! I've been practising on the blinds and curtains for the smaller rooms, and have white linen hung on suspension rods in the living room.

Sewing is a really useful skill, OP, and massively money-saving. You don't need to buy a brand new machine, you can usually find a decent secondhand machine at a reputable dealer.

Would Roman blinds work for you? They use a lot less fabric than curtains. You can usually add curtains or dress (non-working) curtains afterwards. There's a good instruction video on making a Roman blind here, written by professionals who subscribe to this site. I think MyDecozo is the best site for learning this stuff on the entire Web.

If you're interested in learning this (warning: it can be addictive), sign up at this site and you'll get masses of help, well laced with good humour.

Iron on tape is not designed for this and really won't work.

Anthropologie?

Lovely light long flowy curtains on there.

@FeistyOldBat hahaha I've been in my house 22 years and the roll of fabric is behind the sofa in the lounge 22 years later, no curtains yet!

@Ariela

Some of my rooms here have curtains and blinds made from fabric I bought for my previous house, where I was for 32 years, and never used. I was still married when I bought that, and got divorced in 2001. It's a Parkertex fabric and I still love it, but am not sure quite how old it is. It was well stored, with protection against moths, so fingers crossed I won't be replacing it any time soon.

Try La Redoute.

I've just checked and La Redoute does curtains with a 350cm drop.