Bluebellgray - quote for made to measure curtains - practically fainted

[Poochypaws]

Okay so I love Bluebellgray. Have 3 pairs of their curtains already and several cushions. Looking for new bedroom curtains and loved one of their fabrics 'summer'. They seem to be doing less and less ready made curtains which is a shame because although they are not cheap at around £220 for the full length and full width ones (227 x 227cm) they are affordable for alot of people.

So anyway I asked for a quote to get a pair of curtains made in the summer fabric which was actually one of their cheaper fabrics (around £56 per metre compared to some that are £98 were metre). I asked for them in their standard size of 227 x 227 with normal linings and normal pencil pleat. So nothing out of the ordinary - just like the ready made ones but in this fabric which they don't have ready made curtains in.

Okay so my AIBU is going to be - AIBU to be shocked at this price?

Before we decide this lets have some guesses as to the quote.

So the curtains I already have which are same size, in equally nice fabric but ready made not made to measure cost me around £220 per pair. JL currently have them in sale for slightly less.

So now that we know the ready made ones are around £220 per pair for the 227x227 size what do we think having the same size of curtains made is another fabric would cost?

Anyone like to guess?

My friend had blinds made ,there was a woman on eBay that did it for a fraction of the lost. Really excellent workmanship,they are perfect.

I've always made my own curtains but to be honest these days with the cost of fabric (and clearly the cost of having them m2m) would buy readymades longer than I need and alter to fit. Would be much cheaper.

that's really helpful. Thanks for posting that

thanks that's helpful.

😂

thanks that would be really helpful especially if you could close the curtains so i can see the colours......

We needed new curtains for our boat as the old ones were falling apart. I looked at made to measure. Quote was £80!! for each curtain panel (140cm x 40cm) in the material I wanted (Clarke and Clarke Skipper marine) and I needed 10 panels!! I found the material reduced to £9 a meter and bought it online then my Mum gave me some old curtains she didn't want anymore so I took the lining out and used that, bought some header tape and youtubed how to make curtains and made my own. There was a great video and showed how to do it really clearly. They turned out really well!! Total cost in the end was about £80 and I had all 10 panels. Don't think I would be brave enough though to make my own with material at £56 a meter!

wow well done you. Also impressed you own a boat!

That is less than Laura Ashley would have been before they went bust

That's not a surprise. You've got £56 a metre x 5m per curtain x 2 curtains = £560. Add linings £50, header tapes, thread, weights etc (£10), and £50 per fabric width labour is another £200.

£820 ! vat?

I've just priced up four windows (8 curtains) assuming £17/m material (maybe wishful thinking), basic white cotton linings and doing all the work myself.

Home made, I'll be lucky to bring them in under £700.

For context, a friend’s parents bought curtains for 4 windows from Harvey Nics in the 1990’s and they were north of £8000. So yours sound pretty reasonable!

They use far better quality material and lining material. You can't compare to the ready made in quality

Blimey! Nearly £900 for a pair of curtains! Wayyyyyyy out of my reach. I'm gobsmacked.

30 years ago, a curtain shop quoted me £80 a width. My house was built just before the oil crisis in the 70s and each window needed 5 widths of fabric for pencil pleat. Ready made were out of the question.

So, I bought the Designer Guild book of soft furnishing and a janome semi professional machine for £750.

Made my own.

and just possibly when made to measure the maker is in the uk not abroad where wages are much cheaper ?

Op I was going to say £1k as well. How wide is the fabric? Assuming 120cm, that’s two drops per curtain x 3m to allow for turnings and header - that’s 12m so £600 for fabric s alone, unless I am misunderstanding. How could they then cost only £400?

Evrn if the fabric is 240 cm wide, that’s still £300 on fabric. Mtm curtains are such a ball ache to make. £879 is a bargain I reckon.

Sorry op I see you posted the breakdown. I wasn’t far off then. I mean if fabric is £50 pm and you need 11-12 m it’s not going to be £400.

Some good ideas on the thread tho, good luck

Ebay is good for bespoke curtains. Some sellers have none collected John Lewis orders etc.

Not bluebell grey but Laura Ashley In the past I’ve had Ready made curtains that were made from a cheaper (thinner) base fabric than the stuff you could buy in the same range off the roll.

maybe that is how the ready made are so much cheaper.

Most of your cost is the expensive fabric.
the lining will be about £4 per m so £50 ish
the labour is coming in cheap at about 1 days' work so these will be machine made in a specialist workshop. If you were having a local soft furnishing supplier make them handsewn it would be more.

Unfortunately high-end brand fabrics aren't cheap. I have learned to make my own curtains but I source and order affordable fabric online, ideally good fabric discounted. I had some heavy chenille for my lounge curtains that was £27/m that was pushing the boat out for me.

If you like those water-colour designs have you looked at Voyage outlet?

The ready made curtains will have been made in bulk in a completely different supply chain, so the fabric would have been much cheaper (at wholesale price) and probably made overseas.

I'd never heard of Bluebell Grey so looked it up ... stunning designs.

As someone who sews for a hobby, making long drop curtains is a PITA as the space needed to cut them out straight is tricky enough. I rarely even bother making my own curtains.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of sewing up some curtains and matching cushions for a ‘friend’ assuming she’d pay me something for my troubles. Reason I assumed was that her husband is a builder and he’d done a load of building work for us costing approx £150k in total, so we’d paid him fairly, not remotely mates rates. Her husband often does work for a local interior designer so knows full well how much it costs to have curtains made, even when you buy the fabric yourself.

She invited us round for a Sunday roast chicken lunch and I dropped off the curtains etc. and that was it. I think she decided that the meal was sufficient reimbursement…!

I normally never agree to sew stuff for other people so I’m especially annoyed with myself that I didn’t say no when she originally asked.

That was a couple of years ago so it’s a moot point now. 🤨

I also make my own. Over 10+ Roman blinds and 10+ sets of curtains so far. I started out of necessity with no money and a house with wonky, weird shaped windows and continue because I love beautiful fabrics and find the process enormously satisfying! Last lot was a set of 3 Roman blinds in a Voyage fabric and out of curiosity I got a m2m quotation for same dimensions, lining etc. Mine came in at a third of the price (about 300 compared to almost 1000)... although you obviously need to spend time making them up.

I Would say made to measure curtains that size at least 1500 quid. and that would be a good price