Why do my expensive-ish curtains look crap

[Sickofhousestuff]

Hi, I’ve bought my first house so a newbie to house stuff. Unfortunately, my mum is not good with this sort of thing so hoping for some MN advice.

Why do my curtains look crap? Yes they will look better after a steam but I’m not loving the way they look. We have huge windows so had to purchase made to measure which wasn’t cheap.

Im thinking I need more hoops. DH wanted the curtains to hit where they do but I think it’s a shame they don’t hit just above the window sill. Tempted to get my sewing machine out and watch some YouTube videos!

Please help. I’m gutted. They look really different to the image on the website as well :’(

I see plenty of people have told you that those curtains need a good iron and for to be gathered using the tape at the top. Once you've done that you'll be able to see better whether you need more curtain hoops (depends on the weight of the fabric). You may also find that you need to train the curtains to sit neatly. Arrange the folds how you want them to sit and then use clothes pegs at the bottom of the curtains to hold the folds in place for a few days. You'll need to keep the curtains open while you're doing this, and it will look a bit odd but the folds will sit much better after you take the pegs off.

@Sickofhousestuff , did you go into a shop and give them your measurements? Did you measure from the curtain rail to under the sill and give the depth as the width?

Or are they ready mades?

PS - you could still get away with pre-made curtains because your windows are wide rather than long. Just buy two packs rather than one and hang two curtain panels on each side! They will still hang better if you iron, use the gathering tape and train the pleats though.

Is the fabric a linen mix, that would explain the creases.

Don't think the problem is too much material, each individual curtain can be the width of the rail, stretched out, that's how they used to be sold anyway. You need more rings, pegs evenly spaced along the tape, one in every third little pocket. Steam them - a woman in a curtain place once told me 'the creases will fall out of them naturally' - well, I hung them and they never did! You can also encourage them to hang in folds by putting clothes pegs on them for a few days, about three for each fold, spaced from top to bottom - my mum always did that.

Without wanting to sound harsh, they look like they're made of cheap linen and have been hung up by Stevie Wonder.

I'm not sure the material is right for curtains. They look too creased and have no weight to them.

They should be longer and hung tighter at the top, it will take a while for creases to fully drop out, my curtains took ages to be crease free

They're too short and with big windows like that eyelet curtains look better I think.

Eyelet curtains were a godsend, so much simpler.

@Janeandme thank you for the sweet message. Such a pick me up.

Luckily I think the kitchen turned out beautifully (if I do say so myself). I must have changed the tiles at least 3x.

Builders do need to come back and put a trim under the cabinets in the coffee area but not the end of the world!

Weird photo (too lazy to get out of bed) as I was showing DH I walked down to the shops and bought him some fruit.

wait and wash before any attempts at shortening

Ooohhh nice kitchen

I also think for next time, move the curtain rail up as high as possible so you can hang longer curtains.

Thank you! Will just stay in the kitchen until we move!

We've just had new curtains made for our bedroom. It has a bow window which is 4m wide. Each curtain is 5m wide and the strings are pulled so there are plenty of pleats at the top and they each measure 2m wide when the strings have been pulled. They fall about 2cm below the window sill and we have blackout linings.

If someone has made your curtains they should have made each curtain 2 or 2.5 x the width of your whole window. It doesn't look like they have. 2.5 x width gives you fullness but 2 x is often ok depending on the fabric .

Here is the John Lewis fabric guide to fabric measuring for curtains.
Just one of those things you learn OP- you'll know next time.

Can I ask where you live in the UK?

No clue you could train curtains- will absolutely do. Not got much on now the house is done!

The odd, cold evening? Maybe where you live. Personally I'd rather window sill length curtains than staring at some weird tucking arrangement all winter.

@Sickofhousestuff
I have curtains out of dunlem cost a hundred quid a pair so 5 pairs all half way down heater I just tuck them behind the heater when I pull them.

Gosh there are some really catty people on this thread. ‘Curtains look better to the floor’, ‘Eyelet curtains are better’ ‘curtains look better on a runner’ etc.
It would be very boring if we all had the same taste and anyone who thinks they know what perfect taste is needs to get their ego examined.

I personally think non deep but fairly wide windows with radiators under look better with blinds - but I guess that's just me -

Your kitchen is gorgeous though OP- personally I would have a rethink- that's an awkward shape for windows with radiators under- we've got similar in a room and have plain but modern high end blinds and I think this would suit yours

Other than that I would get them steamed , and go online to do a quick tutorial in hanging curtains- I never understood about this tape pulling thing either

We’re in Berks

Either steam or iron them. Thread a length of curtain weights into the hem the full width of both curtains (available from Dunelm )
Measure from the centre of the pole to one end.
Then gather heading tape to match + 2" to allow a bit of give. Look at the front to see if gathers look neatly evenly spaced.
Repeat the 2nd curtain.
Then judge how many rings you need , prob one every 4" and attach same number of hooks spaced evenly along the top. Where the curtains meet at centre, set the first hook 1" back to allow slight crossover of the curtains. Then hang.

DH would kill me if I wanted to redo the curtains. We are now flat broke!

First home, I guess you live and you learn!