To think I should be able to return these made to measure curtains

[doodlydooo]

I ordered some made to measure curtains from Dunelm. They arrived today and I've just put them up and noticed there's a huge vertical seam running from top to bottom of one of the curtain panels. it looks like they've sewn two bits of material together to make up the width of the curtain as opposed to it being one large continuous fabric. They are a plain beige pair in quite a thick fabric and so the seam sticks out like a sore thumb.

Am I right in thinking this is not how curtains are normally? They cost £675 (for my garden patio windows) and so I was expecting something faultless. Feeling really sad and worried as they said made to measure means you can't return them. I am going to try and get them to either refund me or make a replacement.

They are faulty, your rights are different to if you change your mind.

Take them back.

Curtain fabric doesn’t come in infinite widths though, so if you have a wide window/patio, then it is not unusual to have a seam, although it would have been better if they had explained that when you ordered.
are they on a header tape? Once you pull the strings in and play around with how the pleats fall, it won’t be particularly noticeable.

edited: just noticed it’s only on one of the curtains? In which case, yes, I would complain, as clearly it was possible to make them without the seam.

The window isn't that wide. It is 240cm. My mum has much wider windows and her curtains don't have that problem.

It depends how wide they are. Standard fabric width is around 130cm (ish) so anything wider will have a seam.

Our dunelm curtains have this. It never entered my mind to return them but I was a little disappointed. We just put the seam towards the back of one of the rear facing folds.

This doesn’t sound like a fault to me, although I can appreciate it’s frustrating. You probably should have been informed that the width your chosen fabric came in would necessitate a vertical seam.

If one is ok then keep that and request a replacement of the faulty one.

Good luck dealing with them! Are they both like it?

Don’t let them just replace one unless they can guarantee that the replacement will be from the same dye lot.

You can buy double width fabric though ?

Vertical seams are completely normal but having one with and one without is odd. I think you should ask for a return on the grounds they are not symmetrical. Just be really sure there isn't a (better camouflaged) seam on the other one.

From the Dunelm website : "Please note: If your measured width is over 124cm your curtains will come with a fabric join to provide the full width required."

Curtain fabric comes in widths, you need to allow for pleats/gathers when drawn. I used to work at a curtain makers and you’d need the curtains to cover around 2 - 2.5 (or around there, it’s been a few years) times the width of the window to give fullness for the pleats. Depending on the width of your fabric you may have needed more than 1 width per curtain. It’s fairly normal practise but should have been discussed with you. Is it a plain or patterned fabric and what sort of header?

edit as just realised it’s just one curtain which is very odd and would suggest an error has been made

They are not faulty. If you look on the website, it clearly says if your required width is over 124cm, the fabric will have a join. It also says they are non returnable. If I was spending that kind of money on curtains (which I never would), I would have been checking and checking what the website had to say. I also wouldn't have gone to Dunelm - specialist curtain makers know how to make seams disappear. But you live and learn and sadly, this is one very expensive lesson.

Surely when you pull the strings for gather the seam won’t show. I have an extremely wide window in my room. Couldn’t afford made to measure so got two pairs of curtains. You can’t tell when they are closed because of the pleats.

It’s normal to have a seam.
It should be in a mirror image place in both of the curtains. If your fabric is pattered the pattern should match which helps ti hide it. It will be more noticeable in plain fabric.
As others have said, arrange the folds so the seam is at the back of a fold.
If only one of the pair has a seam I would send back.

If they are patio curtains its very normal to have a seam. There are standard widths of fabric and even wider rolls aren't like 3m wide which is how wide each of a pair of patio door curtains might be, if pencil pleat (which you would hope expensive curtains would be) rather than cheaper tab top.

Definitely demand replacements. Be firm not hesitant.

It is usual for wide curtains to have a seam but not in only one curtain of a pair.
Google ‘how to dress curtains’. This will train the seam to the back as well as making your curtains hang nicely.
I have made most of the curtains in my house but it is a time consuming job I hate. I am looking for somewhere that does really good made to measure curtains. I sent some back to John Lewis that were just too short. They did the measurements themselves.

Please ask for a refund or replacement.
If only one curtain has a seam that is very odd. And even if the other curtain did have a seam why are the seams so noticeable?
Call customer services and explain that the curtains are faulty/poorly made

I had Dunelm curtains made to measure for my patio windows. Each curtain is 2x widths sewn together, and I knew that would be the case. They look fine hung up. However, I’m not sure why you’ve got only 1 curtain with a seam and 1 without?

It s normal for curtains to have a seam. Ours were more expensive, made to measure and have seams. They get lost in the draping. In fact hanging curtains is an art in itself. Head over to YouTube for tips

To everyone saying these are really expensive - for made to measure curtains they're really are not expensive. Assuming a 2m drop and using 2.5m x the width and 1.3m wide fabric & hemming allowance you'd need 9m of main fabric plus 9m of lining fabric - plus make up costs which are pretty high as the fabric is cut to order and sewn up by a person (not made by hand as it'll be machined, but curtains are a lot of work). Ready made ones will be done on a piece work basis in a factory (probably not in the UK) so much quicker & cheaper to make - most of the cost of made to measure will be the UK based person making it up.

If only one has a seam I think you can try.

However I do think a seam is pretty normal in wider curtains.