Curtains for non-standard size windows

[Pleasedontdothat]

We’ve just moved into an old farmhouse which is lovely but the previous owners took all the curtains with them, leaving the poles and because it’s an older house none of the windows is a standard size. We’re in the haemorrhaging cash stage of house moving so don’t want to spend a fortune on beautifully made to measure curtains and I can’t sew to save my life … none of the ready-made curtain sizes will fit 😩

Any ideas which don’t involve selling a kidney?

extra wide or extra long?

Ikea! They sell super long curtains and you just buy as many as you need to go across the room.

Ikea only do up to 280-300cm drop which is often too short.

La Redoute do a decent range of 350cm drop, all pretty reasonably priced.

Also you can get a bespoke but machine made curtain online which are much cheaper than the fully bespoke. We were quoted £1.6K for one of our bay windows fully handmade, and lined and interlined, or £600 for ones machine made to our measurements, lined (not interlined though).

I bought from John Lewis, actually worked quite reasonable if you go for the less expensive fabric

They’re odd sizes width-wise so the standard sizes will either be too narrow or too wide. We’re going to splash out on the living room curtains but don’t want to be spending £££ on the spare bedrooms, but equally I want it to look reasonable!

So put more gather into a too-wide size (?)

If they’re not made to measure anyway, it won’t be an issue.

Curtains aren't mean to be pulled closed so that there's no gather, so it's fine to buy two (or three if the window is that wide) pairs for the one pole. They look better with gather, and are more insulating.
My mother used to say that nets/voiles should be 2.5 or 3 times the window width, heavy curtains 1.5 or 2.
I've also seen two pair heavy curtains and one pair of voiles used to good effect on the same pole - H V H. H V H. If that makes sense. That works where you are not overlooked.
Do you not know anyone with a sewing machine of any sort. If the curtains are, eg 7 inches short, you could always buy a bit of co-ordinating material and add a border at the bottom, eg green floral curtain and 7 inch plain green border at the bottom. That would be just a straight across stitch. You can also adapt this lengthways if needed, eg, a plain green border added so that when closed the pattern is floral/plain border/floral.

Curtains generally look better with more gather, so if your window is 190cm for example, buying the standard 229cm width will look good, buying the 168cm will look sparse.

I use floral as an example of course. Maybe you're more of a 'striped' type. I'm plain here with wild cushions.

I don't know what the rules are on advertising but a good friend of mine makes curtains if you DM me

Too wide isn't a problem. Just buy the next width up.
And if the widest isnt wide enough buy 2 pairs of curtains that will be wide enough, and hang all 4 curtains. Depending on the fitting, you can usually overlap them slightly, so they pull as one curtain on each side.

As a couple of previous posters have said, too wide might not be an issue as most curtains look better with some gather!

I used to sell readymade curtains in my job so if you post the width of the windows (include the frames) and the length of the drop you’d like (I.e if you want floor length give the length to the floor, window ledge length give that, or somewhere in between) I’ll be able to give you an idea of whether any standard sizes will suit, and if there’s any combinations you can do to keep costs down.

Dunelm made us lovely ones but I don't know if that qualifies as particularly cheap...

Absolutely what everyone else says, width is no issue whatsoever. I have 2 pairs of curtains at several of my windows, nobody can tell - so long as you use 2 pairs the same on each window that said my great Aunty used to have a right hodgepodge of pairs in her farmhouse that surprisingly looked great in a granny chic kind of way.

I’m now feeling dim that I didn’t think of getting the next size up 😂.

@babblingbumblingbandofbaboons thank you for the offer of advice 😊. The sizes are:
180cm pole width 160 drop
182 pole width 160 drop
150 pole width 160 drop
152 pole width 152 drop and 141 pole width 152 drop (same bedroom)

This is what I did - my windows are massive and the widest you can buy was not wide enough - so I bought the widest and one of the narrower ones - the narrow ones are on the outside and gathered up and the wider ones are on the middle and are the ones that get drawn. Works a treat and you would never even know! So much cheaper than the arms and legs needed for made to measure.

Annoyingly all the radiators are right underneath the windows in the bedrooms so floor length curtains won’t work

Buy ready made and alter them plenty of YouTube videos you’ll get sewing machine off market place for next to nothing then sell it on when finished

Can you get in touch with the vendor and ask if there are any of the curtains that don't fit in their new home, and could you please have them back? For a small consideration, of course.

I have floor length in my bedroom which has the rad under the window. I have fitted a blind (thermal and blackout) and so the curtains then get closed when the heating is not on or they just sit there for show!

Curtains2go are good. Loads of different fabrics, fittings and made to your measurements.

www.curtains-2go.co.uk

I've used them and they're really good.

I bought ready-made curtains on Wayfair. They're thermal and lined and am very happy with them. I used a curtain width calculator double-checking a million times. Long ones wouldn't work with the window-sill, had to adjust height a bit by hanging slightly high but they look fab https://www.wayfair.co.uk/home-decor/pdp/ebern-designs-carianne-polycotton-pencil-pleat-room-darkening-thermal-curtains-u003768979.html?csnid=66ECF77B-25C0-43BC-BDF9-4424BA53DA5F&emr=a73570e1-ba65-4544-956c-bd06cc332b10&&eml=ae5134fd-b95b-40e5-a480-19c92b90d58b&refid=EML43137&source=graymatter

Our windows are all 150-160 drop it is an odd size.

Just buy the next size up.
168 x 182 pencil pleat curtains will fit all those windows.
If it bothers you having them hang 20-30cm below the window, take them to alterations shop to have the top cut off and new pleat tape sewn on. This is a quick job for standard ready made curtains.

We have ours made by a fantastic local sewer. We got her contact details through a high street fabric shop years ago and she's our household MVP in a wonky old cottage where everything has to be bespoke.

It isn't expensive at all. New curtains arrived for one room this morning at £80 including fabric and lining, and she recently did us four very unusual large cushions for £30!

Have you thought about Roman Blinds. We bought online from blinds2go. Sizes similar to your windows. I did from the ceiling to the still and just as wide as the sill. Look very nice and stylish. 7 blinds for about £1500.