Sheer curtains / voiles with blackout blinds?

[Hallyracket]

We need to do something about light coming in to our bedroom so that I can throw away my eyemask.

Our windows are 5 metres wide and after getting advice from John Lewis we bought a supergliss curtain track which we need to hang first and then properly measure the drop.

Went back to JL and saw another lady who pointed out that the curtains are going to be very heavy because of all that material (and expensive!)

So, to cut a long story short. Would sheer or voile material with blackout lining work? If we'd been more aware then I would have bought a double track so I could have separated the materials.

5m wide curtains are going to be very heavy and prob not hang right, so I can see why you are thinking of voile. I think that blackout linings will spoil the floaty look of the voile though.
What about something like this pic? Would that work in your room?

you need decent curtains and the blackout lining. If you've bought a crap curtain rail which will only take ickle frilly sheer pointless curtains, take it back.

demand a refund from JL for selling you the wrong thing.

Threequarters - we don't have really have a split like that. The window is the entire width of our room.

Special - it's not a crap curtain rail it's a £200 + one

That window isn't split. The other set of two curtains is hung in the middle of the rail, iykwim. Spoils the wall of windows look, but 5m of curtains in one set plus blackout linings will not hang right.

The only way I have seen window dressings on a wall of windows successfully is when the blinds are incorporated inside the glass, or the glass is treated to go opaque when a switch is flicked.

Presume you don't want to reglaze

Supergliss re good tracks and can take weight.

Voile + blackout will look odd, and voile is a pig to sew so some curtain makers charge more to work with than ordinary fabric.
John Lewis , laura ashley are not cheap for curtains .
If you need cheap fabric try Dunelm

Your title mentions Blackout blinds but the text says curtains.
A window that wide couldnt take a B/O blind

Not sure sheer would look good with blackout fabric, although I've never seen it so what would I know

Are you concerned that the track won't take the weight of such large lined curtains, or just about the price? Some tracks can - I know someone with massive Victorian windows and they replaced the original brass poles with tracks and they glide really easily (but don't get corded curtains - that's what they got initially but the cords couldn't cope with the weight so they had them removed). I can't remember if their curtains are lined though.

Is your house old or modern? Would plain blackout fabric suit it? It does come in a few different colours. A lightweight curtain fabric should be OK though. You can also have the blackout lining separate from the curtain itself: a header tape is sewn across the top of the blackout fabric and you join it to the curtain by slotting the track hooks though both header tapes. It's an easy DIY job because blackout fabric doesn't fray so you don't need to hem it, although 5m wide might be a bit ambitious. It wouldn't reduce the overall weight but at least you could detach the pretty curtain part for cleaning/replacing in future.

Plexie - thanks for that info and advice. It is a modern house (mid century) and in our bedroom.

The black out lining is "champagne" coloured (cream?). I'm glad we haven't gone for corded after your story and I appreciate the advice about the lightweight curtain fabric at the front being joined so that they could be removed and cleaned. Thanks.