Author: Myra Butterworth For MailOnline

Published: January 23, 2021 03:20 EDT | Updated: January 26, 2021 05:41 EDT

Spending more time at home during the pandemic means that many unfinished household chores have been resolved.

This may mean eventually rearranging the cabinets under the stairs or thoroughly cleaning the garage door.

However, during the latest lockdown period, without involving a vacuum cleaner or a sponge and a bucket of water, how to develop more innovative projects?

I decided to meet the bigger challenge by making some curtains with linings and pencil pleats.

But it turns out that this is undoubtedly a bigger undertaking that I initially imagined-and it took much longer than expected...almost a year longer. 

New curtains: These homemade curtains are done according to our step-by-step guide 

I initially started the project when the first lockdown began. After 10 months, I just finished the curtains.

This is because I broke the exercises into bite-sized pieces and took the time to complete each stage listed in the guide made by John Lewis.

Some people may prefer to compress their work to a week or two. But other promises mean that this may not always be possible, and I am indeed the case.

I spent an hour here and there to complete certain steps, such as cutting only the lining or attaching the headband that secures the curtain hook. I can walk a few weeks between each stage.

Nailing and sewing: I make curtains from scratch, they include the lining 

Before and after: 15-year-old dyed beige curtains and my new gray pattern homemade curtains

I learned how to complete an exercise is the key, because you know where you are going. For the first time, some of the steps in this process seem very complicated, and it feels like you are walking around in the dark.

Thankfully, I got the help of a family member who has experience in making curtains. They sit in the background and help indicate if I pin the fabric in the wrong place or teach me how to refill the sewing machine spool.

She also taught me how to use a sewing machine—a key starting point—because my needlework course at school has become a distant memory.

She pointed out some things not outlined in the following instructions that will make your life easier, including having an iron and ironing board on hand to help press and mark folds so that they are clearly visible. This is especially useful if you cut a straight line.

It is also worthwhile to secure the fabric in place before reaching the sewing machine. The stickiness can be easily removed afterwards.

It is helpful to use an iron and ironing board to mark the folds during the curtain making process

Professional touch: use matching cotton thread to hand-sew the corners of the curtain

The iron is the key to smooth rough connections and edges for a professional finish

There are still many errors, including cutting the fabric when attaching the headband, which ultimately results in one of the curtains being smaller than the other.

The pencil pleats have tightly gathered fabric pleats, forming a semi-cylindrical heading similar to a pencil line.

From the closing of the header, the fabric rolls down freely. You can use pencil pleats for poles or rails.

Of course I will do a few different things, including leaving a larger gap between the top of the curtain and the headband-this is what I have seen on other curtains and prefer the appearance of the finished product. 

But in general, this is my first set of curtains, and I am very satisfied with the result. 

Now I am going to try again and make a set of curtains for another room-this time I will not be in the dark. 

Kerry Nichols of John Lewis. Said: “As we spend more time at home, the craftsmanship and production will definitely increase. 

'Making curtains may seem like a difficult task, but it is actually possible to make perfect locked projects, even for beginners. 

'Our free home design service is now virtualized, giving customers the opportunity to talk to experts who can help measure their windows and guide them in choosing the right fabric. 

"There is nothing like the satisfaction and sewing of making things from scratch can be a relaxing and focused activity."

The new homemade curtains have pencil pleats-these pleats are gathered together to form a semi-cylindrical title, similar to a row of pencils

The instructions below do not mention the stitched fabric, but it helps to hold it in place while sewing

Useful tips @ Carry a flexible plastic tape measure with you throughout the curtain making process

This step-by-step guide by John Lewis shows how to make a lined pencil pleat curtain.

It covers everything from calculating how much fabric you need to placing the hook in the finished curtain.  

Matching thread for curtain cloth, lining cloth, face cloth and lining cloth (select the main color of pattern cloth), pencil pleats, sewing machine, scissors, tape measure, ruler, pin  

1. Measure the width of the curtain track or curtain rod and multiply by the desired fullness. For the pencil pleat heading, multiply it by 2-2 ½ times, depending on how full you want the curtains to be.

2. Divide the answer by the width of the curtain fabric, which is the same for interlining.

3. Measure the overall finished drop of the curtain you want, and add the measured value of the hem and title (add 16 cm for the hem and 5 cm for the title).

4. To calculate the amount of fabric required, multiply the overall number by the width number. This will give the total amount of curtain fabric and lining required.

-If the curtain track length is 206 cm x 2.5 pencil pleat heading = 515 cm 

-Then divide the 137 cm curtain fabric width by the curtain track length we have calculated to be 515 cm = 3.75 width (rounded to double fullness or rounded to extra fullness)

-Then measure the required overall drop of 134 cm + hem 16 cm + heading 5 cm = 155 cm, which is the cut length. Then multiply by my 3 width = 465cm. Round 5 meters of fabric and 5 meters of lining)

-Then calculate how many strips you need by multiplying the width of the curtain fabric by 137 cm by the required width 3 = 411 cm. To be safe, and to allow turns (to hide the title band), round the pencil tuck band to the nearest 5 meters.

1. Cut the fabric to the required cutting length and cut out the required number of drops, then repeat the operation with the lining. If each curtain has half the width, this width needs to be divided into two parts by the length of the cut. This can be done by folding the long side selvedge-the finished side-to the selvedge and cutting along the fold. It is a good idea to mark the fabric with small arrows in the upper left and upper right corners of each cut. Chalk is useful for this because it can be easily removed after you are done. This is useful for indicating the front of the fabric and the direction of the fabric.

2. Connect the fabrics together with flat seams. Use a seam allowance of approximately 2 cm.

3. Repeat the process with the lining fabric.

4. Measure the total width of the curtain fabric and lining of each curtain. The lining fabric will be slightly wider than the curtain fabric, you need to cut it out, so it is approximately. It is 16cm narrower than the curtain fabric. This will allow the curtain fabric to be folded back onto the finished curtain along the front edge (inside) and back edge (outside).

5. On the interlining cloth, fold and press a double 5 cm hem along the bottom edge (turn the fabric twice), and then use a sewing machine to sew a flat stitch with a thread that matches the color of the lining. Repeat on both curtain linings and set aside.

6. Now fold the curtain fabric, gently press an 8 cm double hem along the bottom edge of the two curtains (turn the fabric twice), and then fix it with a pin. This can be sewn in many ways, depending on how confident you are. It can be sewn by hand with herringbone stitches, sewn with machined overlock stitches or machined with flat stitches. this is your choice. Make sure to use thread that matches the color of the fabric.

7. Place the curtain fabric face up on a flat surface. Now place the lining fabric on top, right side down, and set the bottom of the lining hem up 4 cm from the bottom of the curtain fabric hem. Align the edges or burrs and fix them in place along one side. Starting from the edge of the lining, sew a machine needle with a flat stitch on this side, sewing from the hem to the heading. Repeat the process on the other side of the curtain. It seems that the fabric is wider than the lining, which is correct. Repeat with another curtain.

8. Flip the curtains face outwards, and then fold/roll up the sides of the curtains so that 4 cm of curtain fabric is exposed on each side of the back of the curtains. When completing the next stage, it is best to fix both sides to hold it in place.

9. Fold the curtain fabric under it, forming a diagonal line from the corner of the curtain fabric to the corner of the lining, so as to flatten the bottom corner. This can be an invisible slip seam to hold it in place, or it can be secured by a single large stitch created by passing the twin tread through a needle, putting the ends together and knotting it so that you can sew four thicknesses String. Sew a stitch at the fold to connect it to the double hem, but not through the front of the curtain. Repeat several times to secure the fold in place. Do this near the hem of the lining. Repeat this operation on all four bottom corners of the curtain.

10. Lay the curtain flat, fold the top lining on the curtain cloth and lining to the desired height, fix it in place and repeat this operation on both curtains.

11. Now trim the excess lining so that there is a 5 cm fold on the top edge. Take the heading tape and place it along the top edge, about 0.5 cm from the top, leaving about 10 cm of excess tape on each side of the curtain. Fix it in place.

12. Fold the excess tape, fold the fabric between the two layers of tape, and fix it in place with a pin. Repeat this operation on all four corners.

13. You can now stitch the title band into place. First, work along the top edge of one side of the tape, as close as possible to the edge of the tape. Now remove all the pins and stitch along the bottom edge of the tape.

14. Pull the rope at the front edge of each curtain and tie them together with a double knot. Machine sew the open end of the tape on the front edge and repeat the operation on the back edge, but do not sew the open edge, as this will form a pocket for you to stuff the rope in after closing the curtain.

15. Repeat the process on the second curtain, remembering that the front and back edges are opposite.

16. Tuck each curtain up to half the length of the track or pole plus about 10%, so that the curtains meet in the center without popping open. Tie the rope, wrap them neatly, and then stuff them into the open pocket at the end of the tape.

17. Insert the curtain hooks into the tape at approximately 10 cm intervals. If you want to hang them on a pole, use the top pocket; if they are on the track and you want to cover the track, put the hook in the bottom pocket.

18. Now your curtains can be hung

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