Made To Measure Curtains

When choosing your made to measure curtain fabric, consider the style and mood you want to achieve. For example, is it relaxed or more formal, minimalist and contemporary, retro-styled or traditional?

Do you want curtains that are the centre of attention and really pop, or do they simply just need to blend in with the rest of your decor?

Once these questions have been answered you will have a much clearer idea of what fabric to go for.

You can choose from the following made to measure curtain fabric categories

Plain curtains are very versatile and will give you lots of decorating options, they can still blend in nicely with any future decor modifications you have in mind. Also, if you already have an existing pattern scheme work with, plain curtains are a good safe option to give your room the required balance. If you’re looking for curtains that just need to blend in, try picking out a slightly darker hue than your walls as this will provide a soft, non-obtrusive look.

Semi plain curtains are obviously less neutral than a plain fabric, however, if you're looking for curtains that will provide a little bit of excitement, while at the same time not being too dominant, selecting a semi plain fabric may be a better option for you.

Patterned curtains are great for making a statement and will give your room an instant decoration. Large pattern designs combine very well with solid plain coloured walls, so don’t be afraid to be daring. However, try to avoid large bold designs if you have patterned furniture or wallpaper, as this may be too overpowering.

Floral curtains are great for creating a cosy and uplifting mood and can brighten up any room in your home with very little effort. From beautiful pink rose designs that are reminiscent of a traditional English country garden to exotic multi-coloured designs, perfect for conjuring up a warm tropical vibe.

Introducing striped curtains to your colour scheme is a great way to inject some energy into a room. Striped designs are ideal for minimalist and modern interiors, but such is their flexibility, they can look equally at home in the most elegant of decors. Vertical stripes can also help create the illusion of a larger room, for example, if you have low ceilings.

Dotted curtains can inject a sense of fun and can be easily used in vintage and contemporary decors. Polka dots look particularly lovely in women's and girls bedrooms of all ages, and to make this gorgeous fabric really pop, try incorporating it with white or neutral coloured walls.

Checked curtains are perfect for creating a warm and cosy atmosphere, especially during the autumn and winter months. Tartan fabrics, in particular, are very popular at the moment, and thanks to the wide range of traditional and modern designs available, you can easily conjure up the perfect mood for your home.

Decorating a kids bedroom can be really fun and choosing the right curtains can set the tone for the whole room. Pink is still the obvious choice for a girl, as is blue for a boy, but you don’t have to limit your options with just these two colours. For example, using reds, oranges, and yellows are bright and exciting colours that both boys and girls will love.

Choosing the lining for your made to measure curtains is very important and plays a huge part in the way your curtains will look and feel. Each lining will compliment your curtains in a different way.

For example, do you want a lining that simply adds an extra luxurious layer to you curtains, does it need to block out sunlight, or keep chilly window drafts at bay?

You can choose from the following curtain lining options:

Our Cotton Sateen Ivory Lining is crease resistant, with a high thread count and a soft luxurious feel.   

The high-quality Super Soft Ivory Blackout Lining is made from 100% cotton and will prevent light from penetrating it. The fabrics insulation qualities also help to keep out cold drafts.

Our Interlined Ivory Blackout Lining will give your curtains an extra layer of padding, which not only blocks out the light and help to keep window drafts at bay but will also make your curtains feel fuller and more luxurious.  

This 100% cotton lining is the ideal choice if you want your curtains to have a full and luxurious feel, with the added benefit of helping to keep out unwanted window drafts.

This high-quality Thermal Ivory Lining is made from 100% cotton with a lovely reverse brushed texture. It’s a great choice if you want your curtains to reduce window drafts, without blocking out the sunlight.

The curtain heading is the top section of fabric that will attach to your track or pole. When selecting your heading style, please bear in mind that this will dramatically change not only the appearance of your curtain, but it will also determine the type of track or rod to use.   

You can choose from the following curtain heading styles:

Our Pencil Pleat is a very popular choice of curtain heading and is suitable for poles and tracks. It's also commonly referred to as a Tape Top or 3” Tape heading (the 3” simply refers to the heading tape depth that is used). The “pencil” effect of the pleat occurs when the cords (located in the heading tape) are pulled.

The heading tape has a depth of 3” and will include five curtain track hook pockets, this is to provide enough flexibility when positioning the hooks, enabling you to have a perfect curtain drop.

Gathering the pencil pleat can be quite a tricky process, however, if you don’t want the hassle, we can do this for you!

Simply select the option when ordering your made to measure curtains online and they’ll be delivered with beautifully presented pencil pleats, ready to hang.   

Our Pinch Pleat is a decorative style heading that will give your curtains a uniform and neat finish. You can choose either a double or triple pinch pleat, each option offers a different look for your curtain. Double Pinch Pleats are a popular choice for modern decors, while Triple Pinch Pleats represent a more classic style.  

All Pinch pleats have a depth of 12.5cm and each one will be gathered by hand. Unlike pencil pleats, there is no tape across the back of the curtain heading and we use a stiffening buckram to ensure of neat and uniform finish.    

To allow ease of installation, your curtains will be supplied with fitted metal hooks which are inserted into the back of the pleat. Each hook can be repositioned to lower and raise the curtain, offering some flexibility to achieve an ideal drop.

We recommend using a pole rather than a track for pinch pleat curtains as they will look much neater when opened in a confined space.

Please Note: The width of the curtain cannot be adjusted.

Commonly referred to as a ring top, the Eyelet heading will give your curtains a modern feel with a neat and consistent drape style. This curtain is very straightforward to hang and very easy to open and close.

You can also choose from a variety of different eyelet colours to suit your pole and fabric:

• Polished Silver
• Satin Silver
• Polished Brass
• Antique Brass
• Matt Black
• Cream
• White

We offer the following Eyelet sizes:

• Standard 40mm Eyelets (suitable for pole diameters up to 32mm)
• Large 50mm Eyelets (suitable for pole diameters from 32mm to 42mm)
• Non-Standard 60mm Eyelets (suitable for bespoke poles up to 52mm, please contact us for more info)

Please Note: Eyelet headings are only suitable for curtain poles, not tracks.

Tab Top curtains, also referred to as loop top, is a simple heading style and a popular choice for kids rooms. We use the same fabric as the curtain to make the heading, however, you can specify a contrasting fabric, please contact us for more info. Each Tab Top is 10cm deep and will fit any curtain pole size.

Please Note: Tab Top headings can only be hung from curtain poles, not tracks.

The Wave heading is one the latest styles on the market and provides a lovely neat wave effect when the curtain is closed or open. To achieve the symmetrical wave effect a specifically designed track is used, which allows the curtain to hang directly below it. For best results, we recommend that you ceiling mount the track, although wall fixing is also possible.

Wave Heading styles are a very popular choice for contemporary and minimalist decors and suit lightweight or sheer fabrics much better than heavyweight material. If you are unsure about which fabric types to use, please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.

To ensure that your curtains achieve the ‘wave’ style we will insert the heading hooks for you prior to delivery, so your gorgeous Wave curtains will be ready to hang.

Curtain tracks and poles essentially do the same job of allowing you to open and close your curtains, however, it's worth noting that some headings are not compatible with curtain tracks:

• Pencil Pleat - Track or Pole
• Tab Top - Pole Only
• Eyelet - Pole Only
• Double Pinch Pleat - Track or Pole
• Triple Pinch Pleat - Track or Pole
• Wave Pleat - Silent Gliss Only

Curtain tracks are a great choice if you want a clutter-free minimalist look as they tend to be a lot less visible when compared to curtain poles. The track is mounted close to the wall and typically manufactured from white metal or plastic, curtain header hooks are inserted into each glider which can easily move along the track.

Plastic tracks are a convenient option if you have a bay window as they can be bent by hand to suit the window curve, we also recommend using additional mounting brackets to ensure a close fit to the wall.

Curtain poles can help provide a real impact, adding style and sophistication to your curtains. They are available in a wide range of materials and designs including wood, chrome, brass, brushed steel, and nickel, making them an ideal choice for both traditional and modern decors.

Wood is a soft and warm material which is perfect if you're looking for a cosy atmosphere. Metal, on the other hand, is very well suited to a crisper, more contemporary feel. You can also use curtain poles with the majority of heading styles, and fabric types which broaden your decorating options considerably.

Curtain tiebacks and holdbacks both serve the same purpose of decoratively holding back your curtains to allow light in with a beautiful sweeping curve, however, they each do so in a subtly different way. A holdback is generally made from a rigid material like metal, while tiebacks are typically made from fabric.

Tiebacks are made from the same fabric as the curtain itself, which makes it a great option if you want a subtle yet stylish way to hold open your curtains that blend in nicely with your made to measure curtain fabric. All of our tiebacks are finished by hand, giving you a lovely custom look.    

Holdbacks are most commonly made from rigid materials such as steel, nickel or brass, and need to be permanently fixed to the wall using screws and rawl plugs. They're a popular choice for modern and contemporary decors and look especially nice when colour coordinated with a matching metal curtain pole.

Now that you have chosen the fabric and accessories for your made to measure curtains, we’ll show you how to measure up. It's very important to make sure that your measurements are precise to ensure your curtains fit perfectly.

Before you begin, we recommend following items:

• Metal tape measure
• Pen or pencil
• Paper

We require two measurements when ordering your curtains, the track length and curtain drop.

For curtain tracks

Step 1 - Your track length is simply the measurement from one end of the track to the other.

Step 2 - Your curtain drop is from the top of the track to where you would like your curtain to finish, this could be just below the window sill, or you could go to the floor.

For curtain poles

Step 1 - The length measurement is taken from one end of the pole to the other, but don’t include the finials on the end.

Step 2 - When measuring your curtain drop on a pole, simply measure from the underside of the pole to where you would like your curtain to finish.

Eyelet curtains can only be hung from a pole, and we require the length and drop measurements before placing your order.

Step 1 - The length of the pole is taken from one end of the pole to the other (not including the finials on the end).

Step 2 - For the drop of the curtain, measure from the top of the pole to where you’d like the curtain to finish, we add the extra above the eyelet on the curtain.

Now that you've received your made to measure curtains, we’ll now show you how to hang them, and all you’ll need is your tape measure.

Creating your pleats

Step 1 - The pencil pleats in your curtains are created by three cords that run through the heading tape on the back. Locate the ends of the cords and pull to create the pencil pleats.

Step 2 - The overall width of the curtain with your newly created pleats will need to be half the length of your track plus a little extra.

Step 3 - You’ll need to make sure that the curtains are the correct width for the track. For example, if your track length is 120cm, each curtain needs to be approximately 65cm (just over half the length of the track).

Step 4 - Once you're happy with the width of the curtain, you will need to tie off the cords on either end. To do this, simply tie all three cords together in one knot, then wrap the cords around your fingers and tuck them back inside the heading and out of sight. Alternatively, you can cut the cord ends off, but please bear in mind that if you ever want to adjust the width of your curtain for a different window, you would need the cord ends in place.

Hanging curtains on a track

Step 1 - Before hanging the curtain, you’ll need to place your hooks into the heading tape. There are five different positions where the hooks can be placed to adjust the length of your curtain, we would recommend placing your hooks into the second pocket down on the header tape.

Step 2 - Now that you have the hooks in place you can hang the curtain be simply clipping the hooks onto the track. If your track gets a bit stiff, just use some household polish along the top and your curtains will glide much easier.

Note: Always make sure you are on a stable platform when hanging your curtains.

Hanging curtains on a pole

Step 1 - Before the curtain can be hung you’ll need to fit your curtain rings to the pole, and also position the hooks on the heading tape. Of the five available positions on the heading tape, we recommend the 2nd pocket down.  

Step 2 - Count the number of hooks to make sure they match the number of rings on the pole.

Step 3 - Now that you have the hooks and rings in place you can hang the curtain be simply inserting your hook into the eyelet of each curtain ring.

Hanging curtains on a track

Step 1 - We supply all of our pinch pleat curtains with the hooks already located in the back of the heading tape. Before hanging the curtain, make sure the number of hooks corresponds with the number of runners on the track.

Step 2 - You can easily adjust the height of your curtain by removing and repositioning the hook located on the heading tape.

Step 3 - To hang your curtain simply insert the hooks into the eyelets on each track runner.

Step 1 - When hanging your pinch pleat curtains you will need some curtain rings which are supplied with your pole, and these need to be fitted to the curtain pole before hanging your curtain.

Step 2 - Our pinch pleat curtains are supplied with hooks already placed in the back. Count the number of hooks and make sure they match the number of curtain rings you have on your pole.

Step 3 - One of the great features with the hooks we supply is that you can remove them to adjust the height of your curtain, simply pull down on the hook and reposition it at any point within the stitched line.

Step 4 - To hang your curtain simply insert the hook into the eyelet of the curtain ring. 

Hanging curtains on a pole only

Step 1 - Before hanging your curtains we recommend fitting the curtain pole first.

Step 2 - The easiest way to hang your curtain is to bring all the eyelets together, then slot each eyelet of the pole from one end.

Step 3 -  Bring the last eyelet back across the other side of the end bracket and place on.