The window is an element of the interior. Its shape and architectural treatment significantly affect the appearance of our home as a whole. Curtains are not just a fabric behind which a window is hidden, but an element of its design. There are several options for window design: romantic, austere, businesslike "dressed". Whichever option you choose, you will need curtain tape. With its help, you can easily embody any daring ideas.
Instructions
Step 1
Purchase curtain tapes from a specialty store that sells sewing supplies. It is the braid that determines the number and thickness of folds on your curtain. When choosing a curtain tape, pay attention to quality. The characteristic waviness of the braid indicates its low quality. If your curtains are organza or voile, then it is better to buy a transparent thin braid. And if you buy a thick fabric for curtains, then you will need a braid with a thickness of 5 to 10 cm. Choose the length of the braid based on the length of the curtain and add another 10 cm to the required length for allowances and shrinkage.
Step 2
Before you sweep the tape to the curtain, do a wet heat treatment, because most tapes are subject to a 2-3 in 1 meter fit.
Step 3
Fold over and iron to match the width of the curtain tape being used. It is always necessary to attach the mounting tape from the seamy side of the product, along the front of the tape, at a distance of 1 mm from the edge.
Step 4
Place the curtain tape on the folded edge so that the bottom edge of the tape extends 1mm beyond the hem. The end of the tape should be tucked in about 1.5 cm on both sides. Pin the curtain and braid with knotted needles, at a distance of no more than 15 cm, perpendicular to the line being laid.
Step 5
Sew the top seam on the sewing machine while holding the fabric and tape tightly. Then sew the bottom stitch in the same direction so the fabric does not wrinkle.
Step 6
Pull out the cords from one side and tie them in a knot, do the same on the other side. If you have used wide tape, you will need to sew a stitch along each cord.
Step 7
The technology of working with curtain tape is as follows: bundles twisted from cords are stretched along the entire length. When the fittings are fixed to the product, the required type of tension is achieved and folds are formed. After that, it remains only to hang the curtain with hooks.
Step 8
It is important to choose the right braid initially. Curtain tape can be not only sewn on, but also hot-melt. These braids are designed for lightweight fabrics such as tulle. For heavier curtains, sew-on fittings are suitable. The tape can be supplemented with loops, seals, hook pockets. Also, do not forget to take into account the number of strands passed through the web.
Step 9
There are several types of curtain tape (curtain tape). Most often, a regular tape is used, creating a one-to-two fold, in a column. In addition, a tape is often used, which does not form straight folds in the form of a column, but a variety of patterns using a zigzag alternation of folds (butterflies, glasses, ribbons, etc.). With the help of such folds, correctly selected and matched, you can add style to the interior of the room.
Step 10
In addition, the curtain tape can be transparent or opaque. Sheer tape is only used for light, translucent tulle and organza curtains. Opaque tape can be adjusted to curtain fabrics.
Step 11
The width of the curtain tape can be from 2, 3 cm to 10 cm. There are tapes and wider, but they are less common. The most common options are tapes 2, 3 cm and 6 cm wide. Narrow tape is used when the tape serves as an attachment to the eaves hooks. A wide ribbon is more expensive, but it can form various folds. Such a tape will help, for example, to hide the old cornice. Hook loops here can be in several rows. Using the bottom row of loops, you can raise the top edge of the curtain over the eaves.
Step 12
When the cords are tightened, the curtain tape will wrinkle. At the same time, the width of the curtain decreases by one and a half, two or three times. This must be taken into account when calculating the correct consumption of the curtain tape.
Step 13
To correctly calculate the consumption of curtain tape, you need to take into account several parameters. For example, let's take a standard window 130 cm wide. The width of the window itself does not apply to calculated measurements; in this capacity, measurements of the width of the cornice are used when buying fabric and curtain tape in a store. That is, before buying a tape, it is important to know how wide the cornice is, because the curtain will be evenly distributed over the cornice, covering the edges of the window.
Step 14
Another important parameter is the gathering factor (folds) of the curtain tape. If you want to buy a braid with an assembly of coefficient 2 (i.e., for the correct formation of folds, the curtain must be pulled 2 times), for a curtain rod 150 cm wide, you will need 3 meters of fabric. And to process the cut edges of the curtain, you will need at least 3 cm more. In addition, sometimes the fabric will need to be aligned, so buy fabric for curtains with a margin. It is better to have extra fabric left than not enough.
Step 15
It is also better to take a curtain tape with a margin, especially if the window is large. Curtain fabrics, tulle can stretch a lot, but curtain tape does not have such a quality.
Step 16
When the curtain is assembled, you will need to remove three long extra ropes somewhere. They cannot be trimmed because they will straighten the crease when washed. To hide these ropes, you can make a small bag out of the same curtain tape and sew it onto the edge of the curtain tape. In this bag you can neatly remove the cords.
Step 17
After finishing the sewing of the curtain tape, it is necessary to pull out the cords from the other end and tie them in a knot so that they do not slip out of the loops. After that, cut off the excess edge of the tape, tuck it inward and stitch it. You may need to loosen the already laid stitches at the edge a little.
Step 18
Choose your needles and threads carefully. The threads should be thin, strong and elastic so that they cannot be seen on the front side. When adjusting the curtain tape, do not forget to replace the needle in the sewing grave. Do not sew tape with thick, blunt needles, as this will leave needle marks on the right side of many fabrics.
