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Re-modelling/re-working second-hand curtains for a new life

Re-modelling/re-working second-hand curtains for a new life

Introduction to re-modelling/re-working second-hand curtains

Pretty much everyone knows that buying second-hand curtains is a very good and sustainable thing to do. It's good for your pocket and great for the planet and making alterations to curtains through re-modelling/re-working is quite straightforward.

Curtains might be too long but the colours are great so get them taken up. Silk curtains of any real age fray up and down the leading edges. These can be cut off and creating a new edge will help the curtains stay usable. This re-modelling/re-working helps make the curtains look better and last longer and doesn't need to cost the earth!

The Sewing Room, St Albans 

We have recently connected with an alterations business called The Sewing Room, St Albans and run by Shelley Kingston.  The business is just down the road from our showroom which is very convenient for both Shelley and ourselves. Shelley has now done alterations for a substantial number of customers and all have been happy with the results. Potential customers of ours now know there is someone close by who could easily do alterations etc.

Curtains and cushions to Switzerland

Divinely Vintage sells second-hand curtains all over the world and Shelley has just completed one of the most interesting jobs involving both curtains and cushions. An existing customer of ours, recently saw a link on our WhatsApp group to a new listing on our website. This was for 5 pairs of vintage paisley curtains with fabric de Le Cuona, an American Company. The customer immediately rang us and bought 4 pairs of the curtains and put in a request for alterations.

Naturally we gave them to Shelley and she did the work and then made good use of the surplus fabric. Our customer made a request for cushions if possible so Shelley made two large and four smaller cushions She made good use of most of the fabric and using the interlining underneath to produce extra 'plumpness'.  Curtains and cushions have now gone to a large barn high up in the Swiss alps above Geneva!

Since then Shelley has done some more alterations for the same customer by lengthening a pair of William Morris 'Strawberry Thief' curtains using some old rust velvet we had in our showroom. The pictures of the before and after are at the end of this post. They're now off to the same Swiss barn!

Project Managing alterations to second-hand curtains

So that everyone is clear about how this would work let me immediately say that we would charge an admin fee of £25, no more and no less. Our money has been made by selling the curtains in the first instance and we are happy to liaise with Shelley on your behalf for any alterations.  The main thing to remember is the carpenters old adage "measure twice and cut once"!!

Re-modelling/re-working second-hand curtains for a new life
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Sustainability and the link to second-hand curtains

Sustainability and the link to second-hand curtains

Almost every day finds us reading about or listening to a news item about sustainability, carbon footprint and net zero. It is reaching the stage where nothing else seems to matter never mind the huge cost involved in achieving it.

Fortunately there is one way in which we can save money and contribute positively to the future of our planet!  Yes, of course, it's by buying and loving fabulous second-hand curtains! When I think of the cost of new curtains, often running into many thousands of pounds, why bother when there are some beautiful second-hand curtains around.

Recently we have taken in huge swathes of fine, often vintage, second-hand curtains and all of them want to be re-loved again. For example the five pairs of antique silk damask interlined curtains that came from a very large country estate in Northern Ireland. These all went off to a large cliff-top ex-hotel now massive house overlooking Cardigan Way in West Wales.

Then how can we forget the 5 antique red silk panels that once hung in a palace south-east of Madrid. They were looted in the latter stages of the Spanish Civil War in 1936/7. These disappeared until they turned up in the Famous El Rastro Flea Market in Madrid some 30 years ago. They were bought by clients of ours and were hanging in their Swiss house till they came to the UK.   The curtains came to us and 72 hours later they were on their way to a new life in a moated castle in southern Holland!

We have loads of clients in Scotland who have large draughty houses and buy second-hand curtains from us. Lots of the curtains they buy from us have actually come from other old draughty houses somewhere in Scotland.

Essentially the thing about sustainability and second-hand curtains is that all these beautiful curtains deserve to be re-loved again!

Antique Silk Curtain Panel from Spanish Palace - Picture 1"
Antique Silk Curtain Panel from Spanish Palace - Picture 2"
Antique Silk Curtain Panel from Spanish Palace - Picture 3"
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How to hang pinch pleat or goblet pleat second-hand curtains

How to hang pinch or goblet pleat second-hand curtains

When you buy pinch pleat or goblet pleat second-hand curtains from us there is some ‘stuff’ you need to know. The first thing is to buy curtains that are wider than you need if you want them to look great. This is because stretching the curtains to meet when you close them is not a good look. It is much better if the curtains have additional width so they look more relaxed when drawn closed.

However when you receive your curtains the next tricky step is to insert the hooks that we send you with the curtains. These hooks are evil monsters that need to be treated a bit carefully! Each hook resembles a squashed ‘s’ shape with a blunt end and a very sharp end. The sharp end is what you need to insert into the back of the pinch pleat or goblet pleat header. In order to do this grab a pleat in one hand and insert the hook up into the pleat at the back.

Tracks and Poles for second-hand curtains

Make sure all the hooks are at the same height or the curtains will look odd when you hang them. The height at which you insert the hooks depends on whether you are using a track or pole. If you are using a pole then do you want to see the pole above the curtains or not. If the answer is yes then insert the hook near the top of the pleat or further down if you want the pole to be hidden.

Getting this right will add greatly to your sense of enjoyment of your ‘new’ second-hand curtains. The hooks aren’t really evil monsters, they just look like it when you open the jiffy bag! Treat them with care and all will be well and so will your curtains.

If you think further reading would help then where better than this great article in House & Garden magazine.

If you have any questions relating to this guide or anything else please contact us on 07976 945697. Alternatively please use the Contact Us Form to send us a message.

Alternatively if you would like us to sell curtains for you just click here to find about how we do this.

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Understanding the ‘Best Width’ of second-hand curtains

Second-hand curtains that have either pinch pleats, goblet pleats or even taped pencil pleats have a definable fixed width. This is based on the measurements taken of the tops of each curtain and this width is not easily altered.

If you have a window that is 180 cms wide you should not be looking for a pair of curtains of the same width. This means the curtains will have to be stretched tight to be fully closed which is not a good look. Far better to have some give in the drawn curtains as they look relaxed and therefore hang much better.

In addition, most customers buying second-hand curtains would want their curtains to hang beyond the window to not take away light. This means that your track or pole should probably be at least 20 cms wider each side of the window. In the example above of the 180 cms window this means that the track or pole should be approximately 220+ cms.

The introduction of Best Width for second-hand curtains

When we advertise second-hand curtains on our site we don’t talk about window size. Instead we talk about the width of the track/pole that you would need. For curtains with pinch pleats, goblet pleats or fixed tape pencil pleats, we therefore came up with the idea of giving you a ‘best width’ for the curtains and decided on reducing the total width measurements by 15 cms less to allow for a better look. So for the example above where the width of the track or pole is 220 cms you would be looking for curtains at least 235 cms wide. This is why we give you the ‘best width’ and the total width.

This concept does not apply to normal pencil pleat curtains as we measure the ungathered bottom width of one curtain. This measurement then translates to the maximum width the pair will fit as one ungathered curtain approximately equates to two gathered curtains.