When curtains appear too long, try sewing a hem, which can allow you to shorten curtains without cutting curtains to length so you can retain the fabric if you want to. Another way of shortening curtains is to incorporate a folded design with buttons as fasteners. Folding the curtain hem up creates a double hem.
Lay the curtain panel flat on the table, the wrong side of the fabric visible, the bottom edge toward you. Turn the hem up the by the allocated hem allowance and press the bottom edge. Pin the hem in place across the width of the panel. Typically, curtain panels have a 4-inch double hem.
Sewing a basting stitch along the folded section of the curtain provides a temporary hem and a cleaner look than pinning. Basted hems are attractive on both the front and back of the curtain. Sew a long running stitch to secure the folded material in place. Remove it by snipping off the knot and pulling out the thread.
To hem your curtain without sewing, you will use Heat'n'Bond Tape, which is essentially heat-activated, double-sided tape that holds strong on fabric. As I mentioned before, for a wide, thick hem, I highly recommend using the Ultra hold. NOTE: The Ultra Heat'n'Bond Tape usually results in a permanent hem.
Curtain hems are folded twice at the bottom, so you will need twice as much fabric for the hem. This means that you will need to cut your curtains longer than you want them to be. The longer the curtain is, the wider the hem needs to be; this will help make it look more proportionate.
To do this, start with your tape measure just touching the very bottom of your new face fabric hem, and measure down 1.5 inches (3.5 cm). Add a marker pin and repeat the process across the width of your curtain. Now grab those trusty scissors and cut along your marker pins, removing them as you go.
Short curtains. Short curtains and drapes are not ideal, and most often you don't want curtains that hang more than an inch above the ground. Too short curtains can not only look outdated, but they can also sometimes make the ceiling look lower.
How Long Should Curtains Be? Floor-length is the way to go unless there's a radiator or a deep sill in the way. Ready-made panels are available in lengths from 63 to 144 inches. Measure from the floor to where you'll hang the rod, then round up.
Place the tape at the bottom of the curtain with the glue side against the wrong side of the fabric. Iron, then remove the protective paper. Turn down the fabric at the desired hem length and iron again. Turn down the fabric at the desired hem length and iron.
Standard floor-length curtains should have a three to four-inch hem, plus another three to four inches for the double fold. Your curtains should then be six to eight inches longer than where you place your pins.
The 'Norm' if you like, would be to have a 3 inch (7.5cm) hem. However if you are making curtains that are quite large or long, you may find that a 4 inch (10cm) hem gives proportionately better appearance. Or, if your curtains are going to be quite short, hemming them with a 2 inch (5cm) hem would be sufficient.
Shortening the drapes can be a little intimidating, especially if you don't own a sewing machine or lack the sewing skills. It's not necessary to have them professionally altered as there are inexpensive, no-sew hemming options that you can do yourself.
Ideally suited for hemming dresses, skirts, trousers and curtains without the need for sewing, this pack of Wundaweb is available in a 20 metre roll.
Cut Your Curtains
Once you have measured your new hem and pinned it out, cut off the excess curtain using fabric scissors by following the pinned line.
If your drapes have polyester content, don't turn your iron up too hot or you'll melt your fabric! And that's it! Your no-sew hem is complete. This is a simple way to hem your drapes without a sewing machine and in no time at all.
Unroll a large strip of sticky-backed Velcro up against the surface where the curtain belongs, cutting it to length. Remove the backing from the rough, not fuzzy, side of the Velcro and smooth it in place. To affix the other half of the Velcro to the curtain, set the curtain on a flat, clean surface, smoothing it out.
While using fusible hem tape is a quick alternative to sewing a hem in place, it is permanent and cannot be removed. If you are hemming a garment that may need to be adjusted at some point, for example hemming pants, this may not be the best solution as there is no way to remove the adhesive once it has been fused.
For curtains that are way too long, you may have a lot of excess fabric left. You can trim this extra material at the end, but if you don't want to cut the curtains, make 2 or 3 folds so the excess material is tucked in neatly.