Curtains & Learning New Things

Plus a dash of lighthearted childhood trauma

Lately I’ve been getting back into hand-making and repairing things, specifically with textiles since they are my number one love. And in my humble opinion, a ‘craft’ almost anyone can get into when it comes to interiors and fashion. Hear me out, all of you ‘but I’m not creative’ naysayers.

Years ago when I was 22 I started sewing bags, imagining I’d be the next Kate Spade (in the mid nineties New York where I’d been living, hers were the IT bags of the moment, before she sold her company and it went mainstream. RIP Kate). Then I got pregnant and switched to sewing tiny clothes for my unborn daughter. I started simple, sewing vintage hankies onto white onesies to make little baby body suits with skirts. But eventually I learned how to use sewing patterns and it took off from there. For me it was instant love and I went on to create a kids’ clothing line as well as sew everything from cushions to curtains to dog beds as I started to get more into interiors.

Sewing makes so many things seem possible and it’s one more way of adding your own unique spin to your home. I’m not suggesting you go full Sound of Music and make dresses out of curtains (or more likely curtains out of dresses), but maybe start small and see if it does for you what it does for me.

Of the jobs I currently need doing at home there are few I can do myself. I cannot easily make a new dining table out of wood. I can’t install a cat-flap in my very thick living room walls. I cannot even begin to think about doing something like replacing my rotting French doors without the help of a tradesperson. I wouldn’t know where to begin building the sturdy mezzanine ladder I need to replace the wobbly temporary one (although this is one I may attempt next year once I buy a few more tools and watch hours of YouTube tutorials). A lack of skills and appropriate tools prevents me from doing these things on my own.

But I can make a pair of curtains or a square cushion cover. And so can you, if the idea doesn’t bore you to death or fill you with fear (although maybe that’s the perfect reason to try…) Along with painting walls, I think making home accessories with textiles is something many of us can do ourselves. Yes, of course there are plenty of affordable and readily available options out there when it comes to textiles for the home, with most high street brands now offering homeware, but once in a while you might want or need something very specific that you can’t find.

For the bay windows and aforementioned rotting French doors in my living room, I’d wanted some simple heavy linen curtains. But because of the odd length and width of both windows I struggled to find what I wanted ready made. I’d either have to have them custom made or alter store bought ones (altering existing things is another good reason to learn to sew). After ploughing all my money into the renovation, costly custom made curtains weren’t an option and even shop bought linen curtains can be pricey. I needed a few so the thought of buying new ones and then hacking off the bottom to make them fit didn’t thrill me.

So I opted to start fresh, making my own from fabric.

I’m lucky to have an interesting fabric shop and haberdashery near me with lots of deadstock and quite inexpensive rolls of fabric. While they didn’t have the linen I was looking for, I took a chance on a very wide roll of creamy cotton fabric that was a bit rough and open weave, but I had a feeling would change when I washed it. I bought half a metre to test my theory, for a grand total of about £4 and upon washing, the rough fabric tightened up and transformed into a thicker, softer, looser linen-like material.

After buying more of the fabric and pre-washing it, I went on to sew sets of curtains for all the living room windows. Full disclosure - the hems are still all held in place with safety pins because life got in the way of finishing them. But eventually they’ll be done and they cost a fraction of the price of new or custom made. And I am that smug person who likes to say “Oh those? I made them”.

All hems still need to be finished - and the lengths corrected - but I’m very pleased with the result of both sets of creamy curtains I made last year

I have a sewing machine and it definitely speeds things up, but if you were to start with a very simple curtain panel - with no curtain tape at the top which would be very hard to sew through with a needle and thread - opting for a tab top or a rod pocket, you could sew it by hand. It might take a while, but you could! And with a podcast (or six) on in the background and winter on its way, this could be your new way to zen out on dark evenings.

Having basic sewing skills opens up lots of possibilities. I found a large blue and white striped bedsheet in a charity shop for £1 last year and turned it into a shower curtain with a ruffle top for the newly renovated bathroom. See the video here). Years ago when I lived in LA and I was in my full kitsch era, I made a cushion from a pink and orange retro men’s shirt, using the buttoned up front as the cushion cover opening.

Wide angle view of my renovated bathroom with the hand-sewn curtain made from an old White Company bed sheet. I convinced my builder to make the curtain rod from leftover metal conduit and I love it.

With my latest textile project I challenged myself a bit further than my usual slap dash, basic curtain panel and committed to making a pair of thermally lined curtains for my bedroom. That’s three layers of fabric and more maths than I care for. I managed to drag out over an entire weekend what could’ve taken half a day because I’m easily distracted and I have a life.

But I finished them and honestly I think they are the nicest thing I’ve ever made. I bought the fabric at the shop I mentioned (well worth a visit if you’re ever in Thanet) with the intention of making a new shower curtain with a bit more colour than the previously mentioned pale stripey one. But when I held it up to my bedroom window whose current curtain is a cute but not quite right 80s or 90s floral eBay purchase, it looked so good I had to change my plan.

I always blame my job as a shoot stylist/set designer for my impatience with projects and my tendency to half-ass interiors jobs at home. On set things only have to look finished, tidy, styled etc. But with this project I forced myself to do it properly even though a couple of hours in and a fair amount of confusion from the tutorial I used, I was regretting my decision. But after the first panel was done and I understood the process more, I adapted my own process slightly for the second panel where I thought I could be more efficient or relevant to my own project than the YouTube I was following.

They are far from perfect and next time I’ll know how to make them even better and quicker (seriously, I’d do it again now that I’ve gone through the pain of the first time). As with most DIY jobs, one leads to another and so before I properly hang both of my lovely new floral (did you get the memo? I like florals) curtains I have to add a stronger curtain rod because with their triple thickness, they aren’t light and the cheap rod we installed a couple of years ago won’t cut it.

One of the hardest parts was making sure the pair were the same length and after messing up at quite a few steps and having to unpick sewn seams and re-do them, I eventually got them even. Result! I’d be so annoyed every time I looked at them if they weren’t even in length.

I’m looking for something new to learn. First I joined an amazing choir. Then after years of street running I’ve just admitted I loathe it and much prefer the off road kind and have signed up for a Forest 10K. Both feel like stepping out of my comfort zone, something I’m working to do more and more at this weird mid-life stage where it can feel like so many things are ending. Starting new things in mid-life feels rebellious. Some people are talking about retiring and I’m still thinking about what I’ll do when I’m a grown up.

So now I’m looking for something else to learn, to challenge myself. I should learn something useful like, I dunno, coding, carpentry? But it’ll probably be oil painting or Japanese flower arranging, let’s be honest.

If you’ve never sewn before this will probably all seem as daunting as I feel about building the ladder or racing up hills in a forest, but if you start small it could end up being your secret weapon to a personalised home.

Maybe start really small to get the hang of a needle and thread - replace the cheap buttons on a high street or charity shop cardigan like I just did. Eventually maybe invest in a new or secondhand machine - the freedom you will eventually feel is worth the pain of learning how to thread a sewing machine.

I think using a sewing machine is one of those things that has been given a really bad rap. I promise you it isn’t nearly has difficult as some people will have you think - this coming from an incredibly impatient person.

But be warned. Once you get the bug and you realise how easy it is to make things you’re used to paying for, you will amass piles of interesting sheets, dresses and all manner of random textiles picked up in charity shops, the discount shelves of department stores, flea markets, eBay…all with the intention of turning them into something new.

When I was little - one of four kids and often not much money - I remember us begging to go to McDonald’s and my mum saying she could make us a burger at home and it would be just as good - not the same mum, NOT the same!

My poor children have grown up with the annoying mum who insisted on making Halloween costumes, bedding, you name it, always saying “It’s not worth buying it. I can make it for you”.

But making your own curtains or bedding or dog bed or shower curtain can be as good - no, better - than buying the ones that everyone else has.

So, learn how to sew and traumatise your kids forever.

Imagine a border of wallpaper at the top of that left wall, leaving the raw finish exposed below because I still love it

Excited to finally hang some of my new wallpaper collection once we launch. The newly made curtains have helped me narrow down my wallpaper design/colour choice for my home because when you’ve designed them yourself it’s so hard to choose!

No respect