How to Make and Hang an Austrian Blind

How to Make and Hang an Austrian Blind

• Cut 1 piece of the main fabric and 1 piece of the lining to the required measurements. If more than 1 width is required, join them together using a flat seam and matching the pattern if necessary. Press the seams open. Make sure there is a full width in the centre with equal part widths added at each side.
• To make the frill join the strips together with a 0.5" (12 mm) French seam to make one long length, matching the pattern where necessary. Neaten each end by turning in a double 0.25" (6 mm) hem and stitch. Turn up a double 0.25" (6 mm) hem along the bottom edge, pin, stitch and press. Work 2 rows of gathering stitches along the top edge. Pull up the gathering threads until it measures twice "A" + "B". Adjust the gathers evenly.
• Lay the blind fabric, right side up, on a flat surface. Starting 1" (2.5 cms) down from the top edge, lay the frill onto the blind, wrong side up, with the frills facing towards the centre and matching the raw edges.

·  Working down one side, across the bottom and then up the other side, pin the frill into place, finishing 1" (2.5 cms) from the top edge at the other side. Adjust the gathers if necessary to help ease the frill around the corners.

·  Machine stitch into place, 0.5” (12 mm) in from the raw edges, between the 2 rows of gathering stitches. Remove the gathering threads.

·  Lay the blind, right side up, on a flat surface with the frills facing towards the centre. Place the lining, wrong side up, on top. Position it so that the raw edges match along the bottom and side edges.

·  Pin and stitch through all thicknesses around all 3 edges, 0.5" (12 mm) in from the raw edges.

·  Turn right side out and press lightly.
·  Lay the blind, lining side up, onto a flat surface. Cut 2 lengths of Austrian blind tape slightly longer than the length of the blind, making sure that the first loop on the tape will be 2" (5 cms) up from the frill seam. Position the tapes vertically on the fabric, alongside the frill seam at each side. Make sure that the loops of the tape are aligned across the blind. Turn under 0.5" (12 mm) at the bottom edge of each tape to neaten.
·  Pin and stitch the tapes in place. Stitch both sides in the same direction to avoid puckering.
·  Divide the width between the Austrian blind tapes into equal sections of 12" - 20" (30 - 50 cms) and mark a vertical line down the blind at each point.

·  Pin and stitch a length of Austrian blind tape centrally on each vertical line, turning under 0.5” (12 mm) at the bottom edge to neaten. Make sure that the tapes are parallel and that the loops on all the tapes are aligned across the blind.

·  Lay the blind, lining side up, onto a flat surface. Turn down 1" (2.5 cms) at the top edge and press the fold.

·  Knot the cords, to the wrong side, at one end of the heading tape and free them to the right side, at the other end. Pin the heading tape on the wrong side of the blind, close to the top fold, turning in 1" (2.5 cms) at each end to neaten.

·  Insert a cord tidy bag, approximately 2" (5 cms) in from the edge where the cords are free.

·  Stitch the heading tape in place along the top and bottom edges, making sure to stitch both sides in the same direction to avoid puckering.

Hanging an Austrian Blind:

·  Decide from which side of the window you wish to work your blind i.e. left or right. These instructions are for a right-handed operation; just reverse the instructions for a left-handed operation.

·  Lay the blind, lining side up, onto a flat surface. Cut pieces of nylon cord for each length of the Austrian blind tape. Cut each piece twice the length of the blind + 1 width.

·  Starting at the right hand side, attach a piece of nylon cord to the bottom loop of the Austrian blind tape and thread it up through all the loops to the top edge.

·  Repeat for the other blind tapes.

·  Pull up the cords on the heading tape to fit the blind track or batten and adjust the gathers evenly. Secure the ends of the cords with a sliding loop. Wind up the surplus cord and tuck it into the cord tidy bag.

·  Attach the top of the blind to the wooden batten, by pressing the heading tape onto the grip tape. Screw the eyes into the underside of the wooden batten, directly above each of the Austrian blind tapes. If using an Austrian blind track insert curtain hooks into the pockets on the heading tape and hang the blind on the track.

·  Thread all the nylon cords through the cord holders on the track or the screw eyes on the batten, working from left to right. With the bottom of the blind at window sill level, cut all the nylon cords level with the bottom of the window. Thread all the cords through the acorn and knot to secure.

·  Fix a cleat at the right hand side approximately halfway down the window. Pull up the blind and wind the cords around the cleat in a figure of eight to secure.

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Instructions on How to Make Austrian Blinds

Instructions on How to Make Austrian Blinds 

Austrian Blinds are in reality a curtain, and are made up as such with a fullness of twice the track or batten width. The only differences being that the blind is pulled up from the bottom to the top by means of cords attached at the back, and is made longer than the required finished drop. The extra fabric in the length forms scallops, even when the blind is in the lowered position.

Austrian Blinds are generally made up in lightweight curtain fabrics, they will hang better and exclude more light if they are lined. They can be hung inside or outside the window recess. If they are hung outside the recess they can be frilled at the side and bottom edges. However, if they are hung inside the recess, they look better if a frill is added to the bottom edge only.

Press & drape heading tape is attached to the top edge so that the blind can be hung from a blind track or a wooden batten. Grip tape will be needed if a wooden batten is used.

The instructions below are for a Lined Austrian Blind with 3 scallops, fitted outside the window recess. A 3” (7.5 cms) single gathered frill is added to the side and bottom edges.
The dimensions can be adjusted for other sizes of blinds.

What you need:

Blind track or wooden batten, 8" (20 cms) wider than the window.

Lightweight curtain fabric.

Lining.
4 screw eyelets, if a wooden batten is used.

Curtain hooks, if an Austrian blind track is used.

Austrian blind tape. (The length of the flat blind x the number of scallops) + 1 blind length approx.

Nylon cord. Approx (twice the blind length + 1 width) for each length of Austrian blind tape.

Press & drape curtain heading tape, approx twice the length of the blind track or wooden batten.

Grip tape, the length of the wooden batten, if used.

Wall cleat and an acorn.

How to Measure and Estimate Fabric Quantities:

• Fix the blind track or wooden batten in the chosen position. If the blind is to hang inside the window recess, fix it to the underside of the window frame. If the blind is to hang outside the window recess, fix it to the top or above the window frame. Attach the grip tape to the front edge of the wooden batten, if used.
• To calculate the flat length of the blind, measure from the top of the track or batten to the bottom of the window frame and add 20" (50 cms) (call this A) so the blind will have some fullness when lowered over the window, this allows for top hem and bottom seam allowances. Allow extra length for pattern matching, if necessary.
• To calculate the width, measure the length of the track or batten and double it, this allows for fullness (call this B). Divide this number by the width of the fabric to be used and round up to the next whole number. This will be the number of widths of fabric required.
• For a single gathered frill, 3" (7.5 cms) wide, you will need strips 4" (10 cms) long cut from across the fabric width. To calculate the amount of frill required, take the measurement "A" as above and double it. Add this to the measurement "B". Now double this figure to allow the frill to be gathered, with a fullness ratio of 2.
  Example:
  Window length = 60" (152 cms), so "A" will be 80" (202 cms).
  Window width = 30" (76 cms), so the track or batten measurement will be 38" (96 cms).
  So "B" will be 76" (192 cms).
  Therefore the amount of frill needed will be 2 x "A" = 160" (404 cms) + "B". Making a total of 236" (596 cms).
  Double this, making a grand total of 472" (1192 cms).
• To calculate how many strips are required for the frill, divide this number [472" (1192 cms)] by the width of the fabric. As this does not have to be exact work to the nearest whole width of fabric.
• Cut the required number of strips from across the width of the fabric, allowing extra length for pattern matching where necessary.

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How to Fit your Curtain Pin Hooks and Hanging your New Curtains

How to Fit your Curtain Pin Hooks and Hanging your New Curtains

You will need to insert your pin hooks to the top of your curtain approx every 5 to 6 inches apart. Start with a pin hook about 2 inches in from one side and work your way across. Then finish off with the last pin hook 2 inches from the other side. Nearly forgot you need to make sure you end up with an even amount of pin hooks in each curtain. This is critical to make them hang properly. You will see why when you come to hang.

If you find the last couple of hooks to close or to far apart then work your way back a few pin hooks along to even up the spacing.

Now to hang your new NO SEW wave curtains. You need to make sure before you hang your curtains that your decorative rod or track has an even amount of rings or hook gliders.

Next start to put your pin hooks into the rings or gliders. Making sure you have the right curtain hung on the right side. The half widths of curtain should be on the outside ends of your rod or track.

The stiff buckram header on your curtains will make hooking up your curtains a little awkward so take your time and bend it back and forth a bit.

Now you have your curtains all hooked up and hanging. The next job to do is to move the stiff header into position. To create the “Wave” effect we want we need push and pull the header back and forth. This creates the effect we need.

After you hung and dressed your curtains you will need to tie them into their pleats for a few days. This is to “train” them to hold their pleats. This is very simple as I have in the photo below use strips of polythene or anything else to hand.  The fabric I used in these curtains hung very well straight away. Usually though it won't.

So you will need to tie more than one band around the bottom of your curtains. I usually tie one bottom, middle and top. Then leave for a few days. If they still don't hang as well as you would like then tie them up for a few more days. So there you have it all very simple just follow the guide step by step and you can't go far wrong.
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Attractive Blind Styles and Blind Designs

Attractive Blind Styles and Blind Designs

Roman Blinds

Roman Blinds are elegant and has a tailored appearance. These blinds can be drawn up into horizontal pleats to allow just the right amount of light in to any room.

Roman blinds adds a touch of luxury and sophistication to any room. 

Roller Blinds

The Roller blind is the simple and inexpensive way to add style to a window.

Roller blinds are available in a wide variety of fabrics. The blackout range is the perfect solution to keep out the sun of your bedroom. The roller blind is controlled effortlessly and is effective and economical. 

Aluminum Venetians

The Aluminum Venetian Blind gives your window a modern sleek finish.

Venetian Blinds allow you to control both privacy and light. Venetian Blinds are supplied with a colour coordinated head and bottom rail, ladder strings and cords. 

Vertical Blinds

Vertical Blinds are easy to use and allow you to control light and privacy.

The fabric strips are available in 90mm and 127mm in a variety of colours and textures. These blinds can be drawn to the side to allow an unlimited view. 

Wooden Venetian

Wooden Venetian Blinds give your room an elegant and inviting look. It's available in a wide variety of colours and stains, making it easy to match existing furniture.

The wooden Venetians are made of solid bass wood and give you just the right amount of privacy and light control.

The cords are also colour coordinated and are easy to operate. The valance is colour matched and covers the head rail.

Woven Bamboo Blinds

Woven Bamboo Blinds are made from bamboo and jutes in a variety of styles.

These blinds are available in a range of wood colours and textures. The Woven Blinds allows light to filter through and adds a touch of nature into your home. 

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Attractive Curtain Styles and Curtain Designs

Attractive Curtain Styles and Curtain Designs

The art of Curtaining has been changed in modern years. The current trend leans in the direction of curtain designs that are delicate and effective.

Below, I will show you some attractive curtain designs and styles:

Goblet Pleat Curtains

Eyelet Curtains

Double Pinch Pleat Curtains

Tab Topped Curtains

Smock Pleat Curtains

Curtains with Kirsh Tape

Wave Pleat Curtains

Caspian Pleat Curtain

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The Best Way to Choose Headings for your Curtains and Drapes

The Best Way to Choose Headings for your Curtains and Drapes

Attractive average curtains, drapes, or pelmets can get a huge improvement in style when enhanced with some wow headings. I mention here the top seven headings that will set your drapes apart from the rest.

Goblet pleat curtain headings

The Best hanging technique: decorative curtain pole or curtain track using drapery hooks.

 This easy-to-achieve effect is stunning and one of my favorites. It has a rich, formal appearance and looks wonderful with woven fabrics or jacquards. Coupled with luxurious roped tiebacks pulling curtains back from your window, the overall appearance is timeless. For a true luxury look let your curtain hems drape along the floor either side of the window by about 15cm.

Triple pinch pleat curtain headings - also called French pleat curtain headings

The Best hanging way: decorative curtain pole or curtain track using drapery hooks. 

This is a much loved of mine for easy, yet tremendously stylish curtain headings. Use a fabric of medium weight so the pleats are not too thick or bulky when drawn together. The groups of 3 pleats are spaced apart. They are pinched together with a simple stitch at the base and fan out at the top. The base could then be accentuated with a covered button. This is a formal, crisp heading. It works best with other soft furnishings that are tailored and exact in their appearance.

Smocked curtain headings

The Best hanging technique: decorative curtain pole or curtain track using drapery hooks.

 Smocked curtain headings look very difficult to accomplish, and consequently many don't try this complicated, diamond-lace look for the top of their curtains. The smocked heading is so intricate it deserves to be the focal point of the curtain rather than any pattern detail on the fabric. The smocking shows up better when a plain fabric of medium to heavy weight is used.

Pencil pleat curtain headings

The Best hanging technique: decorative curtain pole or curtain track using drapery hooks.

 Pencil pleat is almost certainly the best known and most commonly used heading for curtains. The deep, crisp pleats are drawn up tightly to an even, neat form. Traditional pencil pleat tape has 2 rows of pockets, either of which can be used to suspend your curtain hooks. This means that you can use any type of curtain track depending upon whether you wish to hide the tracking system or not. Pencil pleat is a safe choice. It always look right, whether your furnishings are traditional, modern or casual.

Gathered curtain headings

The Best hanging way: decorative curtain pole or curtain track using drapery hooks. 

Occasionally called a standard heading, this is a simple gathered heading that uses a heading tape of around 2.5cm wide. When sewn onto the top of the fabric, you simply draw up the heading tape to the required fullness. It's a casual look, not particularly exciting or even elegant, but is exactly the right heading to use if your curtain top will be hidden under a pelmet.

Pierced curtain headings

The Best hanging way: decorative curtain pole or curtain wire system. 

Pieced top headings are recent. They suit modern rooms. Clean lines, chic spaces with plenty of light and graphic shapes. Details should be in your textures used. Light to medium weight fabrics work best and when drawn the curtains provide an almost flat, ungathered window cover.

Rod pocket curtain headings - also called channelled, cased or slotted heading

The Best hanging technique: decorative curtain pole or curtain wire system.

 Making up a rod pocket heading is the easiest of all methods to create simple drapes. A pocket is created into which you slide your curtain pole. This heading mostly hides the pole. It is a casual but stylish look and one that is best suited for curtains that are stationary. It works well if you use a blind at the window as well. No hooks or heading tape is needed for a rod pocket heading.

Before choosing your style of curtain heading, try and think about the visual effect you want to achieve. The style and shape of your curtain headings can dramatically change the look and impression of a room. Some headings are best suited to certain types of hanging methods and these are recommended above. Click "Curtain Hanging Methods" for more information.

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Decorative Curtains Finials

Decorative Curtains Finials

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How Much Fabric You Will Require to Make Your Wave Top Curtains

How Much Fabric You Will Require to Make Your Wave Top Curtains 

The first step

Before you decide how much fabric you need you need to decide what your going to hang your new curtains from. Is it going to be a rod/pole or a curtain track?

If its already fitted then great that save some work. Let's assume for this example that we need to fit the curtain hardware. As a rough rule of thumb I fit the rod or track half way between the top of the window and the ceiling.  If there's a lot of space over your window and think to go half way would look odd. Then fix your curtain rod or track a good 4 to 5 inches over the window.

Now How to measure the width

Once you have your curtain hardware fitted over your window, you can now take accurate measurements. The first size you need to measure is the width of your track or rod. Your curtain track or rod should be 5 to 10 inches wider than your window frame each side. The wider the window the more you go out each side. For example a window 4ft wide then 5 inches either side would be good. If your widow is 8 ft then go out 10 inches each side with your curtain hardware.

The reason for the extra width is so that when you open your curtains they can pull back off the window. The meeting edges of your curtains can come a little way onto the glass area but not to much or it starts to make your room a bit to dark.

Next how to measure your curtain length

If measuring curtains to hang from a rod/pole then start from the bottom of the curtain rod ring. Then measure down to where you want the curtain to stop. For example a few inches past the window sill. Maybe to just reach the floor and even sometimes to drape onto the floor (non working dress curtains usually). This measurement is called the “drop”.

If measuring curtains to hang from a curtain track then start from the top edge of the track and measure down to where you want your curtains to finish.

Cutting your fabrics

Now you need to clear the dining room table or your curtains are going to be really big. Then work on the floor as long as its a hard surface and clean. You will only need a pencil or chalk to mark the cutting line on your fabric. Also your sharp pair of scissors for this step.

We will keep to our 6 ft wide rod example for this, so we will need 3 drops of fabric at 93 inches long. If you are using plain fabric then simply cut 3 lengths at 97 inches (85 inches plus 12 inches for hem turnovers).

If you are using patterned fabric then you would need 3 drop of fabric again. This time it would be cut at 97 inches long. (85 inches plus 12 inches for the pattern repeat. This could be more if the pattern repeat is more).

Laying out the first piece of fabric

Cutting plain fabric:

Lay out your fabric ready to mark and cut then using your straight edge (my spirit level) mark a line across the fabric at 97 inches. Repeat this 3 times.

Then take one drop of your fabric and fold in half along the drop of the curtain. Then cut straight up the middle. This will give you the half width for each curtain.

That's it for the cutting of your plain fabric next step is putting it all together.

Cutting patterned fabric:

Lay out your fabric ready to mark and cut then using your straight edge (my spirit level) mark a line across the fabric at 97 inches. This fabric comes folded in half down the middle, I usually fold all my fabric this way so it fits onto the width of my table. It makes it so much easier when cutting.

The photo on the previous page shows you the pencil line across the fabric. I used my straight edge to do this line at 97 inches from the top. You can then cut along this line which will give you your first length of fabric. Now you need to cut another 2 lengths of fabric.

Next lift up the first piece of fabric and lay out more fabric. Then bring back your first piece of cut fabric and lay on top. Now you need to match the pattern by moving the top cut piece down the fabric until the pattern on the top piece is lined up with the pattern on the bottom fabric. You will probably have a few inches of fabric more at the top.

Then you can cut the other end of the fabric underneath. You now have 2 drops of your curtain. Repeat the whole process again for the third drop of fabric.

Then cut along the pencil lines. Repeating this couple of times will give us the 3 drops of fabric we need for this example. If you look at the edge of the fabric you will see a row of letters. This usually gives you the design name.

Then take one drop of your fabric and fold in half along the drop of the curtain. Then cut straight up the middle. This will give you the half width for each curtain.

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