Net Curtains

[Sean Regan]

We're a bit old-fashioned in that we have net curtains at our front windows. We've had blinds before, but they just collect dust. The nets we had were quite old and were a bit grey after several washings, over the years, so we decided to have new ones. I found all sorts of daft prices on eBay, particularly for "made to measure." So I tried Googling instead. I found a firm in Norfolk who would also make them to measure. My wife was doubtful about the price, as it seemed ridiculously cheap compared to some we'd seen. Anyway, as I was paying for them, I went ahead and ordered them.
After several weeks they arrived today. So after a thorough clean of the frames and windows, I put the front room ones up today.

I chose a deep hem and they are beautifully finished.

The size is 300cms X 145cms.

The price, post free? £32.78.
The ones for the front bedroom we had made full length, 300cms X 210cms, £47.18
I'd been quoted four times that price!


I don't know whether these were made by some sophisticated computer controlled machine, or little girls in China, but either way we're well pleased.


On the subject of curtains, I may have mentioned this before. With bay windows, any sort of track is a problem, if you want to get the curtains off the windows.
We have Swish track. It can handle the sweep of a bay window without any problems, but it won't normally turn corners.
On the left it has to turn outwards by about 30 degrees and then turn inwards by about 70 degrees.

On the right, just one bend of 90 degrees.

If you try to bend Swish track it will just buckle.

The trick is to use a hot air gun, slowly heat the track and carefully bend it, all the time running a glider along the groove to make sure you don't make the bend too acute. Once bent it will retain its new position.

 

[Sean Regan]

Second curtain is up.

Another example of the tight bends you can achieve with Swish curtain track using a hot air gun.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

Your net curtains look very stylish.

 

[Sean Regan]

Your net curtains look very stylish.

Thanks for that.
I've saved one of the curtains. I'm going to make a "box" of bamboo canes and use the net to cover our Stella cherries next year. It'll be more effective than the wide mesh net I used this year that the blackbirds could peck at so many of the cherries without being able to pull them through. The net will still let sunlight and rain through it.

 

[Sean Regan]

As I suspected, it didn't stop at nets.

"We decided" to replace all the curtains in five rooms.
We aren't in a position where we can go looking at curtains because of my wife's disability, just helping me with the measurements was quite an effort for her.

So it had to be done on line.
I sent off for some samples and she made her choice, (my involvement is just paying for them). They are similar in colour to what we have now. They all had to be made to measure and will have thermal linings.

This firm has had over 125,000 positive reviews (apparently).

Blinds 2go | Made to Measure Window Blinds For YOUR Home

Order quality window blinds online at Blinds 2go, the UK's largest and longest established Internet blinds retailer. Fantastic prices on Wooden, Roller, Velux, Roman, Venetian, Conservatory, Pleated, Vertical & Day & Night Blinds. Free UK mainland delivery on our range of window treatments and...

www.blinds-2go.co.uk

Like these but with pinch pleats for normal Swish track.

They'll be delivered in two to three weeks time.

Without the internet, it wouldn't be happening.

 

[Sean Regan]

Part of our order of curtains arrived yesterday and I put two pairs up. The long ones in the lounge and these in the front room.
I went for shorter ones in this room as it was impossible to draw the right-hand long curtains completely back because of the snake pit of wires behind the TV and all those of the three boxes of kit underneath it.

This could have been a very expensive disaster, given that my wife wouldn't have been able to go and look at material. I had to find a firm that would supply samples by post, (the nets weren't a problem), then make them up for us. However, it's all working out very well. They are of a heavy material and have thermal linings. So far I've got the measurements right! We got them from Blinds/Curtains to Go! I guessed with 125,000 positive reviews they would do a good job.

I've put the hooks in the new long ones for the front bedroom and adjusted the pinch pleating to the correct length. They can't go up yet as I'm waiting for some *gliders I've ordered on ebay.

But they and the other two pairs of curtains should be here before the week-end so the job will be done.

Wasting nothing, I used a pair of the old curtains to make covers for my jukeboxes in the tea-house. I was using dust covers, but these curtains which are made of a very effective thermal material, will help keep them warm in the winter. They each have a 60w bulb in the bottom of their cabinets on a timer to keep them as near room temperature as possible, as they don't like cold or damp.

Just a few tacking stitches to create the shape.

I can turn my hand to most things.

They'll be easy to lift off when I want to play them.

*Village DIY shop £2.49 for 10.

eBay £3.27 for 50, post free.

 

[Sean Regan]

Curtains are all up and thankfully I got all the measurements right!
The tricky one was this back bedroom, I didn't want them dragging on the top of the radiator but they needed to be below the level of the windowsill.

I've a mountain of old curtains to take down to the tip tomorrow. But I found a final use for some.

The doors of the tea-house let a lot of heat out in the winter, more than the two lamps in the bottom of the jukeboxes can replace.
I did have bubblewrap over the windows in the doors, but I've covered each door with some of the old thermal curtains to provide more insulation. Easy enough with a hand tacking gun.

 

[Sean Regan]

I was disappoionted in the final pair of curtains to go up in the front bedroom. There were a couple of slubs in one side and a few small holes in the other. Because it's plush chenille and the thermal linings are white, you could only notice the faults when the curtains were closed in the daytime, but given that just this one pair of full length made to measure curtains cost a few pence less than £500, "I wasn't having it."
I e-mailed thesupplier some photos with my polite complaint and they are having new ones made to replace them.