Curtains

Excellent advice grannyticktock! That's what I do when making my own curtains. Get the hem looking right and then apply the header tape. I'm thinking seriously about going curtain free in my living room. I have double glazing and Venetian blinds at the windows and simply never close the curtains. They just gather dust. I like the fabric though, so I might make some cushion covers out of them.

For those who can sew a bit but are wary of trying to shorten lined readymade curtains, here's a tip: it's actually easier to shorten them at the top. Remove the header tape, cut off the required pieces, then sew the header tape back on again. Any untidiness from your sewing won't be visible once the gather-cords are pulled up, and the hem will be untouched.

Panic over, daughter 2 has offered to shorten them, so have just ordered some online.

If you google 'curtains' there are companies who will adapt them to whatever length you need.

I`m having a voile curtain anyway, but need full curtains as well so nobody can see in at night with the light on, I tend to get spooked by the thought of being watched.

I have three vertical blinds and one roller blind in my garage looking for a home .....

My kitchen window is at the front of the house and has the sink in front. I can't have a roller blind as everyone can see in when it's pulled half way up so had to buy a venetian blind. Bloody things, don't really like them.
As suzied suggests good old Wonder Web is the easy solution to shortening curtains.

Yes,I have a scalloped edge roller blind in the kitchen, it's a softer look, I leave it one quarter unrolled.
Any curtains I sew myself by hand ( haven't had a machine for years.)However the last ones we bought were thick and lined so I looked around for a local person to do it....they seem to be in every village and charge reasonably.

The blind that I have over my sink area has a pretty scalloed edge to it trimmed with lace fabric and the small flower on the material matches the tiles on the walls so very plesent to look at,leaving the blind half way down will stop the window looking blank or bare.Have you thought about a short voil curtain they come in all lengths from 20" you will have full light through the window as voils are so nice and transparent and easy to wash.Good luck with your search.

I was going to have a blind for a change, but I can`t reach across to the side of the window to wind them up and down, plus I don`t really like the blank window look in the daytime when the blind is up.
Ann, I know you`re not criticising.

I got a roller blind for my kitchen window. Curtains would be no good at all as the window is directly behind the sink and worktops. We bought our blind from Homebase, and have been very happy with it.

I also have roller blinds, quite cheap from Homebase.

I agree Merlot I would never have curtains in a kitchen. I have recently replaced Venetian with roller blind which are rolled up each morning and down again when cooking is over. Apart from splashes, material holds the smell of cooked food, get stale very quickly.
Sorry number not criticising your choice, just pointing out some pitfalls.

I bought some ready made curtains for our mobile home from eBay. They had various lengths to suit the widths.

Why not go for Roman blinds instead. They look great in kitchens and you don't have the nuisance of any splatters on the fabric.

Or an alterations service. We have a clothes alteration shop in the next village where they have done just that for me. They made cushion covers for me too. It was very reasonable.

I don't call hemming curtains sewing, but if you really can't cut a straight line and use those no sew hemming strips, take to a dry cleaner who will alter it for you.

Have you tried Amazon?