Author Archives: Sibylle@CurtainsW6

“Zahlungsmoral” in German translates to payment behaviour in English, the way someone typically pays their debts or bills.  When I was teaching Business, one of the early lessons was about the percentage of UK small businesses that cease trading in the first three years, which the textbook quoted as 60% – similar to 2024 statisticsContinue reading “Zahlungsmoral”

Roman blinds: there are two important considerations. Firstly, the chain of a Roman blind mechanism must be secured with a hook. This is to prevent children/cats etc. from strangling themselves. Secondly, at the back of the blind where the cords are attached to the rods, we need ‘handbag’ clips. Should someone become entangled in theContinue reading “Legal requirements”

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/apr/30/still-some-fuel-in-the-tank-the-perks-and-perils-of-launching-a-business-after-60 A desire to be creative pushed Sibylle Hyde, 62, from west London, to launch her own business after retiring from teaching economics last year. “I am a qualified upholsterer – I had taken classes since the 1990s. Since I enjoy making curtains, blinds, and upholstery, as well as cycling, I thought: ‘Why don’t IContinue reading “Guardian write-up”

There are a few common fillings for cushions:

It’s the best! Double pleat hand made. Why: 1. It looks elegant. But not fussy! 2. It pulls back into a small amount of space (which we call ‘stackback’) when drawn back. Handy for London. 3. It doesn’t need that much fabric, so saves money. 4. It can be adjusted accurately vertically by moving hooksContinue reading “My Favourite Heading”

If you’re choosing a fabric for sitting on, such as loose covers or cushions, consider its ‘rub test’. The fabric is rubbed repeatedly on a machine to see how long it survives. A value of 60,000 is very hard-wearing. Around 35,000 – 40,000 is a good quality fabric. If you only sit on it onceContinue reading “Which fabric to buy?”

Depending on what you would like to have on your windows, the hardware – meaning curtain rods, rails and blind mechanisms, as well as pelmet shelves (to which the rails and mechanisms can be attached) and all the different operating mechanisms – chains, hooks, rods and electrical motors. Please, before you choose the hardware/curtain fabric,Continue reading “The Hardware”

Roman blinds are enormously popular. They look smart, do not use a lot of fabric (and are therefore cheaper to make compared to curtains), can be made in ‘standard’, ‘waterfall’ – sometimes called ‘cascade’ or with a border or other embellishments. Depending on your window furniture they can be hung inside or outside the recess.Continue reading “Fabric tips for Roman Blinds”

If you were able to bag a bargain by buying a whole roll of fabric at a discount, you might want to think about why it was cheap. Especially designer fabrics (but any really) may not be printed correctly. Pattern drift is when the design on the fabric does not repeat at the correct intervals.Continue reading “Pattern Drift”

There are three main types: domestic, professional and overlocker. I have one of each. Professional ones sew really fast but can normally only do straight stitches. Domestic ones can be adapted with a walking foot: without it, the feed dogs that move the fabric along can only catch the bottom layer, but with this attachment,Continue reading “Sewing machines”