Author Archives: Sibylle@CurtainsW6

Sometimes I’m asked to produce something from a remnant. A recent case in point was when a charming lady gave me exactly 4.05 metres of fabric, thinking it would be enough for a bedspread. Alas, there would have had to be five. The fabric had been discontinued so long ago that there was no ‘deadstock’Continue reading “Not enough fabric? Solution!”

Recently, a designer specified the following for a bay window in a dining room: Make four tightly folded blinds in a semi-transparent fabric, interline them and line them with blackout lining. The blackout spec was a mystery in itself: why in a dining room? (See also below, ‘Fabric choices for Roman Blinds‘) If these blindsContinue reading “Three-dimensional thinking”

“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”