New curtains puddling on the floor, or a charity-shop find swamping the window? Curtains that are too long are one of the most common jobs we are asked about at the shop. Here is how to sort them, and when it is worth letting someone else do it.
First, measure twice
Hang the curtains and decide where you want the hem to sit: brushing the floor, a fingertip above, or a deliberate puddle. Pin a marker at that point on both curtains and stand back to check they match. Floors are rarely perfectly level.
The quick way: turn up the hem
For light, unlined curtains you can turn the hem up and machine or hand stitch it. Measure from your pin to the existing hem, fold up, press, pin and sew. A blind hem stitch keeps it invisible from the front.
The tidy way: take them up properly
Lined, heavy or eyelet curtains are trickier. The lining, the hem weight and the heading all need to stay in proportion, or the curtains hang oddly. Done properly, the weighted hem is unpicked, the curtain shortened, and the hem and lining remade so it still hangs and swings like it should.
When to get help
It is worth handing over: lined or interlined curtains, blackout and thermal linings, anything with an eyelet or pinch-pleat heading, and treasured curtains you would rather not risk. If you would like them shortened and hung just right, that is exactly what we do.
We shorten, lengthen, reline and re-head curtains from our shop on Gloucester Road in Cheltenham. Bring them in, or read about our curtain alterations.