How to hem curtains on the go

Even though we live in an apartment, we have lots of windows in our home. More than that, most of those "windows" are doors that lead on to balconies. This means that over the years I've had to make, hang, adjust and replace lots of curtains. 

When we first moved in, I made all our curtains from scratch. But back then I had no kids, so there was a lot more free time to sew. Lately, whenever need (or want) to replace curtains, I just go to the store and buy pre-made ones. There's obviously a custom element missing but it's a much quicker and simpler process, even if I still have to hem them to size.

 

 

 

 

 

There are lots of quick ways to hem curtains, and by now I've used them all too. The most traditional method is measuring and pinning the whole thing and then machine sewing it. The problem is that I don't like to use so many pins (my fingers usually complain too much) and bunching up a lot of fabric under a small sewing machine like mine isn't always easy. 

Then there's thermal binding, It's quick, effective and especially easy for those who don't like sewing. In my experience, though, it you intend to wash your curtains periodically (I wash ours a lot because of allergy issues), most thermal bindings will fail your after a while. 

So what do I do when I buy new curtains and need them hanged, like, yesterday? I actually hang them in place and go from there. 

The photos in this post were taken a couple of days ago, when I had to put in place new kitchen curtains a short time before organizing a birthday party at home. As you can see, they were a bit too long:

 

 

 

(sorry, most of the photos are too bright because there is - luckily - and lot of light in our kitchen and we've been having - luckily as well - some great sunny days)

After hanging the curtains exactly as I wanted them, I got out my measuring tape and decided how much I needed to fold the bottom of the curtains inward. 

And then I just started sewing the hem, checking here and there to make sure the size of the fold was still the same.

Using this method you don't need to use pins, you can actually see at each stage how the finished curtains will look like and you can correct any issues as you go. You just need to keep the measuring tape close. 

Hand sewing the curtains doesn't really take that long, and when you're finished they are already in place. 

If you're curtains need ironing before hanging (mine didn't), you can also measure and mark the fold at the bottom and you save time not needing to check the measurements so often while sewing. 

Here are my finished curtains, ready to be used: 

 

Happy Thursday!