How to Connect Curtain Panels Without Sewing
Pre-made drapery panels are the answer to many window covering dilemmas, but they are rarely the correct size for the window. Joining the panels without sewing is not difficult if you acquire a bit of knowledge and a few tools.
Things You Will Need
- Pre-made curtain panels
- Ironable work surface
- Fusible webbing, 1/2 inch wide, paper backed
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Dissapearing fabric marking pen
- Pressing cloth
- Iron
Tip
Alternatives: Overlap about 4 or 5 inches of drape before hanging. Use a fabric stapler to create a seam by placing the right sides of the panels together and stapling 1/2 inch in from the long edge, all along the edge to create a seam. Use heat sensitive fabric glue in place of the fusible webbing in these instructions. Use fabric glue to fuse the two layers. Apply the glue between overlapped layers, pin in place and leave pinned together until the glue has dried and set.
Warning
Check the cleaning instructions of the panels and the chosen fusing agent. Choose a fusing agent that is compatible with the panels.
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Lay one panel flat on the work surface, one long edge toward you, the bulk of the panel away from you, the top of the panel to your right, and the bottom to your left.
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Draw a line, with the self-erasing marking pen, 1/2 inch from the long edge closest to you, from the top of the panel to the bottom.
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Place one edge of the iron-on fusible webbing, paper side up, along the marked line on the long edge of the panel; the width of the webbing lays between the marked line and the edge of the panel nearest you. Iron the webbing per the directions on the webbing package.
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Remove the paper backing from the webbing.
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Lay the second panel, right side up, wrong side toward the work table, with the top of the panel to your right and the bottom to your left. Position the long edge of the second panel on the marked line of the first panel; the bulk of the second panel will be toward you, with the two panel edges overlapped.
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Cover the seam with a pressing cloth and apply steam or dry heat as recommended in the fusible webbing instructions. Do not move the iron back and forth along the fabric, as the motion will distort the seam. Set the iron on the pressing cloth and count to five. Lift it off the fabric and move the iron and pressing cloth along the “seam." Then, reposition the iron on the pressing cloth, count to five and repeat to the end of the seam.
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Let the fabric rest to cool and set the seam before moving.
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Check the length of the seam for incomplete fusing after the seam has cooled and before moving off the worktable. Re-fuse as necessary.
The Drip Cap
- Pre-made drapery panels are the answer to many window covering dilemmas, but they are rarely the correct size for the window.
- Iron the webbing per the directions on the webbing package.
- Lay the second panel, right side up, wrong side toward the work table, with the top of the panel to your right and the bottom to your left.
- Then, reposition the iron on the pressing cloth, count to five and repeat to the end of the seam.
References
Resources
Writer Bio
Linda Erlam started writing educational manuals in 1979. She also writes a biweekly newspaper column, "Design Dilemmas," in the "Lakeshore News" and has been published in "Design and Drapery Pro" magazine. Erlam is a graduate of the Sheffield School of Interior Design and is a practicing interior decorator and drapery workroom operator.
Photo Credits
- Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
- Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
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