Create Academy | How to Make Beautiful Curtains by Gemma Moulton 

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Create Academy and contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.

If you’ve been following Café Design for some time, then you know how much I love Create Academy and their course offerings so, when they reached out to ask whether I was interested in taking a few of their classes and share my opinions with you, I leaped at the chance. Taking a Create Academy class feels like chatting with incredibly talented friends who are willing to share their wealth of knowledge and experience with you, and are cheering you on as you discover your inner crafter and decorator. Today I’d like to share my thoughts on a relatively recent class added to Create Academy ’s Arts and Crafts curriculum  – How to Make Beautiful Curtains, by Gemma Moulton. Gemma is a prolific curtain-maker and owner of East London Cloth, a workroom specializing in bespoke window treatments and soft furnishings.

Why curtain-making? 

During my decorating consultations with clients across the country, I am often reminded of just how expensive a tailored pair of custom curtains can be. Curtains can make or break a room, but their hefty price tags always induce sticker shock to the wonderful ladies I usually work with, and for good reason. A nice pair of curtains requires not only a huge amount of fabric, but many hours of manual labor to produce. The process of constructing beautiful curtains is involved and complex and therefore the price points can vary between several hundred and several thousand dollars. Can you see the need and utility of a class such as this one? 

Depending on your previous experience with sewing, you may or may not be able to make perfect curtains on your first trial, but having a deep understanding of the process can do many things for you: you’ll be better equipped in terms of textile notions and you’ll understand the differences between the types of fabric that are on the market, and their suitability for your project; you’ll be able to better appreciate beautiful workmanship when you see it; and last, and possibly most importantly, once you carefully go over Gemma’s projects and practice them with patience, you’ll be able to create beautiful window treatments that will look professional and will save you thousands of dollars in expense. An added bonus: If you, like me, enjoy being creative and making beautiful things, then you’ll find curtain-making a great way to do both.

Who is this class for? 

In terms of prior knowledge, this class is a good fit for anyone who is interested in learning how to sew – by hand or on a machine, or anyone who perhaps is not (yet) fond of sewing but would love professional-looking curtains without the professional price tag. Prior knowledge of how to use a basic sewing machine is a plus, but not necessary. If you can sew a relatively straight line, either by hand or on a machine, then you can follow this class.

Class structure: 

In her class, Gemma Moulton walks us through the entire process of curtain-making form start to finish. We learn about the different types of fabrics available and the pros and cons of each; We learn how to accurately measure for curtains and compute the exact amount of fabric needed for our project and minimize costs, with the help of formulas used by professionals based on pattern repeats; We’re taught different types of hand stitches for creating exquisite hand-sewn window treatments. Through four different projects that build up a solid skill set, we learn the techniques used by professionals to get curtains that hang well and make stitches that’ll last for decades. 

Projects in Gemma’s class include an under-counter kitchen curtain and a valance repurposed from an old window treatment. These projects, and the techniques and stitches taught, build up to the most involved project in the course: the construction of a stunning pair of lined curtains in a Robert Kime fabric, handmade, with a pencil pleat heading. 

If you accept that your first trials probably won’t be perfect and if you start small and use inexpensive fabrics at first, your investment will be minimal but the results incredibly rewarding. Soon enough you’ll build up your skills and confidence and make professional-looking curtains using high-end fabrics with the steady hand of someone who knows what they are doing.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this course and felt like I learned a ton of new tips, tricks and techniques that will help improve my beginner-level sewing skills. I can’t wait to put what I’ve learned in practice by making curtains for my daughter’s bedroom!

How to Make Beautiful Curtains 

If this class (or any other Create Academy class) sounds like something you’re interested in, you’ll be pleased to learn that Café Design readers get a 15% discount upon enrolling in any Create Academy class. To access the discount, go to Create Academy‘s website, find a course you love, use the promo code cafedesign15 at checkout and enjoy learning a new skill!

To read more about another fabulous Create Academy class, Create Your Perfect Home by Rita Konig, please click here.

Wishing you a wonderful week!