How to sew curtains on grommets?

There are a lot of options for decorating a window. As many as the ways of attaching and positioning the selected fabric. One of the most popular design solutions is the curtains on the grommets, which fix the curtain on the ledge. This design is simple on the one hand, and very elegant and unusual on the other. It’s not difficult to sew a curtain on the grommets. Having prepared a minimal set of materials, you can sew such an original window decoration with your own hands. You will learn more about how to sew curtains on grommets a little further in the text.

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What are eyelets? Advantages and disadvantages of self-tailoring

Cutting and sewing masters do not need an explanation of the design, but if you are just a beginner, we will, of course, tell you what it is. Eyelets are special fasteners, most often round, which are used for holes in the curtain canvas under the eaves. This decoration consists of two separate parts, which, when combined, form a hole in the fabric. Eyelets serve as runners, allowing the curtain to move along the cornice.

Let's get to know the advantages of this type of mount:

• They fit almost any design.
• Easy to fasten both on thick curtains and thin tulle.
• Transform beautiful and smooth waves on the curtains.
• They allow you to quickly open and close the curtains with one movement of the hand.
• Not so spoil the fabric, unlike other fixtures for curtains.

Yes, there are many advantages of such an original decoration of curtains with their own hands, where are the most important advantages:

• The uniqueness of execution.
• Economic benefit (tailoring will cost much cheaper than custom-made).

But here there are some minor flaws that you will definitely encounter:

• You yourself will need to make measurements and final calculations.
• You will spend a lot of time and the same amount of effort on choosing the perfect material and suitable fasteners for sewing curtains with eyelets.

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How to choose the necessary type of eyelets?

Before sewing curtains with grommets, you need to familiarize yourself with the varieties of this part for all characteristics. So, how to choose eyelets according to their characteristics.

According to the material:

• Metal grommets of steel, yellow and white are well suited for dense and plain fabrics. Such details can also be sheathed with fabric, which is appropriate only when it is necessary to focus on this particular part.

Important! Iron fasteners are short-lived, because after numerous washings they can rust and peel off.

• Plastic mounts are quite silent, come in different colors and shades. Black and gray eyelets are almost indispensable - they fit absolutely any fabric, whether it is a strip, print, mesh or tulle.

Important! Unlike metal fasteners, they are unpretentious in maintenance and practically do not deteriorate (they do not oxidize and do not swell during washing). But they can easily break, as they are not very durable

Outer diameter

In this case, it is very important to take into account the diameter of the cornice itself - it should be 1-2 cm smaller than the eyelet. The tulle should move quietly, without any tension. Otherwise, the fabric may fall out of the block and burst at the cut.

Important! In some cases, strings are used instead of the cornice, but only light fabric, such as tulle, should be chosen for them.Otherwise, sagging heavy curtains will be simply inevitable.

By style

It is almost impossible to spoil the new design with curtain rings. They go well with such styles:

• Minimalism.
• Ethno.
• By provence.
• Hi-tech.
• Marena.
• Scandinavian and national motives.

Important! They will not suit the style of Country and Classics, where the emphasis is mainly on multi-colored drapery, so the rings are completely inappropriate here.

According to the shape of the opening

There is nothing complicated: the higher and wider the window, the larger the rings should be, otherwise your grommets can get lost on a large canvas background.

By the number of folds

Calculating the number of rings per tulle is a snap. For example, you can take any fabric, place 2 eyelets at the edges, and distribute all the others along the rest of the upper part of the curtain. Do not forget that the rings should be at the same distance from each other so that the folds are the same. The number of all attached rings must be even.

Important! You need to choose the grommets under the cornice and the curtains you have chosen, and not vice versa. Then it’s not the style and the draperies will not suffer in any way.

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How to make curtains on grommets with your own hands?

After finally making a decision on sewing such curtains, you can proceed to the most interesting. But before that you need to prepare the necessary materials and tools:

• Canvas for sewing curtains.
• Eyelets.
• Grommet, which can be replaced with non-woven or other similar material.
• Centimeter or ruler.
• Sharp scissors or a special punch for holes in the fabric.
• Tailor pins.
• Chalk, remnant or simple pencil.
• Rod cornice of the required diameter.
• Sewing machine.

Important! Sewing shops sell grommets of various widths - from 5 to 12 cm. It is very convenient for them to glue the rings - the surface around the ring will turn out without joints and random threads.

Calculation of the required amount of tissue

In order to independently sew a curtain on the rings, you need to go through some steps:

• Measure the length of your ledge.
• Calculate the required footage of the canvas.

Important! The length of the curtains is selected based on personal preferences and the purpose of this room. For example, it’s best to sew curtains to the floor in the bedroom or living room, and a shorter version for the kitchen or the nursery.

But when calculating the width, the following important points should be taken into account:

1. In order to get beautiful “waves” on the curtain, you need to multiply by 2 or 2.5 the length of the cornice. If you will use only tulle or the moment of folds is not so important for you, then multiply the length of the cornice by a smaller factor - 1.5.
2. Do not forget to make allowances for bending the edges of the curtain: on the sides - 15 cm, on the lower - 5 cm. The upper allowance is equal to the width of the grommet (if used), plus another 3 cm for bending. For loose fabrics on all sides, you need to make the most minimal allowances for seams - from 1-3 cm.

Important! For example, for sewing curtains on eyelets for the most standard window of 1.3 meters, you need to calculate the width of the fabric according to the following scheme: 1.3x2.5 + 0.15. So, for a window 1.3 meters wide, we need 3.4 meters wide fabric. If the curtain will consist of two parts, then do not forget to make a margin for fitting the picture.

After performing all the calculations, you can determine the required number of rings, and then make a purchase.

Determining the number of eyelets

As we said earlier, the number of rings must be the same so that the tulle on the grommets with their own hands looks beautiful, and the fasteners look one way. The rings should be at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other - the larger the segment, the larger the folds. Approximately 5 cm should be retreated from the lateral edge of the web, where the length of this distance depends on the size of the ring used and the hem itself. If you leave a lot of fabric from the edge of the curtain, then such a curtain will look untidy and not aesthetically pleasing.

For an example of calculating the number of eyelets, we take the same window 1.3 meters wide and a ring, where the inner diameter is 3.5 cm and the outer is 5.5 cm. So, we will consider the detailed calculation procedure:

1. Determine the distance from the center of the first ring to the edge of the curtain. To do this, you need to summarize half of the outer diameter of the mount, the width of the side allowance and the indent from the hem. It looks something like this: 5.5: 2 + 0.3 = 5.5. This number can be rounded to 6, this will not affect the final result.
2. We calculate the number of rings: subtract the doubled distance from the edge of the canvas from the length of the curtain and divide by the distance between the rings + 1. The calculation looks like this: (340–2 x 6): 18 + 1 = 19.2. From this it follows that you need to take 20 pieces (an even number) of eyelets, where the distance between them will be: (340-2x6): 20–1 = 17.26 cm.

Edge processing

Such curtains, unlike the classic ones with braid, require a certain sewing technique, where you need to start with the design of the edges. To do this, we recommend that you perform the following actions in sequence:

• Take the fabric from the top of the curtains and iron about 2 cm to the inside.
• In the same way, iron and a segment whose width will be equal to the width of the grommet tape or non-woven. This should be done so that the first allowance remains in the middle of the ironed out section.
• Insert the grommet tape inward, stepping back from the side edge to place on the hem. Then you need to iron the fabric with an inner lining so that it adheres well to the fabric.

Important! In order not to spoil the fabric when ironing, we recommend using a special ironing machine made of linen or cotton fabric.

• Secure the top allowance with machine stitching.
• Tighten the side edges, and then sew on the sewing machine.

Marking holes and installing rings

It's time to talk about how to make markings for the holes for the grommets and how to insert rings into the curtains:

1. We lay out the finished curtain on a flat surface.
2. We mark the centers of the most extreme rings.
3. We put the mount, adhering to the center point, draw the inner diameter. With the same actions we make all subsequent openings for the grommets.
4. Cut holes a little further than the intended circle so that the edges of the fabric are securely hidden in the mount.
5. We put the halves of the ring on both sides of the fabric. A sign that the grommets sat well is a characteristic click.

That's all! Sewing curtains on the rings is finished! Now it can be hung on the ledge.

How to wash the curtains on the rings?

• It is necessary to find out whether the eyelets can be washed in a washing machine. If the design is factory production, then it must have an allow or prohibit label.
• To protect the product from accidental tearing of the fabric or damage to the rings, we recommend placing the curtains in a special mesh bag before starting to wash. If you don’t have one, then you can replace it with a regular pillowcase.
• To prevent rusty smudges around the eyelets after washing, use good quality rings made from reliable material.
• For drying curtains with eyelets, do not use a centrifuge - fixing the rings will lose strength. Any curtains need to be hung wet.
• Wash products with eyelets need not earlier than once every six months. In this case, daily dust removal will be sufficient.

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Stock footage

We have no doubt that now you can easily sew curtains on the grommets with your own hands. Such an original product will not only effectively decorate your window, but also will become the pride of your home, because everyone sometimes so wants to hear praise. Let curtains with eyelets be the beginning of your creative success for more complex sewing work!