Thick curtain fabric (velvet for example) and interlining will keep your room warm

My central heating kicked in automatically yesterday morning.   I’d set it so low that it would only kick in when it was really cold.  Guess what?  It was really cold.  It was an unwelcome reminder that the summer is over and autumn is upon us.  Beautiful though it is,  Autumn is the beginning of the chilly long dark nights and it’s when most of us start thinking about being warm and toasty in the evenings and not playing frisbee in the park or organising an BBQ.

At The Natural Curtain Company, this is the time of year where we get 2 types of phone calls which tell us Autumn is here.  We get calls from people wanting us to come and fix their boilers (British Gas’ helpline is one digit different from ours!)  and we have customers asking about thermal curtains, thermal linings, interlined curtains, blackout curtains and any other way to make curtains or blinds as insulating and warm as possible.  Well the good news is that are plenty of ways your curtains and blinds can keep your house warm AND cut down on your heating bills.  A thick curtain fabric (velvet for example) , thermal lining , blackout lining or interlining are all ways to insulate your home.

You can read more at Natural Curtain Company website here

Fabrics Galore!

We’ve been busy bees this year searching high and low for new fabrics.  We’ve finally got the new collection together and ready for your delectation.  With well over two hundred new fabrics added, we’ve nearly double our online collection so we hope there’s something for everybody.  Come and take a look around here . Happy hunting!

Key things to consider when making your decision: your budget, the purpose of your blinds or curtains, colour/size/style of your room, the setting of the room and the area of the window.

If you are the sort of person who regularly changes the appearance of a room, blinds may be a better option as they are more versatile. If you have an old house with tall ceilings, curtains would probably suit the overall look better. Also think about what room you require the window treatments in. In the bedroom the main purpose is to block out light, so a blind might be preferable.

On the other hand, for a window above the kitchen sink, curtains would probably be more suitable as you would want to have more access to natural light. For bay windows, meausuring to fit blinds can be very complicated, so curtains are usually a more suitable option.

There is also always the possibility of using both blinds and curtains. Blinds can keep the light out and curtains can be added as an accent.

Advantages of blinds:

• Can easily match the style of the room, regardless of changes to decor, wall colour or furniture.
• Depending on the style, they usually a more inexpensive option.
• Variety of styles– including roman blinds, venetian blinds, roller blinds, pull up blinds, black out blinds.
• Various materials ranging from fabric, plastic, metal, bamboo.
• Effective at keeping light out.

Disadvantages of blinds:

• Are more fragile than curtains – so can break more easily.
• Not suitable for all windows, i.e. for very large windows a blind might be impratical as it would be very heavy to pull up and down.
• Sometimes can be hard to clean.

Advantages of curtains:

• Available in many different fabrics, styles and lengths that can be designed to perfectly match your room.
• Can be more efficient at keeping heat in, especially if the curtains have thermal or blackout lining.
• Depending on style they can easily transform rooms to create airy or cosy atmospheres.

Disadvantages of curtains:

• Unless they are in a very neutral fabric, they can be difficult to co-ordinate if you make frequent changes to the room colour, furniture, wall hangings.
• Can be a more expensive option.
• Take up more space so not always a good option in a small room.

1. Invest in a stylish throw/rug.
   A simple way to upgrade tattered, out-of-date sofas or armchairs is to buy a stylish throw. This can instantly change the look of a whole room. Also, the options for look and style are endless as there are countless designs for fabrics. This a much more preferable option compared with buying entirely new furniture, unless your sofas are completely on their last legs. If this is the case, and you have to buy new ones, always opt for durability rather than fashion. You can also revamp a room simply with a new rug, which is also useful if your carpet is looking rather worn-out and rugs can cover-up unsightly stains.
2. Curtains/Blinds
   Another easy and affordable way to upgrade your home’s look is to focus on new window treatments. By changing the style and colour of your curtains or blinds, you can make a noticeable and positive change to your living space. Furthermore, new window treatments can control lighting and heat, which can save you money on heating and electricity bills.
3. Lighting
   By updating the lighting in a room, you can transform the appearance. For example, simply add a lamp to a dimly lit room. Likewise, toning down harsh lighting can add warmth. If you are unsure of what lighting would best suit your room, dimer lights are very useful as you will be able to change the setting to suit specific desires.
4. Paint
   Adding a new coat of paint will make everything look cleaner and brighter. It is also easy to change the overall appearance of a room entirely by simply painting it a different colour. This makes it possible to transform a room from small and stuffy to open and light. It is also a good way to modernise the overall look of your home.
5. Clear away clutter
   By getting rid of random junk and re-organising what you do want to keep, and possibly investing in some attractive storage baskets or containers, you can give your home a complete overhaul. It is completely free to do this, and you might even make some money if you sell some of your more valuable pieces to thrift stores, or have a car-boot sale. Clearing away clutter will also be immensely satisfying once completed, and when the task is done, your home will look and feel radically better.

With environmental issues such as Global Warming, pollution and epidemics receiving such deservedly high profile in the British media, we, as a nation, are more focused than ever on finding ethical ways to live, even when it comes to decorating our homes. From exterior building materials to interior paints, fabrics and fixtures, most people are starting to think ‘green’ before selecting products.

There are many reasons why people are starting to change their minds. Some synthetic materials quite literally cost the earth to make, pumping out gallons of chemicals during their making-up process. Some paints are known to release harmful toxins into the atmosphere, whereas synthetic carpets can on occasion aggravate allergies by trapping bacteria and encouraging dust build-up. Choosing natural fabrics for draperies, curtains and window coverings provides an alternative choice that both helps prevent pollution and provides many health advantages.

5 Reasons To Choose Natural Fabrics For Curtains And Draperies

1. For drape and appearance:
   Natural fabrics such as cotton, muslin, linen, wool and silk have been used for generations to create beautiful window coverings because of the soft drape and natural luster of the materials. The depth and character of a natural fabric gives a rich look that is difficult to duplicate. Synthetic fabrics, in contrast, tend to have an unnatural sheen and plastic or too shiny appearance.
2. To reduce allergies:
   Natural fabrics in cotton and cotton blends are easy to wash and comfortable for most people. Synthetics hold onto dust, pollen and other particles that can be detrimental to households where allergies are a problem. Pollutants used during manufacturing of synthetic materials may be inherent in the fabric and cause allergic reactions to sensitive people.
3. Drape:
   Synthetic fabrics such as Rayon are susceptible to heat and humidity conditions and may shrink or expand during different seasons. Hemp, a material sometimes used for shower curtains, disperses moisture and provides resistance to stains and mildew.
4. Softness and texture:
   Cotton fabrics tend to breath and give a light and airy look to a room while linen fabrics are durable and absorbent. A silk window covering drapes beautifully and adds elegance. Synthetics fabrics such as acrylic and nylon do not breathe well and may be susceptible to pilling and runs.
5. Maintenance:
   A natural fabric such as cotton is durable, resistant to stains and easy to maintain. Many synthetic fabrics tend to hold onto stains and may require dry cleaning and the use of harsh solvents for stain removal.
   They’re stronger, safer, more reliable and great for the environment. Go green now, and select natural products when decorating your home.

1. Think simple, big, open and neutral. Go for timeless, long-lasting looks that are easilly adjustable. A natural carpet, wooden floor or cream interior allows for multiple changes in soft furnishings and colour-schemes, without the hassle of a complete refurbishment each time you fancy an little something different. Insure you prioritise good lighting. Poor illumination will dampen your colour scheme and shrink your space.
2. Save the evnvironment, save your pennies, and steer away from fads and trends, particularly if you’re a sucker for disposable buying! They won’t last long, and be off-trend in a season. So if you are cutting back, cut it out.
3. Choose slices of your complete vision. Don’t rush to complete the masterpiece straight away and bull-doze into your overdraft without the cash to cater for it. Save up for a great pair of curtains, a set of vases that may otherwise sit just outside your price range, or a stylish sofa that feels as good as it looks, and will last you a life time. Remember, some things are worth waiting for!
4. Prioritise. It’s all well and good splashing out on a vintage candelabra to set off a spectacular mantle piece, but if there’s nowhere to park your derriere, then the function of your living room is lost. Buy the skeleton items first, deck out the innards afterwards. Prioritise on your spending too. It is worth, for example, paying more for a comfortable, great-looking sofa that will last a life time and holding back on ornaments until finances allow. Writing a list separating your room needs and wants is always a good exercise. Number them from most to least, and plan your budget accordingly.
5. History, as they say, has a habit of repeating itself; an endless cycle of by-gone styles circulating year on year, just waiting for the chance to be thrown back onto our walls and wardrobes for the on-coming season. The lesson here? Think vintage. If you’re lucky enough to have a relative or friend with an attic full of junk, get raiding! If not, try flea-markets, thrift stores, and auctions for stand-out pieces to add a timeless sense of character to your dwelling. And if the thought of leaving your lovely home brings you up in a rash, why not shop from the sofa, and browse the internet for vintage online.
6. Stuck for ideas? Let the décor choose you. Shop for a style, pick an individual item to set off a room, be inspired by a particularly poignant piece of artwork, and let the item work the room. Choose a colour scheme that fits with the item, and carry the theme through the area to be decorated. In this instance, you may wish to spend more on said item of inspiration, and boost it one or two places up the priority list. This needs to be in balance with the rest of the room however, so be wise with the amount you do spend. Be sure to make this treasure the focus of the room and well displayed too!
7. Be unique. Don’t make the mistake of buying all your items from one place. Shop around for an individual style to prevent your space looking like a knocked-off show room.
8. Remember, you can do a lot with a little. Think throws, wall-hangings, rugs, and fairy lights for an instant transformation on a very small budget. Why not paint a panel of the wall to add a splash of colour, instead of saturating the walls with a single shade? An old minimalist Japanese trick to remember is ‘bring the outside in’. Plants, pebbles and natural fabrics can do wonders for your living space, and are well worth forking out for.
9. Think DIY, and where you can, customise. Doll up a dull piece of furniture with a fresh coat of paint and a handful of stencils. Transform spare fabrics into throws or cushion covers. If your sewing machine savvy, why not try making your own curtains? Check back at this blog for a great guide on how to create your very own pair. Happy saving!

Architrave the wooden frame of a window or door

Batten the wooden stick that fixes to the wall or window frame to support a blind

Bay window a window that sticks out from the wall to create an alcove

Blackout lining a thin, synthetic lining which blocks out all light and helps to retain heat in the room, generally comes in white and cream coloursBoss (or hold back) a metal, wooden or plastic bracket that you fix to the wall to hold curtains back

Cleat a hook (usually made from metal) that you fix into your wall to wind the cord of your blind around to hold it in place

Curtain ring a circular ring used to fix a curtain to the curtain pole; they come in various sizes and materials

Dowel a thin cylindrical piece of wood, inserted horizontally into fabric pockets in Roman blinds to hold their shape

Eye a tiny hook at the bottom of a curtain ring or track, where the curtain hook attaches to

Eyelet a type of curtain heading where a metal ring is attached to the fabric for a curtain pole to be fed through, comes in various colours and sometimes shapes

Finial the decorative fixture at each end of a curtain pole, these can be made from any material and come in an extensive number of designs

Fullness refers to the width of the fabric in relation to the curtain pole. E.g. if a curtain pole is 100cm and fabric with a 200cm width is used to make the curtain then the curtain would have 2X fullness

Heading refers to the method of sewing used to create a certain style where the curtain is attached to the track or pole

Heading height the amount of fabric required above the eye of the curtain ring, only necessary with pleated or gathered headings

Heading tape purpose-made tape, attached to the headings on curtains to gather the fabric when pulled, and creating various styles

Interlining a soft (usually cotton) fabric sewn between the curtain fabric and the lining to give weight to the curtain, help it hang better and slightly improve sound and heat insulation – also known as bump or domette

Leading edge the edge of the curtains that meet in the middle when they are drawn

Pattern repeat the measurement between a point in the design of a fabric and the next point where it begins again, this measurement is needed when working out how much fabric you need to make curtains or blinds

Pelmet a decorative framework to either add height to the top of a window or hide the curtain fixtures, usually made from fabric covered in wood

Piping cord cotton string used as a base for ‘piped’ edges, piped edging can be used for things such as tie-back or cushion edges

Template a shape made from paper, card or thin plastic which is used to help mark fabric, templates can be bought and modified, or made

Thermal lining a thin, synthetic lining which helps to retain heat in the room, also blocks out a little light – typically comes in white and cream colours

Track a type of fixture attached to the wall to hold curtains up, used as an alternative to a curtain pole and usually made from plastic

Valance a type of fabric pelmet that covers the tops of curtains

Voiles a light, plain-weave, sheer fabric of cotton, rayon, silk, or wool used for making semi-transparent curtains

1. Good Quality Curtains
   The strategy topping our energy-saving list is that of hanging good quality curtains. This may seem like a menial task; however, if it is done correctly, it will save energy and money by acting as an insulator, reducing heating and cooling costs.
   For added energy-saving creds, get thermal or blackout lining sewn into your curtains or blinds and increase their insulating properties by up to 25%.
2. Thermostat
   To further reduce expenditures, pay close attention to the setting on the thermostat–it should be set as low as is comfortable in both the winter and the summer. Dialling down just 1°C can save you £30 annually.
3. Switch off Switches and Appliances
   Always switch of your plug sockets when you’re not using them. You can save tonnes of energy every year if you simply turn off your TV at the plug socket every night. Did you know that your DVD player consumes 85% of the power it uses, when it isn’t even in use? Not only this, but for things such as mobile phones and MP3 players, once they’ve finished charging you’re helping to preserve the life of the battery by unplugging it.
4. Stick Foil Behind Your Radiators
   One of the easiest and most effective ways to save money and keep heat in is to stick some ordinary kitchen foil behind your radiators (shiny side facing the radiator). Sure, you can go out and buy expensive insulation to stuff behind there, but this is just as efffective at a fraction of the price.
5. Give your Tumble Dryer a Break
   With summer looming, make use of the sunshine and dry your clothes outside. If you don’t have a garden or balcony, try installing a make-shift washing line in front of a window. Not only will you cut your energy bill, you’ll cut down on ironing time, which of course, is what really matters!
6. Set your Timer
   With this summer expected to be one of the hottest to date (where have we heard that before?!), using your central heating should be done as rarely as possible. However, if you insist on using it, make sure to set your timer to switch off 30 minutes before you leave the house, and no more than 30 minutes before you’re due to get home. If your heating takes longer to kick in, you should seriously think about insulating your home better.
7. Plant Trees
   Planting deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your home to keep it cool and shady in the summer and light-filled through the winter is probably one of the ‘greenest’ things you can do save energy.
8. Replace Lightbulbs
   Consider replacing regular light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs or CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs). They last about 10-15 times longer than regular bulbs and save you around £9 a year if you change all the lights in your house. On average, you save about £100 over the bulb’s lifetime.
9. Insulate Drafts
   Find and seal cracks, gaps, and leaks and add insulation to protect the home against air loss. This practice alone could potentially save 20% on heating and cooling costs. To locate possible leaks, use a lit incense stick and hold it next to an area with a potential outside air pathway (doors, windows, electrical boxes…). If the smoke flows horizontally, this indicates a leak that needs attention.
10. Regular Servicing
    Finally, as a general rule of thumb, have heating and cooling systems serviced once a year to ensure optimum performance efficiency.
    By completing these 10 simple tips, you can save yourself time, energy, and money. In today’s society, we need all three, and everything always makes more sense when we’re saving cents.

To make a roman blind you will need to measure the inside width of your window frame, add 10 cm to this number and cut your fabric. Now measure the inside height of your window frame and add 10 cm, for top and bottom hems, to the length plus and additional 5 cm for each rod you wish to add. An average roman blind will have 4-6 rodded sections.

Now that you have your fabric cut to size you need to finish your side edges by folding, pinning, ironing 2.5 cm on each side. Repeat and top stitch for a beautiful finished edge, you may wish to use a fancy stitch on your machine.Measure and mark each section of your blind, remember to add the 5 cm rod pocket space between each section. Fold, pin, iron and sew the rod pocket for each section. Measure your rods to be sure they are 3 cm shorter than your blind panel to allow room to hand stitch the rod pockets closed.

Fold, pin, iron and stitch the top and bottom edges of your blind. Stitch the fuzzy side of a strip of Velcro along the top and bottom edges. Glue the scratchy side of the Velcro strip to the top and bottom batten. Use the Velcro to attach the blind to the top and bottom battens.

Measure 12 cm in from each edge and hand stitch a plastic ring to the back of the rod pocket. You may wish to adjust this measurement depending on the width of your window or add a third row of rings. Measure 12 cm from each edge and add a screw eye to the top and bottom battens. Begin at the bottom with a large knot below the screw eye and thread a heavy cord up through all the plastic rings. End with a large knot above the top screw eye and leave extra cord hanging to act as your pull string. Add a coordinating pull bob to the bottom of your pull cord and use an L bracket to secure your blind to the wall.

To personalize your blinds you may wish to add fancy trim to your blind. These are easily stitched to the rod pockets when you create the pockets. Another nice touch is to use ornamental push pins across the top batten and smaller matching pins across each rod pocket.

View the complete range of custom Roman blinds available to order today.

1. Measure WidthIf you have a pole, measure the distance between the finials (the decorative baubles at the end of a pole).If you have a track, measure the total length of the track.
2. Measuring Curtain DropBefore you start, you have to decide where you want your curtains to finish. For floor-length curtains, we suggest curtains 1.5cm longer than floor-length. If your floors are uneven, make sure you measure each side of the window and choose the longest measurement. For sill length curtains, we suggest either 15cm below the sill or 1-2cm above it.
   

   Measuring Drop for Tab Top and Eyelet

   For tab top or eyelet curtains, measure the drop from the top of your pole to where you want your curtain to finish. (Please note:tab top and eyelet headed curtains cannot be fitted to a track.)

   

   Measuring Curtain Drop For Pleated Headings (all except Tab Top & Eyelet)

   The total drop for pleated headings is measured in 2 parts – the eye drop and the heading height.

   Part 1. Eye Drop

   This is the distance from the eye (where the curtain hook attaches) to where you want your curtain to finish.

   Part 2. Heading Height

   The heading height is the distance from the eye to where you want the top of your curtain to be.

   For tracks, we suggest a heading height just above the top of your track so that it is not visible above the top of the curtain.

   For poles, we suggest a heading height from 2cm above the eye to just above your curtain pole according to your own taste. Curtains will hang best with a smaller heading height.

   

   

   

How to measure for blinds

We advise using a metal tape measure for accuracy. Measurements should be in cm to the nearest 1/2 cm. Please double-check your measurements.

The three scenarios for measuring blinds are:

1. Inside Recess

1. Measure width A-B at the narrowest point so your blind can hang freely
2. Measure Drop C-D
3. Note which side you would like the cord – right or left

2. Outside Recess

First check for obstructions that might stop your blind hanging freely and then decide on the amount of fabric to overlap the top and sides of the window recess. We recommend at least 5cm for both.

1. Measure the width you decide on, A-B
2. Measure the drop you decide on, C-D
3. Note which side you would like the cord – right or left

3. Fixed To Window Architrave (Frame)

First, decide whether you want your roman blind to hang on the outside or inside edge of the window architrave.

1. Measure the width A-B
2. Measure drop C-D
3. Note which side you would like the cord – right or left