How to sew a tulle on a ribbon?

Curtain tape - an indispensable tool in the formation of curtain folds. Using such a wonderful braid, you will finally refuse to hang tulle on metal hooks that can tear so much delicate fabric. Thanks to the curtain strip, you can easily and quickly hang absolutely any material. Any woman can sew a braid, regardless of whether she has experience in cutting and sewing or not. You just need to attach it to the product, and then form the desired waves with folds. If you want to learn how to sew a tulle on a ribbon, this article will definitely be useful to you.

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What is a curtain tape?

So, let's figure out what curtain curtains are. This primary information must be known before sewing the tape to the curtain.

Definition

A curtain tape is a strip of fabric that can be made of various materials - from transparent kapron to the most dense natural fiber. Strong threads are sewn into this fabric tape, which form the very beautiful folds on the curtain.

It is very convenient that the mounting distance can be completely different. The size of the resulting drapery depends on this indicator. Depending on the type of curtain strip and the different arrangement of threads, it is possible to form both simple single-row folds and complex puffs (double or triple waves).

Important! Curtain tape can be different in width: the wider the braid, the more expensive it will cost due to the large possibilities of drapery:

• The narrow braid has a width of 2-4 cm.
• Wide - 4-10cm.

Kinds

An important stage is hanging curtains on the ledge. The most common curtain tape is with horizontal threads for hooks, but there are other options.

Important! Thanks to the curtain strip, you can make not only ordinary pencil-type waves with the same or different distance, but also form large bow folds, puff waves, Flemish or French drapery, vertically combined assemblies.

Now we will consider the existing options for curtain tape without drapery:

• For hanging cords of various lifting structures - English, Roman, French and Austrian curtains.
• For fixing the drawstring under the rod and string, the cornice - to create free, but reliable folds.
• Curtain eyelet tape - for hanging curtains with eyelets, but with no ring exit to the outside of the curtain.

Important! For ceiling cornices, it makes no sense to use braid, because in any case, due to the wide design, you will not see the folds that you have formed.

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How to choose a curtain braid under the fabric?

Not all curtains are suitable for any type of curtain tape. In order to choose the right tape, you need to consider the following points:

• For light and transparent canvases, for example, organza or tulle, you need to select inconspicuous braid from a thin fishing line or nylon.
• For dense fabrics, an opaque cotton or polyester tape is well suited.

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Marking

Each new curtain tape has a corresponding marking. For example, the ratio of uncollected material to already draped material is denoted by the letter K (assembly coefficient).

Important! For ordinary folds, you should take braid with a coefficient of 1.5, and for the most complex patterns - stop on a wide ribbon with a designation of 3.

By marking the curtain strip, you can determine what fabric it is intended for. Consider these notation:

• U - suitable for all fabrics.
• / Z - for transparent fabrics.
• Z - for dense fabrics.
• F - for opaque but lightweight fabrics.
• T - designed for organza.

Now you know what a curtain tape is, its main types and other nuances for choosing this accessory. After buying a suitable braid, you can start sewing, and we will help you with the question of how to sew a curtain for hooks.

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How to sew a tulle with your own hands on a curtain tape? Master Class

We came to the most important point - the process of attaching the tape to the curtain. We present to your attention a detailed description of this simple process using the example of tulle - for it you need to purchase a transparent braid.

So, let's begin:

• It is necessary to cut the fabric according to pre-measured sizes and patterns, taking into account allowances and increases on the edges.
• After that we need to process the edge of our curtain. We turn the upper part of the fabric on the wrong side to a width equal to the width of the curtain tape. If you make a larger hem, then you will have to additionally process the edge of the canvas so that it does not crumble in the future. This is easy to do with an overlock. If the fabric is not too “loose”, then the edge can not be processed. But we recommend making at least one fold so that the open cut disappears behind the tape. After all the above actions - iron the top edge to the wrong side.
• Now we need to cut the ribbon correctly. It is simple to determine: the length of the strip is equal to the width of the curtain, minus the width for the hem of the sides.

Important! Do not forget to take into account the allowances for the hem of the braid itself (4-6 cm) and how many folds you want to see in the end. The increase in the length of the curtain tape, if necessary, depends on this indicator.

• Next, you need to remove a few cords on both sides of the braid - for folding, stepping off from the edge of about 2-3 cm. We put the tape on the wrong side of the fabric, stepping 1 cm from the top edge of the curtain and 3-4 cm from the sides (where there is a double hem).

Important! Do not forget to pin the end of the threads on the curtain tape with a pin so that they do not open.

• Now we need to make one machine line along the entire strip - on the upper and lower sides. If your ribbon has three or four long laces, then sew along each one. Lay a straight line that will not cross horizontal threads so that the curtain looks as neat as possible, without visible warps of the lace. If you have a good command of a sewing machine, then you can not sweep the product, but if you are just learning to sew, chop it, and then take the curtain tape to the product.
• Next, you need to bend the side edges of the tape twice and sew on a sewing machine, leaving the hanging cords free.
• After processing all the existing seams, it remains for us to iron the product.
• It's time to give a beautiful shape to our curtain. To do this, we need, starting from the edge, grab the braid by the lace and begin the process of gradual tightening. So, collecting the thread, we independently form the desired size and number of waves, evenly distributing them along the entire length of the product.

Important! It would be nice to find an assistant who will hold the fixed edge of the curtain tape on one side, and in the meantime you will form folds on the other. If you will do this operation yourself, then after tightening the threads from one edge, tie them with a knot that will not untie (you can tie it on a bow to further modify the folds).

• In the process of picking up the curtain tape, we wind the remaining threads onto a dense cardboard. We straighten the formed folds, evenly distributing along the entire length of the curtain. If you are satisfied with the final result, we tie the laces on the other side of the product.
• The curtain can be washed without straightening the resulting waves. But we recommend straightening the folds before washing, because then it will be easier for you to iron the curtain. This moment must be taken into account when fixing the already assembled braid, which should not be tied, but chipped off from the wrong side of the product.

Curtain tape sewn to the curtain. Now you can hang hooks on it and hang your beautiful curtains!

Important! If the remaining ends of the braid are too long, then they can be hidden in a special nylon bag on the wrong side of the product. It can easily be untied before each wash. This is done so that the threads do not get entangled in the washing machine, which can spoil not only the formed braid, but also the curtain itself.

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How to sew a tulle on a ribbon? Second way

This hanging option is not more complicated than the previous one, but has its own characteristic differences. Let's look at how this happens:

• We make double folds on the sides of the curtain, sew on a sewing machine.
• We measure the width of the purchased braid, make a hem on the product according to the received figure.
• Next, iron the edge well to firmly fix it.
• Before applying the tape to the curtain, we make a 2 cm bend from each of its edges, having previously removed the threads from there.
• Gradually tighten the braid, superimposing one part of it on the other, thereby forming not just folds, but plane waves that are on top of each other.
• After simple manipulations, we sew the braid to the product, laying it tightly to the side of it.

Important! We recommend that you leave a 1 cm allowance on top - so you will not only cover the protruding edge of the curtain strip, but also form a small ruffle.

• Even if you are an experienced seamstress, we still advise you to chop and sweep the product before the machine line. So you are guaranteed to get a snug fit of the tape to the fabric and will not worry about a possible shift when laying the final stitch.
• We lay all the above lines, taking into account all the rules for applying curtain curtains. Attach the curtain tape 2, 3, 4 times - the number of horizontal lines depends on the width of the braid.

Now you know how to sew curtains for hooks. The difference between this method of attachment - all lines will be visible on both sides of the product. But in the case of the formation of large folds, this will not be noticeable at all, so you can safely use this option. Moreover, the lines on the front side will not spoil the attractiveness of the curtains, but rather will become its decoration (if you use a zigzag stitch).

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Sewing tips

Now we will share with you some tricks for sewing tulle and curtains on the curtain tape:

• Pay particular attention to the selection of sewing thread. For example, for dense curtains, colored threads are suitable that are matched to the tone of the fabric (if you do not plan to focus on the color of the threads). For transparent tulle, the thinnest threads should be taken, since tight ones can violate the integrity of the fabric. The braid is most often presented in white, so the threads need to be taken accordingly.
• So that there are no puffs left on the fabric, before final fastening of the curtain tape to the tulle, it is necessary to lay several lines on the trial piece of fabric. To work with delicate fabrics, you should take a thin and sharp needle, without burrs.
• Before starting, be sure to adjust the tension of the sewing thread, the pressure of the foot on the fabric, and the length of the stitch.
• Curtains on tulle should be almost invisible. For these purposes, we recommend taking hard nylon material. The width of the tape for light and transparent materials should be no more than 5 cm. This value is quite enough for the tape to form assemblies and hold the fabric well.
• The cotton fastener must be washed before being sewn to the curtain, as this material may cause slight shrinkage.
• Even knowing well how to sew a tulle on a ribbon, it is not recommended to sew a decoration on a window made of expensive fabric. Before a responsible matter, it is better to develop skills on a small segment of the most ordinary canvas.

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Stock footage

Agree, to sew a curtain tape is not so difficult as it seemed. Start from the type of fabric, from the desired preferences for the formation of folds, and you will surely succeed! By spending a little time, you will save time on removing and hanging curtains on the ledge. Good luck with your tailoring and creative inspiration!