How to Make Lace Curtains Less Sheer

Lace curtains add a soft, romantic touch to a room.

Lace curtains have holes that create sheerness. Through these holes light and a mosaic of tiny images are received by the person on the other side of the curtains. Our brain composes these tiny images into a picture. If that picture is vivid, the curtain is sheer or has a lot of holes to see through. To reduce the degree of sheerness of a lace curtain, the holes have to be altered so that fewer images can be seen through the curtain.

Things You'll Need

• Laundry
• Iron
• Tape measure
• Sheer fabric
• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine

Instructions

1. Remove the lace curtains from the window. Wash, dry and iron the lace flat. Usually lace curtains are pocket curtains with a single pocket along the top edge of the curtain.

2. Measure the width of the lace curtain panel and add 1 inch. Measure the length of the curtain panel from the seam at the bottom of the pocket to the lace hem. If your lace has a scalloped bottom edge, add 2 or 3 inches extra to your measurement.

3. Cut pre-washed sheer curtain fabric to your measurements. When selecting the fabric, hold it up to the window to see how much light comes through. Pick a sheer fabric whose combined view with lace matches the amount of sheer you want.

4. Fold the side of the sheer fabric to the back 1/4 inch. Fold that fold again 1/4 inch and sew using a hem stitch. Repeat this for the second side.

5. Place the sheer fabric underneath the lace panel if the lace panel has a scalloped edge. Draw the shape of the lace edge onto the sheer using tailor's chalk or a fabric pen that is washable. Cut the shape along the bottom edge of the sheer.

6. Turn the bottom hem edges under 1/4 inch. Fold that fold under 1/4 inch. Ease any curves by making small notch cuts to allow the fabric to follow the curve. Try to hide your notch cuts in the first fold so that the second fold is clean. Hem the bottom edge

7. Place the lace face-side-down on the table. Flatten the panel out so that it is straight. Lay the sheer fabric face-side-up over the lace. Pull the sheer toward the top of the lace panel to lift the hemmed edge 3/4 to 1 inch above the bottom of the lace. This allows the lining to provide the thicker privacy, but it preserves the appearance of the lace that is so attractive.

8. Pin the sheer 1/2 inch below the bottom seam of the lace pocket. Trim the sheer 1/2 inch above the bottom seam of the lace pocket. Fold the fabric under 1/2 inch and pin. Sew a seam parallel to the bottom seam of the lace pocket so that it is even or slightly below the lace pocket seam.

Tips & Warnings

• Iron the seams and hems of the sheer fabric on a low setting for the best appearance.

References

• Homes Furnishing: Lined Curtains