Single curtain for patio door?

Hi all,

Does anyone know if it's possible to buy a ready made single curtain to cover a patio door? Our patio door comes right over to our kitchen worktop so we've got no room to have two curtains as we won't be able to pull back the one next to the worktop.

Alternatively, to get it made up will it cost a bleedin fortune?! Was looking at material today that was €25 per meter. Given that our patio door frame measures 190 cm wide by 206 cm high are we looking at hundreds and hundreds here??

Couldn't you just buy a pair of curtains and stitch or wundaweb them together so that you end up with one piece of material that you can just draw over to one side?

TreeTiger said:

Couldn't you just buy a pair of curtains and stitch or wundaweb them together so that you end up with one piece of material that you can just draw over to one side?

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Hmm interesting. Hadn't thought of that idea, but it might look a bit weird when the curtain is drawn across the window with the seam where they join?

They won't be stretched straight across, you should buy wide enough curtains that there will be folds in them even when they're fully closed. This way you can easily hide the seam in the fold.

Hi Percy,

Excuse me for reverting to the old fashioned method but your patio door would appear to be a drop which doesn't conform to the readymades AFAIK. Off the top of my head the standard readymades are 54", 72" and 90" so your curtains at approx. 81" are either too short or too long.

The usual is to double for the width depending on the pleating or fullness that you require.

It would probably be as cheap to get them made as buying a longer pair and getting them joined and shortened.

There are some previous threads on curtains .

If that option works out too expensive you could always have a look in Michael Guineys if you are in Talbot St. in Dublin as they often have very cheap specials on readymades. Get a price for the alterations from a dressmaker before buying. I noticed a new alterations service in Abbey St (near to Capel St. end) the other day so they might give you a price.

I would also definitely have a preference for lined curtains.

This site should give you general advice on curtains http://www.rufflette.com/oldsite/uk_c.htm

Sue Ellen said:

Hi Percy,

Excuse me for reverting to the old fashioned method but your patio door would appear to be a drop

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Thanks for your replies!

Sue Ellen excuse the probably ridiculous question but what do you mean when you say the patio door appears to be a drop?

The 'drop' is the length required from wherever your curtain pole will be above the patio door to the floor.

I have exactly the same situation re the patio door coming right up to my kitchen countertop, and I have a single curtain which I pull back to the side opposite the kitchen counter. I have it secured with a tie-back, it looks very well because you have twice the amount of curtain you would normally have.

The curtains I have are Ikea semi-sheers, the Ikea curtains tend to be extremely long but they are not very wide so I have three sewn together (I would have four, but I misjudged and cut the fourth one too short). When I pull the curtain it does have folds so the seams are not too noticeable, although they are noticeable (they just don't look terrible).

My kitchen is south facing and especially in the winter when the sun is low it can be too bright to sit in, so the semi-sheers are perfect for taking the glare away without losing all the light. And at night they cover the mirror-effect of a large window which looks black at night - the patio door is double glazed so you don't need the curtains to provide extra insulation.

Thanks Dubgem, the curtain is more for privacy than insulation, though am thinking of just planting a tonne of Leylandi to block the neighbours out at this stage!!

Sue Ellen said:

your patio door would appear to be a drop which doesn't conform to the readymades AFAIK. Off the top of my head the standard readymades are 54", 72" and 90" so your curtains at approx. 81" are either too short or too long.

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Why would the drop not be a standard one? Surely the curtain pole could be positioned 9" above the top of the patio door? It's hardly going to be put inside the patio door frame so it doesn't matter if the curtain pole is 3", 6" or 9" above the top of the door. My advice would be to put the pole 9" above the patio door, buy a standard pair of curtains with a 90" drop, and don't even bother joining them together - but just pull both to one side anyway. When they are closed, it will just look like a standard two sided curtain that meets in the middle with no weird join; and when the curtains are open and held with a tieback, no-one will be able to see whether it is one piece or two pieces.

orka said:

Why would the drop not be a standard one?

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It depends on how much space one has to play around with above the patio doors. As we don't have a patio door I was probably thinking more in terms of a window.

Might be just me but not too sure if that type of light curtain would lend itself to going quite high above the door.