How to Make Blackout full-length Curtains from old Single Duvet Quilt Cover for Child's Bedroom - TUTORIAL, TIPS

I just found these photos on a key and was feeling quite excited as at that time I did not do any sewcial media but must have thought of it, as seen by the recently uncovered photographic and videographic evidence. Here is a project I actually did four years ago. We had just moved back into this house and this was to be my son's bedroom. This project would suit a single window about 1 m wide. If the window is very wide, you will need two duvet covers.

Why duvet cover?
I did not want to waste money on new fabric. I bought an old duvet cover from Ebay. Old because he liked dinosaurs and I could not actually find any new fabric with dinosaurs on it. You probably could now, but this was the old days. People have forgotten that five years ago there were much fewer things you could buy online.

You will need:
A duvet or quilt cover (single)
Pencil pleat heading tape
Black out lining, 0.9m wide and around 20cm shorter than the duvet length.
Optional - contrast fabric to extend the length of the curtain to full length at the top and bottom. The height from the pole to the floor is 2.65m and the duvet is only 2m long therefore it needs extending by at least 0.6m. So I bought any cheap furnishing fabric from a shop with the same colour range but different pattern from the dinosaur duvet. You can choose totally contrasting bands which I think would have looked smart in retrospect.
Pins, thread, sewing machine, all the usual stuff.

Constructing the 'tube' of curtain and black out
First, lay the duvet or quilt cover flat and cut it open by cutting down both entire seam lines of the long sides and the top seam. You will end up with two pieces. The bottom seam where the strip of buttons are, as shown below, can be left.

You can leave the button side.

Attach the contrasting fabric bands to both sides, front side to front side, top only. The top can be extended by about 7.5cm as I have shown, however the bottom banding should be bigger, and you can make this as long you want it plus hem allowance of 5 to 10 cm depending on how high you would like the hem. In general err on the bigger hem size as you will be hemming this after you have checked the fall and have hung up the curtains. You can make a hem shorter but there is no way to make it longer. If you are happy to not have an extension, you can keep the curtains short of full length but I think it is better full length. But we will come to this later. You will actually make the entire curtain first without the bottom banding.

Sew the blackout fabric to both long sides of the duvet, this view is of the top of the curtain, where the extension banding is just 8 cm.

Pinning first, then attach the black out fabric to both long sides of the fabric Make sure that the width of the fabric is smaller than the width of the black out, as you do NOT want to see the black out lining when the curtain is up. When you sew both sides, you will form a 'tube' structure. Repeat to the other curtain.

Overturn it just to check - that the tube structure does not allow any black out lining to be visible from the front side.

This is what I mean. No underwear must be showing.

Sewing the tape to the header

Fold and pin first.

Now fold back and pin the top of the curtain to form a small hem, about maximum 1.5cm deep only. You do not need to sew this if you would like to shortcut one step. You can go straight onto pinning the curtain tape on, but take off the pins to the hem first. Make sure the strings/cords are sticking out. Fold the end of the tape and pin. Now sew the top edge of the curtain tape first.

Check other side to make sure in line and straight.

But take off the pins when you position the tape and re-pin.
Pull out the cords so that they are not trapped in the tape.

Now sew the tape on, and remove the pins and you go.

Do the same for the other curtain.

Always flip over and check the stitching on the front side.

As you get to the end, make sure the cords are free and the end of the tape tucked in, about 3mm from edge of curtain. 

Again this is to make sure no tape is visible from the front side of the curtain.

Tucking in the fold of the tape, and simultaneously pulling on the cord is a way of ensuring that the fabric is completely flat. i.e. without any puckering or buckling.

Now that it is flat, you can stitch the edge down, still always pulling the cords away so that they are not sewn and trapped in the stitches.

Continue stitching the bottom of the tape. This is the easy bit, since the top and sides are done.You don't even need to pin if you are lazy like me. 

Lastly, sew the fourth side of the tape, or the second of the two ends.

Pleats Please

Now comes the fun part. Pull the three cords from one end and tie them as shown. Pull the three cords from the other end to start pleating.

The curtains will automatically pleat. Measure. This pleated width should be half the width of the curtain pole. Then stop pleating and tie the other end.

Tie the other three ends.

Get the right hooks for the pencil pleat curtains.

Insert them as shown, upside down and rotating.

Space them out evenly.

After you have done all the hooks for this curtain you should get your step ladder out and hang the curtain to see what length is required for the contrast banding at the hem. Measure this length and add for seam allowance and hem allowance.

But first. A quick refill at the bar.

Now stitch the contrast banding to the button side of the duvet which you had cut open.

The black out fabric is a lot shorter when I laid it out flat. This is because I would like a big hem, therefore there is no need for blacking out the hem.

Fold the side hem in...

And the bottom hem up.

Turn the raw edge in.

Pin. Make sure the hem has an 'angle' in the fold as I have shown. Remember the rule that no underwear must be showing from the front side. We don't want to see a sandwich of fabric stuck to the edge of the hem.

Check the height is correct.

Press or iron this hem.

Continue to pin the hem all the way.

Hemming this by hand.

 A bit painstaking but I enjoy hemming by hand so that from the front you don't see a machine stitched line. This is a very professional touch. I do this for all skirts and dresses too for the same reason. If you don't want to, you can machine it.

Hand stitch the angled fold that you made.

I'm using invisible stitching so that there are minimal stitches even on the back side.

Done.

Repeat the entire process with the second curtain. Now that you have done it once the second time should be quicker. Hang both up to make sure the banding is equal! Nothing more disheartening than having to re-do this step.

Finished

Finished

Checking banding is equal before taking it down and hemming by hand.

Finished.