Ordering made-to-measure curtains can be a daunting task for many. Unintuitively, getting the right specifications for your clients can be more complicated than ordering blinds. With our mission to make buying blinds AND curtains enjoyable in mind, we have simplified the process, paired down the options and are providing you with an illustrative guide that will you and your clients get it right first time.
STEP 1 – Measurements
The first, and hopefully most obvious, step is to measure for your curtains. Traditionally curtains are measured in ‘widths’ – these widths are usually multiples of 140cm so a window of, say, approximately 250cm wide would require two curtains of 1x width each to cover it when they closed or ‘flat’.
Once you know how many curtains you need and how many widths each will need to cover, you’ll also need to factor in the height. Of course, some curtains will be floor length and some will come down to various positions on or below the window sill.
*One thing to note here is that our made-to-measure curtains will match your height perfectly, factoring in hems etc.*
Now you know your flat widths and heights, you can begin pricing up your basic curtains against the price tables found in our catalogue. Our standard pricing is broken down into 7 bands determined by your fabric of choice. More on that later.
STEP 2 – Standard Curtains?
As standard, our made-to-measure curtains are crafted in our workshop with the help of a sewing machine and are supplied with a white or cream sateen lining, pencil pleats, weighted corners and seams. Blackout and thermal lining options are also available at no extra cost. If this is all you’re looking for, then you’re virtually done already. But there’s still plenty more to come!
STEP 3 – Machine or hand-sewn?
‘Machine-sewn’ is something of a distracting misnomer as it can conjure images of fabrics rolling through an unmanned factory with no human input whatsoever. In reality, what we refer to as machine-sewn here at Decorquip are curtains that are made-to-measure by experienced craftspeople in our workshop who put sewing machines to use to ensure each curtain is strong and straight.
We appreciate that your, or indeed your clients, may still prefer the prestige of a hand-sewn curtain so we’re happy to provide this as an option but it will of course come at a premium to cover the intense labour required. However, when all is said and done, it would be difficult for a casual observer to spot the difference between the two so we’d recommend ‘machine-sewn’ for all but the most discerning of clients.
STEP 4 – Pricing
Hopefully by this stage, you’ve already decided what fabric you want your curtains to be made from. Our proprietary Roman & Curtain Fabric Collection is home to 330 fabrics (more on those here) and each of them falls into one of six price bands. The pricing for each of these bands can be found as easy to read tables in our trade catalogue and, using the your flat width and height measurements, you quickly determine how much any given curtain will cost according to it’s price band.
For those of you who prefer to source your fabrics elsewhere or have clients who have already purchased their own fabrics, we also have a Customer’s Own Fabric price band that only factors in labour and the supplementary materials.
We can source fabrics from a wide range of suppliers in the trade on your behalf so, if it’s easier for you, let us know what you want and where from and we’ll have it shipped straight to us.
*Note: We dutifully inspect any and all external fabrics received for flaws so we can be sure that your curtains aren’t ruined before we eve get started and we’ll be sure to let you know if we find anything
STEP 5 – Extras
First, the easy part – Poles and tracks. Currently, we do not supply any hardware such as poles or tracks.
Heading and eyelet options: As standard, your curtains will be supplied with pencil pleats but there is a host of heading styles available. All of which can be found in the table below along the specifications required to make them. Some, for instance, will affect the necessary fullness of the curtain which in turn may affect the number of widths required and could potentially alter the price significantly. So, this is something to look at and discuss with your client carefully.
Curtain Headings
Curtains hang and stack back differently depending on the heading, so it is important to understand the differences between each option. To help with your decision making, see different heading options below.
Pencil Tape 3″
Pencil Tape 6″
Single Pinch Pleat
Double Pinch Pleat
Summary
Clearly, there’s a lot more to pricing your made-to-measure curtains than it may initially seem. A good rule of thumb of thumb is to work closely with your clients to determine, as accurately as possible, exactly what they would like to see and keep liaising with them as you start putting the pieces together until you have a complete picture of pricing.
We’re always here to help you put quotes together and you may find it useful to get one or extras to show your client how different options can affect the price they’ll pay. If you want help with this or any explanations on what can and can’t be done, get in touch!
