How do ready made linings fit to curtains?
There are times when it is a good idea to line your curtains with ready made blackout curtain lining. Certain fabrics are more susceptible to damage from sunlight than others, for example delicate fabrics such as silk or natural cottons are easily damaged in this way.
A good quality blackout lining will help to protect your curtain material and give it a longer life. The main benefit of ready blackout lining is to eliminate unwanted light in bedrooms, perhaps if you have a small child that simply hates to nap while the sun is in the sky. Or maybe you simply want extra thermal protection. Either way ready made blackout linings are perfect for the job.
How do I know what size to purchase?
First of all you will need to make sure that your curtains have a pencil pleat heading. If not, and they have an eyelet heading instead then unfortunately our linings will not work. So if you do have a pencil pleat heading, then please continue to read our advice below.
If you’ve recently purchased your curtains or about to purchase them, then you should know the size of them, i.e. 46” wide x 54” drop. However if you have had the curtains for a while then please measure the width and drop of your curtains. Once you've got your sizes, check out our ready made blackout linings.
There are nine sizes available which means you are bound to find a size that is suitable for your curtains. As a general rule you want to order a lining size that corresponds best to your curtain size. Having said that, ready made linings are normally slightly shorter than standard curtain sizes, for instance if you purchase curtains that are 46” wide x 54” drop you would receive lining that is 46” wide x 51” drop.
This is completely normal, so there's nothing to worry about but it's just something to be aware of when choosing a lining size. The reason that lining is usually slighter shorter is to prevent the lining from being visible underneath the curtains, which would result in a messy and untidy look.
How do ready made linings fit to curtains?
Once you've ordered your size and received the product it’s time to hang them. First of all we recommend ironing the product on a very low heat setting. Higher heat settings are not advised, as the iron can then burn the material.
Once ironed, you're ready to hang them. Simply gather the linings down to the same width of your curtains. Using curtain hooks, you will attach the lining to the top of your curtains using the 1 inch curtain heading tape that's already sewn onto the lining. Simply hook and attach to the back of your curtains using the bottom row on your 3 inch or 6 inch pencil pleat heading. You just need to attach the lining at the top in this way, not at the sides or at the bottom.
Make sure you use an adequate amount of hooks, so that the lining is tight across the back of the curtain. This will prevent any light from seeping through the curtains. Once complete you will hang your curtains as normal using curtain hooks or gliders and attach to your curtain track or pole.
Since these linings are not sewn to your curtains we recommend to dry clean them separately from your curtains, but please consult with your local dry cleaners first. If you have purchased curtains from ourselves (or elsewhere) we highly recommend you to follow the manufacturer washing guidelines.
Our ready made lining recommendation
We recommend you to use our premium ready made blackout lining in white. These are 70% polyester and 30% cotton linings and are known to give a 100% blackout effect. The "spread 3 layer backing" also acts as a high insulator to keep heat in during the winter and keeps rooms cool during the summer. This lining is a perfect all rounder!
