Luxurious, chic, rich, stylish, palace, solemn, enchanting - these are all the epithets that characterize French curtains (marquises). The interior, which is crowned with them, becomes truly royal. Smooth lines, soft curved draperies in combination with light texture of fabrics and various finishes will leave few people indifferent. Unlike more practical models of curtains and curtains, such as Roman or roller blinds, French ones have beauty in the first place, and only then - functionality.

The regal baptismal font is decorated with dignified French-style curtains

They look especially impressive in the frame of the classic style, or the Provence style. Sewing an awning for your living room, bedroom or kitchen yourself is a laborious process. But if you are patient and friendly with the sewing machine, you will be able to sew French curtains. It is only necessary to remember that such a model of blinds requires strict observance of the proportions in the interior, otherwise it will look heavy in it, making it heavier, which is not far from dissonance.

In general, the awning is a cascade lifting model. This is its similarity with Roman and Austrian curtains: all these are types of blinds. But in the first there are no draperies at all (only horizontal folds), in the second, the drapery of the lower part is formed when the product is lifted up, and in the lowered form they look even.

The marquise consists entirely of scallops (sagging assemblies) in the lowered state. As they rise, they become deeper and more expressive.

Marquis curtains for formal interiors

French curtains in the interior of a room can only cover the window opening (for example, tulle in a Provence style kitchen), often combined with curtains or lambrequins, or they can play the first violin, occupying the entire width of the wall. Here, the presence of overhead curtains depends on the general stylistic design of the space and the need to create a complete blackout (if it is a bedroom or home theater).

Special cut - special textiles

To begin with, let's make a reservation that the awning blinds are far from the most economical option for window decoration: fabrics to sew French curtains will take several times more than ordinary curtains, besides, expensive, high-quality materials, rich (respectively - also not cheap) finishing. Therefore, before sewing such curtains, you need to make sure that they are ideal for a specific situation, and the costs for them will be justified by the beauty of the product and harmony with the surrounding space.

French curtain in the kitchen - why?

In order for the gathers to be even and beautiful, the fabric chosen for these blinds must be well draped. Light, soft textiles are suitable: tulle, thin satin, silk, veil, chiffon, moire, organza. But if you sew French curtains from hard, dense, heavy fabrics with a pronounced rough texture, they can distort your entire interior in the Provence style beyond recognition, because they will have a completely different look when assembled.

Organza marquise curtains, interesting pattern of vertical stripes, assembled

How to sew an awning

In principle, it is quite simple to sew it: the side and bottom seams are sewn in a straight line, the upper tape is sewn in a straight line, a curtain tape in the center of each scallop. It is much more difficult and painstaking to work on neatly gathering the fabric and installing the lifting device.

Let's figure it out in order.

How much tissue to take so as not to be mistaken

The calculation of the required width depends on the desired depth of the scallops: the greater the width of the material exceeds the length of the cornice, the deeper the cascades of draperies will fall. On average, this value is 1.5. That is, for a window with a curtain rod length of 2 m, you need to take a tulle with a width of 3 m.

The calculation of the length of the cut for French curtains is made based on the thickness of the selected materials and the desired assembly depth. For example, for a deep assembly of organza, the estimated length of the curtain must be multiplied by 3, for tulle - by 2, for a veil - by 2.5. For easier assembly, these numbers can be reduced. For example, let's take a height of 2.5 m. To sew an awning with a beautiful gathering, you need to take tulle 5 m in length.

Calculation of the number of scallops: what to consider

When calculating the number of draperies, you need to proceed from the size of the window and the selected fabric. For narrow and high ones (for example, in a Provence style kitchen), it is better to choose a small step - 25-35 cm, for wide ones - up to 50-60 cm and even more. The thinner and lighter the material from which these draped blinds will be sewn, the smaller the festoons the French curtain can have.

The required blade width is another factor that affects the number of scallops. Do not forget that the awning is several meters wide before assembly. And here you can not do without grinding several canvases together. Therefore, it is necessary that each such seam falls into the middle of the scallop, where the curtain (collecting) tape will be located. In this case, you need to leave allowances for the processing of seams from the sides.

Sewing technology

Lay the future French curtains on a flat surface, but for now just pieces of tulle, stitched together until you get the required width. Mark the center lines of the scallops with chalk or pins, leaving allowances for processing: from the sides and bottom of the curtain - 5 cm each, from the top - 2 cm.

Fold and sew side seams twice. Use a needle or pins to baste the gathering tape along the lines. At the same time, it should not reach the lower cut of the material by 5 cm, to the upper one - by 2 cm. Stitch each tape from both edges.

If the top edge of your blinds is also gathered, just bend it 2 cm and attach the fastening tape that adjusts the width of the assembly. If you want your French curtains to have a smooth top, then first divide the difference between the width of the tulle and the length of the eaves by the number of scallops. Either stitch the resulting value into a dart (30-50 cm deep) in the center of each scallop, or lay it with a bow fold and sew horizontally. Then attach the fastening tape. Now fold and stitch the bottom of your blinds twice.

If you were going to sew them on the window into a romantic kitchen with a touch of Provence, where the curtains are not supposed to be raised and lowered, then everything is almost ready. It remains only to pull the curtain tape to the required size, fasten it with knots, straighten the assembly and hang the awning on the cornice. You can decorate the kitchen.

French marquise curtains in the interior of a small kitchen can look heavy, be careful when experimenting

When you need a lifting device

If the romanticism of Provence enveloped your bedroom or living room, we have not finished sewing French curtains for them yet. In these rooms, the scallop curtain must be lifted, therefore, before pulling it, it is necessary to assemble the lifting mechanism.

Special rings must be sewn in the center of each collecting tape. At the same time, we retreat from the bottom edge at least 5 cm, from the top - at least 12 cm. The distance between the rings is about 30 cm (with small scallops - less, with wide ones, respectively, more).

Special weights must be attached to the bottom of each collecting belt to keep the fabric upright. Now we tighten the scallops, straighten the assembly so that it is uniform, tie the ends of the curtain tape cords.

Next, you need nylon cords. They need to be fastened to each lower ring and passed up through all rings. Then skip along the top row of rings in one direction, bringing them together, and tie all the ends into one knot. With the help of such a control system, the structure will change the height.

Now you can attach the tulle to the hooks on the cornice.

French curtains in an interior decorated in the Provence style or similar design directions look especially impressive if they are sewn using a suitable decor: ruffles, tassels, fringe, decorative braid.

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