Mastering the Craft | ANTA's Bespoke Curtain Making
We sat down with our founder, Annie, to delve into her 40 years of expertise in curtain making and upholstery. What started as a way to support her studies has grown into a passion that laid the foundation for ANTA’s bespoke home furnishings business. From designing fabrics to perfecting the art of tailored curtains, Annie shares her journey and the meticulous process behind every curtain we create at ANTA.
For over forty years I have made a living from curtain making and upholstery.
When I was a student my mother taught me to make curtains beautifully by hand. She recommended me to her friends and I used the income to support my studies. Though I welcomed the opportunity, often I did not appreciate the design or quality of the fabrics chosen. Later I would design my own fabrics. It was the start of the ANTA home furnishings business.
Tartans and tweeds recoloured and woven in the Scottish Borders made up the very first ANTA furnishing collections, where they continue to be made today.
Windows need curtains to shut out the light at night in the summer and closed against the dark in the winter to keep out the cold.
Firstly measure the window. Multiply the width by a minimum of one and a half times to allow sufficient cloth to cover the window opening. Some curtain headings require more cloth which gives a fuller finish. Once we have the measurements and the choice of heading is determined, we cut the cloth and if it is a check we balance the pattern in proportion to the window.
Next we seam the panels if there is more than one width of cloth in each curtain, again taking care to match the pattern. The ANTA furnishing fabrics are heavy and tightly woven so rarely do curtains made from our cloth need to be interlined.
Unless further insulation is needed, particularly if windows are not double glazed, we use a pure cotton fleece between the outer cloth and the lining. We do recommend blackout lining for bedroom curtains otherwise a simple single pure cotton lining is best.
The lining is hemmed by machine and stitched to the outer cloth by hand.
The headings are finished by hand whether they are pleated or metal eyelets applied.
Tailored to suit you and your space we offer a choice of unique contemporary tartans, tweeds and plain pure wool fabrics together with a fully bespoke curtain making service.
