Simple Curtains

I first checked out this book from the library, and after having to renew it a couple times, decided to purchase it. I made beautiful curtains for my daughter's bedroom. Even though I am a novice at sewing, the instructions were easy to follow, and I learned a lot of stitching techniques that got me real excited about moving on to my next project. I think Katrin Cargill is very knowledgeable and at the same time keeps the novice sewer in mind.

This is the best book on curtains that I have seen - and I've looked around quite a bit. I was looking for several things to help me make curtains for my new home. Although I have some sewing experience I would not call myself an expert sewer. Many of the books currently available are really geared towards people with my level of experience or less, including this book. I wanted good pictures of the end product, so that I could really see what I was going to be making. Again, this is something most books on curtains have. However, the two things I wanted but which I only found in this book were: cool modern ideas (no ruffles or huge jabots, please!) and great instructions.The majority of the curtains in this book were really neat ideas that would fit in really well in homes today. If you have very traditional tastes or have a very formal decorating style, you probably wouldn't find much in this book. I wanted something less formal and some unusual/different ideas and definitely found that in this book.The best aspect of this book was that the instructions were written really well and were completely designed for customization (different window sizes, different material use). Material use, how to's, and general sewing instructions were all included. There is also a great section at the end of the book (referred to often in the instructions) going over the common techniques used in the book and how to do them (with illustrations).

The book has wonderful ideas that seem easy to follow beginning with measuring windows to how much fabric you will need. Each curtain has a page that opens up to show detailed directions. The color photos are great! There are even template designs to copy that help design a more creative curtain. The book truly teaches you how to sew simple and easy to make curtains. I am looking forward to getting started sewing curtains for every room in my house.