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Date: 8 November 2018. Sun Damaged Fabric Fix - Curtain Repair.

© janice142
 

As the sun rises each morning it shines on the port side of Seaweed. The dinette curtain is an amalgamation of two curtains. The bottom lacy part is attached to what was a lighthouse embroidered valance. Both are nautical themed. The valance portion was a very thin fabric. It did well until I washed and bleached it. Here is how I fixed the mess I made of that curtain.
 

After washing, I was left with an UGLY HOLE in the top part of my curtain:

The lace portion is perfect. I love the seahorses, starfish, queen conch shells and seaweed in the lace.


What I should have remembered:
If fabric is "iffy" throwing it in a load with harsh detergent and bleach is not a good idea. The clothes I washed the curtain with had bits of fluff and fabric all through it. The mess actually looked similar to when I've washed a load with a Kleenex tissue in a pocket. Argh!
 

 

How to not mess up with
Kleenex in the laundry:
 

Stop using them. I switched over to cotton flannel torn into 8" to 10" squares. That works right well and is much softer than even the best Aloe infused tissues. Plus I save money by not purchasing tissues.
 

Side Note: The fabric came from a flannel sheet bought at the thrift store.

 

The problem with my curtain was that icky hole. The rest of the fabric in the top section was failing too. I did not want to spend perfectly good money on buying a piece of white cotton fabric so looked to my lockers for a solution.


As a long-time quilter I admit to being rather a nut for fabrics. For some reason I am particularly drawn to certain placemats and doilies. I had five and they would enable me to cover the holes and damaged fabric most of the way across the top of the curtain.
 

Ones like these are a particular favorite. I laid them across the top to take a gander. It looked okay to me.

These are all thrift store finds and cost less than a dollar each.
 

The size was almost what was needed so I got out my sewing kit.


I do not use white thread when stitching on white. As a matter of fact I never match the thread to the fabric. My vision is such that I would rather see the thread easily than make a repair into an ordeal. For the fix I used a lilac (pale purple) thread.
 

This is Good Enough for now. The fabrics I chose let through light.

 

If you click on this picture you might be able to see my stitches.


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About 12" has yet to be repaired. I used the fabrics I had and left the rest as-is until I get more.
 

Though not finished, I suspect most folks will notice nothing amiss.

 
For now I have a Good Enough solution to the damaged curtain. I am happy that I was able to retain the lacy part at the bottom with minimal effort. I believe the reinforcement I added will enable me to get at least another year or three out of the curtain.


Thank you for reading.
 

Do you just love your curtains?
And, do you use disposable tissues or have you switched to the washable type?
 

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