How to make a curtain with a detachable lining

During summer months, you might prefer to have lined curtains in your bedroom to prevent waking up too early at the crack of dawn. Or, you might wish to hang up curtains with a thermal lining during winter months to help keep out the cold. When drawn together, lined curtains can provide more privacy than unlined curtains as the latter are sometimes transparent from the outside when lights are on inside your house. Curtains that have a detachable lining enable you to adjust your living space according to privacy needs and seasonal changes in temperature and quality of light.

Calculate the drop or length of each curtain by measuring from the point from which the curtains will hang by their curtain rings to where you would like them to fall, such as just below the windowsill. Add 4cm to the length measurement to allow for hems.

Measure the width of your window and then double it to give you the width measurement of one curtain for your window. Add 4cms to the width measurement to allow for hems.

Cut two pieces from curtain fabric according to the calculated curtain length and width measurements.

Fold and press over a 1cm hem onto the wrong side on all sides of the curtain pieces. Fold and press over a further 1cm on all sides and then stitch the hems into place.

Cut two pieces of curtain rufflette tape to about 6cm wider than your curtains. Position each piece of curtain tape at the top and on the wrong side of the curtain fabric and tuck under the raw edges of curtain tape on each side by about 3cm. Stitch around all sides of the curtain tape to secure it to the curtain fabric.

Measure the length of the curtain from the bottom of the curtain tape to the hemline and then add on an extra 2cm to calculate the length required for the curtain lining. Cut two pieces of curtain lining fabric to the same width as the curtains and to the calculated curtain lining length.

Fold over and press a 1cm hem onto the wrong side of the fabric on all sides of the curtain lining. Fold over and press a further 1cm hem and then stitch the hems into place.

Cut two pieces of curtain rufflette tape to about 6cm wider than your curtain lining. Position each piece of curtain tape at the top and on the wrong side of the curtain lining fabric and tuck under the raw edges of the curtain tape on each side by about 3cm. Stitch around all sides of the curtain tape to secure it to the curtain lining fabric.

Draw up the cords on the curtain tape to ruffle each curtain top, and then insert curtain hooks at 15cm intervals at the top and along the length of the curtain tape. Wind the surplus cord into a skein to neaten.

Draw up the cords to ruffle the curtain tape at the top of the curtain linings to match the width of the ruffled curtains. Wind the surplus cord into a skein to tidy it up. Insert curtain hooks at 15cm intervals at the top and along the length of the curtain tape on each curtain lining.

Attach the curtain linings to the curtains by inserting curtain hooks on the curtain linings into the curtain hook pockets at the bottom of the curtain rufflette tape.