It's curtains for me........

Having made the decision to change our estate agent, I've been doing a bit of house refurbishment, just to keep my hand in.

This has consisted of adding a few bits and pieces upstairs, a lovely new(ish) rug, some nautical touches in one of the 'children's rooms' and just this morning some new curtains in two of the bedrooms.

I haven't hung new curtains for quite some time and had quite forgotten what a palaver they are.  First of all, they required ironing for about two hours. This is because they have a special thermal backing which apparently can only tolerate a very cool iron, which is, of course, useless for removing creases.  

Eventually I had to throw caution to the winds and gradually, by teeny tiny increments, increase the heat, fervently hoping that the creases would iron out before it got to the point where the fabric would melt, blister, or go on fire.

Thankfully I avoided disaster (more by luck than judgement) but the result wasn't absolutely perfect.  However having spent a full 30 minutes ironing each relatively small curtain I no longer cared and came to the conclusion that corrugated curtains are the way to go..

Then, micro nanoseconds before pulling up the cords on the curtain heading tape I remembered to knot both ends just in time to prevent pulling them all the way out.

That would have been a tad annoying...... 

Then I had to work out where to put the curtain hooks, which I did by a process of trial and error.

And swearing.

Yes.

There was a modicum of swearing.

Then I had to hang them, balanced precariously on the end of a chest of drawers, trying to reach a point mere millimetres beyond my outstretched fingers.

Then I had to hold them in place at one end with one hand, while I pulled up the cords to get the right width with my other hand, while simultaneously trying to get the heading tape even with my other hand.....

A bit more swearing happened at that point.

When I finally stepped back to survey the results of my labours, perspiring lightly and panting heavily, the effect was less than edifying.  

I expect that over the next 24 hours the remainder of the most entrenched creases will fall out and the curtains will be falling in soft natural folds after they 'settle in'.  At that point I will make final adjustments and tie off the cords in their permanent position.  Thankfully I don't need to shorten them, which I thought I might have to do. 

So now all we need is a deluge of house viewings, courtesy of our mega-enthusiastic new estate agents, when people will be bowled over by the improvements we've made and vie with each other to put in cash offers just a smidgen below the asking price.

Hmmm.....