How to Make Beautiful Curtains

No — Gemma designed the course for complete beginners and reassures you that although curtain making can look daunting, anyone can do it. She starts with the simplest kitchen curtain project, which needs very little space, and shows you how to work on a small domestic table by pinning and moving the fabric across rather than using a huge professional workroom table. Most of the tools you need, such as scissors, pins, an iron and a basic sewing machine, are things you probably already have at home.

The course includes a dedicated sewing techniques lesson covering the essential curtain maker's stitches: the slip stitch, the mitred corner, the herringbone stitch, a locking stitch to lock your linings together, and a chain stitch. Gemma demonstrates each one on a mock-up corner of a lined curtain so you can see exactly how to catch a single thread and keep every stitch invisible from the front. Illustrated diagrams of all the stitches are also included in the course workbook for easy reference.

Gemma walks you through the full formula, from measuring the drop and pole width to multiplying the width by two for fullness, dividing by your fabric width and rounding up to full widths. She also explains how to calculate extra fabric for a pattern repeat and how to work out where seams and half widths should sit for the most attractive finish. The maths is repeated in the course notes so you can follow it easily for your own windows.

Gemma trained in professional curtain workrooms and shares genuine industry standards you rarely see online — such as piping a lead weight into the bottom hem, using penny weights in mitred corners and repurposing charity-shop curtains into valances. She also advises where to invest in fabric and where you can save money, with affordable fabric alternatives listed in the notes. Alongside the practical projects, she takes you inside the Museum of the Home to explore 18th-century window dressings and translate historical styles into your own home.

All of our courses are online, meaning that you are able to watch them whenever and wherever suits you best. There is no beginning or finish date and they’re completely self-paced so that you can stop, start and pause each lesson to fit around your own schedule. You can begin watching a course as soon as you purchase it – simply login to your Create Academy account whenever you have a quiet moment to yourself.

Yes! You can rewatch each lesson as many times as you’d like. If you have purchased an individual course, you will have lifetime access to it, so you’ll be able to rewatch and dip in and out of each lesson forever - perfect if you have a busy schedule! If you purchased an annual subscription, you can enjoy full access to all of our lessons until you choose to cancel.

If you have purchased an individual course, you will have life time access.

An annual subscription gives you access to all courses for 12 months from the date of purchase, including those released during that period. Our subscriptions are set to automatically renew after 12 months so you have the benefit of uninterrupted access! If you choose to cancel, you will no longer have access to the platform.

Below each video lesson you’ll find the link to download the corresponding workbook pages. If you’d like to download the whole workbook at once, simply navigate to the very first lesson in the course and click 'Download Workbook'.

We’re on a mission to help you build your creative confidence and live a more creatively fulfilled life. Through beautifully curated video courses, we give you unprecedented access to the expertise of today’s best designers, makers, gardeners and chefs - allowing you to unlock your creativity whenever and wherever you want.

Yes – all our courses are available internationally. Please note, all our courses are taught in English.