Practical tips on caring for your curtain fabric

Take a look at the instructions for the care and cleaning of your chosen fabric before you purchase it. If your curtains will hang in a high traffic area such as the kitchen or bathroom, perhaps fabric that is machine washable is your highest priority.

Check if the fabric has been treated to be shrink-resistant. You may have to allow for shrinkage on synthetics or untreated cottons when you calculate the amount of fabric you need.

Find out if the fabric is fade resistant - especially if your curtains or blinds will hang in a particularly sunny room.

Remember that curtains or upholstered furniture fabric placed in a child's bedroom or playroom may benefit from being pre-treated with a stain-resistant finish. Alternatively you can apply such a finish using an aerosol spray specially designed for this.

Never, ever throw an off-cut away until you have completely finished all your sewing projects. Fold them neatly up and store them in a plastic bag. You may want a small cushion, or some arm covers for your sofa made up from leftover fabric. You may be able to use two pieces of contrasting but complementary fabric together for a cushion cover. Long pieces of left over fabric can cover piping cord and make wonderful piped edges on cushions.

You may need to take an odd scrap of your fabric with you to the shops to pick out complementary furnishings or fabric for your next project.

Do ask the sales assistant for fabric swatches. It's rare these days that the customer cannot come away with an arm full of swatches before making their final purchase decision.

Check the order availability of the fabric you like if you are not buying immediately, and check how much the shop has in stock. Make sure you will have enough fabric from the same roll to complete your soft furnishing project. Otherwise carefully check the fabric from two different rolls to ensure an exact color match.