Curtains

[Miss H]

Our container is being packed in 3 weeks and I was wondering if we should take our curtains with. Are the Aussie railings the same as SA? Or should I leave them behind? We will be renting when we get to Melbourne.

[Blossom]

Hi,

My thick (newish) curtains are packed away in the linen cupboard with mothballs. I am too scared to hang them here, worried that the railings are too weak and the walls won't hold them. Walls made of some kind of thinnish substance that I cannot remember the name off. It was discussed on another thread a while back.

Most of the houses here have vertical blinds to keep the harsh sunlight out and to keep the house cool.

I have thin voile curtains that I find much more suitable here and easy to wash yourself. It still looks nice. I am going to send my old curtains back to family, won't need them here.

I don't think one should make any adjustments to rentals here...new railings or holes in walls for pictures.....

Good luck with the packing and the move.

Regards,

[Mara]

Hi Miss H

You would not be able to put up your heavy curtains in a rental property, chances are they would pull the brackets out of the wall. When we built our first home, my husband put in re-inforcements so that he could put up real curtain rails for me so that I could hang all my Biggie Best curtains. Believe me I was very happy when we sold the house and the curtains went with it. When we built our present home, I had the house fitted with roller blinds fitted inside the window bay, and put up rods, only to hold thin voile curtains. Works like a dream and when the curtains are dirty, I put them through the washer and immediately hang them back on the rods to dry, quick and easy and no problem.

[didl]

Hello!

I have the same worry about the curtains. Can I conclude we shold only take the thin ones? Are they having the same type of rails with the "complicated huks"?

Thanks!

didl

[KathyW]

Okay now maybe I am so confused anyway, just checking so perhaps only Lace curtains will suffice and not our main curtains?

This seems so hard because I have pretty new curtains especially in the bedroom with the big 5 on just to help me feel at home.

Ag anyway when the container has taken our stuff by next week Wednesday I was panicking about what we were going to hang up on the windows.

Cheerio

Kathy

[Mara]

All rental houses come with window coverings, be they blinds or curtains. If you have space, bring your curtains. You may not get to use them in a rental property, but if and when you build/buy your own you can perhaps make the adjustments so that you can put them up.

You can get all sorts of rails here with and without complicated hooks, so it would be up to you what you do.

[Bob]

Back in 1973, when they introduced Daylight Saving ("Summer Time"), during the summer months, into some States of Australia and advanced the clock forward an extra hour, I still remember the excuses made for not having it any longer.

I remember one old 'duck' said the extra hour of daylight made her curtains fade!

So . . . . watch it!

[didl]

Thanks Mara, always resourceful, even in the curtains area.

Not related question: when does "Summer time" start/end?

I know in Europe it is something like last weekend in March starting and Last weekend in October ending.

Thanks!

didl

[Mara]

Hi Didi

I can only speak for Melbourne : Summer ends around end March, then into Autumn for April and half May, winter in June to September when we move into Spring and I would guess you could say summer starts in November. Just rough estimates, you understand!

If you were looking for the dates on which our clocks will be changed, they are 06/04/08 and then again on the 05/10/08

[didl]

Thanks Mara,

I was looking for the dates ( or guidline) when the clocks move.

The weather is another story.... "winter" arrived early in Pretoria this year... just a joke, but it was min 10 and max of 14 degrees this last few days

didl

[Mara]

Well Didi, then you are fortunate, we had a mini heatwave in Melbourne, our weather was hovering around 35 degrees! Sheesh!

[GraytoAuz]

Is the sun's intensity a lot more than here in Sa? I have curtains bought at Ackermans, Mr Price Home etc - will they also be to heavy to hang and what about these new curtains with the steel rings in them which you hung on to a steel rod - hope I make sense?

[Mara]

Hi GraytoAuz

You make sense, there are lots of those curtains with the steel rings available here and yes, lots of homes have them, hanging on steel rods. They are fine. When I mentioned curtains that are too heavy: I had curtains made of Biggie Best material, fully lined, which had to be gathered before you put the hooks in them to hang them. Firstly, they were all too long for the windows here, they were 2.30 metre drops and mostly here is is 2.03 metre drops. I shortened the first set, just folded the hems up and slip stitched them, hung them up, and the rod came out of the wall on the one side. It appeared that the rod was just fitted into the plasterboard and not into a timber strut. The curtains that had been there were light duty lace ones. So I stopped right there and just lived with the blinds and lace curtains. Once we had built our home, we had made provisions for my heavy curtains, I was able to hang them. When we sold the house I was very relieved that the curtains were going with the house, never again. When we built the 2nd house, guess what, I had roller blinds fitted in the window, with steel rods and lace curtains in front of the blinds. When the curtains need washing, I throw them in the washing machine, spin them, take them out, shake them out, and hang them straight back up to dry. With my old Biggie Best curtains, my machine was not big enough to wash any of them so I had to take them to a laundromat and then had to battle to iron them, not fun and not to be repeated, in my opinion.

The sun's intensity in Australia is definitely far greater than in SA, that is my opinion anyway.

[Rindie]

Hi all

For those who are very fond of your curtains and just cant be apart from them, bring them anyway, if you bring a container you might as well pack your linnen or curtains. You can always use them in other ways to brighten up your house and make you feel like home. If you have the haert to cut them up and use them as tablecloths?????

Just an idee

[sa2auz]

You get all sorts of rods here, tab tops, rails, silver eyelet things just like in SA. There are a lot more homes with blinds in Aus so you never quite know what once rental or house might have. I have different types in all my rooms. If you have some really special neutral curtains bring them some of the curtains I have come across where gross so I put my own up. Obviously its you get all sizes of windows etc too so I wouldn't go buying curtains in SA especially and only bring if you have space. You get all sorts of amazing curtains in Aus from expensive to cheap, places like ikea and freedom have a huge variety. You can also go to curtain exchange where larneys take in there curtains which you can then buy for a fraction of their original cost and you can get some good quality designer stuff.

Most important thing to bring is your undies, they are expensive here and nothing like good old Woolies.

S

[MMF]

I was thinking of buying a role of cream VOIL and just make my own soft light, but thick curtains. Just have to go for the clases first as my mom use to always help me. Also have to get a sowing machine!!

[Luke & Janice]

Hi GraytoAuz

You make sense, there are lots of those curtains with the steel rings available here and yes, lots of homes have them, hanging on steel rods. They are fine. When I mentioned curtains that are too heavy: I had curtains made of Biggie Best material, fully lined, which had to be gathered before you put the hooks in them to hang them. Firstly, they were all too long for the windows here, they were 2.30 metre drops and mostly here is is 2.03 metre drops. I shortened the first set, just folded the hems up and slip stitched them, hung them up, and the rod came out of the wall on the one side. It appeared that the rod was just fitted into the plasterboard and not into a timber strut. The curtains that had been there were light duty lace ones. So I stopped right there and just lived with the blinds and lace curtains. Once we had built our home, we had made provisions for my heavy curtains, I was able to hang them. When we sold the house I was very relieved that the curtains were going with the house, never again. When we built the 2nd house, guess what, I had roller blinds fitted in the window, with steel rods and lace curtains in front of the blinds. When the curtains need washing, I throw them in the washing machine, spin them, take them out, shake them out, and hang them straight back up to dry. With my old Biggie Best curtains, my machine was not big enough to wash any of them so I had to take them to a laundromat and then had to battle to iron them, not fun and not to be repeated, in my opinion.

The sun's intensity in Australia is definitely far greater than in SA, that is my opinion anyway.

September.

[Luke & Janice]

Hi Mara

I think you might have helped me make up my mind about bringing my curtains. They are rather long, gathered with hooks and heavy, though colourful except for my lounge curtains that are cream. I must say it is more appealing having light curtains on rods that can be slipped off, (no hooks), washed and hung up again, no ironing. I could also do what Rindie suggests and bring them to be utalised elsewhere in the home, or cut up, but is it worth it? May be not - just leave them at home. My husband and I fly out to Adelaide 18 September.

Thanks for your advice.

Janice

[Mara]

Hi Janice

You know what, if you have space in your container, bring them, it would be a pain if you find that you could have used them after all. Mine were all folded, put into black plastic bags, taped closed, and put onto the seats of my lounge suites! Worked like a dream. Who knows, maybe you wish to have some flash ones in your lounge. Also, in Aus, so many homes have their main bedroom looking out onto the street, maybe you want to hang something heavier there?

I have either voile or net curtains in my whole house, but I have roll up blinds as well. I love the thin curtains, it does make for much easier cleaning and the roll up blinds help to keep the sun out in summer.

[Luke & Janice]

Hi Janice

You know what, if you have space in your container, bring them, it would be a pain if you find that you could have used them after all. Mine were all folded, put into black plastic bags, taped closed, and put onto the seats of my lounge suites! Worked like a dream. Who knows, maybe you wish to have some flash ones in your lounge. Also, in Aus, so many homes have their main bedroom looking out onto the street, maybe you want to hang something heavier there?

I have either voile or net curtains in my whole house, but I have roll up blinds as well. I love the thin curtains, it does make for much easier cleaning and the roll up blinds help to keep the sun out in summer.

Thanks Mara,

Will rethink what you suggest. Some of my curtains are wash and hangup, no ironing, maybe will take those.

Janice

[Kerry-Lea]

We have blinds which are staying with our house when we move, so we will have to take whatever Australia offers.

If i DID have curtains, i would take them anyway - you can always make roman blinds or cushion covers out of them and still have a little something to remind you of home...

[Jenn]

Hi,

From Mara's experience of hanging curtains made with Biggies Best Material, would that be the case for any lined curtains e.g the Woolworths 230mx218cm lined curtains before I start packing them in container.

By light duty lace, voile and net curtains, are you referring to the light sun curtain (with hooks) that one usually put behind the lined curtains? Would the usual size 230cm width x 218cm drop/length be ok?

What type do we find most often if renting a place, is it rods, tab tops, rails, silver eyelet? Or we don't have to worry about curtains as most got blinds already?

Jennifer

[Mara]

Hi Jenn

Whilst you are in rental accommodation the chances are there would be window coverings of some kind. I have never come across a house where you had to supply your own and we twice rented brand new homes, they had blinds.

The standard length of curtains here, now appear to be 213cm drops. As to what you would find most in rental homes with regard to the rods, wow, that would be extremely difficult to answer. I guess it would depend on the age of the house, the older homes would probably be more standard with the old type and the more modern homes with rods.

I would suggest that if you have the place, and your curtains are fairly new, then by all means bring them. Once you buy or build a home of your own you may well get to use them.

[Tilla]

My advice is to bring them if you have a container. You might end up in a house (like I did) with apricot curtains throughout! I only brought curtains for my spare room because they were the only really good ones and I was very glad I did. So I took the apricot ones off and put mine on the window. Unfortunately the rest of my house is still very "apricot" and it doesn't go very well with my interior ... and curtains are expensive - at least for me at this stage! Good luck!