Online fast-track diploma
Professional Soft Furnishings & Curtain Making
Whether your dream involves crafting beautiful fabric creations for your home or you want to start your own soft furnishings business, this 17-week part-time course will provide you with the tools for success.
Next Course Dates
28th January to 27th May
10am (UK Time)
Tuesdays & Fridays
Entry Requirements
No qualifications required
Assessment
No exams. Coursework and assignments only
Craft Beautiful Soft Furnishing Creations
With guidance from experienced tutors, you’ll advance your sewing skills to a higher level, mastering various professional techniques.
You’ll embark on a creative journey in fabric selection and gain professional measuring and calculating techniques to produce perfect fabric creations.
Lesson Overview
Unit 01 - Fabric Selection & Colour Theory
Fabric Selection & Colour Theory
This unit covers fabric selection for curtains and soft furnishings, exploring colour schemes and their impact on design.
• Accessing and identifying fabric types and suitability.
• Understanding the significance of fire-retardant fabrics.
• Understanding colour theory, schemes, and their psychological effects.
• Creating professional sample boards.
• Identifying fabric suppliers and new collections.
• Exploring historical fabric usage across different periods.
Unit 02 - Estimation for Soft Furnishings
Estimation for Soft Furnishings
In this lesson, you will measure and design window treatments in various styles. You’ll also learn how to estimate fabric amounts for curtains and soft furnishings, which are crucial skills before diving into sewing and construction techniques.
• Surveying windows and recording measurements accurately.
• Designing window treatments in varying styles.
• Improving window proportions through smart design.
• Exploring the significance of hems, headings, and choosing the correct fullness.
• Calculating fabric quantities for both plain and patterned fabrics for window treatments.
Unit 03 - Window Treatments: Mitres, Hand-Stitching Techniques & Pattern Matching
Window Treatments: Mitres, Hand-Stitching Techniques & Pattern Matching
Master professional techniques to create various window treatments and soft furnishings. This includes skills like hand stitching, applying hand-covered weights, creating mitred corners, and joining multiple curtain lengths.
• Understanding true and false mitred corners and their applications.
• Utilising hand-covered and commercial-covered weights appropriately.
• Honing hand-stitching techniques and their application.
• Achieving correct stitch tension and stitch finishes.
• Identifying suitable fabrics for pattern matching and combining hand and machine stitches when joining multiple widths.
• Developing industry standard professional drawings
Unit 04 - Lined & Interlined Curtain Construction
Lined & Interlined Curtain Construction
Gain a thorough understanding of various curtain constructions covering lining, interlining, and decorative trim options with pencil pleat headings. You’ll use these techniques to make sample-sized curtains so you can apply the same skills to your full-sized curtain projects.
• Identifying appropriate fabrics for curtains and window treatments.
• Constructing a pencil pleat curtain with interlining and contrasting trim.
• Applying all techniques and hand stitches to achieve a professional finish on sample-sized curtains.
Unit 05 - Constructing Hand-Sewn Buckram Headers
Constructing Hand-Sewn Buckram Headers
Level-up your curtain-making skills, focusing on hand-made headings and hems for curtains or valances.
• Ensuring valances match window treatment proportions.
• Crafting valances with various hem styles.
• Calculating pleat sizes and spaces for curtains and valances.
• Constructing a variety of handmade headings.
• Applying all techniques and hand stitches to sample-sized curtains.
Unit 06 - Constructing Piped Crescent Tie-Back & Piped Cushion
Constructing Piped Crescent Tie-Back & Piped Cushion
Develop professional sewing techniques which includes piping and zip application. You’ll use these skills to create a piped, crescent-shaped tieback and a piped cushion with a concealed zip.
• Cutting bias strips for piping construction.
• Selecting suitable fabrics for tiebacks, cushions, and piping.
• Choosing the right cushion filling.
• Crafting a piped crescent-shaped tieback.
• Making cushions with concealed zips and decorative piped trims.
Unit 07 - Constructing a Roman Blind
Constructing a Roman Blind
Create a professional sample-size Roman blind with finishes. You’ll learn to divide the blind into equal sections, ensuring flat folds with the rod pockets within the lining so no stitches are visible from the front.
- Measuring a window for a Roman blind.
- Calculating the number of rod pockets and fold sizes.
- Estimating fabric amounts for plain and patterned fabrics.
- Accurate cutting and preparation.
- Constructing a lined sample-sized Roman blind.
- Obeying child safety guidelines during installation.
- Exploring cascade blinds and traditional Roman blinds.
Unit 08 - Constructing Padded Pelmets
Constructing Padded Pelmets
Develop sewing skills and techniques to make sample professional padded pelmets. You’ll also discover how to determine the right pelmet proportions to match window and treatment style.
• Understanding and estimating pelmet proportions.
• Making pelmets with various stiffeners.
• Creating a padded hardboard pelmet, including the front and returns.
• Displaying appropriate finishes for different sections.
• How to add decorative trims and piping to a padded pelmet.
Unit 09 - Constructing Swags & Tails
Constructing Swags & Tails
Learn to design swags and tails that fit the window size perfectly. You’ll create a small, lined sample swag and tail and master the formula for making swag templates.
• Understanding the right proportions for swags and tails to improve the window’s appearance.
• Making swag templates using the correct formula.
• Selecting appropriate fabrics for swags and tails.
• Positioning pleats on both swags and tails to enhance their draping.
• Achieving a professional finish with a blend of machine and hand stitching techniques.
Unit 10 - Setting-up a Curtain Making & Soft Furnishings Workroom
Setting-up a Curtain Making & Soft Furnishings Workroom
The last part of the course focuses on establishing a professional workspace and covers everything you need to start a curtain making and soft furnishings business.
• Setting up a workroom and essential equipment.
• Creating a cost sheet for your services.
• Determining your pricing strategy.
• Identifying your target customer groups.
• Exploring various marketing methods for your business.
• Sourcing suppliers and establishing trade accounts.
Taught Online in 17-Weeks
Taught by industry-leading tutors, you’ll thrive in a supportive and collaborative learning environment, all from the comfort of your own home.
Our part-time Professional Soft Furnishings & Curtain Making course will be delivered over online zoom lessons with demonstration and discussion tutorials.
You will also have allocated independent study time between lessons to complete tasks and assignments.
Your dedicated tutor will also be available for one-to-ones if you require them.
Every National Design Academy student has access to our VLS (Virtual Learning Studio) which is full of helpful course resources, lessons, and study materials.
Online
Tutorials
Self Study
Upcoming Course Dates
January to May Course
28th January to 27th May 2025
10:00am to 12:30pm (UK Time)
Tuesdays & Fridays
Course Qualifications
By the end of this course, you will have gained thorough professional and practical skills to design and construct a diverse array of soft furnishings. You will be well-prepared to craft your own fabric creations for your home, or you can leverage your knowledge to establish your own soft furnishings business or workroom.
All NDA Diplomas are accredited by AIM Qualifications
Pay in Full
£1,800
£1,200
One-time payment*
Save £600 by paying in full with UK Government funding.
*On enrolment
Spread the Cost
3 monthly payments of
£450
£1,350 in Total*
All International fees are in US Dollars.