Heat bond tape vs sewing: My experience.....

My projects list included painting (but not in my house!), sewing, trying to get things back together after the painting and more.   Can you tell it rained? Yep, it rained, a lot, and we were inside much more than planned.  No baseball in that list...we were bummed, but had a fun time anyway.  And of course there was (isn't there always?) laundry and such going on, but that's not fun to post about. Or read about.

So on to the update: Curtains.  We have a large bay window in the living room, and our house faces due west.  I've tried to get pictures in there, but the glare is so ferocious, it just doesn't work.  Well, it doesn't work well, I should say. 

I bought two panets from www.bedbathandbeyond.com almost a year ago.  I liked them, but they weren't quite wide enough. 

It looked horrible....see?

Anyway, it was ugly.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

We just couldn't get by with curtains for looks, we needed these guys to do the job.  I looked high and low for panels that were wide enough with no luck.   I considered making them myself, but buying fabric+lining+labor really was not cost effective.


I finally bought two more panels, and see what I could do about putting them together.  I was either going to use heat bond tape, or sew them.  I decided to jump in and try the heat bong tape. 

The way the top was made with the grommets, there was no way to open up that seam at the top.  I simply placed the two panels on top of each other and used the heat tape to bond them together.  This way leaves an overlap that you can see when the curtains are closed, but I don't mind it.  Whatever I did (even if I bought fabric), there was going to be a seam there, so it wasn't the worst thing.

The thickness of these two ends going together made using the heat bond tape a little difficult.  To get it to bond, I had to go over the seam for a lot longer than the instructions stated; I don't think it was made for thickiness like this, but it get get sticky finally; I then just let it sit and it bonded in a minute or so.  The bond at this point was pretty tight. 

The next week and a half was spend looking at the curtains hanging, unhemmed and too long.  I hate hemming!  I put it off for a long time, and finally got sick of staring at it. 

On curtains panel set number one, I used the heat tape.  Again, this fabric is heavy with a heavy liner.  It was tricky to get the iron hot enough to make the tape stick without scorching the liner.  I got the hang of it after a while, but it was tedious. 

At this point I ran out of tape....and my local craft/sewing store is moving, so they are out of stock of most things....no more heat bond tape.  I was left to lug the sewing machine downstairs and sew the second pair of panels.  Then, to make them match, I sewed a seam on the bonded side. 

One note about hemming: Once I had the panels together, I rehung them.  Them I hem while they are still hanging on the rod.  I fold and pin to the floor lenght, then iron and sew. 

You can see how much the curtains really block the glare (and more if they were completely closed.  i hung the rod higher than the trim and wider than the window, so when they are open, the curtains do not block the frame of the window at all.   (but it's still hard to get a good photo!)

  My little reading corner is finally complete, with no more hems dragging the floor and no more pins to avoid. 

So my review and advice on heat bond tape?  Yes, and no.

• If you sew and the fabric is heavy: I think it's easier just to use the machine.

• If you sew and are using lightweight fabric: I would use it again. I think it could be a great quick option.  I was happy with how the tape applied and looked from the finished side. 

  

• If you don't sew, it's a good option; just use lighter fabrics, and be sure to test it and get used to using it on that fabric before using it on your finished project. 

So what are you up to on this Monday? Have you ever used the heat bond tape? How did it turn out?