I must have strange windows as I have never had to alter curtains. Just wish I had bought longer ones for the bedroom. I bought the same length as the previous ones, but 'himself' put the new curtain pole a bit higher up. Drat the man, why didn't he tell me he was going to do that? There is now a gap at the bottom, so warm air from the radiator now vanishes up the other side of the things, so it is warmer outside than in. :( I like nice long curtains that I can tuck behind the radiator to keep the heat in.
I have made curtains from scratch in the dim and distant past, stitched them all by hand in the days before I had a sewing machine. Three room windows, two bedroom windows, plus the kitchen and bathroom. Blessings on my dad for buying me the hand sewing machine. It may have been missing a screw, like me who is now missing several(!) but it took the drudgery out of straight sewing. The funny thing is that when moving house some 12 and a half years or so ago I hand stitched the edging on the nets. Could have done it on the machine, but I was a bit stressed out at the time, hand stitching all those nets, and there were lots, helped calm be down.
Roz