We don't talk enough about Big Curtain.
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We don't talk enough about Big Curtain. Nobody has ever moved from one home to another and been able to just hang up the same curtains. Nobody they know can use the curtains they now can't use because the curtains don't fit anyone else's windows either. No curtain has ever fit any other window. Not once, not ever, never in the history of the human world.
@CiaraNi when we moved into our current house, we had a lot more windows and I was wondering how to cover them all. One room had three windows, a large one, a small one and one in-between (all the same drop thankfully). I found someone selling 3 sets of second hand curtains, in a design I liked, at a quality level I liked, for about £25 in total (inc delivery) on ebay. They fit perfectly.
I think that transaction used up all my luck for my entire lifetime. Never to be repeated.
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@CiaraNi when we moved into our current house, we had a lot more windows and I was wondering how to cover them all. One room had three windows, a large one, a small one and one in-between (all the same drop thankfully). I found someone selling 3 sets of second hand curtains, in a design I liked, at a quality level I liked, for about £25 in total (inc delivery) on ebay. They fit perfectly.
I think that transaction used up all my luck for my entire lifetime. Never to be repeated.
@louisa_ This is amazing. I think that may have used up all the curtain luck for all humans. I am happy you lucked out here - I love the fact that the £25 was even including delivery!
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@CiaraNi I run a community project and we occasionally acquire free big curtains or super king size duvet covers from the charity shop who can't always sell them..we make things from them.. lampshades, bags and more recently been making wonder bags which are kind of haybox cooker type things..cook food up a bit, pop in wonderbag and keeps hot for up to 8 hours so cooks with very little energy input.
@stuffjolikes That's a brilliant initiative! And lovely results. Fair play to you.
The 'wonderbags' are especially brilliant - modern hay boxes, wonderful!
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We don't talk enough about Big Curtain. Nobody has ever moved from one home to another and been able to just hang up the same curtains. Nobody they know can use the curtains they now can't use because the curtains don't fit anyone else's windows either. No curtain has ever fit any other window. Not once, not ever, never in the history of the human world.
@CiaraNi can't find a picture of the funky duvet cover ones..but these were our first wonderbag attempts made out of an old patchwork table cloth, the other was made from some pieced together scraps from colourful shirts. More on wonderbags here https://wonderbag.co.uk/
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@CiaraNi can't find a picture of the funky duvet cover ones..but these were our first wonderbag attempts made out of an old patchwork table cloth, the other was made from some pieced together scraps from colourful shirts. More on wonderbags here https://wonderbag.co.uk/
@stuffjolikes These are great. So useful and sustainable, and then lovely to boot.
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We don't talk enough about Big Curtain. Nobody has ever moved from one home to another and been able to just hang up the same curtains. Nobody they know can use the curtains they now can't use because the curtains don't fit anyone else's windows either. No curtain has ever fit any other window. Not once, not ever, never in the history of the human world.
@CiaraNi And Big Curtain Rail. You move into a house which already has curtain rails, but no sliders/hooks to go with them. You go to buy new sliders, but can't find anyone selling the right fitting. So you end up buying new curtain rails. (This is a UK story. From visits to other European countries I suspect they may use more standard fittings?).
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@CiaraNi And Big Curtain Rail. You move into a house which already has curtain rails, but no sliders/hooks to go with them. You go to buy new sliders, but can't find anyone selling the right fitting. So you end up buying new curtain rails. (This is a UK story. From visits to other European countries I suspect they may use more standard fittings?).
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@CiaraNi And Big Curtain Rail. You move into a house which already has curtain rails, but no sliders/hooks to go with them. You go to buy new sliders, but can't find anyone selling the right fitting. So you end up buying new curtain rails. (This is a UK story. From visits to other European countries I suspect they may use more standard fittings?).
@ApAlun Oh yes, Big Curtain Rail too. That's a common problem here (Denmark) too.
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@TimWardCam @ApAlun Yes, shelving too. The enshittification of non-digital things too - it's as if we're actively *trying* to destroy the planet through over-production and over-consumption, doing our best to make sure things can't be reused.
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@TimWardCam @ApAlun Yes, shelving too. The enshittification of non-digital things too - it's as if we're actively *trying* to destroy the planet through over-production and over-consumption, doing our best to make sure things can't be reused.
@CiaraNi @ApAlun We had some tenants move out. And we discovered that some of the curtain fittings were missing or broken. And we discovered that you can't buy them any more.
Fortunately I also discovered that back in the day I'd bought an additional rail and set of fittings for a window half way up the stairs that I eventually chickened out of fitting - working at height isn't really my thing - so I had just enough spares to cannibalise.
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We don't talk enough about Big Curtain. Nobody has ever moved from one home to another and been able to just hang up the same curtains. Nobody they know can use the curtains they now can't use because the curtains don't fit anyone else's windows either. No curtain has ever fit any other window. Not once, not ever, never in the history of the human world.
Just to go off on a bit of a tangent - but I promise, it's relevant(ish):
Decades ago, some friends were buying a house from an elderly couple. As our friends were just starting out, they negotiated a price for the carpets and curtains that were already hanging in the house, to save them having to fork out for new ones.
All went smoothly, until the day they moved in, to find carpets and curtains in every room - but not the ones that had been there at the house viewing. All of the 'new' curtains were six inches too short for the windows, and none of the carpets actually reached the walls.
When they enquired about this, the vendors smugly said that whilst they *had* bought some carpets and curtains, technically they were never promised the *original* ones. Apparently, the couple's daughter had swapped the nice ones in the house for her own grotty ones.
Lawyers were briefly involved. Our friends got compensation (and some pretty grubby threatening phone calls off the daughter).
People do bad things when under the thrall of Big Curtain.
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We don't talk enough about Big Curtain. Nobody has ever moved from one home to another and been able to just hang up the same curtains. Nobody they know can use the curtains they now can't use because the curtains don't fit anyone else's windows either. No curtain has ever fit any other window. Not once, not ever, never in the history of the human world.
@CiaraNi I will never understand why people don't leave their curtains behind when they move out. And am very grateful for the ones who did (I moved a lot).
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@CiaraNi @ApAlun We had some tenants move out. And we discovered that some of the curtain fittings were missing or broken. And we discovered that you can't buy them any more.
Fortunately I also discovered that back in the day I'd bought an additional rail and set of fittings for a window half way up the stairs that I eventually chickened out of fitting - working at height isn't really my thing - so I had just enough spares to cannibalise.
@TimWardCam @CiaraNi I now have a cellar full of surplus curtain rail fittings which I am hanging onto as "they might be useful one day". No doubt I will get rid of them in a decluttering purge only to need them the week after.
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@CiaraNi @ApAlun We had some tenants move out. And we discovered that some of the curtain fittings were missing or broken. And we discovered that you can't buy them any more.
Fortunately I also discovered that back in the day I'd bought an additional rail and set of fittings for a window half way up the stairs that I eventually chickened out of fitting - working at height isn't really my thing - so I had just enough spares to cannibalise.
@TimWardCam @ApAlun I was going to say that was lucky, but it wasn't luck, it was foresight!
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@TimWardCam @CiaraNi I now have a cellar full of surplus curtain rail fittings which I am hanging onto as "they might be useful one day". No doubt I will get rid of them in a decluttering purge only to need them the week after.
@ApAlun @TimWardCam I have a similar stash of fittings from different homes and moves - mounting brackets, the odd door handle, curtain rings, etc. And motley screws and bolts. The chance of them fitting something I need in the future is slim, but someone else might need exactly this one particular kind of out-of-date curtain ring I still have. I'd love a community system of 'rummage boxes' for stuff like this. Something like a 'Free Little Library' in neighbourhoods, but for this kind of stuff.
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@CiaraNi I will never understand why people don't leave their curtains behind when they move out. And am very grateful for the ones who did (I moved a lot).
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@CiaraNi I will never understand why people don't leave their curtains behind when they move out. And am very grateful for the ones who did (I moved a lot).
@snowgaze People do sometimes offer the curtains to the new owner or tenant for a reasonable price, much cheaper than new. Necessity can prevent this, though. Curtains are such a major expense and tailored ones take ages. And moving is miserably expensive in itself. So I think people often take curtains with them, knowing they won't fit properly in the new place. But they'll hang them in a make-shift way as a 'make-do' for a while, just to have privacy until they can get proper ones.
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Just to go off on a bit of a tangent - but I promise, it's relevant(ish):
Decades ago, some friends were buying a house from an elderly couple. As our friends were just starting out, they negotiated a price for the carpets and curtains that were already hanging in the house, to save them having to fork out for new ones.
All went smoothly, until the day they moved in, to find carpets and curtains in every room - but not the ones that had been there at the house viewing. All of the 'new' curtains were six inches too short for the windows, and none of the carpets actually reached the walls.
When they enquired about this, the vendors smugly said that whilst they *had* bought some carpets and curtains, technically they were never promised the *original* ones. Apparently, the couple's daughter had swapped the nice ones in the house for her own grotty ones.
Lawyers were briefly involved. Our friends got compensation (and some pretty grubby threatening phone calls off the daughter).
People do bad things when under the thrall of Big Curtain.
@Badgardener That's amazing. People are amazing. If only people like that put their creative thinking to good use instead of bad!
"People do bad things when under the thrall of Big Curtain."
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J jwcph@helvede.net shared this topic
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We don't talk enough about Big Curtain. Nobody has ever moved from one home to another and been able to just hang up the same curtains. Nobody they know can use the curtains they now can't use because the curtains don't fit anyone else's windows either. No curtain has ever fit any other window. Not once, not ever, never in the history of the human world.
@CiaraNi I’ve always left curtains behind for precisely that reason. What’s the point of taking them away when you aren’t going to be able to use them anywhere? To me, carpets and curtains are as much part of the house as the paint or wallpaper on the walls.
