Curtain eyelets too big for pole

So pleased for you. Can’t believe I’ve helped, i’m not the most practical person. A quick cheat is just up my street

So happy you’ve found just the tip you needed here on gn, with only the minimum amount of alteration to your existing pole ?

And thank you everyone else for your suggestions

K atyj - it worked! And if the curtains do shrink after washing, all I have to do is remove the white tack. Thank you so much

Sorry love, but you will need to wash those curtains and hope they shrink.

If they don't shortening them is really the only answer.

Hope so, let us know.

Katyj - that's a great idea! I'd wondered if there was a solution using white 'bluetack' and I think you might have solved it! Thank you, I'll try it today.

I had this exact problem last week I’d had the curtains shortened but for some reason at one side they were just touching the floor and like you said they didn’t hang right. Don’t know if it will work for you but what I have done is stuck a piece of blue tack underneath the rail where it rests on the bracket, you can’t see it ,this has lifted them just enough, and now their perfect .

I'm with Niobe "puddled" is good, that skimming a couple of inches above the floor is awful like when you see people who look as if their trousers have had an argument with their shoes, and are staying an inch or 2 apart, showing some sock!

I’m with Furret move the pole up

My sympathies Willow10
I had the reverse problem last year, when I replaced the curtains for eyelet ones.
Our poles are wooden and quite thick, and I didn't want to change them.
What I hadn't realised was that the eyelet holes are more or less a universal size, but M&S were very helpful, even sending someone to measure the hole diameter.
Hope you get a suitable solution soon..

I found that my new eyelet curtains were too long by a couple of inches and decided to leave them. I thought they looked quite nice “puddled” on the floor.

I had the safety pin thought as well J52 - they are very big holes though! Chewbacca, I think we are on the same wavelength. I'll try to ignore them for a while and perhaps the problem will go away! ?

My idea isn’t a terribly bright one but I know what I’d Willow - and did for all my bedroom curtains that are an irregular drop.
I took them to a lady at our dry cleaners who does alterations, and she took them up on her commercial sewing machine.

As you’ve not washed yours yet I’d do that first in case of shrinkage.

Obviously, pin on the back.

I don’t know how large the holes are, but if you had large safety pins you could pin them so each makes a bar across The hole, stopping the pole reaching the bottom of the hole. Thus raising the curtain.
Hope I’ve explained, might draw a picture.

I'm even thinking that when they eventually come down for a wash, they will probably shrink that much anyway! ?

Exactly! And think how cross you'd be if they do shrink in the wash and then they'll be flying at half mast! Leave well alone Willow, look on it as "forward thinking in case of calamity"!

Thank you all for your input. There was a time when I wouldn't have thought twice about getting the sewing machine out and getting on with it. Or doing it by hand if necessary. Why does everything seem such an effort these days? (must be getting old). I'm even thinking that when they eventually come down for a wash, they will probably shrink that much anyway! ?

I've seen that iron on stuff in Boyes I think, specially for curtains so I assume it'll be heavyweight. Try boyes.co.uk or just type Boyes into google.

Because I'm a lazy beggar and look for any opportunity to take a short cut; instead of sitting and sewing miles of curtain hems, I've used that iron on stuff. Just lay the curtain flat, lay the iron on fabric strip on the edge of the fabric, turn up to the required length and then iron with a hot iron. Put a tea towel or something between the iron and the fabric though.

That's a great idea midgey. But it's quite a narrow, white metal pole so I don't think that would work. Looks like I might have to start unpicking and resewing the hem, which I was trying to avoid!

If it’s only a fraction could you put a piece of very thin wood along the top of the pole?

It really isn't difficult to take curtains up at the hem and the extra weight will make them hang nicely too.

Thank you Furret,I wish I could - but I don't have a drill. The walls in this 1886 house are rock solid! I'd rather not go down that route, I'm really hoping there's a simpler solution!

Other than buying a thicker pole I can't think of an aesthetically pleasing solution.
However, it would be cheaper to shorten them.