There is something a bit counterintuitive about securing the base of your curtain. At first, you might think the best way to secure the bottom is to pull it straight down and perhaps tie it down or weight it, however the key to securing the base is actually horizontal tension.
Imagine for a moment, we laid a large belt from the britches of the Jolly Green Giant on the side walk that was 20ft long. If you step on one end, and say, Martha Stewart stood on the other end, it would be hard to lift the middle of the belt. Even if the belt were not stretched taut, the little bit of horizontal tension would be enough to keep the belt down.
If you can secure any three sides of a curtain panel, the fourth side really has no where to go. The top is secured when the curtain is hung. If you secure both sides, particularly at the two bottom corners, the base is very stable.
An outside hang is very effective for maintaining horizontal tension along the base, but what about an inside hang? If a curtain turns a corner, you can marine snap the bottom binding of the curtain to the base of a corner support column. In addition, elastic cord attached from ceiling to floor, pinches the curtain to the support column. The elastic cord gives the curtain something to go around so that the curtain maintains continuous horizontal tension.
The curtains are designed for a relaxed fit. They aren't stretched tight like a drum and they aren't sloppy loose. The relaxed fit will animate your curtain allowing it to wave a bit in the breeze, but won't become unruly.
Don't be concerned about tiny gaps around the edges of the curtain. A mosquito is DUMB. It smells certain chemicals you emit and vectors right towards you. Insects in search of food vector directly towards the food. Bees, on the other hand, don't see you as food and are geographically oriented. When faced with an obstacle, they are more likely to move laterally. Nonetheless, we want you to feel safe and secure on your porch. |
