How to Make Curtains {the easy way}!
Last Updated on March 3, 2022
Hey friends! It can be hard to find the perfect curtains, can’t it? I know I have struggled in the past. I can often find curtains that I love, but they don’t come in the right length {I mean seriously Target, what’s up with only have 84” length curtains in the store}?! Or, if I can find them in the correct length, they are expensive and I don’t love the fabric. It’s a problem. But, never fear! I am here to teach you how to make curtains the easy way :) This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
When it came time to choose curtains for our dining room that we recently redecorated, I needed 104″ long panels. I hunted and hunted without success. I finally decided to sew some myself after stumbling upon the PERFECT fabric while I was at Joann Fabrics purchasing supplies for a different project all together. I do not love to sew, but since getting my new sewing machine last Christmas, I no longer hate it. So, I decided to go for it.
As is customary with all of my sewing projects, I kept it as simple as possible, sewing simple 1/2 hems on all four sides of each curtain panel. I knew I wanted to hang the curtains with drapery rings and clips, which eliminated the need to create a pocket for the rod. Like I said, SIMPLE! In fact, if you don’t have a sewing machine, you could even make these without sewing AT ALL—just purchase iron on hem tape and iron away.
* A quick note before we jump in. I FIRMLY believe that curtains should be hung as close to the ceiling as possible. They should also extend beyond the outer frame of the window. This makes your window appear larger. Don't make the mistake of hanging the curtains on the window frame or just above/beside it! *
Supplies needed:
- Fabric. Again, I found the fabric I used at Joann Fabrics. It is 54 inches wide and I purchased 6 yards of it, since each of my panels needed to be 104 inches long.
- Drapery rings and clips
- A sewing machine and thread OR iron on hem tape. This is my exact sewing machine {it is the first sewing machine I have not wanted to throw out the window because it is easy to use and sews like a dream}!
- Scissors
- Iron and ironing board
How to Make Curtains Tutorial:
1) Since my panels needed to be the exact same size, I simply folded my fabric in half and cut the panels apart using the fold as my guide.
2) Fold each edge of your panel over, approximately 1/2 of an inch and iron the fold flat.
Then fold it over again, so that you have a completely finished edge, and iron flat again. After making this second fold, you will have a perfect, finished edge.
Complete the two long edges of your panel first. **If you are using iron on hem tape, place your hem tape under the second fold before ironing it flat, being careful to follow the instructions on the package in terms of the iron temperature and length of time you need to iron it.
3) Sew the ironed hems of the two long edges into place with a basic stitch.
4) Next, repeat steps 2 & 3 for the top and bottom edges of your curtain panel.
5) Add drapery clips and hang your beautiful new panels up!
See, that’s not so bad, is it? I made these panels for right at $60.00 for the pair, which is a great deal for such long panels! What do you think? Do you feel like you can tackle this project?
Before you head out, be sure to head over to see all the details of our dining room makeover. And, if you enjoyed this project, be sure to also check out how to make curtains from sheets, how to make pillows from dish towels and how to make personalized pillows with no sewing.
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I love this! I’ve been looking for an easy way to do curtains. They so darn expensive. Thanks for the great post!
All my best,
Kelly
Awesome Kelly! Thanks for reading!
Hi, love your curtains and rod. Do you have post about making the drapery rod? I tried a search but it didn’t turn up. I have a big triple sliding patio door and the window hardware is going to cost a fortune unless I make it myself! Thanks!
Hi Jill! That post will be coming soon!
So you have 54” wide fabric that is 6 yards long, and you cut them in half length wise.
Then each panel is 54” by 108″ (minus the hem)
Correct? If the curtains, to be able to COVER the window, would you just make extra panels, or sew the 54” panels together?
Yep, that’s correct Jackie! I would probably just make extra panels if I wanted to cover the entire window. Sewing them together and matching the pattern up could get tricky and would likely waste a lot of fabric. 4 panels would do the trick!
Hmm, I would have used the full width of the fabric per panel, as I believe in the old adage that a curtain should be 3 xs the width of the window it is covering. The fullness just looks richer to me, as does a convenient wide hem at the bottom, because sometimes yu ned to add a string of weights to keep the fabric hanging right. BTW, you should always wash your fabric first and straighten the grain so it hangs neater. But that’s just me.
Hi Cheryle! I did use the full width of the fabric per panel. I cut the length in half, not the width :) Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Hi there, can you please tell me where you hit the chair covers? I see you have chairs similar to mine. I didn’t think they would work on peg backed chairs. Thank you , if you could get back to me, I’d really appreciate it!
Of course, Connie! I purchased them from SureFit. You can find them here: http://bit.ly/1j4cPY3. I hope that helps!
oh sorry! i misunderstood the directions!
I do make pockets for the rods, because I’m cheap that way. Having said that, I have exactly two sets of curtains in my house I did not make. When I moved into the house the living room had some that came with the house and some of the other rooms had even cheaper curtains than I ended up making, when they had ANY. The place had blinds, that I hate. My parents had to get rid of the blinds in our house when my younger sister was discovered to have a dust allergy at 3. Why should I have anything else in the house to collect more dust than I already have? So, I have a craft room I need to make curtains for and a full sized sheet to make them from. I also have a window unit ac in the window so I can’t even make them the same size, but I need the curtains because the window is on the south west side of the house. It can make this Texas house feel even hotter with the sun blazing in! Since I will be beading in this room, I have had it painted white and I have white faced peg boards to hang my jewelry on when I’m done. I hope to start crafting in there in the next week or so, now that all the furniture is in.
So exciting that your craft room is almost ready to use, Leah! And I am glad I am not the only one who uses sheets for curtains :)
Super easy and they look fantastic! I love simple side panels like this to add so much drama to a space! Heading off to share this post:)
Love the curtains! I’m all about making my own these days for a more affordable option. One additional trick I’ve found helpful is if you don’t need a full look, you can cut a 54″ wide piece of fabric in half and get two panels out of it — that lets you buy half the fabric. Isn’t the right look in all situations, but I’ve used it in a few instances in my house where it works well (pics here if you’re curious! http://www.plasteranddisaster.com/tips-for-affordable-curtains/)
Great fabric find!
Great tip, thanks, Sage! I love your blog!