If you’ve ever had to rough it a few days (or weeks—we’re not judging) post-move with no window treatments, you know just how essential it is to have them. Both functional and decorative, curtains, drapes, and blinds are a necessary part of any room design. And the best part? You can make them yourself!
What You’ll Need:
Curtain fabric
Curtain lining fabric
Scissors
Ruler
Tape measure
Sewing machine
Thread
Pins
Iron
How to Make Curtains
1.Measure
If you’ve ever done a DIY, you probably know at this point that the first step is to measure—and that you should really measure twice before making the first cut! For curtains, first figure out where you want your curtain rod on the wall (the closer to the ceiling, the taller they’ll seem) and secure the brackets accordingly. Then measure from the top of the curtain rod to where you want the curtain to hit. In the video above, ours ends just below the window sill. Next, measure the width of the window.
- Cut fabric
Hall recommends adding 7 1/4 inches to both the height and width measurements to account for the top pocket and side and bottom hems. Cut a rectangle of your curtain fabric to these measurements, and then cut the lining fabric three inches shorter than the fabric (but the same width).
- Pin and sew one side
Arranging your fabric with its front facing the lining, pin the two together to keep them in place and sew in a straight line along one side to create a hem. The edges will still be frayed, that’s fine! You’ll turn it inside out later.
- Create lining hem
Fold 1 1/2 inches of the bottom edge of the lining fabric and 3 inches of the curtain fabric. Pin and stitch where they overlap to create the curtain’s bottom hem. If the hem seam doesn’t meet the side hem, stitch them together so there isn’t a loose flap.
- Sew second side
Hall recommends finding the center of the fabric and lining, marking that point and pinning fabric and lining together there, and then working out from the center to the sides with the sewing machine. It’s ok if the lining fabric comes up short. Sew these together like you did the first side.
- Flip curtain right-side out
Now that you have three sides sewn, reach into the bottom corner sand flip the curtain right side out! Trim any hanging threads and iron the seams to make them crisp. If you don’t have an iron, just press them with your fingers to come to a point.
- Create rod pocket
Fold the top fabric over 3 1/4 inches, pin, and sew along the fabric’s edge so that a pocket forms between the top of the curtain and the stitch. Cut any loose threads.
- Iron
Iron all seams to make sure they’re crisp, then iron the curtain all over to get rid of wrinkles.
- Hang!
Run the curtain rod through the pocket, then hang or attach it to brackets in your wall.
