How to Make Curtain Tabs

You can make tabs to top your curtains while you sew them, or you can add tap tops to your ready-made curtains. Choose a matching or contrasting fabric. Make the tabs for your curtains as wide or narrow as you like for a custom window treatment.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fabric
• Cutting shears
• Measuring tape
• Straight pins
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Iron

1. Purchase a fabric for your curtain tabs. Wash the fabric to prevent shrinking and iron the fabric smooth so you get accurate measurements for your curtain tabs.

2. Decide how wide you want your tabs. For 2-inch tabs, double that amount for front and back. Add a 1/2 inch for seams on each side, making your fabric strip 5-inches wide.

3. Cut your fabric into strips of any length you desire. The tabs can be as long as you like, just make the length uniform.

4. Lay one length of fabric so the right sides are together and pin them. Sew from the top to the bottom, making a hollow tube. Remove the pins and turn the curtain tab right-side out.

5. Determine how you want to place the tabs on the curtain. The tabs should be evenly spaced across the curtain with one tab at each of the far ends for even hanging.

6. Pin the fabric tabs to the curtain top in the appropriate place, leaving a 1/2 inch of both sides of the tab below the curtain so you can sew them on.

7. Sew the tabs to the curtains from one edge of the tab to the other. Then, sew the other way to create a double-reinforced seam. Since the curtain will hang by the tabs, you want to do this to make sure the tab won't tear away.

Tips & Warnings

• Iron or steam the curtains, including the tabs, for a crisp window treatment.