How to Make Ruffles for Curtains

Ruffled Curtains

You've found the perfect curtains for your room, but they are not quite long enough. Ruffles can add to the length of the curtain and give it a softer look. Perhaps you are making curtains and would like to add ruffles, but the pattern doesn't have instructions on how to make ruffles. Adding a ruffled trim to a pre-made curtain or making ruffles for a curtain you made doesn't take a lot of sewing skill and can even be done by hand.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pre-ruffled trim (3 to 4 inches wide) or extra curtain material
• Tailor's chalk or the edge of a bar of soap
• Scissors
• Sewing thread
• Sewing pins
• Sewing machine or sewing needle for hand sewing
• Iron and ironing board

Instructions

Adding Ruffled Trim to Pre-made Curtains

1. Measure the bottom edge of the curtain from side to side. Add 2 inches to that amount; this will be the length of pre-ruffled trim with extra for finishing the ends. Measure and cut the trim.

2. Fold under 1 inch at one cut end of the pre-ruffled trim. Place the folded edge on one edge of the curtain's hem. Adjust the ruffle so that it overlaps the hem by 1 inch. Pin the ruffle to the hem of the curtain. Continue pinning the ruffle along the curtain's hem. When you come to the other edge, fold under 1 inch of the ruffle before pinning it to the curtain. Hold up the curtain to make sure that the ruffle looks good before sewing.

3. Sew the ruffle to the curtain's hem. Sew along a line that is about ½ inch from the top of the ruffle. This can be done either on a sewing machine or by hand, with a needle and thread.

Make Ruffles with Extra Curtain Material

1. Hem the bottom edge of the curtain before adding the ruffle. This will prevent the material from fraying during washing, which could loosen the ruffle. Measure the curtain's hem. Depending upon how tight a ruffle you want, multiply that amount by 2 or 2.5. Use tailor's chalk or the edge of a bar of soap to mark that length on the material for the ruffle. Determine how wide you want the ruffle and add 1 inch; mark the material. Cut out the material for the ruffle.

2. Fold under ½ inch on the top and bottom edge of the ruffled material and hem both sides. Press the hemmed edge flat. On the top edge of the ruffle, move in about ½ inch and make a running stitch. On a sewing machine, this would be done by adjusting the stitch width to the highest number. By hand, you would sew long even stitches. When you come to the end of the ruffle material, measure about 3 inches of thread and cut the thread at that point. If you sewed the running stitch on a machine, tie the top and bottom threads together on one end.

3. Hold both sides of the ruffled material and bring the edges together, so that the material is folded in half from side to side. Mark this point, with either tailor's chalk, the edge of a bar of soap. Use the same method to find the center of the curtain's hem and mark it.

4. Take the end of the thread on the ruffle material that is not tied. Use your fingers to very gently slide the material back over the running stitch, gathering it and creating the ruffle. Don't force this, as the thread can break easily. Periodically measure the ruffled material and stop when it is about 2 inches wider than the curtain's hem. Tie the threads to hold the gathered material. Gently adjust the gathered material along the thread until the ruffles are evenly spaced.

5. Locate the center mark on the ruffled material and place it on top of the center mark of the curtain's hem. Adjust the top edge of the ruffle material so that it overlaps by about 1 inch; pin the ruffle onto the curtain. Pin the rest of the ruffled material to the curtain's hem. Fold both ends of the ruffle under by 1 inch before pinning it. Hold up the curtain to make sure the ruffle hangs evenly before sewing.

6. Sew the ruffled material to the curtain. Sew about ½ inch from the top edge of the ruffle. You can do this by using a sewing machine or sewing it by hand, using a needle and thread.

Tips & Warnings

• Using the edge of a bar of soap to mark the material instead of tailor's chalk has several advantages. Bar soap is easier to find, it costs less than tailor's chalk and it washes out easily.